daily delight - february 26

it's snowdrop season! i filled my wonky little ceramic vases with snowdrops today during a brief break for fresh air in the garden. it's been a long week. i'm glad it's friday. i'm glad that husband went to get chicken tenders for me from carl's junior. he's a good person. it probably would have made me feel better to make some dinner, but honestly, i didn't have it in me. so i'm looking forward to those crispy chicken tenders. and to relaxing this weekend. doing something creative. catching up on photographing my #100daysofpayesgrey (see instagram), digging a bit in the garden and maybe baking something delicious as a treat. doing a bit of writing. and maybe some reading too. so many delights ahead. but tonight. relaxing. and enjoying the snowdrops.

i made this :: a little viking inspired pot

i had this picture in my head - combining ceramics and the driftwood i like to collect - but i've had trouble finding the right bit of driftwood for the right ceramic bowl. this time, i took a small handful of sticks with me to my ceramics course and made the holes in my pot accordingly. i'm very pleased with how it turned out. tied on with a bit of black, waxed cord, it looks much as i imagined it would. of course, i couldn't resist decorating the pot with one of my favorite nordic petrogyphs (aka helleristninger). 

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the best analysis of the genesis of our reality television president that i've read.

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nigel poor's photography project at san quentin state prison

you may know her from the wonderful ear hustle podcast.

a bit wonky

here are the pots i made at the ceramic course back in april. they've been glazed and fired and were ready to come home today. they are wonky, but i am pleased to see them. i'm going to put various trinkets in these.

this one will be perfect for serving smoked almonds.

this was one of the first ones i threw and it's especially wonky. but i kept it and put a handle on it to remember those first, unsure steps. i will definitely be drinking cups of tea from it.

i think this one will be perfect as a cat food bowl for a special cat.

and i had to have a couple glazed in nina's cheerful colors. i had so much fun working with the black glaze that i almost forgot to leave some plain to just choose colors. and being me, they weren't really all that plain with their little dotty bobbles. i love how they turned out!

making pottery is hard

three whole days of creativity. turns out operating a pottery wheel successfully is rather difficult. and while you can manage to make something in only three days, it might be a bit on the wonky side. but i enjoyed decorating my creations very much. and i enjoyed spending three days in a wonderful creative space.

the weather was crazy over the weekend, covering all the seasons in the space of a few minutes. it was good to be inside at the wheel. even if the wheel was very difficult.

a few of the pieces i ended up making. they'll be glazed and fired and i'll be able to take them home in early june. looking forward to seeing how they look when they're finished!

and now, packing up my suitcase and getting ready for the week ahead. yoga, seafood and brussels on the horizon. it seems life is as ever-shifting as the weather around here...

a magical ceramics atelier

i visited a magical ceramics atelier out in the countryside today. it's the kind of place you imagine exists, but you don't really fully believe it - oozing with atmosphere and humming with creativity.

danish ceramics artist nina lund and her french husband, also a ceramics artist, jean-francois thierion, own a former insulin factory in the danish countryside. it's both home and atelier and shop for them. it has the feel of an old dairy with big windows and white subway tiles. it has the most amazing atmosphere.

they have a couple of very large kilns and the front window (which i apparently failed to photograph) is where they sit and spin the potters' wheels. i actually completely neglected to take my proper camera with me and only had my old iPhone 4S along, so these photos are all from that. i guess it just means that i have to go back.

these are some of jean-francois' gorgeous vases. they're very large and the kind of thing you see in the lobby of a big company or bank, so i didn't even dare to ask how much they cost.

the same with his big platters - what i wouldn't give for one of those - imagine how many strawberries i could put in there!

nina was working in the studio, but took a few minutes to talk to us as we looked around the shop area upstairs. she told us this stool is a first attempt at making stools and talked about the tweaks she'll make in the next round. it was really beautiful, but i didn't try sitting on it.

i couldn't resist a few of her unique candleholders. i'll definitely be headed out there the next time i have to buy a gift for someone - so much better to give a unique, beautiful handmade gift from the local area, don't you think?

i bought the one with the yellow flowers in it and i was tempted by the little yellow dotty one you you can see in the foreground on the right. i may have to go back for that one. i suspect they are the kind of thing that one could begin to collect and amass quite a nice collection of them.

another shot of jean-francois' vases. we didn't meet him while we were there, but i'd love to see him working as well. i definitely have to go back with my proper camera.

here are some of nina's larger works - intricate candleholders and large vases. it's so wonderful to visit a place where artists are at work and clearly able to make a living from their creativity. at the same time, tho', it made me feel a bit like i've obviously not done enough with my life or believed enough in my creative abilities. but there is hope that it's possible.

i like nina's more practical pieces as well - like these little oil/vinegar bottles. so cute and cheery. you couldn't help but smile while you're making dinner if these were sitting on your stove.