La poterie est ouvert! The Pottery is Opened!

It’s just 9 days until Christmas.  Do you know where your holiday decorations are?  Why, they are here at the pottery, just waiting for you to come and get them!  Just give me a call and let me know when you can come by so I can put the kettle on for tea.  If you can’t make it by in person, well, there’s always the mail.  I would be happy to pop into town with your parcel to be delivered in the good hands of Canada Post.  Don’t worry about breakage.  I know how to wrap breakables like a pro.  Wait a minute.  I AM a pro!

I have Gingerbread men ($10) that look good enough to eat, but DON’T!!  You’ll break your teeth!

I have dancing stars ($8) in white and yellow…

Hearts ($8) in red, blue and white…

Crescent moons ($8) in blue, white, yellow and purple with groovy green bursting crystals…

I have cute little teddy bears ($6) in terracotta clay…

For those on your Holiday List for whom you are searching for something unique I have some brand NEW original jewelry – Molten Glass Pendants ($15) with an adjustable black silk cord, made with white or porcelain clay framed in black glaze and inset with stained glass pieces in a variety of colours…

White glass, deep red and green layered glass.

Gold glass.

Adjustable silk cord.

The stained glass came to me from a friend who got it from a client.  The glass shards are scraps from someone’s foray into stained glass art.  It’s another way in which I have recycled something that could have ended up in a landfill site.  The small shards are placed on the clay square after I’ve framed the clay or made a squiggle with a black glaze “pen” and after firing they’ve turn into something beautiful!

Green layered glass.

Blue layered glass.

I love glass art.  I love watching glass blowers work.  On trips to the city I often hit a few thrift stores in search of glassware and pottery and I’ve found more than a few gems that delight me.

I also have these necklaces I call “Hippi Pendants.” ($13)

Peace, baby!

Here I’ve stamped some clay wads with my self-created stamps and glazed them with – you guessed it! – some hand-me-down vintage bursting crystal glazes from the 70’s.  Those little pots of glaze came to me from an elementary school art teacher.  They were all dried up and I didn’t know if they could be used, but I added a bit of water, gave the glazes a good stir and that’s all it took!  I love the names of the glazes.

This one is called “Tossed Salad.”  Notice the small green, red and orange specks.  It indeed looks like a tossed salad!

And this one is called “Firedance.”  I carved a stamp of the 16 petal flower that is on the Romany flag and since I have Gypsy roots, this design is special for me.

A few years ago I discovered that the bursting crystal glazes were making a comeback, so I invested a bit of money in some new glazes as the others were getting used up.

This one is called “Purple Haze.”  I used the same glaze on some of the crescent moons.

I have many other designs in the Hippi Pendants.  Some of them are available at The Old Chelsea Slip Cover shop located at 213 Old Chelsea Road in Chelsea, Québec.  I know, eh?  What in the world are necklaces doing in a slip cover shop?  Well, there used to be a gallery on the property and there is a bed and breakfast there as well, so Manon decided to convert the gallery into a “cabin” of sorts, offering family or group sleeping quarters in addition to the B&B.  They’d asked me to install some art there before they decided to convert the building and when I mentioned I had these necklaces they thought it was a good idea to give them a try in their shop!

I wish all of you last minute shoppers all the best in your search for just the right gift and thanks for supporting local artisans.  It means we can keep doing what we love AND buy groceries!

This entry was posted in my work. Bookmark the permalink.

8 Responses to La poterie est ouvert! The Pottery is Opened!

  1. Toni says:

    I love your glass art pendants! A great addition to your line of wares.

  2. Dar says:

    Oui, la poterie est ouverte! … and it’s been a blessing to grace my table with the labour of your hands for some time now.

    I still delight at how much better good food looks and tastes on one of your beautiful plates, and at the thought that whatever piece I am holding is uniquely mine alone.

    Many of us have lost touch with the simple human comforts, pleasures and beauty that handmade can bring to our lives; it’s one thing as a maker myself that I am trying hard to recover in other aspects of my life. And yes, that comfort can be something small like eating my morning bread from one of your plates, or how lovely one of your mugs feels held in my hands.

    • potbelly@lablanchepoterie.com says:

      I often imagine you eating from those plates and am delighted to hear that you are still loving them.
      I once gave a mug to Cassandra Shore after a belly dance workshop in thanks for her wonderful teachings. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, “Oh! Your fingers!” as she felt the ripples of clay my fingers left on the surface of the mug.

  3. tracy says:

    You do such lovely work! I am quite impressed!

  4. bobi says:

    gingerbread, peace sign, purple haze and tossed salad all rock my world, pretty pretty stuff m’lady! love it, you are so versatile!

    • potbelly@lablanchepoterie.com says:

      Bobi, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Wait until speckled clay, teapots, mugs, platters, large bowls, bathroom sinks! Hee heee!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *