Here are thumbnail images of some of my ceramic pieces—click on the image for a larger picture.
UPDATES FOR APRIL 2009:
I'm going back to my old format of categorizing my pieces by their shape and function. I'm also going to remove some of my older pieces to make room for the newer ones--my server space is somewhat limited. But my favorites, or the really nice looking pieces that I'm especially proud of, will remain. Please note that as I add new pieces I'll put them at the top of the appropriate section. That explains why "Blue Casserole dish #5" might appear before blue casserole dishes #1, 2, 3 and 4.
Because I've expanded my reportoire I've added a couple of sections. Since I've made a bunch of bowls in the last year or so I've made a separate section for them. I've also been making a lot of pieces with lids, so made a separate section for them.
So What did you want to see?
As I discuss in my "Ceramics Notes" Section, I've been working on Making Celtic Knot designs--here are some of the results so far:
Celtic knot #10:
Celtic knot #12:
Celtic knot #13:
Celtic knot #19:
Celtic knot #23:
Celtic knot #17:
Another look at Celtic knot #17:
Celtic knot #18:
Another look at Celtic knot #18:
Celtic knot #22:
Celtic knot #23:
Celtic knot #50:
Celtic knot #51:
Celtic knot #53:
Celtic knot #54:
Celtic knot #55:
Celtic knot #57:
Celtic knot #59:
Celtic knot #60:
Celtic knot #63:
Celtic knot #64:
The reverse side of Celtic knot #64:
Celtic knot #65:
Celtic knot #66:
Reverse side of Celtic knot #67:
Celtic knot #68:
FYI: The numbers refer to the number of photos I've taken of my pieces, not the number of pieces. I've actually made about 35 Celtic knot pieces all told; not the 70 the numbers would indicate.
I tried a few Claddagh designs while I was at it:
Claddagh Cup #3:
Claddagh Cup #4:
Claddagh plaque #5:
NOTE: Since someone e-mailed me and asked, I should point out that what I call “mugs” have handles while “cups” don’t.
FACE CUPS:
For several years I've been experimenting with faces--decorating mugs with noses, eyes, mouths, etc. It's hard to get a sense of them in a two-dimensional picture, but here are some examples:
Face Mug #30
Face Mug #31
Face Mug #32
A Green Man Face
Another Artist was making Green Man Plaques
So I gave it a try
Another look at the Green Man Face
Devil Face Mug #5
Sadly, his horns look too much like eyebrows
Face Mug #14
Face Mug #11
Drink with the Devil mug
Angry Face Mug #2
A friend of mine has a mug that she inherited from her father, which she asked me to copy--here are the results:
Grumpy Face Mug #1
Grumpy Face Mug #2
Big Mouth Cup
A different shot of Big Mouth Cup
Face Mug #3
Angry Face Mug #1
Kiss Mug #1
Face Mug #4
Face Mug #5
Face Mug #6
Tongue Mug #3
Toothy Face
Face mug #51
Green Man #5:
Green Man #6:
A different look at
Green Man #6:
Vampire Face Mug:
SWIRL MUGS AND CUPS:
I've been playing with "Swirled" forms, in which you throw a straight piece on the
wheel, then use your fingers, one inside and two outside, to press in and out while
the wheel turns slowly and you draw your fingers up. The result can be lopsided and
ugly, or a cool swirl pattern that rises up the piece, depending on the pressure of
your fingers and the speed the wheel turns. I’m also trying other swirl designs; I’ve been trying to refine the technique and shape a bit:
Swirl mug #4
Swirl mug #6
Swirled Green Cup
Swirl mug #8
Swirl mug #3
Swirl mug #4
Purple swirl mug #1
This is a beautiful glaze
but it
runs and tends to glob
at the bottom.
Swirled Mug #1
A different look at
Swirled Mug #1
Swirled Cup #3
SHAPED MUGS:
I’m still playing with different shapes of mugs; lately I’ve made a bunch of swirled mugs that resemble triangles, but which twist as they go up. Here are some examples:
A three-cornered mug
A Squarish Mug
A three-cornered cup
A five-cornered Mug
A yellow and green Mug
I liked this glaze combination
Red swirled mug #3
A blue bulbous Mug
A blue swirled mug
Another look at the blue swirled Mug
Triangular Red Mug
Red swirled mug #4
Yellow swirled Mug
A vine handled mug
Another look at the vine handled Mug
I stuck on a few leaves while I was at it
Blue Triangular Mug
Red Triangular Mug
ANIMAL HANDLES:
I suppose this was a natural progression from the “People Handle” mugs I made last
year. I started messing around trying to shape and carve different handles, then
glaze them different colors. The results can be interesting and amusing, though
they’re very labor-intensive.
Fish Mug #4:
Dog Handle mug #6
Frog handle Mug #8:
Horse Handle #5:
A different look at
Horse handle #5:
Elephant Handle Mug #1
Another look at Elephant Handle Mug #1
I had so much fun with the Elephant Handle Mug I had to make another!
Elephant Handle Bowl #1
Another look at Elephant Handle bowl #1
While I was at it I played with some other new animal shapes
Fish Mug
Another look at Fish Mug
Horse Handle mug
Frog handle mug #2
Ferret handle mug #1
Dog handle mug #2
The glaze ran on this one,
so the handle
turned out almost
the same color as the mug
Deer handle mug #1
Deer handle mug #2
With the pointy antlers sticking into your hand
these aren't exactly useful, but
they were fun to make.
I was pleased that the antlers didn't "slump" too much
in the
firing; though they did twist and bend a bit,
I think that makes them more realistic.
PEOPLE HANDLES:
After making faces on mugs, I started trying to make entire bodies; here are some of the results.
Man Handle Mug:
I intended this to seem like someone
was looking into the mug,
but my sister thought it looked like he was barfing!
A different view of Man Handle Mug
Man Handle Mug #2
I liked the first one, so tried it again
Man Handle Mug #3
Woman Handle Mug #1
I decided not to be sexist
though the skirts made it tough
Woman Handle Mug #2
Legs Handle Mug
The logical conclusion of my people mugs, or so it seemed to me
ANATOMIC PIECES:
Two years ago one of the other artists at the studio made a life-sized cast of her daughter, who was 8 months pregnant at the time. This was such an impressive piece that it led to an ongoing competition among the artists to create anatomically accurate pieces, though thankfully not life-sized. Here are a few of my contributions to the competition:
Boob Cup #3
Boobs Mug #2
Butt Mug #1
At some point last year Peter commented that my bowls needed better "feet". That's a pottery term for the ring or stilts at the bottom of a piece that support it, keeping it from tipping or wobbling. Since I'm a smart aleck, I took him at his word and made several bowls with carved "feet" sticking out....
Foot Bowl #1
Boob Mug #30
boob Mug #31:
Butt mug #30:
Boob Mug #32
OTHER CUPS AND MUGS:
Vine Handle #6
Tree Mug #3
Pink Cup
This was a red glaze experiment
that wasn't quite red
Here are a couple of mugs where I was playing with the yellow and chocolate glazes that I’ve gotten to like lately:
Yellow and chocolate mug
Yellow and chocolate stein
Mixed Clay mug #1
You can read the discussion of my "Mixed Clay"
techniques in the "Ceramics Notes" section
Autumn Tree Cup--This is a part of a series
of cups I've been working on, with carved trees
showing the 4 seasons.
Celtic Ribbon Mug--This was a difficult piece to carve
A different view of Celtic Ribbon Mug
Lizard Handle Mug
A different view of Lizard Handle Mug
2 grooved cups
Another Mug carved with a tree
Mug with Coaster
I made the mug first, then a coaster to match it
Mug sitting on coaster
When the mug is full of hot coffee
the coaster can be used as a lid
to keep your drink warm
SPATTERED STEINS
I've also experimented with glaze "spattering" in which different colors of glazes are airbrushed onto a piece--the results can be very different, as you can see here--all these pieces were coated with a base glaze of matte white, then airbrushed with the same color glazes, yet all turned out very different.
Spatter Stein #5
Spatter Stein #1
Spatter Stein #2
Spatter Stein #3
WINE GOBLETS:
I've tried to make a number of goblets and wine glasses, and found it very challenging; because of the narrow foot and stem they often sag or deform during the drying and firing--but here are a couple of my successes:
Three Goblets
These were quite a challenge,
since the
bowls and stems were thrown
separately, then joined together
Purple Goblet
This was an experiment
with a new type of
red glaze;
it worked well on my testing tiles,
but turned purple on the
goblet
A Plum-glazed Wine Goblet
BIG BOWLS:
I consider any bowl over 10 inches in diameter to be a "Big Bowl"; some of them have been as much as 24" across. Lou Perozzi, one of my instructors, actually has a custom-made wheel bat that allows him to throw bowls and platters that are up to 4 feet across.
Big Blue Bowl #31
This one is about 16 inches across
Big Red Bowl #30
I scattered blue glass shards
in this bowl, which melted
and spread over the bottom.
Another view of Big Red Bowl #30
It's about 24 inches across
Butterscotch Bowl
I glazed this bowl yellow, then sprayed chocolate brown over it.
Sometimes that works nicely, other times the glazes repel each other
and crack or glob up during the firing.
Big Bowl--this one is actually 2 feet wide
It's tough to make such a large piece
and not have it crack during
the drying and firing
BOWLS WITH GLASS:
I keep trying the technique of scattering glass shards in the bottom of bowls before firing. In addition I've also tried a technique I’d read about, of taking a wet piece and rolling it in a layer of crushed glass, so the glass sticks to the clay. Then during the firing the glass would melt and dribble a bit, running down the sides of the piece. It sounded good, and the pictures in the book looked nice, so I tried it.
Unfortunately, I suspect the book should have said something about medium range firings; our firings go up to cone 12, much too high a temperature. The glass liquefied and ran to the bottom, and I was left with a cup that had gouges and holes in it where the glass had melted away, and a broad, thin glass rim at the very bottom.
For now, I’ve resolved to stick to putting glass inside a piece; then when the glass melts it’ll just spread out across the bottom of the bowl.
Yellow Bowl with green glass shards
A different Yellow Bowl with green glass
Green Bowl with glass shards
Another Look at Green Bowl with glass
SHAPED BOWLS:
I've been working a lot on different shapes and designs of bowls over the last year--for more details take a look at my
"Ceramics Notes" Section here or by clicking on the link to the left.
Here are some of the shaped and sculpted bowls I've made:
Rose bowl #4:
Rat Bowl #6
Since I had a pink glaze
I tried to make his ears pink
Another Look at Rat Bowl #6
Rat Bowl #7
I made another one,
but his ears turned white
Rose Bowl
Sadly, the pink didn't turn out that well
Green Stemmed Bowl
Pink spoonrest
Here’s a heart shaped bowl. What would be the point of such a bowl, you may ask? Why, to keep your spoon from rolling around when you’re carrying your bowl to the table, of course.
And a few other weirdly shaped bowls:
Rope rim bowl #4
Swirled bowl #5 
Swirled bowl #6 
Three-cornered bowl #5
Three-cornered bowl #6
A different view of Three-cornered bowl #6
Fluted bowl
A different view of the Fluted bowl
Two Three-cornered bowls
A different view of the Three-cornered bowls
Two more Three-cornered bowls
A different view of those last Three-cornered bowls
Shaped bowls #1
Shaped bowls #2
Triangle bowl #1
Rat bowl #1
Rat bowl #2
Square Bowl #1--I'm pleased with this
I glazed it white, then dipped it again
in a temoku (chocolate)
colored glaze--I like it!
World Bowl--I carved this one
with the continents, though it's not
quite accurate, or to scale!
World Bowl back
OTHER BOWLS:
Here are some plainer bowls in which I was trying out some different glazing techniques; I’ve really gotten to like the yellow glaze lately, and have been trying it with different other glaze combinations.
Red and Yellow Bowl 
Yellow Bowl with chocolate Edge 
Another Yellow Bowl with chocolate edge 
Blue Crystal Bowl #1
Crystal glazes have added mineral elements
like mica, which create a neat effect
Blue Crystal Bowl #2
Red and Blue Bowl
Soup Bowls with handles
A friend asked me to make soup bowls with handles
so she could make Onion soup with cheese
melted under the broiler.
PLATES:
Plates are actually difficult to make, because any flat thin piece is liable to warp or grow distorted during the drying and firing process. I tried to decorate my plates by dipping them into different colored glazes--I didn't want my work to look like it was bought at Target!
Temoku Platter #3 
Blue Platter
It's a large plate, about
20 inches across
Red Platter
This one is about 17 inches across
Red plate with blue edge
Blue plate with black edge
This was a bizarre experiment,
in which I dipped all 4 sides
of a plate in different glazes;
it didn't work out as I wanted.
Saucer #1
Blue and Red plate with black squiggles
Spatter plate #1
I tried the spatter-glaze technique
that I've used on some of my steins
on this plate.
PITCHERS:
I haven't had much luck making pitchers, except for a few short creamer-type ones. They tend to end up either too small and short to be useful, or if they're tall enough to hold a fair amount then they're so thick and heavy that if you filled them with liquid you couldn't pick them up. But I have managed to make a couple of decent, thin (and therefore lighter) pitchers.
Blue Pitcher
Red Pitcher
BEADED VASES:
In past years I’d made several grooved vases that my friend Li Raven decorated with beads. But then we lost touch and I decided that I could do it myself, and made several more vases with grooves. Here are two simple vases that I beaded last summer:
Beaded Vase #5
Beaded Vase #6
Another look at Beaded Vase #6
Beaded Vase #1
I made this vase with grooves cut into it
and my friend Li Raven beaded it.
Another Vase I made that Li beaded
A third Vase I made that Li beaded
OTHER VASES:
Vases, being tall, have given me a lot of trouble; see the
"Ceramics Notes" Section for a full discussion of the problems and challenges of throwing tall pieces.
Black Vase with curves
Blue Vase
Red and Black Vase
Red and Blue Vase
Swirled Vase
This was an example of a piece
twisting and
warping while I was throwing it
Tall vase #1
This piece was 16 inches tall
about as tall
as I've been able to throw
A Bud vase with ceramic flowers
I made about 20 flowers
most of which broke or sagged during firing
Some of the droopy flowers
Crumpled Vase--this piece
actually fell on the ground while
I was carrying it to the kiln, so got
deformed, but still holds water...
I think it's kind of cool.
