Jay Jasper's Blog, page 27

From The Desk Of Studio Kitty, Chairman Meow

Hello. I know
you’ve missed me.

I, Chairman Meow, am now on twitter doing all the things I do
(and that my human subjects will not).

Of course, i have become an incredible internet sensation

When I am not doing my incredible work on twitter,

Yesterday I enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day

I have been working on my project.

Alone without the people help.

Humans are truly terrible royal subjects.

please admire My Butts Chairman Meow’s Cat Butt Magnets
$30/set
Price Includes Shipping In US and Canada

My actual butt is very soft but you cannot touch it or else I will claw you!

That is all for now.

You’re welcome.

You can learn more about the humans work here at The Alchemist’s Studio and what they are all about in just one minute. They have this introductory video and told me to add something about signing up for a newsletter?

I don’t even know what that is.

Snake Oil Salesmen Everywhere Hate Him!

It’s been said, it’s not easy being green.

It’s also not easy being a legendary dark ages saint. Today’s vase ‘Scattering Snakes‘ tells the tale of St. Patrick and much slithering, or so the story goes!

$64
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It was not easy for St. Patrick, being a missionary on the Emerald Isle.

He had been beaten, imprisoned and even captured by pirates before becoming a much loved religious patriarch of folklore.

His followers and public relations machine had to work over time to carefully craft his image. It’s no wonder that they would choose to start the story that St. Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland, as the snake was thought to represent the devil himself, ready to tempt people into ungodly acts – like dying beer green!

Unfortunately for St. Patrick and his followers, it is now known there haven’t been snakes in Ireland since the last Ice Age.

I guess those who made up this tale learned to sell snake oil without any snakes.

Nice story though!

Sitting Safely Green

sitting here wearing green and successfully not pinched (so far)!

As the tradition goes, wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day is supposed to make you invisible to leprechauns. Indeed, they will pinch you as soon as you come upon their radar if you don’t wear green!

So in an extra vigilant avoid-the-leprechaun-pinches-kind-of-way let’s take a look at some green vases! Kermit The Vase
$98
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becausePhoenix Reborn
$80
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Minokawa
$64
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“In every wood in every spring there is a different green.”

-J. R. R. Tolkien The Alchemist’s StudioGreen is the colour of life Madame Pele’s Flow
$124
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Shangri-la
$96
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unfurling and a part of our every dayThe Eye Of Balor
$288
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So whether it’s simply a day to
avoid pinches orFootloose
$138
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any other Dayhere is to green!

Click here to see non-green vases too!

Are you wearing green today?

Zeuslander

Last Time on ‘As the pottery wheel Turns

We learned about the many things that Hera had to do to keep up with Zeus’ philandering about the mortals.

Zeus is Our Guest Today on what so happens to be

Everything you do is right day (a great thing after yesterday!)

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.

His Mount Olympus Look
SOLD – see other sold vases on our Vases With Homes page

“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!”

(Spoiler: For Zeuslander, there wasn’t)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 as detailed on this Greek gods Family Tree.

Zeus was everywhere!His harem includedLeto 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 PersephoneOne thing was Perfectly clearAnd by gods, he knew how to pose!Close-up of Ferrari LookLe FleurHis Blue Steel Look

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?”

We may never know the answer.

What did you think about Mount Olympus and its ridiculously good looking tale?

On The Wheel Wednesday

Everything You can imagine Is real ~ Pablo Picassothis is either
a wonderful or terrifying idea
(or both!)

What do you think of what Picasso said?

Everything You Think Is Wrong

‘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.

A perfect story for Everything You Think Is Wrong Day!

But at least there were flowers!

Echo
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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.

How would you celebrate
everything you think is wrong day?

Don’t worry whatever the answer is, as today it will be incorrect ha!

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

Things Are Looking Up!

FM signals and those of broadcast television…[travel] out to space at the speed of light.

Any eavesdropping alien civilization will know all about our TV programs (probably a bad thing), will hear all our FM music (probably a good thing), and know nothing of the politics of AM talk-show hosts (probably a safe thing).

– Neil deGrasse Tyson

Space is fascinating!

Which is why I enjoy making space themed items including Yodas, Buddhas, mugs and even planets themselves!

Raku planets!Space is truly an incredible place,
and today on world contact day (aliens!) The night sky at The Alchemist’s StudioI want to celebrate space!Intergalactic Buddha Pendant
$25
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What about you? Comet NeowiseDo you find yourself
looking up at the stars and wondering if aliens exist?

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls: The Rivers And Lakes That You Are Used To May Save You From Hell

Today is
International day of action for rivers

And so as we who sit at the intersection of the ocean and tidal marshes being impacted by the river every day, we want to celebrate rivers with a vase! (How else!)

5 minutes walk from The Alchemist’s Studio, where the tidal river overflowed back in February

‘Father of the Sea‘, tells the tale of a Titan who can breathe in water, the Cassanova of the sea, and the only Titan to escape hell. It even shows us how to stay neutral in a family conflict – which can also be its own special kind of hell. So move over Poseidon, because before you there was Oceanus!

It’s not an easy childhood, when all the tongues in the known universe are wagging about who your father is. Fortunately for Oceanus, there were only a few beings at that time and some of them didn’t even have tongues.

Just imagine Chaos with a tongue!

Father Of The Sea
$ 124
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However when your mother Gaia is making as many babies as possible, and your ‘father’ is an over worked single dad, something is likely to fall through the cracks.

And it may be you; and that crack may form a mighty river.

If all that was not confusing enough, there where whispers among Oceanus’ parents, that maybe – in one of her more ‘fertile’ moods – his mother Gaia visited her omnigender parent Chaos.

In spite of all this, Oceanus knew enough to keep these whisperings hush hush. He did not want to rock the boat. There was already enough actual Chaos in the family.

Father of The Sea15 Æons later . . .

Oceanus often questioned his brother Cronus’ growing power. Rather than fight him, Cronus gave him dominion of the river at the end of the world.

Little did Cronus know that this would be the river from which all water would come. A fact which came in pretty handy when your name has Ocean right in it. He is not Riverus after all…

As you may remember from a previous story, Cronus would eventually depose his father Uranus, and take his throne. This would be short lived, for Uranus’ son would do the same. Then Cronus and his Titan siblings asked Uranus to participate in quashing the rebellion of young upstart Zeus.

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Phew!

Fortunately, Oceanus and his wife Tethys were busy making babies too – in total about 3,000! Unlike his official father, Oceanus was a good dad. In the end this would save him! For all of his others siblings would lose the war against the new gods of Olympus and rather than fighting, Oceanus spent his time quietly making more babies, new rivers and their river gods, and of course the nymphs.

In the end it was the original river that Oceanus was cast down to that would act as a buffer against Tarturus (hell) where all of his Titan rebel siblings would be imprisoned.

Oceanus and Tethys were just glad they heeded the advice of legendary 1990’s Soothsayers TBoz, Left Eye anD chilli.Not chasing waterfalls and Tethys saved Oceanus from hell!

If you enjoyed this story/vase, you can check out more of them here. All of our vases are for sale.

We hope you may join us in celebrating and protecting our rivers, the life lines of our planet.What river is near you?

Mugshot Monday – Pi Day!

With over 6.4 billion digits in the constant, before it starts to recur,
Pi requires about 133 years
for a person to recite them all.

The founder of Pi, Archimedes of Syracuse, is known to have been so indulged in the work that he overlooked when the Roman invaded his city. It is often told how he yelled ‘do not touch my circles’ when a Roman soldier approached him, who then cut off his head. Dang!

Archimedes of Syracuse
literally died for a slice of pi[image error]thankfully these days we don’t have to, A really great watch and it can be enjoyed with a coffee White Mug – $48
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“There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” – Pythagoras

More mugs can be viewed here.

A spiderweb on a damp morningWhat comes to mind when you
think of the relationship between mathematics and art?

Keeping Peace And Compassion Close To Your Heart

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

It’s just 8 days Until the spring equinox

And while we look back on the year so far (and quite a year it has been), it may be helpful to have a bit more inner peace. One way to do that is by bringing a little raku Buddha close to your heart.

Each of these buddhas has been lovingly handmade and fired at the Alchemist’s Studio and has it’s own unique raku effects.

From now until the equinox, our raku Buddha necklaces –regularly priced for $28 are $25 and that includes shipping anywhere in the US and Canada

(please contact if you are outside of this area).

You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked.
Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

— Louise L. Hay

Now is a great time for a physical reminder of compassion for others
and for ourselves

You can also see a selection of our non-Buddha jewelry here