Pottery for Sale......at last

The kiln has been fired, the work is glazed and now on sale in Drift Gallery, at long last. I was pleased with the bowls with the water image and the cups to go with them. The plates everyone approves of with generous comments but I feel I am too literal with my images and need to be more subtle. I know I made them for Drift who wanted a Straddie theme but for my own sake I need to work on the images.

The plates are a good size and didn't warp so that was pleasing.

Jennie from Drift was pleased to have them all and is setting up the gallery with new stock for Easter, so hopefully there will be a few sales.

The other series, "Brown Lake", I have decided to keep for the markets as I had completed only one plate and want equal numbers to go with the bowls and cups.

Brown Lake series. Below the inspiration and the result.

Lovely hot weekend here and it is March, it should be cooling off. We have had family here which is always a treat. I have been busy adoring Edward as usual, such a feisty little fellow with a mind of his own but with enough charm to get away with everything, especially with his Nina.

Is this black sand valuable? Maybe Nina can use it in a glaze.

Sand miner and his Mama.

Ready for a ride in Geoff's boat, whether its on the water or on the trailer on dry land, who cares?

Maria Island Revisited

There are some places you just can't get out of your head and Maria Island Tasmania is one of them. Above is a view of a few of the buildings from the early settlements, the long white building is the penitentiary that housed the convicts in the early 1800's.

The island is under the care of the National Parks and the cells of the penitentiary are rented out to visitors. There are 6 bunks in each room hat once housed 66 convicts which I find hard to believe as the rooms were small. We had to carry everything in with us, food, crockery, utensils, bedding although there were a couple of rainwater tanks but we had to boil the water. There was a large mess hall where convicts ate and it had electricity and gas burners but there was no power in the cells. So unless you had candles you went to bed early.

Couple of old convicts outside their cell

We stayed for three days and it was memorable. So quiet without any motor vehicles and there were many walks on the island from the Painted Cliffs, sandstone cliffs stained with iron; huge numbers of fossils at another lot of cliffs; ruins everywhere, of convict buildings and failed ventures; old brick kilns; and tough walks up mountains to spectacular views. I will post a few photos but not go into all the descriptions.

Finally

Back in the shed at last and glazing work that hs been waiting o be fired forever.

An unexpected visitor today, most welcome, but gave me a start when all I could see was the head sticking out from behind the kiln.

An Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard. I hadn't seen one here before so am very pleased to have it visit. One look at me and it took off, I think it was calling the shed home in my absence. There are a lot of pesky snails who congregate in the shed so Mr Blue Tongue was looking for them I believe.

The photo is by Peter Robertson of Wildlife Profiles on the Museum Victoria site.

Yesterday my dear potter friend, Kim Aitken, and I drove to Gympie after visiting The Clayshed at Maroochydore where I bought a bag of Imperial Porcelain for the amazing price of $35!! At Gympie Regional Gallery is an exhibition called Picture Me: a Collaboration between ceramicist Stephanie Outridge-Field and photographer Tony Webdale.

A very colourful and lively exhibition combining ceramics and photography as well has focusing on the individual art forms.

An exhibition on at Griffith University is from their collection of works donated by Len Cooke formerly from the QAG with ceramics included in the collection. This will be well worth a look. It is on until March 29th at the Queensland College of Art Southbank Campus.

Tomorrow night at the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum is a film about plastic which I hear is good called Bag It. I'm sure ill have to put my hands over my eyes when it comes to seeing the turtles!!!!

Better get back to the shed there are pots to glaze, burners to scrape and a new porcelain to experiment with after I get everything in the kiln.

Tezza's Wildlife Tour

Tasmania has lots of interesting wildlife

From seagulls

To shells

Even domesticated animals were wild looking

Shells everywhere

Tracks on the beaches. From kangaroos to....

Wombats

The locals catch crayfish daily.... What a life!!!

One walk alone we found three tiger snakes in our path

At Pub in the Paddock were families of nesting birds.

The grand looking Pacific Gull didn't look so grand when harassed by its young 

The poor parent was constantly stalked by its larger baby

Shells, shells, shells

Well trained gulls ready for any emergency

Always on the lookout for the odd chip

Paddy melon wallaby

Look what was in its pouch

Wombats everywhere. One evening I counted 26. Heavenly

A few babies were about

Wombat bottoms

They weren't too afraid of people

Tasmanian hen

Lovely jelly like Warratah anenomie waiting for the tied to come in so they can open up their vivid tentacles to the water.

A necklace of shells

These shells were prolific

Cape Barren Geese introduced to Maria Island in the '70's.

Shy Black Swans, they were also prolific.