Four smaller red clay bottles

I think I got the proportions right for this series - 2 raku bottles using the same glazes; 2 with my cone 6 combinations. The 'seed-pod hat' sits on either raku bottle but the bottles are probably better without their top.

Stopped bottles continued

All these stopped bottles suffered from a lack of proportion with height to width.
Those with an extended 'stop' gained more height obviously but it has been an invaluable exercise.

Trio of stopped bottles

Today at art school a delegation of Korean people are visiting. We have assembled a few ceramic pieces on plinths in the corridor and here are my offerings. They look better elevated rather than this lower position but it is good to be able to display them outside the studio.

More stopped bottles

Second stopped bottle - Pod bottle

I am thrilled with the glaze results on this bottle. The second glaze coat of Colin's Chrome brings out also the metallic effects of the underlying magnesium glaze.

First stopped bottle - Moth

I have been criticised for the "cardboard cutout", "thinking too much" moth but I kind of like it. True, it does resemble a Hercules troop carrier but it is the first insect I have ever made and while he may be rough round the edges, his colours are glorious. This stopped bottle is, of course just another glaze experiment. So there! I love the colours in the base - two firings and I think showing an autumnal flavour.

Lake Sutton

Sunday the 2nd May, a beautiful autumn day, we drove to Middlemarch via Lake Sutton. This is a salt lake, the only inland salt lake in NZ and is now a DOC conservation area. It is an hour's round trip (walking)with schist tors, speargrass, briar roses now displaying bright red hips everywhere. The water is half the salt of sea water with the salt coming from the schist underneath.