Icarus and Sprigs

I have been following Doug Fitch's interesting and thoughtful blog lately http://slipware.blogspot.com
and really enjoying looking at the progress of his recent large earthenware jugs. The applied decoration on them looks lovely, so I have been all inspired and had a go at a stoneware jug with sprigged decoration. My "sprigged and inspired" jug is shown on the left in both photos. I had a bad experience with the handle, first trying one with clay that was too stiff, and having to end up scrapping it and doing another with much softer clay. I wanted to give a sturdier medieval feel to the handle, rather than doing a skinny modern strap handle, but need a lot more practice, especially in the area of the lower attachment, which ended up rather "clunky".

I also have done another bird jug, this one is faceted and is about 11 and a half inches high. The Icarus and Daedalus story is always lurking not far below the surface when I do bird jugs, and it inspired a series of monoprints and paintings that I did a few years ago.

Quote for the day...

"A single gentle rain makes the grass many sheets greener. So our prospects brighten on the influx of better thoughts. We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it; and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring." Thoreau.