Colour Spray Bottle Vase

 

Based on my 'colour spray' series (see below) I also came up with this bottle vase design in my last firing.  I'm slowly working out enough of a collection to possibly introduce it more often into my regular work, although, it's extremely fussy to get the little stripes of glaze co-operating well.  Basically each piece has been one of a kind for me, but hopefully I'll be able to sit down this fall and actually create the full collection for my website, including new colours or thinking about how the design could work on a teapot form or a bowl.  The options are pretty wide open- a rainbow spray or colour gradient would look pretty rad too (definitely OOAK work- WAY too complicated for production!).  So many ideas, so little time...

Forgotten Stripes

I had forgotten that I've made striped pots before.  The brain is interesting that way, you have an idea, you try it, you move on and then you somehow come back full circle to that idea without being fully conscious of it.  

A few months ago I visited a friend at her place and she served me tea in an old teapot of mine.   Circa 2004?  maybe 2005?  Well, I really did like the pot at the time, I still like the pot, except for the wimpy handle. But isn't that spout cute?  

Anyways, I took photos of the pots, thinking that someday I'd show some of my old work on my blog, and that how 6 years later, someone is still serving tea out of my teapot (now that's an investment!) and then I forgot about it.  Until this morning, when I started glancing through my image files.  With all the striped love you've been showing me, dear readers, I thought I'd show you my first striped pot.  Well might have been my first striped pot.  There might be another one out there in the world that I don't remember about.

Hooray! A give-a-way!

Hello, hello!  Well, here it is, it's finally here.  Little peeps and tweets later.  My website has been fully up-dated with all my latest work!  The shop is stocked with lovely handmade pots ready for all the Holiday mayhem that is about to ensue.  I've got a new favourite mug in hand and I'm ready to celebrate!  And what a better way than by hosting a give-a-way?!

A huge thank-you, for starters, goes out to my photographer and web developer (who did the up-date from his holiday in New Zealand for me!) for another great job helping me out with launching not one, but two new collections of ceramics!!  I'd also like to thank my summer assistant Kelly who helped me get all my wholesale orders finished this summer so I could have some time this September developing ideas that were on the back-burner for way too long.  Kudos to you folks!

Now for the give-a-way contest.  So here's how it will work this time around.  I don't believe I've ever asked you to visit my shop during a give-a-way, but this time around, I will.  Please visit my shop.  Stay awhile.  Click on work you like because there are some surprises, some goodies you might like.  And then comment about which collection you like.  There are about 4 right now:  my classic Poppy collection, the Yellow Ginkgo collection, the Stem Collection, and then the Stripe Collection.  I'd love to know if you have a preference.  Me- I can't decide quite yet.  But usually I'm smitten with the latest thing I've made, and I'm kind of biased to boot;)

So- entry #1- visit my shop, choose a collection
entry #2- become a fan of dahlhausart on facebook.  Don't forget to post on this page to confirm that you decided to 'like me'! 

That's 2 chances to win.  Win what? oh, well here's the good part.  You get to choose between a mug or a bottle vase from my stem or stripe collections!  Choices, choices.  Will it be this mug or this mug?  This vase or this vase?  Oh yes, either would make a lovely gift if you can bear to pass it along to someone else.
I'll be choosing a winner one week from today, Wednesday November 10th.  Best of luck to you, bon chance and thanks for stopping by!

Introducing: The Stripe Collection

Here's a sneak peek of my latest Stripe Collection that I'm fully launching this fall! Graphic and colourful, I'm really having a whole lot of fun with glazing here!  My studio friends who know how I get the stripes of glaze onto the pot think I'm a bit nuts for all the work that is involved in this series, but I'm smitten, and think it's totally worth it!

My love of stripes goes way back to the striped paintings I did in my 4th year at Art School.  Playing with stripes on my ceramics this past year has been a move away from florals and back to a more abstract aesthetic for me.  Thinking about my ceramics as a paintings is the way that I create my composition of line and colour. Sorting out how to finish the ends of the lines or figuring out where the line will go is something I think about with each of the forms.  Playing with how the stripes accent the form or navigate around the form has been what I've been most interested in here.  For instance, the large scalloped striped bowl has the stripes going all the way underneath the foot.  Diagonal stripes on my mug forms had to find a new direction after a while, and the striped fan with thin stripes has me thinking about gradations of glaze colours (next time:).

The whole collection will be up on my website soon but a few pieces can be bought on my Etsy shop for now!  Let me know what you think, folks!