Saturday's Critters in clay

I've been searching for some animals (and there once were quite a few) which I made either in the shape of animals (think cats or dragons) or as glazing detail on a functional piece.

Hummingbird plate (about 7 inches if I remember correctly.)

Simple trivets, or decorations (flat ceramic pieces that could protect a wood table from a hot dish.

Free standing cat mask

There were two times in my life that I created art forms (or humorous forms, as some may say) of clay. First was in the 1980s when I returned to college to work on a BFA degree at the U of Florida in Ceramics. I just have a few of those pieces left, and maybe a dozen photos. As I've moved about through the years, I've tossed many "artsy pieces" out.

Bee tea-set in celadon and dark green glazes, 2014

Then I again got a chance to work in clay after I retired from being an Activity Director for senior apartment residents.

Hummingbird vase

I made things in clay for 12 years after retirement, in my mid 60s till my 70s, My last efforts were a few months of work in my 81st year on dragons. My health now precludes me working in clay where dust and mold would interfere with my lungs.

Dragon girl one as a bisque level, waiting for glaze which didn't come out well, so I tossed this.

Monarch mug which I still have for morning coffee.

Blue bird of happiness

A silly little calico, these are altered forms after throwing "on the hump" of a bigger piece of clay on the wheel. 

Dragon tower - all slab built.

Cat and mouse teapot

OK, there are more, and now I want to make an album of them. So am off to see where photos have been stored for years of the giraffes, the hummingbird mask, the other bee teapot, the blue bird bowl, and others that I will be pleasantly surprised to find. I've got an entire external hard drive to plug in and search.

Yes, all of these are my work, from start to finish. I have a couple of them still.

Many pots were tossed away. My approach to clay creations is that "Everything is sacred. Nothing is sacred."

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday's Critters

==========

Current events from H.C. Richardson: At 101 days, the “Department of Government Efficiency” and its leader, billionaire Elon Musk, are also running into trouble. Musk vowed to slash $2 trillion from government spending, but that number kept dropping until he said DOGE will save about $150 billion. As David A. Fahrenthold and Jeremy Singer-Vine noted in the New York Times, that number is largely unsubstantiated. The DOGE team’s list of cuts is riddled with errors. In addition, the nonpartisan nonprofit Partnership for Public Service estimates that DOGE cuts have actually cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year, not including lawsuits.

AND - from pagan leader, permaculture teacher, and Jew, Starhawk:

The Freedom Flotilla boat is attempting to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, where the Israeli government has stopped all shipments of food and medical supplies since late March. Food programs have run out of supplies, and mass famine is threatening. Depriving a civilian population of food and medical aid violates international law and all basic human morality. In the face of this emergency, brave human rights have set sail to attempt to bring in needed aid. But tonight their ship was bombed in international waters outside Malta, and is now in danger of sinking. Please contact the Maltese government and demand that they send help. 30 people are on board!

Here's an easy way to send a message:
https://support.adc.org/a/malta

===============

Today's quote:

Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.

Wendell Berry