This is my first piece ever thrown on the wheel back in early December 2007. It is a simple small bowl that is just slightly wonky (our term for off-center). I am quite proud of this piece and will likely keep it forever as a reminder of my humble beginnings in the art.

This is the second piece I made, a slightly larger bowl. I got the hang of doing wide, flat pieces pretty quickly. Where I have been having more difficulty is in making taller, narrower pieces. Part of that is that I have large hands, part of it is learning technique. I am not completely happy with the glazing on this one, I got it a bit thin in places. Each piece is a learning experience this taught me to be a bit more generous with the glaze.

I really didn't keep track of the order of manufacture from about this point on, this group of cups and a small pitcher were all done roughly in the same week or so fairly early on. One of these cups and the pitcher were my first venture into using this brown clay. The cups are a bit heavy at the bottom but I am pleased with the outside form and the glazing on these. I very much liked the color effects I got using the dark blue and cream glazes on this brown clay. As you will see further down, I will echo this again.

This bowl almost became a failure, I was aiming to make it very light and thin and succeeded in doing that to an extent but in the process, it got a little bit lop-sided on me. It almost collapsed and in the process, I learned the concept that there comes a time when you just have to step away from the clay.

The glazing was just an experiment it isn't one of my best pieces, I can't say I hate it, but it is certainly not my favorite. Again, it is all about exploring different ideas and forms and colors. Some of these explorations will work, others won't.

My first attempt at making a plate (and my only one so far, I need to do more). Unfortunately, this one warped in the glaze firing, we had placed it on stilts because the glaze was very close to the bottom of the plate and we did not want it to stick to the kiln. I used the same cream and dark blue glazes I had used on the cups and pitcher above but it didn't come out how I wanted. Oh well, live and learn and use the lessons on another piece down the road...

A bowl I made for a friend. Anna wanted a small "salsa" bowl so I made one glazed in greens and blues as she asked. She liked it very much when I brought it to her. I think it is not bad, though the glaze colors kind of got muddled together a bit. The lesson learned here was more about keeping the glazes directly on the clay and not lying on top of one another if I want clear separation of the colors.

Another gift for a friend. This was the piece I made for my friend Colleen who has been gracious enough to allow me to camp with her household at Potrero War in The Barony of Calafia the last few years. I like the form, the glazing doesn't really do much for me. This was made about the same time as the bowl I made for Anna above and I had yet to learn that I really should not layer the glazes. I intend to make her another with better glaze, she says she likes this one but I am not as happy with it as I would like so I will make another that will better represent my vision of the piece.

The day I made this I also taught one of my first students how to do a basic piece on the wheel. I had progressed enough by now that Gemma had decided that I would teach Josh how to do his first cup. (Josh is Colleen's step-son). He did a great job on his first piece but I forgot to take a photo of it.

Katrina is another of my first students. I taught her to make a small pot and then I made this cup for her because she asked me if I would make something for her. It is definitely a bit better in terms of opening up the inside bottom of the cup than some of my earlier pieces. I have taken to heart Master Hroar's advice to me to make sure I "use all of the clay" when making a piece. It is better than some of my earlier efforts but it is still not quite as light as I would like. I am pleased with the glazing on this one and so was she when I delivered it to her.

The opportunity to begin teaching so soon after I have begun learning myself has been a good one, it really helps me to improve a lot by figuring out how to transmit the skills I am learning to somebody else. I think teaching is one of the best ways to gain understanding and when coupled with practice helps hone one's skills much faster.

I am especially proud of this pot. As I mentioned in the introduction, one of my goals in doing this art is to make functional yet beautiful pieces I can use in my cooking and Medieval re-enactment activities. This is the first piece that has been spot on to my initial vision of what I wanted. It is also the first piece I had done any sort of significant sculpting on to decorate it and the first piece I had made with a matching lid.

I will definitely be making more pieces along this line in the future, I want to make some larger ones (this one probably holds about one quart).

I have used this pot once over a direct (LOW) flame. It performed great. I am certain it will work well in the oven and I plan to use it again on the stove to simmer things.

Baroness Brianna is one of the people I met early on in the SCA. She has been both a friend and guide to me in learning how the society functions. I made this cup for her as a thank you gift for her kindness and friendship.

Just a nice little pitcher that holds about 12 ounces. It was glazed with a formula we were given by Master Hroar. The glaze is supposed to be a translucent green when finished but after discussing the results with him, he thinks it may have been because of the feldspar we used in the glaze. We plan to use the type he uses in the next batch to try to replicate the results he gets. Having said that, I like how it came out, the texture and color are very nice.

Another small bowl made for a friend. The glazing is subtle but I like it. She loved the colors.

A collection of four small pieces I made. A couple of ink pots, a little bit larger pot and a dragon head pendant.

A simple jug made to exercise my skills in making taller items. Glazed with two colors I am fond of.

A pottery skillet, the shape is based on extant Medieval examples. The glazing is not based on a Medieval pattern. Actually using it over a fire is going to be an adventure as it could crack. But where is the fun without a little risk?

I have used this piece as a baking dish in the oven and it was just fine. I am still a little wary about trying it over direct flame. I plan to make a couple of test pieces to try on the flame before I go for it with this one.

This was a happy accident. I was trying to make a bottle and accidentally managed to go to far with the hole when I opened it up. So I shifted gears and decided to make it into a candle holder by carving out windows in it and making a base for it.

The base as shown in the photo is still greenware (unfired), it will be glazed with a complimentary pattern. The entire piece is fairly small but is just about the right size to use the tea light candles.

Obviously the base is not shown in the same scale as the photos of the top. It is sufficiently large enough for the top to sit in it properly.

This piece was given to Sultan Edric IV of Caid as a gift from the Calafian Potters Guild along with a drum made by Lady Gemma for Sultan Faizeh II.

A serving bowl I glazed in a geometric pattern. The pattern was laid out by eye with pencil on the piece and then each section was painted in with glaze individually. It came out a little more muted in color than I had hoped but I still like it very much. I will make another similar to this in the future but will use different colors. (Remember, I said I am fine with making related pieces, I just don't wish to try to duplicate anything).

This goblet was made in two pieces then the foot and cup were attached. I then sculpted leaves to attach as well. It is not quite as graceful as I wanted, but it is certainly OK. It is pictured as greenware and will be much darker in color when fired. I have not yet decided on how I am going to glaze it. I will probably keep it quite simple and not obscure the dark clay body.

This goblet was gifted to Master Donal for his kindness in making my cheese making class possible at May Potrero War in 2008

The Dragon Flagon!

I am saving the best for (near) last. This is also one of my latest pieces. While I was monitoring the kiln during the first bisque fire I had ever done, I spent my time making this monster. It is quite large and heavy and took me nearly 10 hours to sculpt.

The bottom two thirds of the body was built up using the coil method. I rolled out slabs of clay and then cut it into strips. The strips were built up and attached to a flat base to make the bottom of the cylinder. The top third was thrown on the wheel and then attached to the bottom.

The sculpting of the tail, head, wings and legs actually took less time than the build up of the body. As shown, it is still in greenware stage and has yet to be fired. We are taking it really slow on this one before taking it to the bisque stage, we will also run that firing very carefully due to the widely varying thicknesses of clay in this piece.

I am planning to use cream and ochre glazes on it and will be painting it quite intricately with a scale pattern that will allow the clay to show through. I expect the glazing to take me a number of hours as well.

This is a chafing dish and bowl made to sit atop it. It was inspired by a couple late Medieval period examples that reside in museums in the UK. The chafing dish itself was made in two main parts on the wheel and then attached. The details were then sculpted on the dish and vent holes for the charcoal cut in the bowl and base. This piece is fairly small but I plan to make larger examples as time goes on.

The chafing dish sits on a plate to catch ashes from the coals and a bowl sits on top to hold the food to be kept hot. All of the pieces were made together in order that they would all fit together.

The glazing on the plate and chafing dish was done using the formula for the Tudor green glaze which Master Hroar provided us with. I believe the reason it turned out blue has to do with both the use of a different type of feldspar than Master Hroar does and the iron content of the underlying clay. I am not disappointed by the outcome on this, it is very beautiful the way it is. Of course, I will have to do another in a low iron clay and use the correct type of feldspar to get the green color.