Mushroom Obsession
Y’all. My mycology obsession is getting a bit out of hand. LOL as if that could really ever happen. But seriously, I started making ceramic mushrooms in earnest in early 2020 (the very end of the before-fore times! Remember those days? We were all so young and innocent and carefree back then…). I spent many hours before that looking at mushrooms on Instagram. When I was ready, I started sculpting them at my dining room table.
Exhibit A: Mushroom Fairy House that now lives with my bestie.
Then, I took it onto the wheel. First, I threw one of these tall, bulbous forms. Then, I threw a second one because I (sweet summer child that I was pre-quarantine) thought there would be time. I handled them both, and proceeded to spend all of my studio time in February 2020 putting mushroom fruiting bodies onto the first one. It was the talk of the studio, and I enjoyed the praise and compliments more than I probably should have. Sorry not sorry.
I did start on the second one before lockdown, and it got a wood-like texture on the body before any fruiting bodies, and hardly any of those at that. Sadly, both jugs are still in that studio, which closed down in March and has not yet reopened. Fingers crossed that one day I’ll be able to glaze and finish them.
This delicate one was the first mushroom incense burner to sell on Etsy. Unfortunately it did not make the trip to its final destination. Cute and ever so pleasing as it is, this design does not pass muster and will not be repeated. It served a greater purpose, though, in that it convinced me that there is an untapped market for whimsical mushroom incense burners.
Thanks to my Pre-Columbian commission project I had to acquire a large amount of clay early in the summer. As a little treat for myself I added a box of Frost Porcelain, a mid-fire white porcelain by Laguna Clay. It was not fun to throw with, turns out (though I gave it a good try and did manage to throw some lovely ornaments for my brother & his fam), but it is fantastic for handbuilding.
These ones were the last batch of 2020 and the first batch made of porcelain. They convinced me that glazing them is better than using underglazes. Also, they sold out in like a week. So, I’m in the process of making more.
Sculpting all the tiny details and building each individual burner is supremely therapeutic, and I can do it at home! No need to go to the studio when the pieces are this small. Plus, going to sell quickly! This most recent batch, the first of 2021, is probably done now, though I need to go pick them up. Once I do, they will go up for sale on Etsy.
