Up From the Deep, Sponge Vase by Michael W. Moses SOLD

Today's post is of images of my newest piece in my sponge vase collection.  This creation is entitled "Up From the Deep".

 

Ceramic Art of Jason Briggs

I have just today found a ceramic artist online that does some truly exceptional work.  His name is Jason Briggs and he teaches part-time at Lipscomb University in Nashville while maintaining a studio in Watertown, Tennessee.

 Here are a few images of his workis his website

Bulb Vase in Natural Outdoor Setting by Michael W. Moses

Often when people come to South Coast Antiques & Gallery they ask where the brightly colored pottery is from. I usually tell them that I make it myself in the shop. To be perfectly honest this is only partially true. Some of the pieces like the bulb vases actually come from a totally different source. We go out into a very remote area in a local bayou. This is an area that I discovered a few years back. This area has many strange animals and plants. Like these bulbs many I can not identify. We search very early in the morning just as the sun is rising and the bulbs can be found hiding in remote nooks and crevices at the roots of trees. The process is similar to hunting the wild mandrake root. Instead of them making sounds they are found by visually scanning for their vibrant colors.

 

The vivid colors readily stand out in the myriad greens of the bayou. We sneak upon them very quietly and grab them. We then wrestle it until submission. They do get a bit feisty and try to escape sometimes. Once we get it in a box it usually calms down considerably. Once in the shop they for the most part become rather friendly and will set for extended periods of time with out moving.  If they are happy in the location they are placed they will remain still almost indefinitely. Also, if the are content with their new environment they will often bloom. Almost every one we have had so far have bloomed. Amazingly each one we have found so far have had completely different flowers. Well, I thought it would be nice to let some people know about this.  I have included a photograph that I took of one of the last ones that I discovered. It will give you a better Idea as to what they look like in their natural outdoor setting.
Signed prints available upon request.

The Ceramic Art Pottery of the Martin Brothers of London

One of the great inspirations in my artistic life was a book that I saw at my local public library when I was about 10 years old. This was a book that had about eight pages of photographs of the pottery of the Martin Bothers of London. The brothers created Martinware studio Pottery from 1873-1923.  I was deeply into all things to do with the city of London and especially Victorian London. When I first saw these eight pages of images I just could not look at them enough.  I checked this book out of the library over and over and over again. There is something about their quintessentially Victorian, Arts and Crafts pottery that is almost the epitome of the Victorian era. Read a bit more about the Martin Brothers here.

Here are a few images of pottery that the Martin Bother made, that I have gleaned from the net.

Butterfly Fisher Plant Vase by Michael W. Moses, Ocean Springs, MS SOLD

Tuesday January 24, 2011

Here is an image of one of my newest ceramic art pottery pieces. I call this one The Butterfly Fisher Plant Vase.
This vase is adorned with three metallic blue wires that each have a shimmering glass butterfly suspended as a little trembler.