Hi Everyone,
I decided to get out of my comfort zone and try a new medium: under-glaze painting on pottery. This opportunity came when last fall, my friend Minda Macias, invited me to join the bowl painting party for the Empty Bowls 2019 event. Empty Bowls is an annual charity event that showcases 1000 bowls that are hand created by local artists. All proceeds go to Community Lifeline Center to fight hunger in the community.
My first attempt of painting with under-glaze paint was a bowl with a Japanese crane design. I had a lot of fun creating this, and rekindled my love for painting through the process. One thing I learned is how much the glaze paint color changes after being fired and coated with clear glaze. When painting with under-glaze, it dries in a muted color that is much lighter than the finished product. The uncertainty of the end result added an interesting surprise factor in the process and added to my excitement. Below is the photos of before and after the firing.
This bowl is available as a raffle prize. Go to the Empty Bowls website for more information about the event and on purchasing the tickets.
I was honored to be invited to collaborate with a very talented potter Alex Macias for the auction piece for the event. Alex showed me ideas she had, and from there I thought of doing something Japanese inspired and different. I showed her some pictures of a Japanese clay pot called “donabe” and we decided to create a donabe-inspired lidded bowl. I looked through Japanese kimono fabric (yuzen) patterns to get some inspirations and decided on koi fish. Here are the photos of before and after firing.
I had a lot of fun creating this piece! This experience has been very special since it created a wonderful opportunity to create something completely new while helping to serve the community. I am honored to participate, and had a lot of fun working with Alex.
Here is Alex’s statement about our collaboration:
I have been fortunate enough to participate in empty bowls for many years. This year I was very honored and excited to be able to collaborate with my colored pencil teacher, Noriko DeWitt. To me, Empty Bowls is an opportunity to give back to my community and share my appreciation of art with others. This collaboration was exciting for me as I was able to provide a 3D canvas with my art to feature Noriko’s. Alex Macias
Do you want to connect with Alex, get to know more about her amazing pottery art? You can email Alex, visit her website, All Fired Up, or follow her on social media. (Facebook: /alexmaciasceramics, Instagram: @allfiredup).
The auction of this collaborative piece opens on 4/22/19. Check out Empty Bowls website for more info on all amazing art that are being auctioned.
(This blog was originally posted on 4/16/2019)