I began doing ceramics less than a year ago. My interest in taking up ceramics was influenced primarily by exposure to ceramic work both at the museum where I work and a collection of Greek and Roman pottery at another local museum. Also, I started doing some research on artists who primarily painted yet also ventured into ceramics at different periods. My appreciation of artworks made from clay greatly increased and I began to regard them with much higher esteem than I had in the past.
My bird series started as an effort to make birds that I have seen but has expanded to include others as well. I work from bird identification books and photos taken from the internet in order to make the birds realistic in their shape and colors. However, I'm not attempting to make them as realistic as the porcelain birds people collect. I want my birds to be "realistic yet fun", bordering between realistic depiction and stylized birds. Someone recently referred to my birds as "close to folk art" and I was a little offended at first because I'm not a "folk artist" but then laughed about it in appreciation.
The birds are one of a kind, hand built from low fire white clay and painted with underglazes, then topped with clear glaze. They measure around 8 inches tall on average. Although they are hollow (for firing purposes) they are heavier than they appear and very sturdy. Their heaviness makes them expensive to ship so please keep that in mind when looking at the prices. The size and detailing figure into the pricing....larger, more detailed, and heavier to ship are going to be more expensive than smaller simpler ones.
My bird series started as an effort to make birds that I have seen but has expanded to include others as well. I work from bird identification books and photos taken from the internet in order to make the birds realistic in their shape and colors. However, I'm not attempting to make them as realistic as the porcelain birds people collect. I want my birds to be "realistic yet fun", bordering between realistic depiction and stylized birds. Someone recently referred to my birds as "close to folk art" and I was a little offended at first because I'm not a "folk artist" but then laughed about it in appreciation.
The birds are one of a kind, hand built from low fire white clay and painted with underglazes, then topped with clear glaze. They measure around 8 inches tall on average. Although they are hollow (for firing purposes) they are heavier than they appear and very sturdy. Their heaviness makes them expensive to ship so please keep that in mind when looking at the prices. The size and detailing figure into the pricing....larger, more detailed, and heavier to ship are going to be more expensive than smaller simpler ones.
