Jay Jasper's Blog, page 88
April 11, 2021
What Colour Should Your Vase Be?
(will open in a new window)then share the name of the vase with your favourite glaze as a comment below
We will narrow it down and then have a vote to reach our winner!
What colour should I be?Sign up for our newsletter to be added and become a possible winner!– click here to find out how –We hope you Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
This Week At The Studio In Photos
The pussy willows are out and so soft!
Elysium told their story!Elysium – $128
Shipping Included In US and Canada
The chickens are enjoying the growing (and then shrinking thanks to them) bug population!This vase was added to the growing pottery gift basket! Add your choice for what colour you think this vase should be here
Fall and winter are saying their final goodbyes as spring takes over.That’s been the week here. How’s your week been?
April 10, 2021
Spring Is Back. But She Had to go Through Hell To Get Us Here.
Our raku pottery vase this week, ‘Elysium‘, tells the tale of the magical realm of the underworld, a place filled with beauty, it’s Queen, a mother’s love, and an abduction that literally took our heroine to hell and back. Over and over again!
And you better think twice before eating those pomegranate seeds!
Elysium – $128Shipping Included In US and Canada
Persephone was once a carefree goddess of spring bounty. That is, until one day, Hades, god of the underworld decided he needed a new bride, so he kidnapped her as she frolicked with some nymphs in a meadow.
No one was truly happy about this turn of events, not even Hades.Though the mythology is not clear, it is suspected that Persephone was not a big fan of the underworld. And it wasn’t just that she was kidnapped. As the goddess of spring’s bounty, an endless parade of the dead souls left her uninspired.
And Persephone wasn’t the only one who was unhappy with these turn of events. Her mother Demeter, searched the corners of the Earth for her, but it was a fruitless endeavour. One day she discovered her own husband Zeus had been complicit with Hades in her daughters abduction.
She was furious.Which may not have mattered, except for the fact that Demeter was pretty much responsible for all the food that people ate, being the goddess of fertility, agriculture and the harvest. So Demeter gave Zeus an ultimatum: “Bring back my daughter – or no grain or fruit for you. Or anyone else.”
Meanwhile in the underworld …Persephone was unhappy that she was kidnapped by her uncle Hades and forced to be his bride. She was missing her old life, and though the mythology is not clear, I like to think that she pressured Hades into creating Elysium in the underworld – which has been described as a beautiful meadow (after all, it was going to take more than a bouquet to fix such an unhappy start).
Why not a field of them you may ask? Either way – Hades, you’re still a jerk.
With people starving, Zeus had no choice but to give into Demeter’s demands. But Persephone had already eaten the pomegranate – the fruit of the underworld! Still think those seeds are worth it?
And so it was That each spring Persephone would return to the land of the living, bringing with her the flowering of plants and foods for the year. Then when she would return each winter to the underworld, these plants would die back, bring autumn.
Thankfully, it looks like Persephone has returned this year!What do you think of today’s story and how do you like this week’s vase Elysium?
What plants are blooming around your part of the world?
want to win your very own raku vase?
Spring Is Back. But She Went Through Hell To Get Here.
Our raku pottery vase this week, ‘Elysium‘, tells the tale of the magical realm of the underworld, a place filled with beauty, it’s Queen, a mother’s love, and an abduction that literally took our heroine to hell and back. Over and over again!
And you better think twice before eating those pomegranate seeds!
Elysium – $104Shipping Included In US and Canada
Persephone was once a carefree goddess of spring bounty. That is, until one day, Hades, god of the underworld decided he needed a new bride, so he kidnapped her as she frolicked with some nymphs in a meadow.
No one was truly happy about this turn of events, not even Hades.Though the mythology is not clear, it is suspected that Persephone was not a big fan of the underworld. And it wasn’t just that she was kidnapped. As the goddess of spring’s bounty, an endless parade of the dead souls left her uninspired.
And Persephone wasn’t the only one who was unhappy with these turn of events. Her mother Demeter, searched the corners of the Earth for her, but it was a fruitless endeavour. One day she discovered her own husband Zeus had been complicit with Hades in her daughters abduction.
She was furious.Which may not have mattered, except for the fact that Demeter was pretty much responsible for all the food that people ate, being the goddess of fertility, agriculture and the harvest. So Demeter gave Zeus an ultimatum: ‘Bring back my daughter – or no grain or fruit for you. Or anyone else.’
Meanwhile in the underworld …Persephone was unhappy that she was kidnapped by her uncle Hades and forced to be his bride. She was missing her old life, and though the mythology is not clear, I like to think that she pressured Hades into creating Elysium in the underworld – which has been described as a beautiful meadow (after all, it was going to take more than a bouquet to fix such an unhappy start).
Why not a field of them you may ask? Either way – Hades, you’re still a jerk.
With people starving, Zeus had no choice but to give into Demeter’s demands. But Persephone had already eaten the pomegranate – the fruit of the underworld!
Still think those seeds are worth it?
So it became that each spring Persephone would return to the land of the living, bringing with her the flowering of plants and foods for the year. Then when she would return each winter to the underworld, these plants would die back, bring autumn.
Thankfully, it looks like Persephone has returned this year!What do you think of today’s story and how do you like this week’s vase Elysium?
What plants are blooming around your part of the world?
want to win your very own raku vase?
April 9, 2021
In Attention
Red Green Owl –
$75
Shipping Included In US and Canada
What is something that you have learned from observing?
Your Vase Is In!
Our pottery giveaway! But I can’t do this without your help!
We need your help to increase the prize pool! All you need to do is sign up for our newsletter here! As we gain subscribers we will be adding items to our giveaway basket, and at the end of the year, one of our subscribers will win the gift basket.
Our ‘Great Pottery Giveaway’ items so far:
A Mug for your drinks!
A cute little turtle!We’ve also reached our target to add one of our signature raku pottery vases to the giveaway and more will be added as more people sign up!
What colour do you think this raku vase should be?Why sign up?Automatically be entered into this and other pottery giveawaysAn inside look at what we are up toAdvance notification of sales and special offersA first peak at new workWatch our small little art studio grow and inside tips on how we are doing itYou might be the winner of what I hope is a great pottery haul!The odds are MUCH better than the lottery, so please share with your pottery loving friends to help the prize basket grow!
And let me know in the comments what colour do you think the raku vase in the video above should be?
Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
April 8, 2021
Getting That Underwater/Inside The Digestive Tract Treatment
His father ate him.
At least he didn’t like his babies cooked.
Poseidon’s Adventure–
$202
Shipping included in US and Canada
What do you think of this vase?
“What I dream of is an art of balance.”- Henri Matisse
Each piece is individually made by hand here at
The Alchemist’s Studio
YinYang Pendant – $28Shipping Included in US and Canada
They make great gifts and shipping is included in the US and Canada!
Much more is available over on our
jewelry page!
If you have questions about a particular piece of jewelry – or any of the work we do – please be sure to get in touch.
April 7, 2021
An Interview with Jay Jasper from The Alchemist’s Studio
Please welcome Jay Jasper from The Alchemist’s Studio at https://rakupottery.ca, He is a self-taught Raku pottery artist. He’s on the eve of publishing his first book, A Potter’s Dream: Myths and Legends. Jay takes an interesting approach to each piece of pottery by associating it with myths and legends with a unique approach to storytelling.
Melinda: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Jay: When I grew up I used to want to be an archaeologist. I think the ‘Indiana Jones’ series of movies may have had something to do with that! I spent a lot of time in the library reading about ancient history and reading about the lives of people across cultures and times. For me, this was an escape from the challenges of a difficult childhood and the source of much daydreaming. Even back then I could somehow perceive that objects have stories and perhaps a kind of energy of their own. It makes me smile to think that I am now making such objects and retelling some of those stories that I read as a child as part of my artistic practise.
The Eye of Horus$140
Shipping Included in US and Canada
Melinda: At what age did you make your first piece of pottery?
Jay: I made my first piece of pottery in elementary school. I remember the piece fondly, though it is now a lost relic of my past. Ironically, it was a vase. It was made by using a coiling technique where you roll the clay in coils, or as we referred to them at the time, little snakes and build up the wall of the pot, scoring each coil and then attaching them with slip one by one. The process can be time consuming. I am grateful that I know use a wheel to make my vases now. My first raku vase was thrown on the wheel. It was pretty tiny and resembled an ink pot.
First vase (far right) as an adult beside current work M: What other artist skills do you have or pursuing?
J: I have had a fondness for art that started as a teenager. Prior to that I had an art teacher who was also the gym teacher. He was more of a gym teacher than an art teacher, and I did not really enjoy art. I started painting while in high school one rainy day with my friend Ellen. She was an art major in university at the time and she changed the way I view art. There was no expected outcome or constraints and that freedom helped me express my feelings around trauma I had experienced and teenage angst in general. I had also started writing at that time, and have a few old journals of poetry from that time. Teenage poetry! I have continued to write and paint since then off and on again throughout the years. I have now been doing pottery for 5 years and have also explored printmaking. Pottery, and specifically raku pottery has become my main focus and has become a huge part of my life. It’s love, magic and passion all rolled into one. It makes my heart happy.
Purple Rain$122
Shipping Included in US and Canada
M: What is the difference in Raku pottery and other pottery?
J: Raku pottery and regular pottery have a number of key difference. The raku process originated in Japan around the 16th century. Fun fact: Raku means pleasure or enjoyment, and for me, it lives up to the name! Traditionally raku pieces were hand built pots. In my work, most of the pieces I create are wheel-thrown vases. Raku pottery is different from regular pottery in regards to the glazes that are used and the firing process. While regular pottery is allowed to cool in the kiln slowly over time, raku pottery is removed from the kiln when it is red hot. From there the pots are placed in easily combustible material like sawdust, newspaper, or other organic materials. The pot and materials are then covered, and as the flames burn all of the oxygen is used. This process is known as reduction, or oxidation-reduction. Variables such as temperature, glaze composition, reduction material and a few other tricks produces unique chance effects that can have unexpected and often beautiful results.
M: I’ve seen several post where you ask people to name the of pottery, that’s so much fun. How did you come up with the idea?
J: When I finished my first few raku firings I was enchanted by the results. There was so many different effects that can not be achieved any other way that they were spellbinding to me. As silly as it may sound, I would spend time looking at my pieces. At that time I was posting my pottery piece on Instagram and I started sharing my impressions and thoughts on these pieces. This would eventually lead to me creating stories for many of my pieces. I noticed that people enjoyed reading these stories and reflections and I also enjoyed writing them. they helped bring the pieces to life. When I started my website rakupottery.ca I noticed that there was a great community of writers out there. One day I thought why not give other people the chance to ‘Name that Vase’, as I was interested to see what other people might come up with. At the time I thought it would be a one off post on my blog, but I was blown away by the response and the creativity and impressions of others, so much so that this has now become a monthly feature. People continue to amaze with their beautiful writing. It seems a community has emerged around ‘Name that Vase’, and they have made me laugh, smile, cry, and shown me things I have not seen in my own work. It also amazes and humbles me that people want to write about my work. For the people involved in the community it serves as a writing prompt or a chance to be creative. People also enjoy reading what others have come up with, so it is a real win for everyone. An artistic collaboration that has become a very meaningful way for me to connect with other artists while out in the wilds of Canada.
Kinsukuroi 
Rokonlélek $198
Shipping Included in US and Canada
M: How do you decide what glaze colors to use on each piece?
J: This is an interesting and more complicated question with multiple answers. There are times when I throw a piece on the pottery wheel knowing that I am looking for certain shapes and angles that have tendencies to give certain effects I like from a particular glaze. So sometimes I make the piece for the glaze. Sometimes, after throwing a piece an idea for a story will come to me and I choose one of my glazes that seems likely to support my story. And of course sometimes I just experiment with glazes on pieces. Part of the magic of raku is you can not have total control over the results. Much like life, you need to surrender to what fate may bring, but as you understand the nuances of raku and your glazes you can increase the likelihood of positive results and influence the outcome. Of course, sometimes the results are disappointing. Sometimes they are not what you had planned and something even more intriguing emerges. I am always learning more about how glazes interact with the raku process and different variables that are a part of it.
Fractal Magicnot for sale
Delphinus’ Light SOLD
M: Tell me about the book, how did the book come about?
J: It has been a dream of mine to write a book for many years. I have started a few of them over the years. I always figured I would one day write and finish a book when the time was right. When I became consumed by my passion for pottery, I had put this dream aside. While at my recent art show ‘The Myth of Family’ (video link available) I noticed that people really enjoyed reading the stories associated with the pieces. So much so that people were talking to me about their favourite stories. A few days after the opening of the art show, it hit me. I had already written much of the book through creating these stories and that there was synergy between my pottery and writing. After that, I started looking through my content and organizing it and laying out the book. It has been a steep learning curve, but I have found out I enjoy it. In order to defray the costs of printing the book I have embarked on a crowdfunding project to offset some of the costs. I am really humbled and grateful that I am at 127% of my goal. I am passionate about my book project, because it makes my pottery accessible to people who appreciate my work, but can’t necessarily afford a particular piece. I often say that if I won the lottery I would love to be able to make pottery and give pieces away to people who love it the most. But I have not won the lottery and pottery is sort of an expensive undertaking,so this book is the closest I can get to that for now. Each piece of my pottery is a little part of me, they are almost like my children. When someone has a piece that I made in their home I am honoured. To know something I was able to create becomes a part of someone’s daily life in some small way makes me smile. I like to somehow think that far off in time some future archaeologist who followed their dream might find a part of one of my pieces and that appeals to the child in me.
A Potter’s Dream: Myths and Legends$22
Shipping Included in US and Canada
My last exhibition “The Myth of Family” ran at the Oxford Riverside Gallery!
On The Wheel Wednesday – Video Edition
This week’s ‘On The Wheel Wednesday’ is going 3D, brought to you live in video! And I am making a vase for someone very special. It might even be you!
As promised, here is the vase I have made for our ‘Great Pottery Giveaway‘! You can win thise vase, which will be fired and galzed, and the items pictured below. All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter here, and you will be entered to win automatically! And the more people who subscribe, the more items I add!
want to win This raku pottery vase? I plan on making more videos for you all, so it’d be great to know a few people are watching!
