Chanterelles and Shore Birds


After the rains last week,  I went out to forage for some mushrooms on our property.  I was so delighted to find chanterelles were up in abundance---YUM!  We have white and the golden ones.  We have quite a few edible mushrooms---boletes, honey, candycaps (and oysters sometimes on the old, dying alders.)  We sauteed the chanterelles in a bit of butter and ate them as a snack.  If it wasn't so cold I would have done some outdoor sketches. In the meanwhile,  I have some sculptural work I need to start now that all the cups were tagged and shipped out. 

making tags
Below is a quick video of my favorite cup (that I kept) from the one hundred that I did finished.  What I like about this piece is the faux soda flashing on it---which is hard to see in this video---it is more rusty satiny in person.  The terra sig I used has soda ash so maybe with the other pieces a bit of flashing happened. (There's small magic happening in that kiln.) Currently, I am using earthenware cups to paint my interpretation of shore birds that I see daily.  The earthenware cups are bisqued with a thin layer of terra sigillata.  With some sumi-e brushes I quickly paint in the bird and whatever else that comes to mind.  Sometimes I can scratch through the black engobe.  No transparent glaze necessary.  Fired to cone 6.

 

This is a godwit with its upward curved beak holding an olive branch.  Peace.


Comments

  1. How fortunate and tasty to have those mushrooms on your own property! I love your cups and that one was definitely a keeper.

    Are you using lowfire earthenware and taking it to ^6? No brittleness? I stopped using earthenware because I never found a clear I liked -- too shiny, too milky, bubbly . . . .

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    1. The clay I use is IMCO Fifty Fifty. This clay is locally mined and mixed. It is half their Navajo Red and 412 Sculpture. I suppose the term earthenware doesn't quite fit, but neither does stoneware. It fires from cone 1-6. It isn't brittle. I use a porcelain slip or a Terra sig both fire to a satiny feel. No need to fuss with a transparent. Interiors are sometimes glazed. Normally I would fire this clay to cone 3, but this cup went into the kiln with cone 6 porcelain☺

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    2. Sounds like a great clay body - lots of flexibility. I still have all my clay tools - not sure if that call will ever be stronger than the paint, but not ready to abandon it completely yet.

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  2. Your bird cup is beautiful, Charlene. Satiny glazed sounds wonderfully tactile.

    Yum indeed. I relish mushrooms in butter. Such a timeless snack or accompaniment to a dish.
    You are indeed fortunate to be able to forage for them naturally - the best way to have them, fresh from the earth.
    xx

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    1. Nothing more aromatic, too. Chanterelles have a floral, fruity scent. They are very expensive in the markets as they are considered prime choice wild. Yes, indeed, very fortunate!

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