Ferric Chloride Pottery

 Well, Bruce tried something different. He took a workshop with a Potter who uses this technique and this is what he came out with. The clay body is a Raku so there is no functional quality to these pieces unless you place containers inside of them to hold water.

 The pattern in the black rim was carved with a needle tool and sealed.

 This vase has a more classic form and was carved into while leather hard and pigmented with oil paint and sealed.

Latest work completed

 I'm still infatuated with river stones. These are two more "Lake Michigan" stones I picked up on our friends' beach in Wisconsin. I do not do any adjusting or grinding of any kind to them. I design and set them just as I found them: beautiful and rich. The bracelet has been polished to a high shine which I plan to change. I will add some oxidation to the detailed areas and to the grove down the middle of the double half round on either side. I'm really not sure if I will like it better or not but if I don't I can always re-tumble it and return the "shine" to it.

The next three pair of earrings are "Southern" subjects!! I love the bend of Palm Trees...the straight Palm works because of the slender shape of the rectangle but I do love the curves you find in many Palms in the South, especially the old trees. Some of them in the islands are bent do low that their tops almost touch the sand.
  I use a chisel to represent water and my swirley stamp works for a sun or moon....at least it does for me!!!
  Herons are great birds to draw. They have such a distinctive form. For those of you not knowing how I make these shapes...I draw them and cut them out of sheets of silver...one at a time with my trusty jeweler's saw and a very fine saw blade.

This stone is an Agate, and a very large one at that! It's a "statement" piece for sure. Not subtle or shy....but then my preferred style of jewelry and painting is Bold...those of you that know me can agree, I'm sure!