Class Demo: 2-quart casserole

A student took this video of my 2-quart casserole class demo. The second half, the lid, will be available on Patreon. 

After firing, this piece will hold about 2 quarts. 

Creating the Nautilus Pattern with Slip

After drying & firing, there will still be a raised texture, but the ridges will be much lower than they appear here. Still, this technique is best on a serving platter rather than, say, a dinner plate. 

 

Finishing A Lil Sipper

 

Finishing Day

 

Yesterday was finishing day in the studio: trimming & slip trialing bowls. 

New Photo Dump

 Here are the clay specific photos. To see the life-in-general photos, pop over to Patreon! There's a short raku video, too. 

Sweet Shards

Pottery is my job and my joy, but even an artist needs a hobby. Longtime readers know that mine - one of mine - is royal icing cookies. I'm also interested in news about ancient pottery finds, so I have a google alert set for that topic. Imagine my delight when a story arrived in my inbox that combines my interests! 

Dr. Ella Hawkins Reimagines Ancient Artifacts and Prized Objects as Edible Replicas

Academic research is notoriously niche and often opaque, but Dr. Ella Hawkins has found a crowd-pleasing way to share her studies. The Birmingham-based artist and design historian translates her interests in Shakespeare performance, costume, and matieral culture into edible replicas.

Hawkins bakes batches of cookies that she tops with royal icing. Decorating takes a scholarly turn, as she uses tiny paintbrushes and a mini projector to help trace imagery of William Morris’ ornate floral motifs or coastal scenes from English delftware. Rendering a design on a single cookie can take anywhere between two and four hours, depending on the complexity. Unsurprisingly, minuscule calligraphy and portraits are most demanding. [more...]

I've done some intricate and time-consuming designs, but four hours per cookies is well outside my tolerance! I admire Dr. Hawkins her patience and dedication. Hashtag goals! 

 https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/05/dr-ella-hawkins/