Back Yard Inspiration

When I took my first ceramics class and it came time to glaze my pieces, I was so disappointed with the drab colors are matte surfaces. I wanted bold colors and shiny glazes! Within a semester, I was in love with the earthly browns and the variations on the surface of the pots. My pieces felt equally at home in the kitchen as in nature. My coffee cups were as welcome on the front porch of a mountain cabin as in a New York apartment.

Now I have the experience and choice to have bright and shiny if I want it, but I still tend to steer clear of it. My favorite glazes are all browns and golden browns, soft green and blues. I tend toward a peaceful muted palette on my pots. I allow myself any whim that passes, but overwhelmingly, my pots are the soothing sort, not the jarring sort.

I would, however, love a glaze that mimicked the skin of a watermelon, in colors and in texture. Not everything earthy is brown after all! And if I could capture the charcoal gray and teal blue on that butterfly, I would be inspired beyond measure.