Jay Jasper's Blog, page 130
June 28, 2020
This week At The Studio in Photos
A frog’s advice. If anything bugs you, eat it!
The ladies are working around the cluck, a true testament of their hendurance.
The garden is really taking off! We’re so excited that we wet our plants. But that’s mostly because we have not had rain for a week.
The kiln gods were kind, and everything emerged unscathed. Even my crazy coronavirus sculpture.
A large moon moth came to visit on the first day of summer. What a lovely treat!
May you have a peaceful week filled with all the love and compassion that you need. Be good to each other.
June 27, 2020
Let’s Dream of a Better World together
As lockdowns change and lift around the world, I would like to re-extend my invitation for your collaboration on The Vase of Dreams.
My concept for this piece is to allow the process of raku and the flames of reduction to act as a communal intention and prayer for a better world. I am hoping that other dreamers will join me by commenting with their hopes and dreams for how our world could be a better place.
Please continue to add your hopes and dreams for a better post-pandemic world here.
On my end, I continue to work away on creating the vase itself – a vessel for all the dreamers of the world. It is not yet glazed due to difficulties getting supplies during the pandemic, but I plan to fire it within the next week or so.
This invitation is for everyone. In case you have not yet added your hope for the post-Corona future, the call for dreams is open here.
Please feel free to share with any and all dreamers in your life.
Let’s make this collaboration one for the history books!
Once we hit 300 newsletter subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print, and a piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners.
To be entered (and keep on top of the Vase of Dreams and other community collaborations) you are invited to subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
June 24, 2020
On The Wheel Wednesday – Change
And we play, allowing and encouraging it to reveal the fullness of itself.
With patience and calmness, it is unveiled.
And completed.
(Until it changes once again)
“There is nothing permanent except change.” -Heraclitus
Once we hit 300 newsletter subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
June 23, 2020
June 17, 2020
On The Wheel Wednesday – June 17th!
We are midway through June and the Alchemist is busy throwing some new shapes!
Once we hit 300 newsletter subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
June 15, 2020
Name That Vase – June 2020
It’s time to share our winner and feature another vase in need of a name! Welcome to my monthly feature – ‘Name that Vase’.
For those who are new to this feature, ‘Name that Vase’ is where you can suggest a name, create a story, poem or prose for this raku pottery vase. Consider this your chance to be inspired, a writing prompt or a creative cue. You can, or if you are feeling nostalgic,that started what has now become a monthly tradition for our blog and readers.
This month we have a very special vase for your naming, but first we must congratulate last month’s winner ceridwensilverhart for their name and write-up! Congratulations!
One half has the tone of copper, the metal of Venus while the other could look like iron, associated with Mars. I even see a hint of figures at the place where the tones touch. Though not married, tales tell of Mars and Venus having a strong attraction to one another, yet they could not openly act on it because Zeus had promised Venus to Vulcan. The Roman poet Claudian describes a temple with a pair of statues commemorating their desire, made out of magnetic material so that as they neared they would literally spring together. Modern scholars aren’t sure those statues truly existed, so perhaps they are just another part of the myth!
Mars and VenusAnd into our new month!
Here is our vase for this month:
Please add what you think the name should be for this month’s vase and any associated poetry or story in the comments below. I look forward to reading all your great ideas!
If you have coronavirus on mind (as so many of us do right now) please check out this helpful post, B-B-B Bye Corona, Self-Care In The Time of Pandemic.
Once we hit 300 subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
Join our project to help build more hope and co-create a better world during the pandemic of the coronavirus and beyond.
June 7, 2020
Vying (and Dying) for Love
From the Northwest of the United States this vase tells the tale of a love triangle of the gods and a fiery sibling rivalry that required some pretty extreme parental intervention.
Louwala- Clough – a raku pottery vase inspired by legend.The indigenous people in the north west of the United States told early explorers a tale about a mountain called Louwala-Clough; you may know this mountain as Mount St. Helens.
According to legend, this mountain used to be a beautiful woman who was named Loowit. There were two braves, who happened to be brothers that were vying for her love. These were not just any two braves, for they were the sons of the Great Spirit, Sahale.
Unfortunately, Loowit spoiled by choice, could not decide which of these brothers to choose. This only intensified the rivalry between the two brothers Wyeast and Klickitat. They fought intensely, leaving a fiery trail of destruction around them, throwing rocks and liquid fire at one another, burning villages and forest alike.
Their father, the Great Spirit, Sahale grew weary of the destruction caused by his battling sons and the indecisive beauty Loowit. In a move that would be frowned upon by any of today’s authorities on parenting, but probably very much appreciated by the locals of the time, he decided to smite all three of them.
Louwala-Clough is featured in our first book A Potter’s Dream: Myths & LegendsIn their place he erected three mountain peaks, Loowit was turned to a beautiful snow covered peak (Mount St. Helens), Wyeast (Mount Hood) with his head raised in pride, and Klickitat (Mount Adams) with his gaze fixed on Loowit for all of eternity – or until erosion ultimately gets the better of the three.
Now due to her indecisiveness Loowit gets to spend what will seem like an eternity with two rock solid men and is spared the anguish of choice.
You can see more images of the raku vase ‘Louwala-Clough’ here.
Once we hit 300 subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
June 3, 2020
On The Wheel Wednesday – Time and Waiting
I sometimes use a hair dryer (and also a blow torch) to speed up the drying of a pot. The rate that a pot dries depends on a number of factors, from the type of clay, to the humidity that day, to many others in between. And so in an effort to keep moving with the piece, I might try to speed it up.
Especially on rainier days.
However, if the humidity is too high and the clay is not drying as fast as I would like (and I do not want to use the heavy hitter of the blow torch as I am worried the piece may be too fragile), then I will sometimes have to simply . . . . . . . . . . . . wait.
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Wait for the weather to change;
wait for the rain to pass;
wait for a sunnier day.
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And then after leaving it away from my awareness and giving it some time – it is ready.
Fragile creations can require patience. We can try to speed things up, but often, they just take the time they take.
What is something fragile that is or has required your patience?
Once we hit 300 subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
May 31, 2020
God Is Ugly & Crafty
‘Hephaestus’ Forge’ tells the tale of a master craftsgod, known for his skill and cunning, a most ‘ungodly’ appearance, a war thwarted by an arranged marriage, an unfaithful wife, and an inspired girdle!
Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire, craftsman, forges, artisans and a number of hot crafty related things. So put down that glue gun and read his tale.
Raku Pottery Vase – Hephaestus’ Forge. You can see more vases and read their stories here.Hephaestus had powerful parents! Zeus, his father had a problem on his hands. Many of the male deities wanted to marry the beautiful Aphrodite. Their fighting grew more and more problematic for Olympus. To finally put an end to the quarrels for her hand, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus.
It was his ugly appearance that inspired Zeus to choose him, so that the match would not inspire jealousy among other male deities. It was also his ugly appearance and a lack of love in the match that caused Aphrodite to have many affairs with both gods and men. The Dom Deluise type with a club foot was not for her.
See more pictures of ‘Hephaestus’ Forge’ here.Tired of the humiliation, one day Hephaestus created a magic net, which he would use to catch Athena and the war god Ares in bed together. He would bring them together before the gods and thoroughly humiliate them among their peers. Poseidon felt so sorry for them he convinced Hephaestus to release them and paid their fine for the indiscretion.
Maybe Hephaestus should have ‘borrowed’ Aphrodite’s credit card and visited my website!
In his forge on Olympus, Hephaestus would go on to produce many of the gadgets and equipment of the gods, like Hermes winged helmet. He had also made Aphrodite’s girdle which inspired love and passion, which perhaps worked a little too well.
Move over Victoria’s Secret. They don’t make girdles like they used to.
What did you think of our rake pottery vase ‘Hephaestus’ Forge’ and our story today? If you enjoy our stories and pottery, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter here to keep up with what is happening in the studio.
You can also take our ‘Which raku pottery vase are you quiz’ here, and see what vase and story you get!
May 27, 2020
On The Wheel Wednesday – Openness
If you are not open to the world, the world can not open to you.
Once we hit 300 subscribers, we will be drawing for two prizes that will include a copy of our book ‘A Potters Dream: Myths & Legends’ an art print and piece of jewelry for one of the lucky winners. You can subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here. Don’t worry, if you are already a subscriber, you are automatically entered.
