Animals

Once, I was all about birds. Birds birds birds. I put a bird on it.

But eventually I branched out, and began populating my pots with other animals dear to me – foxes and wolves and, in tribute to the wonderful physiotherapist who helped me regain use of a broken finger, cats. I’ve also dabbled in llamas and bears. (Interestingly, I discovered bears are hard to draw; it’s too easy to wind up with a potato instead.)

I often choose animal silhouettes for the look – I love the glossy black against a solid colour or naked clay. They appear on bowls, vases, planters, and of course, mugs.

I don’t use templates of any sort, I just have a paper sheet of images I glance at as I draw the image to glaze or underglaze on each piece, allowing me to tailor the layout on each piece as it suits the contours and size of the form. I sometimes add a moon or trees and other hints of landscape to complement the animal.

More recently, I came up with an idea for a 4-legged animal pot, and began by making a couple of batches of small foxes, approximately 5″ tall. They proved popular and since, I’ve made bigger foxes (about 10″ in height), and am experimenting with other animals.