A Touch of Turkish

The inspiration for this hand-crafted clay pot came from a pottery show I recently attended.  Each year the same group of female potters host a show.  Their works spans a broad range of styles, from very traditional vessels, to innovative wall decor and re-purposed forms.  The work displayed by this potter  was comprised of multiple pieces.  On all of the pieces, the joint seams were very raw and exposed, and created the impression that they would easily disconnect, despite being glazed and fired. 

Whimsy Pot - Pencil under black India ink, ready for the transfer sheet and soft graphite.

There were parts of the pieces I found inspiring, however, and decided to make a sketch once I got home, that is somewhat reminiscent of Mrs. Potts and friends from Disney fame.  As with many of my 2-D pieces, there is a sense of animation and movement woven into the image. 

Whimsy Pot - Drawing ready for soft graphite on the left and image on transfer paper on the right.

I debated about whether or not I wanted to invest the time to transfer and carve this image.  It's uses seem very limited to me, and it is more about working to animate an stationary object than to create an image for printing.....did it anyway.  See the relief block below!

Whimsy sketch on the left.  Carved and inked relief Speedball block on the right.  

I decided to leave in the shadow lines on the block, at least for the first proof and prints.  If I remove these, I can always go into the finished print and add shadows from a variety of light-source locations.  One of the advantages of this art form is the ability to go in later and remove parts, and print again.  As I have said earlier, however, once it is gone, it is gone for good!  For now, the shadow lines will stay.