Jay Jasper's Blog, page 23

This Week At The Studio In Photos

The first crocus to bloom An ant going up And down an old rhubarb stalk The first of a series of skulls Fungi on a tree A new vase Sitting without a dock on the bay, watching the tiiiiiiide roll awayAnd That’s been the week here.

How has your week been?

If you like the weekly photos, you will likely enjoy our new twitter account

Life With Trees

We hope you may consider joining us there.

Alive In A Bottle

The Black Currant wine is bottled

And we are enjoying sampling some homemade wine.

2021 was grape, elderberry, rhubarb and black currant.

It’s been a good wine year!

The year’s red grape wine made came out exceptionally well! It’s a bold full-bodied flavour that has made juicing countless bunches of grapes feel very worthwhile.

So quite happy about that!

The rhubarb is, as always, an easy hit; the black currant is like a sweet candy; and the first-time-to-make elderberry is – ironically – pretty young and probably needs to be combined with another wine to be more enjoyable. It will be bottled and left to age . . . for awhile. Perhaps that might help!

It’ll bowl you over!We invite you to celebrate with us with a bit of wine and hope that you have an excellent weekend! Our favourite of the wine goblets. More can be seen here
Turquoise Rising Goblet
$68
Shipping Included In US and Canada
Are you a wine person?

Have you ever had homemade wine?

If You like Playing with Fire, Watch out for Pandora’s Box‽

Today we are happy to highlight the raku pottery vase ‘Pandora’s Jar‘, named in honour of a woman handcrafted by the gods. Given many gifts from the gods, including great beauty, cunning and a special jar/urn, Pandora would change the course of the world.

You may have heard of Pandora’s box, but that would be due to a 16th century error in translation. Her special trinket from Zeus himself was a jar or urn.

Pandora’s Jar – SOLD

It all started when humans acquired the godly gift of fire from Prometheus. Zeus was none too pleased with that mere mortals had acquired the fire of the gods. In order to balance the scales, he decided to bestow another gift upon the mortal world.

Her name was Pandora.

Zeus ordered the other gods to help with his little project. Hephaestus created the form of Pandora in his forge, Athena teaches her weaving and dresses her in the finest gowns, Hermes would give her the power of speech, and Aprodite gave her great beauty, cunning and curiosity.

Have you seen the movie weird science?

Like that only Pandora was not made for himself, but rather to deliver Zeus’ balancing ‘gift’ to Earth contained in a jar. Zeus knew better than to deliver Pandora to Prometheus, so she was delivered to his gullible brother Epimethius.

Epimethius was warned not to accept any gift from Zeus by his brother, but Pandora was so beautiful and cunning that he not only invited her into his house, but he also married her.

In time, this would prove to be a fatal error, for in Pandora’s jar were plagues and suffering that she would unleash on the Earth by opening the jar. 2020 may have taught us all about life during the plague.

It is said that the only thing left in the jar is hope. That’s something we all need right now. Stay safe, stay healthy!

What did you think of today’s vase and story? Please let me know in the comments below, and if you would like to see more of our raku vases and read their stories, check out our gallery here.

For those of you who came here wanting to see Pandora’s box, you’ll have to settle for mine.

Click here to see available raku vases and their stories

Jewelry From Spaaaaace!

did you know Star Wars Creator
George Lucas
once said Yoda is the

“Illegitimate child of Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog”?

And while I love the Muppets and Pigs In Space, Yoda is definitely closer to heart.

So in celebration of Yoda and all I have learned from him,
I have created these pendants.

Tattooine Yoda Pendant
$28
Free Shipping In US and Canada
Intergalactic Yoda Pendant
$28
Free Shipping In US and Canada
Chromium Yoda Pendant
$28
Free Shipping In US and Canada
Do you have a favourite character from either star wars or the muppets?

Owl Show You Blue

“If you see a tree as blue, then make it blue.” Med Blue Owl – $75
Shipping Included In US and Canada
– Paul Gauguin

Click here to see more owls

It’s A Nice Day For A White Whetting

with winter nearly wrapped up, let’s take one last look at white!As a colour, it is too often overlooked. Last weekand so as a celebration of a great colour, I wanted to share some of my work in that underrated white of the fresh winter snow
Athena’s Trick – $120
Shipping Included In US and Canada
and not the muddy brown of
spring snow like right nowSo here is to white!A Trio In WhiteWhite Ornament Set
$ 62
Includes Shipping in US and Canada

The tall snows of winter Pillar of Atlas – $80
Shipping Included In US and Canada
it’s for much more than
just shirts and napkins!

What is your favourite use of this colour?

Click here to see vases in all sorts of colours, including white!

On The Wheel Wednesday

Centering clay centres my soul. I open myself to flow toward that place where there is neither push nor pull and only the soft touch of all things in a perfectlyeffortless balanceWhat do you like to do to get in the flow/Get into balance?

Win your own raku vase (and more!)

– click here to find out how –

Recently Rakued

Get it while it’s hot!
(not actually still hot, don’t worry!)

It’s always a nice boost to look over new pieces and follow the colours and shapes to see what interesting journeys they may take me on.

Recently we were able to complete a raku firing which means new work will soon be coming to the site for sale, but before it does, I would like to invite you to be among the first to view it!

Here is a sneak peak!

“We are only atoms trailing the carved skull wrapped inside a sunbeam.”

― Sherwin Bitsui

the first of skulls to comeAnd hand built pyramids that fit together!here is the first!

You can also take a peruse of all raku vases here

Keep up-to-date on new works by signing up for our newsletter here

The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Today is Tell a Lie Day and so we are taking a look at the lies we tell each other, but importantly – the lies we tell ourselves.

‘Echo‘ is a cautionary tale not to ignore an ‘Echo’ in the woods, or fall in love with a gay, unknowingly asexual man, the broken hearts this may cause, and of course – as per usual in most stories involving the gods – a tale of revenge gone terribly wrong.

But at least there were flowers!

Echo
$112
Shipping Included In US and Canada
It’s not Easy being beautiful

It can be hard to feel compassion for all the pretty people. But sometimes they have rough times just like the rest of us!

Take Narcissus for example.

When he was born, his mother Liriope was awestruck by what a handsome baby she had birthed, much like most mothers. Of course she had big dreams for her son and thus consulted the seer Tiresias who predicted he would have a long and happy life, but only if he never discovered himself.

Don’t play that annoying game where you repeat everything someone says

Like any good mother, Liriope took the words of the prophets seriously. She sheltered her son from self-reflection and banished all mirrors from their home, always keeping a close eye on her son. But no parent can keep their eyes on their children 24/7, as much as they may want to.

One day, Narcissus was walking in the woods alone and was spotted by a mountain nymph named Echo who fell deeply in love with him and decided to follow him. Like part of a bad ‘knock knock’ joke, Narcissus, who sensed someone was following him called out ‘Who’s there?’

Echo, of course parroted his question back to him.

After this went on for awhile, Echo revealed herself, and tried to embrace Narcissus. Unfortunately for her, their romance did not flower, and he soundly rejected her.

Mighty Aphrodite is a real Dear

Aphrodite witnessed this rejection of Echo and vowed revenge. One warm day when Narcissus was hunting, Aphrodite turned herself into a deer and lured Narcissus to a pool of water to drink from. When he went to drink, he gazed upon the most beautiful reflection and fell hopelessly and madly in love – with the handsome man staring back at him.

He was unable to take his eyes off the gorgeous man staring back at him. And after sometime, upon further reflection, he realized his love would not be returned and the heat of his passions consumed him and all that was left was the flower that bears his name today.

Echo witnessed this tragic end, and heart broken, she eventually faded away, leaving behind only an echo.

What did you think of our vase and vase story for ‘Echo’?

You can check out more of our raku pottery vases and their stories here.

Mugshot Monday – Life In A Bottle

“Play with life, laugh with life,
dance lightly with life,
and smile at the riddles of life, knowing that life’s only true lessons are writ small in the margin.” Bottle Moss Mug
$44
Includes Shipping in US and Canada
~ Jonathan Lockwood HuieWhat is a life lesson that you have seen
“writ small in the margin”?

Click here to win a mug before the year is out
as part of the Great Pottery Gift Basket!