silver Y and other mark-making

I found this beautiful silver Y moth dead on my table the other morning

it ought to be an inspiration for painting as well as ash glazes, wood-firing, and printing leaves on fabric, all those subtle tones and colours.

in fact I have been quietly making some bottles,

reclaiming all the bits and bobs of clay that have been maturing under my worktable

imprinting

marking

impressing

carving out

 

stamping, stitching,

joining,

a series of tall bottles that a friend calls

soldier bottles.

perhaps that should be shouldered bottles

they have a kind of military bearing

after I have whacked the tops into these rounded

smooth corners

and inserted the neck, combing over the join

which catches glaze and oxide in the final firing.

they are evolving into a continuation

of this series, inspired by watching African women potters decorate their big spherical containers with wristy deft finger movements.

so I shall be looking amongst my glaze bins for various colours and textures as well as the cool grey blue chun.

as for cool, summer is turning into autumn

the landscape is becoming more linear again

some leaves are already turning

turning my thoughts to scratching lines through thick paint.

as long as I can still walk these woods and fields, never mind the shooting towers and soon the young pheasants

which turn this scamp into an elastic bundle of claws, paws, muscles and head full of prey drive.