Segway Alert!

Snow happens so seldom in Tucson, I just had to post these great pictures I got. 

Spoons: Part II -Metal Spoons: Design Inspiration

Many clay designs can be borrowed from spoons made of metal.

Functional spoons? Not for peas, I'm sure. They just might put you off your meal. I

Metal is, of course more resistant to stress than clay. Thin portions are still strong.

So, when designing ceramic spoons, special attention has to be applied to areas of stress such as the join between the handle and bowl, length of the handle and thickness of materials. The special characteristics of various clays must be understood when designing tableware.

I wonder if it would work to reinforce the stem with heat-resistant metal? How would the two materials react to each other? Might be worth an experiment.

Of course, this spoon would not work in clay, but the design is so pleasing, it can serve as a great inspiration for a re-interpretation. 

By the way, this is an absinthe spoon, meant to be placed over the top of a glass and used as a strainer.

I was surprised to learn that absinthe is still being used. I had thought it was outlawed.  

This design, with a little modification, would make a very nice clay spoon.

If you want to design pierced spoons or strainers, a quick look at tea caddies and strainers can give you some good design ideas.

This is a delightful design and works perfectly as a spoon form as does the fish shown is below.

Silver scoop designs would work well as clay since they are more compact.

Seeing this, I had visions of a small salt spoon and a salt dish made like a purse.

Or a face. Placement of the spoon might be amusing.

How about making spoons in the shapes of rounded fruit with stems?

Clumps of beets?  

Onions?  

Or bouquets of different flowers with the blossoms painted into the bowls?

And, of course, there's the great design possibilities of precious metal clay. Best of both worlds.



















from pmccblog.blogspot.com

Puzzle Mugs

Puzzle mugs were first made by the Greeks in the second century BC.

Tavern joke jugs were very popular during the 17th to early 19th centuries in Europe.

The puzzle is to figure which holes to cover, the obvious, the hidden and which holes to sip from.

By simply holding this mug comfortably in the correct hand and sipping from the right hole, any brew could be enjoyed without spilling.

Here's an excellent video on how to construct a puzzle mug: http://www.dump.com/puzzlejug/

Wouldn't recommend it for drinking anything that has milk in it, though.  Wine and Beer are sorta self sanitizing. Tea is okay too--no milk. Iced tea with cubes floating around inside the mug would make it even more mysterious.

New Boots

I just bought some new boots......

Not these. I found these while looking for mine.

Then I heard this dialog in my head:

How 'ja like me new boots, Mate?

Those are oxymoronic boots.

Are you callin' me a Moron?

You bought the boots, didn't you?

I'm super excited about the finding of Richard III's bones.  Since I started chasing ancestors, I've found many lines back to the Plantagenet family.

Although mine had moved out of the powerful mainstream by the time Richard came around,  they were lesser to minor royals by then.

Records were well preserved within the titled people, so if you find a solid link, it's not that hard to go back to the Conqueror. And his line goes back to Charlemagne. Even then, it's not that unusual to discover the descent--probably half of Europe could do this.

What I did find amazing is the huge number of French, Spanish, Russian, Scandinavian, Irish and Scots I've found. Even links to the real Blackadder family in Scotland!

All just on my mother's side.


Can't wait to see what Richard really looked like.

And I hope they also test the little skeletons found under the stairs in the Tower. Now it's going to be easier to identify them for sure.

Washington Clay Association 2013 Calendar

Great Job on the 2013 WCA Calendar!

Bezalel, Chaim

Ben Levy, Yonnah

Bushnell, Judith

Buss, Mary Lynn

Chapman, Linda Collins

Conrow, Ginny

Cooper, Ann Marie

Dahl, Dirk

Daniels, Lee

Duarte, Liz

Feng, Anita

Freuen, Gina

Funderburgh, Eva

Gale, Diane

Garrity, Wanda

Gouthro, Carol

Grava, Damian

Harris, Jeanette

Holly, Lin

Lindsey, June

Lewing, Paul

Lobb, James

Lurie, Gale

Mander, Sandra

Moore, Allison

Newman, Eric

Roberts, Inge

Rodriguez, George'

Romm, Sharon

Sachar, Charan

Sauer, Steve

Schwartzkopf, Deb

Thompson, Susan

Copies will be available at Seattle Pottery Supply and at Clay Art Center in Tacoma.

P.S. My work is the black coffee pot in the upper right corner.