Okay… so “My Favorite Stamp” is of course first out of the box…
but there’s a very close “Runner-Up.” I hate to play favorites!
It’s a little larger. A little rounder. A little smoother… suitable for many surfaces.
And has a tendency to show up every time I start stamping a batch of pots!

One thing that I especially like about both stamps, is that they both leave a
“raised section” in the which is perfect for highlighting with a little contrasting slip!

So… for those of you who have been watching my work and paying attention
over the past couple years, you may have noticed that certain stamps get used
more often than others – with one or two in particular!

So I thought I’d share with you “my favorite stamp”!
Yep, it seems like this is the one that I turn to “when all else fails.”
There are literally hundreds of stamps in my arsenal – and yet a few favorites
keep surfacing… when I go to make my surface textures! Surprisingly…
it is also one of my first handmade stamps!

Tonight I stamped a couple serving bowls – all with that one stamp!!!
One stamp at a time… over… and over.. and over!

Another talented friend to add to the list…
Amy Higgason of Pigeon Road Pottery.
Always smiling. Always laughing. Always good to see!

I just got a new plate from Amy – and I love it!!!

Amy used to be a studio member at Lillstreet Art Center back when I was
just starting to take classes. Her work has always been very detailed & precise.
Something I greatly admire – as we both come from the same graphic design
background! She also has a wonderful painterly style showing off her
wonderful illustration skills.

She’s very much into patterns & textures – two of my favorite things!
Many of her pots have this wonderful “sprigging” technique – which is kind of the
opposite of my stamping technique. Instead of pressing the pattern into the pot,
she’s making a textured “applique” piece to attach to the surface of the pot.
Below you can see how she carves out sections around the perimeter – and then
adds an eclectic grouping of shaped, textured & glazed sprigs to decorate the center.

So Amy now resides up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. She has set up her own
“little piece of pottery heaven” up in the woods. With a cute little studio just steps
away from her cabin, she’s busy pumping out wonderful pieces of pottery.
Check out her work at www.pigeonroadpottery.blogspot.com

So while the kiln was cooling… and the rainy weather cancelled the
“Spring Forward” 65-mile bike ride I was planning on doing today…
I spent the day in the studio making more work!

I knew that my new salt & pepper shakers were cooling in the kiln…
and I still needed to make the trays to go with them. I’ve decided to go with
terra cotta trays with even more textures & patterns. I’m looking forward
to the contrast of the soda-fired shakers with the more “antiqued” look
of the blackened terra cotta trays! So these trays will hopefully hold the
two shakers end-to-end… and then I still want to make a “square” version
of them so the shakers could also be placed side-to-side.