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August 2025

Hey I have had the studio for a year now. Good times!

At the end of this month, I will say goodbye to the UBC pottery studio. Some pieces still to come through firing and glazing, but the ones to the left are close to the end.

I seem to have a new rhythm for my paper mache crafting, building a lot of pieces together, then decorating them together, then varnishing them all at once. I am not sure how I feel about it, but it does save time moving different equipment around.

OK, here was a new idea

My "wit" on the bottom.

I few more of these sugar bowls. I actually think these are quite good.

Here also is something new. I made these bowls but my daughter painted them (in acrylic).

I keep making bowls with this design and people keep asking for them. I guess that is a good sign. I do not like this the colour of this orange tissue paper as much as the last one I had.

Repeat ace flag yarn bowl. Now I have six yarn bowls. No excuse now not to try and sell them at the local yarn store.

I made these for myself to do some organizing.

Bauble, slight variation on one I really liked.

Vases with paper mache flowers. My daughter helped me arrange them.

July 2025

Plans this month are to finish the sixth yarn bowl (I have to say I am sick of making them) and take them down to the local yarn store and see if they will sell them. Before that I will set myself up for social media success, if I can figure out what that means.

The other potential market I will try for is custom jewelry boxes.

Repeat bauble. The original was abirthday present to a couple I hope thinks it is funny.

Yet another tarn bowl, but every time I get close to critical mass someone takes one (but that's a good sign).

fruit bowl

Hey, I made something for myself! Dresser organizer for phone, wallet, and keys/ring/watch.

Sugar bowl that my daughter commissioned. I was very happy with this one.

Sugar bowl, intended as a gift to my ex-wife. We have not spoken for seven years but I reached out recently. She may not want to meet and even then may not accept a gift. But it is beautiful in her favourite colour.

Walnut painted gold ornament. There was an old walnut lying around...

Not sure what this box would be for, but it looks fun.

June 2025

Back from the research trip to "exciting" East Lansing.

There were a few paper mache pieces I had made before I left that I thought took my work to the next level. I had been hesitant to decorate them because I wanted that aspect of the pieces to be as good as the shape design. These first ones came out like I imagined.

Daffodil, I was quite happy with how this turned out as well.

Embroidered pilow cases I did for the grandchildren

Not at all related to my studio work, but I had some results from our deck garden.

More yarn bowls, repeat designs. I am building up the collection to take into a yarn shop to try and sell them by commission.

More Janus baubles

Greenery for the daffodils

Salt and pepper shakers. I am starting to look like a professional

Funky bowl and salt shaker

Tea box, commissioned by my daughter

Pride flag yarn bowls

Pottery from the UBC studio, unfortunate glaze choices

Bauble, this one made me laugh (well, most of them do)

MAy 2025

Oh, I did not make this bowl but I admire it. My pottery instructor, Helen Spaxman, had a sale of her work and I picked this up.

Many new things started this month that I am pretty excited about, but are not going to be finished until June when I get back from work travel.

I designed and 3D printed a heart bauble template

I kept the math notes visible on the inside of the box. Maybe it is a "feature" for someone.

Some Embroidery

I have a colleague at Michigan State that I have worked with for many years and I visited him this Spring for three weeks to work on computer simulations of interface dynamics, with models from materials science and biology. I took my embroidery equipment with me on this trip and decorated hats to celebrate the weekly gin and tonic nights I host every time I visit.

I saw my friend Rick just one day there before he went on vacation in Greece.

I made him a hat anyway.

My hat

Pillow case destined for the grandchildren

April 2025

I have decided to try a commercial venture with yarn bowls. Generative AI told my helpful friend that I should make 5-7 of them and explore various options for sales. I may have a progress report on this in June.

More items for the UBC Math student lounge including paper mache salt shakers (that actually work!).

paper mache napkin rings

Mixed pottery items

I do enjoy making these. Some new ideas here.

More jewelry boxes with sides made from milk cartons. New construction ideas led to better fitting lids.

Mix of mould and pinch pot bowls along with a couple of spice jars.

First mug I have made in a while. Conical shape made with a template I found on the internet.

You can see I got rolling with pottery at the UBC studio.

Salt shaker that went to my son and his partner as it matched the bowls I gave them.

March 2025

Moved pottery making back to my UBC office, bought a sewing machine to use at the apartment, doing only paper mache at the studio.

Janus baubles continue, I will get tired of them at some point.

Paper mache flowers...

... in a pottery case, I think that makes it multi-media :)

More things from the Britannia class.

I set up a wax station for pottery in my office with a hot plate and a frying pan. Interesting patterns as the wax cools. There is some math modelling to be done here :)

I made some yarn bowls out of paper mache. One went as a demo to a colleague. I think they could be too light for use, unless you put a rock in the bottom.

Idea for a box lid fastener, not quite right yet.

The dessert bowls for my daughter in law.

Yarn bowl and espresso cups from the UBC kiln.

Bowls from the UBC kiln. These were to test glazes and will probably sell in the next sale the club puts on.

FEbruary 2025

We got some snow in Vancouver. I appreciate it more over Christmas when I have all my shopping done. The sad thing is that a snow day is not what it used to be: work just continues online.

My Janus baubles were popular at the culture crawl so I made more.

The slogans are fun to come up with. At least my kids liked them.

Another batch of pottery got through bisque

Pottery at the studio

More pottery at Britannia. I am taking a class there with my wife.

Paper mache gift boxes at the studio. I am still working on the form.

Version #2 of my desktop organizer. I liked the mock up of the design enough to make one.

More greenware

Aren't they cute? The jar is for me, actually. I can keep acrylic paint moist while I wait for the second coat. The wee cup is the espresso cup I made four times too small (math is so hard!)

Spoils from the class at Britannia. The espresso cups (appropriate size) are for my friend at Michigan State.

The desktop organizer finished, another gift box, and a pen holder for a commission I had forgotten about.

This and to the right, finished items from the UBC pottery club kiln. The bowl on the left is the start of a set requested by my daughter in law (well, they are not married, but eight year later what do you say? common law daughter in law?)

backup espresso cup for my MSU buddy, not sure what to do with it now.

More pottery greenware. The novelty is wearing off with pottery, I will only show finished pieces now. The pencil holder is a commission for the UBC Math undergraduate lounge.

These are characters from a series of Finnish books. The left is Moomintroll and the right is Snufkin. These were done by my daughter on the front and back of a notebook.

January 2025

The new year started for me with a cold that came with a case of the shingles. I hope you had a better start! I hope it ends up being a good year for all of us. In the studio, it looks like a mix of pottery and paper mache for me.

Made some sugar bowls, espresso cups, and more bowls. This bowl shape will be a set of four for my daughter in law.

I was aiming for a 5 ounce espresso cup. I have a commission from the Promislows in Michigan for a set of four. Mixed up radius and diameter so it is four times too small, but it was a fortuitous mistake because I liked the proportions. Just need to increase each dimension by the cube root of 4.

Desktop organizer Mk2 in progess.

Finished product. A friend expressed interest.

Another organizer idea, not quite right yet.

First batch of pottery came out of the bisque fire at the UBC studio.

Bowl set continues for my daughter in law

Espresso cup that should now be the right size and more bowls.

First new batch of finished pottery in a while

December 2024

This was the month post culture crawl that I finished remaining paper mache projects and started making pottery again. I am making greenware in the studio, will have to get it to the UBC studio for firing.

I built a tall shelving unit out of scrap and cheap wood. You could call it "repurposed" but my craftsmanship is not up to that description.

Finishing up some paper mache projects I had started.

My first commission was these two rainbow flower vases.

Moved on to pottery, some pinch pots, some bowls from moulds and some salt shakers.

Enjoy the Holidays!

November 2024

Culture Crawl was interesting to participate in. I got some good feedback, almost made enough sales to cover the entry fee, including my first commission (from a buddy, but I will still count it). I got to know my studio colleagues.

Large Janus Bauble

With text

Jewelry box (left) and a box above that is officially a "weed box"

October, 2024

Now getting ready for the Culture Crawl in November

The Britannia Craft Fair was fun but not a financial success

The two sides of jack-o-lanterns

A dresser top organizer I sent to my brother in law in Minnesota. Now I can say I have an international presence

I got a package of battery LEDs so now stars can be lit up.

Bowls, some new ideas, some old

Feel good text

September, 2024

Continuing work at the studio: ornaments, boxes, bowls, and jewelry dishes. Made some buttons for the craft fair table. These will be "free with any purchase (so not exactly free)"

Display stands I made with my carpentry "skills"

August, 2024

Two causes for excitement: I now have rented studio space with a big table to spread out on; and I have a craft table event scheduled on Wednesday September 25 at Britannia (details to follow on the event page).

Ornaments are the new theme. Icicles, stars, and geometric shapes.

I had a template for five point stars online and did the math to make variations with six points

My daughter suggested having a more standard bauble shaped ornament and I did that, using two copies of a mold I had for poppies.

I also made bowls, but I have so many now I think I should stop.

There is also a growing line of boxes with alternative gender orientation flag themes.

I am enjoying the Janus happy face bauble series.

Six pointed stars are good for rainbow flag designs and Hanukkah.

Some small bedside jewelry boxes are the last idea I had for the upcoming sale. I use molds that I designed and 3D printed.

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