So the summer art fairs are upon us and now William Cook Pottery is in full swing!  Come on out this year to see some wonderful new pots and chat me up.  Here are some photos of the new work by me.
     I have be experimenting with different textures on the pots to see how the glaze interacts and creates a beautiful rich texture over the patten.   I have been using different kitchen gadgets, but nothing came out with the uniform pattern I was striving for. I was getting very frustrated and discouraged in my vision for my new line of pottery.  Then inspiration struck while I was over at my mother- in-laws house having desert and coffee, a huge favorite for me.  My mother- in- law and wife were having a conversation about quilting (they are an amazing talent) and it occurred to me that the quilt blocks are geometric and beautiful.  It seemed funny to me that I had not thought of this before! All of the women in that family are wonderful quilters. Their houses, including my own are full of beautiful quilts.  Every time I am at my in-laws I stare at them, and notice the interaction of color and pattern.
     So, with a muse in mind I set off to make some stamps that I could press into the pots to create that uniform texture I so desired!  They truly turned out amazing! I am so excited that I was able find a way to include my wife's family tradition and a strong Minnesota tradition into my work. Check out these photos!
One of the many quilts of inspiration....This beauty was made by my Mother-in-Law, Carol Carlson. It's called Winter's Circle, made with batik fabrics in jewel tones.
A new Serving tray!
Baguette bowl With new texture pattern on the inside!
New Serving Plates!
The quilt block pattern on this one is called "Cup and Saucer"
The quilt block that makes the diamond shape is called "trail of tears",  The other is the block is "Cup and Saucer" again the stamp was just carved different.
Top view of the baguette bowls
 
 
   So… for those of you who don’t know, I am a Stay-at-Home- Dad by day and a Studio Potter by night. (The hours are tough but I love both of my jobs).   Today, however my worlds collided when Liam, my son wanted to play with some of the pottery we have around the house.  He rolled over to the large bottle we have by the potter Jon Kelly and wanted to play.  So, being a good father, I rolled it into the middle of the room for some fun!  Who says that babies and pottery don’t mix well!

 
 
I was working out in the studio the other night.  When a brilliant idea came to me.  Why don't Potters make hide-a-keys, because I don't know a group of people that make more rocks.  Ok this idea might be a little pedestrian but I think its worth a shot.  I also believe that potters can make some thing that looks more like a rock that a piece of plastic with an opening in the bottom.  Here is my sales pitch.

           "Hey everyone sick and tired of getting your house broken into, just because your hide-a-key looks like a piece of plastic.  Why not employ a local potter to custom make a rock to your garden.  Big or small potters can make all sizes of rock with the greatest of easy. "

Let me know what you think?

William