Shake, Shake, Shake

Ideas have been sprinkling, practically
pouring out of Raisin Studio inspired by
being displayed in the Savory Spice Shop.

As one product slogan said, "When it rains, it pours."










Mushroom-shaped shakers for instance. I have been playing with different sized caps for them, and actually my preference is the medium and the small, though the bulbous white capped example duplicates my original sketch.




The holes are large so they are meant for generous sprinkling or for coarse spices such as red pepper flakes or even parmesan cheese. They are glazed inside and out, and the only glitch so far has been some holes have sealed up during firing, something to be mindful of in future shakers.

These little shakers were not planned, but developed out of having a leftover slab to experiment with, if I remember correctly.

In glazing them, my intention was to have lime green dots on the red shaker and orange on the bluish one, but I got mixed up.











If raw glaze looked like the color it would be when fired it would be easy, but that's part of the excitement of opening the glaze kiln. Surprise! The variables of clay color, application method, overlapping of color, age and consistency of the glaze, all can create the unexpected result. It could be happy, it could be sad, it could be, "I don't know..."


Not meant as a pair originally, but why not? They seem happy together.

And if one prefers just a little dish of spice and a spoon, the easiest and quickest way to dispense spice into a vessel (no funnel needed), I've made a few of these. I am thinking a little dish and spoon adds a little handmade charm to a spice gift.

Art of Darkness

Am I introducing a horror film, a reading of Poe? No, I am beside my sculpture Rapunzel's House, with one of the many crow cut-outs flying around the "Art of Darkness" show, at Trenton's Artworks Gallery.

Sharing the plexiglass case, no doubt safeguarding both from the revelries of the upcoming Monster's Ball, is this papier mache sculpture that dwarfs the clay tower. A nice pairing? I am hesitant to say, however, the lighting I must say, is not great. In the brightest part of the gallery space, the tower looks rather flat. Alas and alack! But I quibble, and actually am quite happy to be included in the show.

Rapunzel's House, by myself, and Zombie Nurse, by Suzanne Zinger

Daphne, by Jessica Pepper

Here are a few favorites from the show. I did not record all of the artists' names, my apologies.

A photo collage I enjoyed - for me, trees and eyes are favorite images.

Ogre, by Kat Liao

Kat with her piece

Lacey Looker, by Donna Payton

The bunny cut-out rotates in a clockwork mechanism at the center of the spiral. Its doom seems imminent.


On that ominous note, I leave you. Go see the show, and enjoy the dark side of art.

Scary Or Fairy Tales

October - cider donuts and heaps of mini candy bars, pumpkin flavored everything, and creepy things, like spider webs and witches decorating windows and lawns are everywhere more apparent as the month progresses.

Artworks in Trenton has a show opening on October 18th called Dark Fairy Tales, followed by the Monster's Ball, on the 25th, a costume party at the art center.

Accepted into the show
was my sculpture,
Rapunzel's House. 

If you have a phobia about abundant blonde tresses, then this may frighten you. If not, then it is simply an homage to the Grimm Brothers' tale of a young girl, imprisoned in solitary, and though the intention is, I think, to safeguard her chastity, she is discovered by a wandering prince, who is not frightened by yards of hair.

And apparently Rapunzel is unfazed by the weight of a full grown man pulling on her hair and actually climbing it. She is feeling the call of the wild, shall we say.


Also there is a scary witch in the story. By the way, where is that witch? Preparing to eat young children perhaps?

The House of Sugar Cravings, 2014