I haven't been able to do much pottery these past weeks. It has been full on with my other duties of Chief Nurse and infection Control manager, Head Teacher and PE mistress, and the general keeping the family, pets and house from imploding.
Here is a homage to Spring. I was appreciating the nature in my garden and feeling guilty about the destruction we humans have a tendency to inflict on the planet, so I thought I'd make a home for the birds that went above and beyond the basic - my little offering to welcome the arrival of Spring.
It is decorated in a technique called Cuerda Seca (which means dried cord, in Spanish). It is a mixture of black iron oxide and wax resist that you paint on like an ink, creating a bold doodle design. The black wax resists the glaze, so that each area of glaze becomes separated by a black line and the resulting design is bold and as bright as your glaze allows.
I must say I was very happy with the finished bird house, it is nailed securely to the outside of my tiny studio, ready to welcome any design conscious bird that wants to call it home.
If you have any questions or want to commission a ceramic bird house for your garden just drop me an email via my contact page, and I'd be very happy to help gentrify your birds