A Happy Halloween From Michael W. Moses in Ocean Springs, MS

Wishing Everyone a Great and Ghoulish Halloween!

Well, Halloween is here once more and I have been busy doing all kinds of phrightening photos for the season.  The above image is one that I took the other day.  It is one of a pair of baby kitties that have cast a spell on a woman here in Ocean Springs and they are now both living with her and her family.  I am not sure if my two male cats are happy or not.  They tried to act like they did not care one way or another about the two little ones, but every time I turned around one (or both) of them were playing with them.  Well, they did not seem too upset over them being gone.  

Both of my cats spent most of the day today trying to keep me from doing work in my studio.  I have been doing so many things of late that I must frankly say that I have been negligent in doing my pottery.  I have about a dozen or so pieces that I need to paint and glaze and fire!  I have some interesting ideas rolling around in the back of my mind for future pottery pieces.  I hope in a week or so that I will be able to start up some new greenware and finish off some pieces that I have been working on.

Please remember that it's not how much candy that you get for Halloween, but how much you enjoy the process of getting it!

Blue White Delft Style Georgian Cthulhu Reliquary Trinket Box by Michael W. Moses Ocean Springs, MS

"The Georgian Illustrated Box"

This piece is named "The Georgian Illustrated Box" and I used a commercially made blank bisqueware ceramic box and painted it in a blue and white style that is reminiscent of the tastes for the 18th and 19th century blue and white ceramics. There was a passion for all things mourning, and the romanticized memorial in nature, during the Georgian era, 1714 to 1830. 

I have mixed these design elements with those of the Asian influences on European and American ceramic-wares and then added a few more elements that do not generally belong to this piece if it were original. I then gave it all a brisk shake, mixed it a few times and ended up with the designs mentioned to achieve an eclectic effect.  This spin has made it totally my own original expression of antique blue and white ceramic art work. It is an "homage" to this neo classic style so to speak.

Circa 1820's 30's English Blue and White Transfer Ware

I have tried to create a box that is a stand-alone work of art that appears to be nothing more than a beautiful hand painted piece that might sit in some delicate grandmother's finely appointed front parlor. This innocuous trinket box might sit for a very long time on a dainty étagère, maybe for years without anyone even touching it. You just do not touch things in the formal parlor.

  A Georgian Era Mourning Image

The first thing that you will notice is that the lid has an idealized almost pastoral scene, That has a number of almost Chinese or Japanese elements, but then you will see the stately willow and the funereal urn and then the peculiarly formed pseudo-obelisk discreetly on the side. This vignette is a thinly disguised memento mori similar in mode to nothing less than Georgian era mourning Jewelry

The outside of box is an archaic style wall of individual stones of an unknown age and with a number of cryptic images that can only add to the final tale that this piece has to tell.

But with closer inspection, you might start to observe that many of the stylistic details are not standard to what you would expect to see on a piece such as this. If you look closely, you will see a number of interesting things on the painted into the details on the box. Then, once you lift the lid off, you will see inside a mysterious garden of not quite wholesome looking flowers. These plants surround an oddly laid out geometric detail that contains what appears to be an ancient long forgotten language.

Then, when you turn the lid over, you will see on the inside what makes this piece so different for your everyday drawing room nick-knack that sets in other brightly lit everyday homes. An image of Cthulhu longingly, and eternally hungering for human life force to reinvigorate his very being, staring at you with his ice cold yellow (at least in our spectrum of light) eyes!  This delicately detailed image is almost hidden inside the lid.  Who looks at the inside of the lid of a box?  Not most I would think.

This lavishly painted container is a perfect reliquary for whatever curious artifact that you may have that needs a truly special pyx to house it appropriately.

For a little more oomph, turn the box over and you will see that a happy little winged spider creature with the wings closed tight is painted on the bottom, as a cartouche.

The Unknown Captive Pod Vase by Michael W. Moses Pottery Ocean Springs, MS

 Here I have a new piece that I call "The Unknown Captive Pod Vase".  Here I have once more sculpted a Neo Victorian objet d'art that has a natural organic quality that makes it seem to be some type of quasi animal/plant life that really hungers for something to get just a bit too close to its opening.  It seems to wait for you to maybe, hopefully, reach inside.  But do not do it!  It wants to have you think that it is a delicate little flower like creature, but I assure you that it is not. 

Why else do you think I have it chained to a vintage tea cup?  These little pods are ever so clever and because of this they have to be restrained or goodness knows what might occur!  It may not passively wait for good things to arrive in it's presence, it may actively go out on the prowl looking for the unwary.

These captive bulb vases are a whimsy of mine that are a lot of fun to create.  I will start out with a special cup.  It has to be an orphan cup forever separated from its saucer and sometimes even with a tiny flaw that would keep any savvy collector from having much interest. So to sum it up, each cup is chosen for it's loneliness, but also for specific qualities of aesthetic beauty that for the initiated will be easy to discern. 

After I find a cup I will then place it in my work area and observe it for awhile, maybe a month or so or in some cases years before I see the exact form that will be made for this single cup.  I have to say that as spontaneous as my works may seem to be many of them are intricately thought out for in some cases many years before I sit down to sculpt the actual ceramic art pottery its self.
 

Most of these captive bulb and pod vases feature a message or art work that is hidden by the restraining cup.  These sort of secret messages are there, hidden by the cup enclosure, just for the eyes of very special people.  There may be a great truth, an obscure message, a private joke, or maybe even just a bit of silliness. I will tell you though that as I make them they are evolving, making each one more and more special to my sense of creative value.

Who knows where these little personal treasures may lead?  The only thing that I can factually say is that there will be many more and that each one will be ultimately an original work of my labor intensive love obsession with art pottery.

The Tumtum Tree Incubator, Ceramic Art Pottery by Michael W. Moses, Ocean Springs, MS

My newest piece of hand sculpted ceramic art pottery is called the "Tumtum Tree Incubator".
This hand crafted work of art is a mixed media piece that is comprised of a pottery piece that has been lavishly embellished with a large wire and a glass beadwork armature. Is this some type of an alien tableau or glimpse of life from under the deep tropical waves?  Who is really to say?  All I know is that....

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll

 So look and see what is so grand
A peice from clay that I have wrought
And painted oh so bold and free
A moment of time bought

Nonsense
by Michael W. Moses

Burma Shave!

Blue and White Delft Style Hand Painted Vases by Michael W. Moses, Ocean Springs, MS

A while back I did a piece that involved a hand sculpted bottle that had a blue and white design called "Alien Nafaar unguentarium", that I featured just a few posts back as having been sold.

I started thinking about how some of my earliest ceramic pieces were simple blue and white works that were in a modified Delftware style.

I thought it would be interesting to create a few new pieces in the Delft manner.
I was a bit leery about using a pre made blanks, but it was brought to my attention that it really did not matter who made the canvas that a painting is painted on. It was the painting that was important, not the canvas. This seems to make sense to me so, I went ahead and purchased a few commercially available blank vases and got to work painting them.

Here are the first two of these new pieces. They are undreglaze painted with my original free hand designs. These are not transferware, they are each a one of a kind hand painted work of art.

 

 

I have started a few more pieces that I will post as I have them finished.

Last week I started some new hand sculpted pieces that are now covered with plastic and are slowly drying on the rack. In about a week or so I will take each piece and start all the intricate hand stamping. Then They will have to be put back on the drying rack and left to very slowly dry out completely before being fired in the kiln.

SOLD! Ceramic Art Pottery Alien Nafaar Unguentarium by Michael W. Moses, Ocean Springs MS

Yesterday, I had a surprise visit from two people that collect my pottery. We had a good long chat and got caught up on many different things in our lives, being that it had been a couple of years since we had seen each other. Well, to make a long story short one of them bought three piece of my ceramic art pottery to add to her growing collection.

The first piece was a very nice spike covered pod vase. I call this piece "A Sip of Nektar". The spikes are all glazed in a wonderful dark lustrous metallic that jump out from a rich sky blue color and has a a striking organic green interior.  there is a single mottled red tendril groping out from one side, handle like.

 The second piece was a pod vase with a dragon like reptilian creature on the side. A bright orange pod vase with a multitude of individually hand painted light blue dots basks in the bright tropical sunlight while the small hunter sits beside it on a blue and brownish rock quietly waiting for a tastier snack than an orange pod vase to make it's self available for a fast lunch.

The third piece, and I think it was a great choice, was the "Alien Nafaar Unguentarium"

This Alien Nafaar unguentarium is a highly detailed ceramic art pottery lidded jar or bottle depending on how you might look at it. This hand sculpted vessel has an abundance of almost glowing green spikes, an almost aubergine purple-red mini bulb vase and features intricately hand painted alien images and calligraphic inscriptions.

Pieces showing images of the Nafaar are rather uncommon here on Earth.  Most pieces are from the area of the Pleiades star cluster and many will even predate the existence of Earth itself.  This piece is more than likely from Darhlis Denarbith and appears to be from the early Deknerg culture, judging from the inscription.  Being an early Deknerg inscription there is little chance of an accurate translation, being as there is so little information on the earliest of their scripts.  The writing is more than likely a dedication involving the archetypal story of the last of the Nafaar and the end of their world.  An highly romanticized fable dealing with the atrophic end of a vastly ancient master civilization that withered from a planet wide moral and social malaise. A story that even in our own time we all know well.

This translated poem from a late digicript reproduction taken directly from Darhlis Denarbith is well known among the worlds of the Pleiades and far beyond.

On vast Shayvar the suns have set  
Time before before
Such sadness is the lands regret
Eons times adore

The Nafaar Sits at Evening tide.
Dreaming of the day
When all their dreams will come to be
Sorrows swept away

The red sky burns upon the land
Hot pink sands of time
Much hotter than poor souls could stand
Even in their prime

The Nafaar's world has come to end
Their world has been slain
And now I tell you this my friend
Nor to rise again

Now back to reality for a moment.

It is always nice when I sell a piece of my ceramic art pottery, but it always seems even nicer when I sell to one of the people that collect my art works. Many thanks to this collector and also to all the other people that have supported me over the years in my many creative endeavors.

"Yellow Red Service Shell Bowl" Hand Sculpted Ceramic Art Pottery by Michael W. Moses Ocean Springs, MS

Fresh to our world from a sun drenched alien seashore comes the "Yellow Red Service Shell" bowl.

A luxurious study in a matt, satiny, sulphur yellow exterior glaze.

The yellow outside is a perfect foil for the shiny glassy red interior of this piece.




 Each little tiny blue dot is painted one at a time and then painted over with a drop of clear glaze. The yellow is three coats of glaze tediously hand painted around the dots.

The flowing pink and red interior is totally hand painted to give it the effect of a natural flowing surface and then covered in crystal clear glaze.

 

The bottom is hand engraved with my signature and place of manufacture. The writing is filled with colored glaze that is fired on to the piece.

For more information, more images and pricing, please visit me at ETSY.Com

Michael W. Moses New Year Greetings and The Peaceful Gulf Coast Life!

Wishing everyone a very joyous and prosperous New Year! 

2013 was a nice year for me.  I did not have anything earthshaking happen, either good nor bad.  

 It was a year in which my heart and mind were filled with an almost serenity that I have rarely encountered in my life.  I must admit that I did less pottery, less art, and just flat out less of everything in 2013.  And even a bit less weight, which is of course not a bad thing.  My brain is now reeling with all manner of new and exciting things to do in 2014!  

I have a bunch of old pottery to finish and I have tons of new ideas that I just can not wait to start.   Who knows I might even do a few painting....I have not done any painting in a very long time.

Living on the Gulf Coast has made me slow down a little and take things at just a bit more relaxed.  No real hustle or bustle here.  I know that I make this place sound like the land bountiful, but it is for the most part an area where things just seem to move at a different, quieter pace.

I hope that the upcoming year will be full of love, happiness, and prosperity for you and your family and friends.  I hope that 2014 will be as full of peacefulness for you as 2013 was for me.

With hope and love to all,

Michael W. Moses

Art Ceramicist

Ocean Springs,

Mississippi

A Photographic Veterans Day Memorial from Michael W. Moses, Ocean Springs, MS

My last post was about the great time that I had a couple of weeks back at the Fall Muster at Beauvoir, over in Biloxi.  I took a lot of images and did some nice art photography.  One of the images I did was basically a put together from four different images that I took at Beauvoir.  The image shows a soldier kneeling before the body of his fallen comrade. I did two versions of this image one in full color  and it is called "The ultimate Sorrow"

 and one that is Black and white sepia toned and using a hand colored look muted filter to give it an antique look. I call it "The Ultimate Price"

These two images basically say it all for me when it comes to all wars past present and future.  I just can not imagine the unbearable sorrow of seeing your best friend cut down in the prime of their life in front of you and not being able to prevent it. The total sorrow of it overwhelms my mind.  Loosing ones life is sad, yes indeed, but having your best buddy taken out in front of you....now that would be truly the ultimate pain for a soldier.

This veterans day take the time to think about your loved ones that served and some of the things they have had to go through.  Not everyone in the military experiences hurt to the level of having lost there best friend in battle, but many loose so much in so many other ways. So take the time and tell a Veteran or his family that you care. It is not important whether or not one is pro or con towards war and the military. You must always remember that a lot of what we as Americans cherish the most about our country was given to us to us by none other than the most humble of soldiers, because they were willing to go out and pay that ultimate price for love of our country.

I Am Back With a New Piece of Ceramic Art Pottery!

I know that it has been quite awhile since I have made a post on my pottery blog.  I must make apologies to you for this.  I have taken a small vacation from my pottery and the internet and have focused on on a number of things in the real world.  I have made it sound a bit dire maybe, but it has been far from being so. I have been working in my garden, entertaining company, working on home related projects, selling antiques, buying antiques, and generally having a busy but enjoyable time of it all!  Now I will be back to doing pottery here in Ocean Springs.  I have many new piece of ceramic art pottery in the processes of being made as I write this. About a dozen or so new works to be painted and fired!  I have gained a new and hopefully lasting focus on my sculptural pottery and I am more than ready to start back to the joy that for me is doing ceramic art pottery.

 Here is one of my latest works fresh from the kiln! I call this one "The Thorny Sea Flower Vase".  This is one of those works that just vibrates with life and color.  The tendrils all have delightfully sharp little points that will actually poke you if one picks it up by the tendrils.  This was a piece that really just came together so perfectly.  This one was a total pleasure to create.

 One last thing about this vase.  It was sold the same day I got it home from being fired!  I love to make these pieces and I must say that I also love to sell them. 

Selling your work is the benchmark to how much your work is accepted and appreciated.  For us artists it is such a feeling of satisfaction to have a piece sell.  I create art, "Ars gratia artis"(Art for art's sake)and I will create if it sells or if it does not sell, because that is what I have done all my life. So it is such an extra joy and blessing that I have been able to sell so much of my works for so many years now.

 I would also like to take this moment in my life to thank everyone that has purchased my art over the years and all the varied people that have helped me,assisted me, and supported me, in my many artistic endeavors over the years. You all know who you are I should think.

More posts and more pottery to come soon!

Happy New Year From the Michael W. Moses Pottery Blog

Wishing Every One

an
Old Fashioned  

Happy New Year
From the
Michael W. Moses
Pottery Blog

Ocean Springs,

Mississippi

Michael W. Moses at the 2012 Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs, MS

Goods displayed at the Peter Anderson Festival

This weekend (3-4 Nov 2012) was the annual Peter Anderson Festival here in Ocean Springs. Here along the Gulf Coast when people think of Arts Festivals everyone immediately thinks the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. This Sunday morning I spent a bit of time browsing through some the many booths that were set up and was surprised by the pieces that I saw.  There was pottery, wood carvings, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, and the ubiquitous Giclee digital photography prints.  A number of local artists were also represented in the offerings from near and far.

Glass goods at the Peter Anderson Festival

I must say that there were a lot more vendors set up this year and the ranks have swelled to 400 booths. As I walked around from booth to booth I was almost constantly amazed at the quality and quantity of so many of the booths. I have been to many arts and crafts festivals all over the country and a few in other countries and I have seldom seen any that can compare to the goods being sold at the Peter Anderson Festival. In fact, the festival was bursting at the seams. The booths were full and boxes of merchandise were stacked up behind the counter to fill the needs of the buying public.

You can tell that the jury that chose the venders were true Gulf Coast art connoisseurs. It would be difficult to maintain this level of merchandise at the festival with out being privy to the ins and outs of the labyrinthine intricacies of the modern art and crafts world.  There was a fairly good crowd in town shopping today; thousands thronged in over this weekend to look and buy. This sprawling show draws not only local people, but also folks from nearby Gulfport, Biloxi, Wiggins, Van Cleave, and Pascagoula. 

Wall Plug-ins Booth

Wall Plug-in display

The Peter Anderson Festival has become rather crowded and parking a bit dear and it wouldn't be amiss, in my opinion, to branch out and have a fine arts and high crafts only festival, let's say limited to 60 booths, so people don't have to struggle so hard to see the stars of the Gulf Coast. 


I will say that there were some people who's works and or personalities really shined above the crowd.  First I  will say that Charles Smith was set up and what more can I say than his work was breath taking in it's perfection, as always.  I truly admire and respect  this man and his exceptional work. It is always a delight for me to see his work.

Charles Smith Pottery

More Charles Smith Pottery

Yvonne Brown, Potter
 from Gulfport, MS

Secondly  I meet a young lady from Gulfport, whom I think may be a potter to keep an eye on.  Her name is Yvonne Brown and her work embraces some of the best qualities of Gulf Coast modern traditional(made post 1960, along the Coast) pottery, but still has a solid fresh  look about it that shows a special talent. It was a pleasure conversing with her and her family.

Yvonne Brown's  Pottery

Thirdly I met Dainna Yum-Bucher of SuzYum Designs, she does classic bead work jewelry that has a lush rich historical feel. Her jewels seem as if they are directly taken from Ali Baba's treasure cave or an exotic Mughal Harem.  She uses sophisticated nuances of color and style to give her pieces a aura, that is almost magical.
 
Well, This years Peter Anderson is over and I guess everyone will be getting over it all this week and then starting the processes for getting next years even bigger and better one started!