Cup #35

The handle vine tucks tenderly into the curve of the cup then loops and flattens into a strong vertical plunge giving way only to a comfortable dip from which to grip it firmly..

Cup #34

Time for a vertical plunge!

Potter's Wheel

The messy potter's wheel from which a ball of clay is turned into a cup. A water bowl, tools, and sponges and 5 new cups line the shelves (cups #32-36) Above the wheel hangs a drawing of a woman (with a cup!) that has hung above the wheel since 1989 drawn by my son, Amory, at age 9. Next to the drawing hangs postcard of a very old photograph of a woman dancing close to the edge of a rock that juts out high above a canyon.

Cup #33 (two angles)

An energetic handle vine splits and proceeds to dance and curl boldly over the cup surface.
This is a large cup that has been well informed by the cost of exuberance in the previous cup. Working in clay shapes the potter, I know I have been shaped by it. Clay is clay. Clay will not be that which it cannot be. It cannot be forced by one's will. Turning clay into an object requires a relationship of sensitivity, respect, and a centered stance. If not, it can fly off the wheel, collapse, distort, wobble, crack, or explode in the kiln (taking out it's next of kin!)....hmm....sounds so human!

Cup #32 (another angle)

Cup #32

An exuberant intention to make a very large cup resulted in a collapse during its throwing. I slowed down and kept the small remaining clay at its base and turned it into a very small delicate cup, 3 1/2" tall. The handle remained large and embraces the little cup....

Cup #31

Two vines embrace and a petal falls over the lip of the cup..new life emerges from a trumpeting vine...the cup form bulges and tightens down into an energetic base.

Cup #30 (another angle)

Cup #30

The cup pulls in and becomes smaller...a new energy in the handle vine as it hugs, splits apart, moves down and tucks in tightly at the base. A small bud erupts from a subtle twist.

Cup #29

Distinct edges on the handle vine, a little more twisting, and some dancing toes!....

Cup #28

Handle vine splits apart.... new life emerges. The "unleashing" that came with the shift to twisting handle vines is in play....lots of energy and excitement as I approach the natural next...

Cup #27

Cup form softens...one large twisted handle vine with small twists sprouting about....