Sunday, January 24, 2010

About RTC

RTC (Royal Tea Culture) is a name I have given to a series of tea pots, tea cups & all things ceramic, made for tea. What got me started is seeing all the Japanese, Korean and Chinese tea ware. They are all so lovely and refined. I found myself wanting to make those things. Yet, there is no honest way for me to make "copies" of those things. As a result, I began to ask "What can I make that is unique to me and to my culture?" I decided I could create new territory--a different land born of my own experience and imagination. That way it would truly be mine. Hence RTC. In this series, by my decree, the pots must live by certain rules.

1. The pots are to be unique and reflect their maker, her culture and location. (ie hedge apples, surface marks and glaze surfaces all created from things in my location)
2. Mark(s) of the maker, tools, and the process of making form and surface are to remain.
3. In the making of these pots the maker is to slow down, get off the wheel and make these pots quite directly by hand.
4. These pots for tea are required to function in spite of their character.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fresh From the Kiln

The firing was Friday and quite a few hedge apple tea bowls emerged from their second glaze firing  when we opened the kiln Sunday.   I am quite happy to report that they did well and we were off to the next phase—photographing them.   I am presently editing their images.   This one is one of my porcelain babies.  She is clear glazed inside with copper red exterior. hedgeapple0004E

hedgeapple0004D

I will be uploading more pictures  to flickr.com photos of Little Pig Pottery

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Back into the quiet studio


I have been busy at the wheel this past week. First it was piggy bank bodies and next more yarn holders with a unique bent. I also glazed a few hedge apple tea bowls that were fired yesterday in the gas kiln. Pictures Sunday when that kiln is opened.