Leaves, Koi Plates and a Sunset

Large Crescent Tray with Two Koi. One of my last custom orders for the holidays. Now safely on it's way to the west coast to bring handcrafted joy to someone I've never met but is beloved by family members who commissioned this project.

These three Koi plates were a new venture. I wanted to try the various colors that Koi come in, rather than my standard orange. I don't know what the attraction for these fish is for me, but I do think they are pretty magical. When I was a kid, the next door neighbors had a type of fish pond/grotto in their yard and I was fascinated by it. I've taken loads of photos of Kois in other ponds (mostly as a fuzzy fleeting image, since they don't hold still very long) as a reference point, so that is one of the projects I'll be working on in the new year. Tree plates are on the list and prototypes have been made but not yet fired.

Managed to gather some beautiful leaves from the yard before all the cold weather turned everything brown and crinkly. I want to work towards some complex surfaces like these in 2011. Mother Nature usually is a hard act to follow, though. She's had quite a bit of time to develop her palette and technical coloring skills.

All the holiday shows/festivals are over for me and all the holiday orders completed. There is definitely a sense of the year drawing to a close. I snapped this shot on the way home from the studio about 2 weeks ago. So lovely watching the colors deepen as the light faded from the sky.

The rest of the year will be spent cleaning and organizing and keeping the studio open for those folks who need locally made pottery! Drop by after the Lowell parade this Saturday or on Sunday from 1 to 4pm. And you can catch me in the studio during the week from 1ish to 6pm. Always best to call ahead to make sure I haven't had to run out to handle a pottery crisis of some sort.

Thanks to all those galleries and individuals who purchased Bluegill Pottery this year!