Raku pottery, vases, and gifts
Today our vase tells the tale of an exceptional deity among the pantheons of ancient gods. Amaterasu is one of the few female solar gods. Her full name means ‘Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven’ and she is one of the principal gods in the Shinto religion.
Spring is nearly here and I have been trying to finish up a few little reno projects around the house. This includes a reimagining of my mantle place, because every home needs a heart and for our ours it will be the hearth.
Currently, as many of you know we have two big projects going on here at the studio – our book project, and our ‘A Healing Vase’ initiative. I wanted to update everyone about them!
This mythical utopia is considered to be an earthly paradise where the inhabitants ages very slowly and are practically immortal. People here are fabled to live hundreds of years beyond an ordinary lifespan.
This raku pottery vase, ‘The Flight of Icarus’, tells the tale of the fabled flight of Icarus and serves as a cautionary tale for those who think they know better than their father. It also tells the tale of a foolish king and continuing on in the face of grief and the loss of a loved one.
Name that Vase! Here is where you can suggest a name, create a story, poem or prose for this raku pottery vase. Consider this your chance to be inspired, a writing prompt or a creative cue. And this month, the chosen name and associated writing will be unveiled at my upcoming art show that opens at the end of this month!
Our latest raku vase – lovingly known as ‘Ogopogo’.
The Ogopogo, also known as N’ha-a-itk (Salish), is reported to like in Lake Okanagan in British Columbia, Canada. Ogopogo is commonly described as a 40 – 50 foot long sea monster resembling the extinct Basilosaurus.
As some of you may know from my previous post, this week I completed my first pit firing. This ancient technique is the first used by man to fire pottery.
Some of you may have noticed that I have added two new vases to my raku pottery vase gallery, named after two literary protagonists.