My local galleries have been neglected lately so I’m pleased to have fired another group of jugbirds in with all the plates painted by my ‘Raiders’. Most of the birds will be delivered to the Gallery of BC Ceramics and to Circle Craft Co-op this week and I’ll drop off the plates at Eric’s home in the Western Front.

But taking the time to go in to town is another day away from my studio and, oh no! the Vancouver Airport Crafthouse has ordered another ten! I mustn’t complain, just juggle important things, like today looking after our grandson. So, partly so that I keep track of what I made when, and any little changes to their design, here are the latest eleven jugbirds (the twelfth is a secret for later).

I posted a photo of these on Facebook on the day that I’d got all twelve handles made and attached, along with a photo of them last Saturday, fresh out of the kiln.  My ‘friends’ were most encouraging with their ‘likes’ but the same post, for the first time for me, in the ‘Clay Buddies’ Facebook group, has now generated over 525 ‘likes’ and many comments. Fellow potters seem to appreciate my longstanding habit of making jugs that resemble birds. Isn’t that fun?

You may notice that half of this batch are thrown with a pedestal. I coat all feet and the bases with terra sigillata before firing. I always like the contrast with the glazed areas and I now feel that the pedestal is more bird-foot-like. Your thoughts? Also half are real birds and the rest are non-specific, allowing me to use whatever colours I like.