Zentangle Patterned Canister with Two Arms

 This was one of the first patterned canisters I built.  

It retains the stance I normally reserved for gesture pots

but no interesting legs...

The Curlie Top Lidded Round Canister

It's so hard to show off a really interesting piece

 with only one picture so I have supplied five

 to enable you to see 

the full round interest on this canister.
BH 818 is about 9" high
and is finished to resemble tanned leather.

O L I V E R

I haven't had the time to finish 'decorating' my Oliver

but I did want you to see how it was progressing...

BLUE-ming New Plaquettes

Hopefully these will happen more often than

"Once in a Blue Moon."

These and other new jewelry components

will be available at the South Jersey Bead Society

BEAD BINGE March 14 & 15, 2015

at the Armory, Cherry Hill, NJ.

Covered Butter or Cheese Tray

I had a request to make one of these 

from students at the two different art centers 

where I teach. This is one of three

styles I have templated.

The Intaglio mat I used is Cleopatra.

CUTEsie Pitcher from Clay Camp 2015

Emeraude Glaze Over Fired

Maryann Lockard recognized this glaze immediately!

A personal pitcher and mini-cup/weed pot.

Oxide Accented Lidded Pillow Box

Cream and Sugar Prototype

And Then There Were THREE...

I don't know how many of you use low fire red clay

 but I have found that the Amaco Stone Texture glazes 

produce some wonderful effects when applied 

as suggested then sponged off the high spots

prior to firing.  These tiles were glazed

with Olive and Green ST glazes.

Greenware Plaquettes Ready for Firing

The Art Bead Scene

I have joined a new group of talented bead artists 

who actively share their work on two Pinterest sites 

by offering both bead 

and finished jewelry challenges monthly. 

If you are a maker of art beads or jewelry using them, 

why not check them out!  

 https://www.pinterest.com/artbeadscene/jewelry-monthly-challenge-entries/   https://www.pinterest.com/artbeadscene/beads-monthly-challenge-entries/

I find it a good idea to review plaquettes and beads 

from the past 

as I begin to form new beads for the future. 

 Sometimes I am encouraged to re-create an oldie 

but more often than not,

 I am inspired to go in a totally new direction.  

SNOW Plaquettes

The impending 'blizzard' of 2015 closed down most of southern New Jersey and cancelled my hand building classes giving me the opportunity to stay at home in my studio and form some new, spontaneous plaquettes, pendants and earring beads.  I am up to applying terra sigillata and underglazes after smoothing all the rough edges with fine steel wool. I think I will do glaze accents on one side of most of these so deciding where to put what colors now and making notes of the glazes I want to apply after their first firing is a bit of a task...

These were all impressed from my Intaglio mats (both sides) with the exception of a few like the lion and Sphinx heads which were made from my own molds.

CLAY CAMP 2015

Joni took pictures of some of the projects completed by 

participants and they will be posted soon...

Clay Camp Album

The Creative Landscape of Aging

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Landscape-Aging-Judith-Zausner/dp/0986339806

Judith Zausner has published a book on creativity and it's relationship to aging. The tome contains her insightful essays on the subject as well as interviews with artists (who have crossed the 60 year old mark) and who openly voice their answers with intuition and chutzpah.
I am honored to be one of the artists Judith chose to interview...

The Return of Gillette Leaves

Just when I thought that posting 

how easy these are to make

would decrease the demand for them, 

I found that premise to just not be true...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BHClaysmith?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Wire Wrapped Reversible 

Ceramic Plaquettes

Fine craft shows of the Season have all but ended.

My work is still available at the Pennsylvania Guild Store

in Lancaster, the Noyes Museum Shops, m t burton in

Surf City, NJ and BeaDazzle Gallery Shop at the

Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA.

Seasonal Bells?

Scroddled clay, stains and spot glazing

make up these pinch pot bells.

 Add a clanger and leather cord

and you have one noisy dinner bell!

The GIFT of Made By Hand

Made-by-Hand

Gifts for the Holidays

December 13th & 14th, 2014

12:00 - 5:00

The Gathering Place

(formerly Earth Tones)

19 North Centre Street, Merchantville, NJ 08109

One-of-a-Kind Creations by Local Artists - 

Barbara Hanselman Claysmith

Gretchen Hulse Crescent Moon Clothing

Anita DiPietro Jewelry

Kathy Casper Tile Maker

Anna Tumas Fiber Artist 

Traci Tambussi Pottery

Jennifer Talerico Weaver

Handle Free Personal Pitcher and Cup

In my earthenware hand building class last week, I was asked if I knew how to make a one piece pitcher with the grabbing handle and spout all part of the template, so I played around with the idea and came up with this...

Bracelet Bead Earrings

These double holed squarish ceramic clay beads 

are textured both sides.

Ceramic Clay Egyptian Scarabs

New Infinity Earrings and Necklace

I initially made these beads with double holes in them for bracelets but then I had an epiphany today while deciding what to make for some Holidays showings...

Both the earrings and necklace beads are reversible so you get two necklaces for the price of one with the earrings making an impression both coming and going.

Leather Cord USA Customer Spotlight Friday November 14th, 2014

Scroddled Clay Pinch Pot Bell Pods

All clay workers end up with small amounts of several clays they use and there's no better way to re-purpose them than by lazily mixing them together, forming the scroddled clay into Clementine size balls and pinching these balls into bell pods.  The act of pinching is so meditative...why not give it a try!