Glazed to Perfection

Friday was Paint Your Own Pottery Day. Erin and I skipped worked, had lunch at Smokey's (mmmmmmm... pit beef) and went to the Glazed to Perfection in Sykesville/ Eldersburg. She picked out a little canister for her mom and i went with a shallow tool tray for my desk. Erin had painted a little pitcher for herself 2 weeks prior and her mom wanted the same floral design, so she had to figure out what colors she had used before Meanwhile i got cracking on a double-stippled speckled base for my tray. Once the outside was done i was stumped for what to do for the interior design. It is kinda hard to visualize when none of the glazes look like what they will turn into in the kiln. I wanted bold colors and Matisse-like rounded patterns. After applying a pink speckled base I decided on blue and wine stripes behind a purple speckled “N” with an irregular black speckled edge. Finally i went with thin black outlining that I think really made the design pop. I don't have a very steady hand so it took a while for me to build up the courage to do the outlining, but with Erin's encouragement (read: cajoling, teasing and outright badgering) I did it. Our finished pieces really reflect our personalities: the crazy-bold Matisse of mine and the intricate watercolored Monet of hers - She will pick up the fired pieces next week. Keep your fingers crossed that my tray doesn't suck when its done; i'll post it once i get it back. This is only the second time i have gone to one of these pottery shops (the first being a few years ago with Douglas in FL) and it was fun and creatively challenging. Now that i have a “frequent firer” card, perhaps i will go more often. Anyone have any pottery requests?