Mother Nature Inspires Me

I love Fall Harvest time in Ohio! There is a distinct scent in the air; it's dry leaves, campfires and crops being harvested all rolled into one. Deep blue skies and beautiful bright leaves! Leaves are one of my favorite things to study up close and personal. I'll have to get a microscope because I'm really fascinated by leaves. They're not all exactly the same at all. Even if you get them from the same tree--they can be different variations on a theme; and I think that's really cool. I gather as many leaf specimens as I can so that I can use them in my pottery. They come from our yard and downtown Troy near our store. Where-ever I am and happen to see some nice leaves, I pick them up! It's so exciting to see the clay pick up the veins and texture of the leaves! Then comes the challenge of glazing them!! I like to use a black underglaze first, to highlight the veins; brush on then wipe off with a sponge! Then I layer various other glazes on top; yellows, browns, oranges and reds. It's always thrilling to open up the kiln to see what you get!