Antique pottery tools from museum in Japan

More potters tools from Japan. These photos were taken in a museum and the tools were under glass, so the pictures aren't the best; and that cheapie slide scanner I'm using doesn't help either! Double clicking on the photos will bring up a much larger picture to view.

It feels good to be getting a bit of studio time every day but my body is complaining this morning, so I might skip throwing today unless I loosen up. I was out there already cutting a couple of things off bats and uncovering plates and platters. A couple look like they may be ready for trimming later and I have a couple of mugs that are ready for handles and a jar lid that needs trimming and a top added. With all that done I think I'll be ready to get some earlier pots dipped in slip and decorated, unless of course, feel like throwing a few more things.

We may be going out to dinner with friends, and if we do I'll get a good day in the studio. Last night's menu changed when Jim found that I had bought some fresh corn and spinach at the farmers market, so the linguini with clam sauce was put off for a while. My next pasta dish is going to be a fettucine alfredo using those lovely fresh shitakes I bought yesterday at the farmers market. I just saute them with some shallot or onion, stir in the alfredo sauce - so good. If I feel like a meat meal, I take some good quality deli ham like Black Forest , sliced a bit thicker, then cut in about 1/2" wide strips and saute them along with the mushrooms.

Cooking was the reason I got into pottery. The first pot I ever bought was a large, Karen Karnes casserole, and in my naivete, I thought, I could learn to do that and make all my own pots. Little did I know all the time and money I would spend to get to this point! And the irony is, that I have so few of my own pots! I told Jim last week, that it's time I start keeping some more of my nicer soda fired pots. Till now, I've only saved about 4 of my own soda fired pots, that weren't seconds and half of those were saved only because at the moment I needed a small pitcher for gravy, or a small covered jar for pate! Time for that to change!