THESE DESIGNS ARE AMAZING!!!… and they’re cookies!!! Even better…
Can you just imaging what this artist could do with some liquid clay slip on some well-thrown pots??? Her slip-trailed pottery would be amazing!!!

According to the link on Colossal.com…
“Chef Judit Czinkné Poór is the mastermind behind Hungarian cake decorating shop Mézesmanna, a small studio with a giant social media presence because of the incredible photos and videos they share of their decorative confections. Nearly everything they produce falls into the ‘looks too good to eat’ category, from elaborate illustrations of animals, to intricate patterns inspired by embroidery. Seen here is a quick video of her ‘royal icing’ technique.”

Click here to see the amazing video of Chef Judit decorating a cookie!

UPDATE :
And then shortly after posting this originally,
I got an e-mail from a follower who just felt he had to share… and I’m glad he did!!

From Tim…
“I saw the same post you shared from Colossal on the cookie decorating people (who are fantastic) and decided to Google their work.  Found this gem and figured you would enjoy it!  Have a good weekend!”

Continuing the “Show Me Your PMI Selfie Challenge”… Susan Cordner from Pasadena, California checked in yesterday with her contribution. Not only did she send the Selfie as requested… but she’s been busy in her pottery studio as well.

Sharon took her Selfie, and then went one step further…and started making her own textured wall pillows! Good to know that my little tutorial made sense. That someone could actually read my instructions, follow-along and make something this cool. Glad I did my “job” for POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. I love the textured pattern she put on them. It looks so much like vintage tooled leather. Style, pattern and surface all look very leathery. Love it.

Here’s my e-mail message from Sharon…
“LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your work … and all those beautiful sunrises:). Here’s a … choke/gag … Selfie LOL!  And, my attempt at a wall pillow … that isn’t. I made the basic idea, all slab, handbuilt, textured. These will be decorated with oxide and shino then ^5 ox firing. Thanks so much for sharing your processes!!”

For more about Sharon, her pottery and her new textured wall pillows, check out her Facebook page by clicking here. And thanks again Sharon for sharing your Selfie and your pottery!

Anyone else up for the Selfie Challenge??? Just e-mail me a Selfie of you with your copy of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED!!! Send to gary@firewhenreadypottery.com

I’ve always been intrigued by installation art that incorporates a LOT of pieces!
And these wonderful ceramic pieces are pretty darn incredible. Such wonderful details, colors and textures. So amazing when they’re all put together into one amazing installation!!!

According to ThisIsColossal.com…
“Doubling as an artist and ocean advocate, Courtney Mattison produces large-scale ceramic installations that draw attention to conservation of our planet’s seas. Her latest installation “Aqueduct” showcases hundreds of porcelain sea creatures including anemones, sponges, and coral sprouting from a porcelain air duct. The piece asks us to imagine the plight of these undersea creatures as tropical sea temperatures begin to rise, asking where they might migrate to once their homes have been rendered uninhabitable.”

Click here to see the full article on www.thisiscolossal.com.

And some detailed looks at some of the amazing details of Courtney Mattison’s work…

One of my biggest fans with the latest issue of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. Looks like she’s found something fun to add to her “pottery wish list.” Methinks I might need to be making more of these textured wall pillows?! And quick…

After The Greeks, I was tap dancing on being visually overstimulated… but not quite.
So I continued my tour of old pots in the China Exhibit. And again, I was impressed by the pots in the exhibit… keeping in mind how old these pots are. Taken out of context of the museum exhibit, I think you could find most of these forms at any art fair nowadays!

A beautiful celadon teapot…

And a few examples of early sgrafitto… in graphic black & white…

And again, saved my favorite for last… love the pattern, the design, the colors…
and the “rusty-ness” look of it.

So Nancy and I finally made it to The Greeks exhibit… after a not-so-quick lunch and fun conversation. The Greeks exhibit is set up chronologically. So it starts “in the beginning” way, way, way back before time. Seemingly forever ago. But it was interesting to see when the potter’s wheel was “introduced” to the world. And for the record, we found it interesting to see that not much has changed to the kick-wheel design!!! But look at that date… WOW!!!

The exhibit is pretty amazing. So many artifacts and remnants. But what REALLY caught my attention were these adorable little boys and their sketch books. Turned out to be an entire family spending the day with The Greeks. The boys were adorable, with Dad hovering but never getting in their way, and SO into their sketch books. They were drawing pictures of the artifacts and labeling them with words from the displays. The little guys were adorable… sketch books, LED light-up sneakers and a fidgety little sister sitting on the bench with Mom.

Okay, enough about the kids... now onto the POTS!!!
Sure there were weapons, buttons, adornments, sculptures and more.  Yet not surprisingly, I focused primarily on the pots. Considering how long ago they were created, it’s kind of amazing how great they still look. Sure, there has been some “refurbishing” along the way, but really. Beautifully formed, beautifully decorated, and really with very few tools. And given the test of time, these pots still stand up really well.

Love the surface decoration… the swirls, the colors…
Keep in mind they had no “real” glazes or chemicals.
Just things they dug up, ground up or found.

Beautiful brushwork & design…

A quick diversion…. made me laugh... and then back to the pots…

And then as we made it further down the chronology, we finally made it to the Grecian Urns that most people are familiar with. Gotta love the designs, the brushwork and graphic color contrasts.

And of course, I saved my favorite for last…

A little splash of citrus to brighten your day. Just don’t squeeze it in your eye!

Thanks to my potter-friend Emily Murphy for sharing…
I can’t quite figure it out… and nor could she. But I love it just the same!
It looks so simple, but I’m sure it’s not. I’m sure the “secret” is in the original “silkscreened” image being altered just a bit. But how does the squishy balloon-thingy not smudge or smear the images?… or stretch them out of shape?!

If only stamping textures onto a bowl were this easy too???

Click here for the amazingly simple, yet incredibly technical video.

Here’s to a great year ahead…
and thank you Ceramics Monthly for the continued inspiration!