Jay Jasper's Blog, page 118
October 27, 2020
Holiday Highlight
Honey Light Bulb Ornament$35 – Shipping Included in US and Canada
“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones. “
― John Cage
October 26, 2020
Holiday Highlight
Santa Red Raku Christmas Tree$75 – Shipping Included in US and Canada
“Santa was sweating, so much so that he realized that his coat was in no way indicative of a man who acclimated to changing temperature conditions”
― J.S. Mason, The Ghost Therapist…And Other Grand Delights
Mugshot Monday
― C.S. Lewis
Mug 2
$30
October 25, 2020
Holiday Highlight
Icy Blue Textured Ornament$25 – Shipping Included in US and Canada
Christmas is a box of tree ornaments that have become part of the family.
– Charles M. Schulz
This Week At The Studio In Photos
The forest floor is red with maple leaves!
A closeup of this week’s vase story star, which you can find on Uranus.
Golden hues started the week up high and by the end of the week
. . . had found their way to The Yellow Leaf Road!
This new ornament was added to the site! .Mauve Ornament – $35
That’s been the week here.
How’s your week been?
October 24, 2020
Holiday Highlight
$75
– Shipping Included in US and CanadaI’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way They handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
– Maya Angelou
Announcing . . .Something exciting!
The Alchemist’s Studio 2020 Holiday Gift Guide is up and ready for your viewing! Be the first to get your order in of handmade pottery and artwork and with plenty of time for shipping right to your door! Ornaments, Angels, Trees and much more! Shipping included in Canada and the US! Click here to view […]
Announcing . . .Something exciting!
He was her world. But his wife wouldn’t stop having babies. Here’s what he did. (Spoiler – It Back-fired)
Last week, we told the story of the raku pottery vase – ‘Gaia’s Revenge‘ – and a time before the gods, when Gaia had to teach her husband a lesson, which you can read here. But every story has two sides. And today, we hear from the man god behind the Gaia, Uranus.
Today’s story for the raku pottery vase, ‘Tears of Uranus‘, tells the tale of young love, fertility rites gone wrong, a celestial nursery built on chaos, an old God who gave it all up for revenge and proof positive that the first cut was indeed the deepest.
Uranus used to love the feel of Gaia’s cool porcelain-like skin when she’d whisper softly in his ear. It’d always kind of given him a little jolt, and if truth be told he rather liked it. But it was always the same thing. Ace of Base said it better than Uranus could in their sophomoric social commentary doubling as a song. The kind of catchy tune radio stations would over play much to the frustration of all.
Uranus had actually remembered their early courtship with much fondness. In the early days when they were busy creating The Titans together, he looked forward to her nightly visits. As many a new father, he was reluctant. His duties of father of the sky and heavens kept him rather distant which also complicated matters. But those Titans were healthy looking children and he did not mind so much looking after them. But things were about to change.
Tears Of Uranus $
188
He was literally the sky and heavens and was responsible for regulating all the cosmos. Though Chaos was hiding in that too. When Gaia had arrived for her nightly visit, she was interrupting a beautiful meteor shower he was putting on. She still excited him, but it was time. He had to tell her tonight that he had enough with their twelve Titan children. Could they put a hold on making more little Titans? Could he just focus on his career for awhile?
Gaia was able to decidedly answer him yes! She explained that chaos told her it was bad luck to have thirteen of something. Uranus felt good to know he would have no more children. He was understandably tired after his twelfth, and he also knew there was no way he could resist Gaia. Relationship counselling averted. Which was good, because the only other being they had to go to for help was Chaos, and that would not have ended well.
But you see Gaia had a little secret. She liked to create, and my she was prolific. While it was true that they would have no more Titan children, she was bored of those kind anyways, what she failed to mention was they may have other types of offspring. The kind of offspring that had one hundred arms and fifty heads. And if that were not enough,there were not one but three of them. Then came the Cyclops!
It was nice his offspring had cool names, but the practicality of childcare and all the irregular requirements of their household soon overwhelmed Uranus. He tried to talk to Gaia about all the gloves and hats needed for their children, and one of the Cyclops needed glasses. Can a Cyclops wear a monocle?
Unfortunately Gaia was less than responsive to his pleas. She was out busy creating new accessories for herself, like oceans, and trees and such things. Maybe she was a little caught up with her latest creation at the time, mushrooms, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Uranus had enough. He decided to return all of the children to Gaia. His sky palace just wasn’t big enough, and between changing cosmic diapers and meeting the special needs of his children, he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had grown to dislike his own children so he sent them back to where they came from – Gaia!
A bunch of giants and cyclops wandering around in what some called Tartarus, but Gaia considered her womb, was painful. She no longer had the time to create and she became angry with her husband. She figured he was just being insecure and felt his power was being threatened. He felt he had no power, that he was a mere shadow of his self, and he was intractable about removing the children from Gaia again, because it meant he would have to care for all of these children, for what might be an eternity. No thanks.
Gaia wasn’t going to tolerate the situation for long. She fashioned a sickle and bribed their son Cronus with Uranus’ power to castrate him. With a slice of the sickle Uranus’ testicles and blood hit the Earth many more children would emerge from his final fertile act. Was their no mercy for poor Uranus?
Indeed not. For it is then that Gaia started her smear campaign against Uranus making him the butt of all jokes. She may have been stuck with all the children, but in the end he got stuck with the crappy end of things.
Next week is our Halloween themed vase story and the subject is most appropriate. Join us next week as we take a walk to the dark side and meet this ‘Chaos’ you’ve heard so much about in the stories of Gaia and Uranus.
How did you like our raku pottery vase ‘Tears of Uranus’ and what did you think of our story this week?
And for clarity sake, this vase’s name Tears of Uranus
refers to the salty water that comes out of one’s eye.
Not something else.
October 23, 2020
How To: Decorate your table & tree
Our first book “A Potter’s Dream: Myths and Legends” collects stories across cultures and centuries, adapting them to his pottery with wit, love, compassion and joy.
It is a decidedly modern take on the traditional topics of pottery, healing, community – and what it means to be human – all interwoven with the magic of raku and stunning pottery.
Once we hit 500 newsletter subscribers, we will be drawing for a prize that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ and a beautiful handmade ornament!
You can subscribe to our Newsletter by going to
https://rakupottery.ca/newsletter/
Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered. Share on Twitter or Facebook to help the draw come even sooner!
If you would rather not wait, the book can be purchased here
and you can view a selection of ornaments here
Have a great Friday!
October 22, 2020
Thursday Throwdown October 22, 2020
It’s vase-to-vase combat like you have never seen before!
How it works: We share two vases and YOU vote which is your favourite! The winner will then move on to the next round to face another competitor!
Once again Mount Olympus has won with Draupnir lying on the wrestling mat in shards! Can our next competitor break this winning streak?
Get your votes in below!
Sorry to see you go!Draupnir $74
The Series so far.
Gorgeous Vases of No Contact Wrestling
Vase Name
Gossip Girl
Phoenix Reborn
Pillar of Atlas
Evangeline
Ogopogo
Iris En Ciel
Original Twin
Kermit The Vase
Haring’s Dance
White Walker
Sobek’s Tears
Mount Olympus
Argus
Draupnir
Wins/Losses
0/1
2/1
0/1
4/0
0/1
0/1
0/1
1/1
0/1
1/1
1/1
3/0
0/1
0/1
And so it was that A new competitor Has entered the ring and she isn’t going to take it sitting down!
Grandmother
$75
This vase was a . Thank you to winner for your name and poem!
Shards of a womb
That brought forth life
Whose nurture and love
Sustain me still
Decades from her passing.
Grandmother.
Mount Olympus
$240
Zeus was not like the other gods. He knew what he wanted and he would get it. And he knew all it would take is a little bit of Magnum, Ferrari, or a dose of Le Tigre.
Unfortunately, meeting his philandering goals also meant killing mortals and upsetting the other gods and – much more than once – his goddess wife Hera.
“Zeus is here to set the record straight! What was Zeus to do? It was not his fault everyone wanted him! He was blessed with being “Zeus’ gift to women” everywhere! Surely, nobody could blame him for that!”
“This is complete ZeuSlander!”
Indeed, It was true that the people simply couldn’t resist him – Mostly due to him being an all powerful god,
Zeus. was. “IT.”
Zeus’ tangled love life (including many rather questionable relationships) resulted in all of these children.
His harem included
Leto who was the mother of Apollo and ArtemisSemele who was the mother of DionysusMaia who was the mother of HermesDione who was the mother of AphroditeHera, the wife of Zeus was the mother of Ares, Hebe and HephaestusDemeter, the sister and lover of Zeus, was the mother of Persephone
One thing was perfectly clear: By gods, he knew how to pose!
It was no freak gasoline fight accident that brought this vase to life, but rather, the magic of raku and when the ash was cleared, Zeuslander was left to ponder life’s important questions alone on Mount Olympus – forever searching for an answer to “why male models?”
Who will be your victor? Be sure to get your vote in BELOW!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.I choose this vase as the winner.GrandmotherMount OlympusNameSubmit
Their fate is now in your hands!
We will share the winner (and update from last week!) next Thursday!
