Very cold, very wet clay day

very cold, very wet clay

The clay I wanted to use was way too wet to use.  I wanted to do some slab work.  Throwing down very wet clay on a very damp and cold concrete floor.....hmmm......not such a good thing.  So I unwrapped the clay to air dry it a bit.  Now it is the afternoon and it is still too wet.  The little pinches of clay I used to make a tree using a trimming of our pine tree.  The wet clay will keep it very moist in the jar.

On to the white stoneware.  I am making lots of calla lilies for the Pence Gallery.  I have a canvas board that I roll out thin slabs using a rolling pin.  I then free hand cut out a triangular shape.  The spadix (the center spike) and stem are one piece.  I then wrap the triangular piece around it.  Lots of slip.......Now there's a few more steps. One step involves a blow dryer.......

The spadix is actually made up of tiny flowers.  Calla's kissing cousin is the skunk cabbage.  And the calla is not really a lily.  Very mysterious.  Very sensual.  Very surprising.  Simple elegance as if a haiku. 

dizzy
at the end of its spiral
calla lily whiteness

-Jane Reichhold