Jay Jasper's Blog, page 25

Smoke and Mirrors (And Also A Cow)

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‘Io‘, tells the tale of it’s namesake, a wandering cow with a secret, a man in chains, the ultimate cosmetic transformation, and an ending where the god gets the girl.

The Flies Have It!

Io, a former priestess in the temple dedicated to Hera in Argos had faced unwanted attention from Zeus who was in love with her, and from Hera who punished Io for her husbands attraction by turning her into a beautiful white cow. Hades hath no fury like a goddess scorned.

Bovine Io, unfairly punished, was left to wander through deserts and the world. To make matters worse, Hera had another meltdown when her pet monster Argus was killed by Zeus. So she sent a gadfly to follow Io around and harass her in all the places her tail could not reach. I am sure she would have given anything for a can of raid. Or opposable thumbs to use it.

Prometheus Bound

Io wandered and wandered, growing more and more upset and disoriented. It seems she was afflicted with the original mad cow disease. Eventually she reached the Black Sea and the what is now called the Bosporous, (ox passage) which was named in her honour.

So things were looking up and her situation was about to improve. Being named after one of the most strategic areas in the world was cowtastic.

It was on this leg of her journey that she would meet up with another victim of the gods, Prometheus.

HerA and Stones May break my Bones, But Heroes in Chains Excite Me!

It was when Io was passing Mount Caucasus that hope was restored. There she ran into Prometheus, another toy of the gods, who had been chained to the mountain by none other than Zeus.

It was in this moment, that Prometheus told Io that she would eventually be restored to human form and not give up hope. She would be the ancestress of many powerful figures. Holy Cow!

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A (Bovine) Sailor Moon

Io was often associated with the moon by the ancients. The self proclaimed ‘horned virgin’, made her way across the Ionian Sea to Egypt. I guess the original sailor moon may not have been a goddess, but she definitely had bovinity!

It was in Egypt that Zeus finally restored Io to her human form. Her long journey as a wandering cow had finished, but her story and those of her ancestors was just starting. It would take many generation, but one of Io’s descendants would be one of the most famous figures of the ancient world.

If you want to read more vase stories,

check out our vase gallery here, it’s full of them!

🐈 In Honour Of The Greatest Most Wonderful, Incredible Chairman Meow 🙏

A message from our fearless leader and Chairman of Everyone’s hearts, Studio Kitty Extraordinaire
CHAIRMAN MEOW on

Respect Your Cat Day

To my beloved friends, fans, and devotees

I have asked the human minions to transmit this message to all of you lovely folks on my behalf.

As you may have seen, I am now creating more devoted fans over on my new twitter account where I have found an imposter in my clothing!

I need your help. it is very important.

Please share in the comments: Who Wore It Better?

1. Other kitty who’s name shall never be spoken
2. Your Illustrious Leader Chairman Meow

How dare you other kitty?!Now i will not tell you how to vote but please know your ankles (May BE) safe from harm if you vote for Chairman Meow

But I cannot guarantee such a thing if you vote for that feline fraud #1!

Your emperor with no clothes!

With great catlike indifference and a little bit of wrath for all ankles everywhere,

Chairman MeowSo what do you think?

Who wore it better?

(feel free to discuss in the comments. Chairman Meow cannot read so he does not know we are talking about this)

Mugshot Monday – Violet

“When the time is ripe for certain things, these things appear in different places Violet Mug
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in the manner of violets coming to light
in the early spring.” ― Farkas BolyaiMay 2022 be a sweet ripening

Life Is The Pits: Revisiting My First Pit Firing!

As the earth thaws Let’s take a deeper look at the process of pit firing!What is a pit firing?

It is a pottery firing technique that I have been keen to try for some time. And I will be far from the first to do so. You see this is the oldest known method of firing pottery known to man. Pit fired pieces that have been found have been dated back to 29,000 to 25,000 BCE.

In order to prepare for my pit firing, there was the usual throwing of pots! This is the group I have chosen for the pit firing below:

Pottery pieces for pit firing

Another enjoyable step in this process was a mystical walk on the beach to gather combustible materials for my pit firing here:

Apparently anything saturated in salt has the potential for interesting effects. Thank you beach!

A more physically exerting step in the process was to dig this pit. This hole is about 2 feet deep.

Pit firing hole

After waiting two days for rain to pass, finally today, I was able to get my pottery and pit ready for firing. I had a small amount of copper wire hanging around, so I added that to two of the pots, and as you will see from the following pictures I also added some oxides. Aren’t the colours pretty? They kind of remind me of some of the colours in the Hindu festival Holi.

Pots in pit for firing.

As you can see, I had a pretty roaring fire going. I just hope it got hot enough to create some interesting effects with what I added into my pit.

Pit firing on the go!

I slowly waited for the fire fuel to reach an ashen stage so that I could cover the pit.

Today I walk in the steps of the first potters and experience some of the magic of an ancient technique.

What happened next???

You can see pieces from previous pit firings here

This Week At The Studio In Photos

Sunset over the tidal river with geese settling in

So many birds right now! Rhubarb peeking throughThe creek is flowing again next to this very grand tree Looking up at the tree Perspective A decent sized bowl Early spring sunset at The Alchemist’s StudioAnd That’s been the week here.

How has your week been?

Stardust

“Even through your hardest days, Late night stars as viewed from The Alchemist’s Studioremember that Intergalactic Buddha Bustwe are all made Intergalactic Yoda Pendant
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of stardust.”~Carl SaganWhat Do you think of This stellar quote ?

Other jewelry pieces are available here.

If you have questions about a particular piece of jewelry – or any of the work we do – please be sure to get in touch.

Small Things

Today is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, which means, well….

I am making my own holiday to celebrate small things

Like Moss on a rock Or moss on a tree! Cracks in a raku glaze Pussy willows being so goshdern soft! Stepping in puddles (not the singer, he would not appreciate that) How the footprints we leave behind melt away And big happy smiles from those we loveWhat is something small you are celebrating on this very special
I-Literally-just-made-it-up-holiday today?

if you were to create a holiday today just for fun, what would it be?

It’s Getting Very Hygge In Here

Hygge is the Danish concept of being cozy. And it can be made where you are. Which is great news

As there is nothing quite like being cozy and warm inside

When the outside world is dark and blustery!

And today with a freezing
rain warning on all day, $68
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White Candle Holder and Vase
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Hot chocolate and waffles
are on the menu for dinner!

(Plus it’s literally International Waffle Day!)

What is one of your favourite foods
to eat to feel cozy?

An Attack Of The Heart

Hera’s Heart, follows the tale of tantrum and tears of one of the most famous gods of Olympus. She’s beautiful and her position as Queen of the gods has afforded her untold power.

Today, we take an in depth look at the
Greek goddess of women, marriage, child birth and family

Hera.

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Trophy Wife

In order to try to understand the intricacies of Hera and her penchant for revenge, it is important to get to the root of most of her problems. Her marriage.

It’s not like young Hera had a thing for the bad boys. She had resisted the advances of Zeus for what seemed like forever.

Ladies, other people who have relationships with a certain kind of man, you know this story. We’ve all been there or know someone who has. That man comes along and you try to ignore him, which only makes him want you more. That’s because his attraction is based on the fact that he’s objectified you. Sure, it feels kind of flattering at first, but it gets awfully lonely on that pedestal he’ll put you on.

NOT Hera’s Valentine’s DayPart Time Lover

Zeus relentlessly pursued Hera, who had little interest in a relationship with him. She was a busy goddess, with important work, looking after women, their relationships and families. Eventually, though, his relentless advances paid off and the two would wed.

It is questionable whether or not they ever had a honeymoon period. Perhaps that’s because almost immediately after their nuptials, Zeus showed the true colours of his variable emotions by constantly falling in love with other women and having children with them. So much so that his offspring outside his marriage vastly outnumbered those conceived with Hera. In other words, he would definitely have been guest material for a Jerry Springer baby daddy show.

My husband won’t stop having babies with other women

Hera was a proud goddess. After all, she was Queen of Olympus. Unfortunately that pride was often injured. It wasn’t just the fact that Zeus was having affairs and chasing after several mortals, but also he was not the most discreet philanderer.

Couples find ways to work out their troubles oftentimes. But when do you know your marriage is in trouble? If your husband has children in the double digits with other women, it might be advisable to end that relationship.

Unfortunately that wasn’t really an option for Hera in her situation. The constant humiliation and whispers at Mount Olympus ate away at her. She soon become consumed with revenge.

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You Better Don’t cross Hera

Girl Code doesn’t seem to have been a thing back in ancient times, at least not among the gods. Sadly, often bested by Zeus, Hera often took her revenge upon his mistresses.

Don’t forget to turn Io into a cow!

Understand that these women were for the most part blameless mortals relentlessly pursued by a womanizing Lothario with untold power and influence. After some time, Zeus must have known that these women he ‘loved’ would become the target of Hera’s wrath.

The moral of the story:

If he thinks he’s a God, He’s Probably Not.

Take these words to heart, or yours may be broken!

Feeling Royal

As a fan of Game Of Thrones
(not the ending)It seems a natural fit to make goblets!And even though the ending of the show was not what the fans wanted – at all – it is clear that Whatever I choose to drink, drinking it from a goblet feels
both fun and very royal. Teal Goblet
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Indeed, There is nothing quite as royal as splurging in the every day by wearing my Pjs and watching a good show with a goblet in hand,
and i would like to
share this fun feeling with you!so that said,

It is National Cocktail Day!

Soft Red Goblet
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Do you like to dress up for no reason?

What is one of your favourite cocktails?

See more goblets here