Jay Jasper's Blog, page 39

The Story Of Our Species

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Pit firing is the first method that humans used to fire pottery almost 30,000 years ago, and that potters use today.

It was considered a great milestone in the development of civilization and some of this pottery has lasted to this very day (likely not so good for holding things now)! As a potter, I am grateful to be a part of this tradition that roots me to the earliest versions of ourselves.

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A piece from this fall’s pit firing $1 25
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Check out more pit fired pieces and see how it is made.

Do you like stopping to
look at the clouds?

Do you see any images in these vases?

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The Red Pagoda

the tale of an Asian architectural staple in clay: the pagoda.

In poetry, they have been praised for the spectacular views they afford. The oldest of these structures were built of wood, though most of the survivors of today, are brick or stone. It is without further ado that I share our raku vase

‘The Red Pagoda’.

The Red Pagoda
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Pagoda’s were places of spiritual significance,

Mostly Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist. It must be their irresistible ‘chi’ that made them so attractive!

Their origins trace back to India and the ‘stupa’, which was used to house spiritual relics. Their beauty has ensured that these structures eventually spread across most of the Asian continent, where it’s design has been reinterpreted in as many different ways as places it’s been built.

Pagoda’s are almost always built with an odd number of levels

(You’ll see mine has five).

There were no floors on the inside of the pagodas, some were even solid structures. But usually there was a staircase to the top, where visitors could make a joyful climb to take in the view of the landscape around them through the windows and viewing spaces on one side of the structure.

With this vase, you can see all 5 levels of the pagoda in one rich, red place.

PAgo-don’t Go before you answer this:

what do you think of my vase interpretation of the pagoda?

And how do you like that red glaze? Fresh from a scrubbingLet me know in the comments below!

You can view all of our raku pottery vases and read more
about their stories and inspirations here.

Expansion!

Happy Humpday!

We are now on TikTok
and would love to see you there!

Join us there and see into The Alchemist’s Studio
in a different kind of way than what you see here on our blog.

Here’s a video!And a few more as well!

@thealchemistsstudio It's what's inside that counts. In this it's 3. #art #pottery #egypt #music #history #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #egyptology #sculpture ♬ original sound – The Alchemist

@thealchemistsstudio Nothing like that first scoop!Morning Coffee is up, now to shovel and get the Studio heated to make some art!#artistsoftiktok #art #selfcare ♬ Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson

We Love connecting with you
and would be so excited
to share with you over on tiktok
(if you have it, of course).

We invite you to join us by clicking here.

Hope you are having a great week!

On The Wheel Wednesday – Centre

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?

Strange (But Fun) Days!

To follow up from the last post – today is not only a National Day for Milk but also here in Canada it is notoriously (ok I just found out) that it is

National Step in the Puddle and
Splash Your Friends Day!

Which of course is great fun!
(unless you are the now sopping wet friend)

The only problem is that today it is -18C and there are no puddles whatsoever around here at the moment.

Why is this holiday in January?

Anyway! To commemorate National Step in the Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day, here is a vase all about water, and it even includes a picture of the vase next to a puddle! Pretty timely I’d say!

Let’s read on!Ready to splash a friend with this puddle that is
NOT frozen!

Sobek’s Tears, tells the story of an aggressive and fearless god who not only controlled the waters of the Nile, but also suffered from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). As the Egyptian god of fertility and water he was both adored and feared, for he could often side with chaos.

Sobek’s Tears
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As Sobek was busy helping to create the world and laying eggs along what would be the banks of the Nile, his sweat would become the mighty river. Good thing there was not yet a pill for that.

90’s Dance Anthem to Sobek?

Sobek was thought to protect both the Pharoah and even some of the gods. It is thought that he assisted the venerable Isis during the childbirth of Horus. He also saved Horus’ four children in his net when they emerged from a lotus flower in the Nile.

This may explain why temple complexes devoted to him often had their own pond, complete with their own crocodile that was fed milk and honey and the choicest cuts of meat. Move over Cleopatra! Tick-Tock the crocodile from Peter Pan (not the social media platform, which we are now on by the way) must feel jealous they did not end up in an ancient Egyptian temple.

Hopefully Sobek is feeling extra fertile this year and whoever has this vase will have a lovely garden, you know . . . once the puddles are no longer ice.

What do you think of the vase and
the story of Sobek?

National Milk Day: This Milk Is Sour!

Our Prologue

‘Argus‘ tells a story that could have been a script for the Real Housewives of Olympus! It tells the tale of betrayal, a jealous goddess, a many eyed monster, a beautiful reward and livestock. Okay, maybe livestock is not be a common feature on the ‘real’ housewives … YET!

Argus
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A Humble Priestess

When your father is a cult leader and you’re a woman in the ancient world, your career paths are very limited. It seemed almost natural that Io would end up as a priestess in her father’s cult in Argos dedicated to Hera. She may have thought she was in the land of milk and honey, but all that would change when she was the one producing the milk.

A lustful God

When you’re an ancient god there’s so much to keep you busy. Watching down on everyone, maybe paying a little extra attention to the younger and prettier women, can sure get the hormones flowing. And Zeus wasn’t just any god. He was THE god. And when he saw young priestess named Io in a temple dedicated to his wife he knew he must have her.

You Know Your wife is My Boss, right?

We often think of workplace harassment as a fairly modern development, but Io would have valid reason to disagree. Io worked as a devoted priestess at Hera’s temple. Zeus was Hera’s husband. Do you see where this is going?

It must have been no easy task to say no to the head honcho god, but Io did. She refused him over and over again. Of course Zeus grew tired of this, so he convinced her father to throw her out through his Oracles.

Meanwhile, Back at Olympus

No one knows exactly how Hera found out that her husband was once again lusting and chasing after someone else. A mortal no less! I’d imagine she was sitting around with some of the other goddesses and one of them ‘let it slip’ that her husband was up to his old tricks.

Whichever goddess let the news slip, must have known that Hera could become viciously jealous. #frenemies.

This ain’t the county fair!

Right then and there Hera would have summoned Zeus immediately. And knowing Zeus, he would take his time getting there, he must have had some idea what was in store. You know the other goddesses would wait, glued to their seats for the impending events about to unfold.

Straight away, Hera wasted no time once Zeus arrived. She demanded Io be brought before them. And once she was? Hera immediately turned her into a cow. Talk about Hera ‘milking’ the situation.

Rightfully concerned that her husband would not let this end here, she had her loyal servant Argus keep an eye or a hundred on the now bovine Io. Argus was literally a monster with 100 eyes, and the namesake of our vase.

If goddesses wore hair extensions, this is when Hera would flip her hair satisfyingly.

A womanizer gets a case of conscience

Hera was not wrong about Zeus not letting go of the mortal of his desire. Perhaps his role in the transformation of poor Io into a cow impacted his conscience. Or maybe it was he still hadn’t gotten the girl after all this trouble?

Zeus decided to send messenger god Hermes to kill Argus, which he did by enchanting him into a deep sleep by playing his flute and then smiting him.

But Hera knew! And prior to the smiting she had all of Argus’ eyes transferred to the tail of a peacock. She told all her friends it was to honour his loyalty and thank her friend.

Did I mention she had a chariot pulled by peacocks?

Meanwhile in CanadaWe celebrate January (?!) 11th as
National Step in the Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day

Mugshot Monday – Stardust

‘Unknowingly,

we plow the dust of stars, Cosmic Mug 3
$50
blown about us by the wind, and drink the universe in a glass of rain’

– Ihab HassaWhat do you think of the new cosmic mug?

More mugs can be viewed here.

If you don’t see one for sale in the colour you like,
please contact us and we can work with you directly

or sign up to win a mug (and more) here

Being Here And Now (Not Always Easy!)

“You’re only here for a short visit. Gooseberries, blueberries and raspberries from The Alchemist’s Studio gardenDon’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers
along the way.”– Walter Hagen A reminder of summer year round
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with -18C expected for the high tomorrow, it has me thinking of the warmth, colours, and bounty of summer.

I remind myself to be here now and that it is the impermanence of the seasons which makes them each even sweeter. Being here, now.so in that spirit,

i raise my mug of coffee for a
cheer for all seasons!

Click here to see more owls and here for mugs to cheers with!

What do you like to do to bring yourself back to the here and now?We hope you have a great week,
wherever and whenever
you are today!

The Incredible, Unpredictable, Unstoppable Magic of Raku

The History

The history of Raku dates as far back as the 16th century CE. Traditional Raku pottery is also known to have been used in Japan by the Zen Buddhist masters who liked its simple naturalness.

This feature is appealing to us as well.

Raku means Pleasure or enjoyment

Raku pottery involves pots taken from the kiln while they are still red hot and placing them in a flammable reduction material such as
sawdust, woodchips or newspaper. Basically organic material that burns quickly.

The reason for this is to starve the pots of oxygen, which gives the glaze a wonderful variety of colours. Pieces with no glaze on them take the oxygen from the clay itself, meaning some areas will have a matte black colouring.

This is very different from a conventional firing, where the piece is removed from the kiln only after it’s cooled down slowly.

Western-Style Raku Firing

The ancient Eastern styles of raku were developed with new methods by American ceramicist Paul Soldner in the 1960s. He was known to teach his students ‘not to fight the unexpected but to look for the opportunities it offers.’ (a quote which we adore).

As you’ll see below, the kinds of effects you can get from this process are unlike those you can get from conventional pottery firing techniques.

Click the video and read on to see more or
click here to learn more about our particular style of firing our raku pottery!

The effects are unique and
one of a kind to each piece. 

While you may be able to reproduce a general overall effect,
you cannot reproduce identical pieces.

How we do itTHe piece that got me:
Fractal magic

‘Fractal Magic’ was one of my first pieces of raku pottery.

This vase is the one that launched my love affair with this firing technique. After cleaning off the soot and, there was no turning back.

For me, fractals represent the organized chaos of dynamic recursion in it’s own feedback loop, and is the pattern of life on this planet and the journey of the soul.

The Alchemist had found his gold.

Fractal Magic

Learn more about my this piece as well as many other works in my book
A Potter’s Dream: Myths and Legends

What do you think of the magic of raku? Raku vase Blue Lotus

Check out more one of a kind raku effects on other vases
(including Blue Lotus and Fractal Magic) here. 

This Week At The Studio In Photos

Snuck in a raku firing before the snow flew! And when it did, well – we are now very much in winter! The underside of a branch after the big snow fall We celebrated Perihelion Day on January 4th!
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Hiking in the forestA video taken at the same spot above so you can see what the forest is like hereThat’s been the week here.

How’s your week been?