September 25th 2014
Why do I love Oakshott shot cottons. This is why. They bring my simple little crocuses (crocii?) to life.
I’m loving the deep charcoal background too. Weird and wonderful to be appliqueing spring flowers in balmy September days with the maples turning gorgeous shades of flame outside my window. Inevitably these stubby little flowers with their spiky leaves translate into quite “cute” applique but in this case I can live with the cute factor. The modern grey background prevents them from looking too saccharine sweet too.
In another vein, here are a couple of pieces of my work from long ago, cerca 1998. I went mad when living in Costa Rica when I discovered that a short walk away from my house was a warehouse full of ceramic blanks – plates, vases, bowls etc. They sold paints in a rather limited palette and would fire anything for you once painted. It was totally addictive and true to form I went quite mad and have a cupboard full of blue and white china to show for it. When I look at all my old painted chined I see that it is just like my applique designs even though I hadn’t even discovered applique by that point. I will photograph those next week as they will look lovely in the same post as my finished Floral Impressions but in the meantime this fish plate and bowl shown below always were two of my favourite designs. In fact I am sending out a call to any competent potter with access to a kiln who may be able to make stoneware versions of my design. I would love to see these made and fired in stoneware painted with softer colours and subtle glaze. I envisage them re-worked in soft earthy neutrals, ochres and blues and greens. My town, Baie D’Urfe has a great Potter’s Guild and perhaps I should contact them to find the right person to duplicate these in hardier stoneware.