The NorthWesternBelle

Buy this vase on Etsy. Hello! Can I just tell you about how I'm 100% obsessed with this vase I made in 2019? It's probably an unhealthy level of obsession. But, like, who could blame me? LOOK AT IT. The brown clay really lends itself to the underwater feel. And the glaze did EXACTLY what I wanted it to do, which almost never happens. The glaze is one I've talked about before, called Spearmint by local pottery wizard @claliston . It is a translucent green glaze that pools blue. On this dark clay body I made sure to give it two good, thick dips to ensure it would show up. I was honestly stunned when it came out of the kiln. You can actually watch my live reaction on YouTube . The video also includes shots of this thing in the sunshine, in which it literally sparkles. It's amazing. This is truly one of my favorite pieces ever, and that's saying something because I've been at this for over 10 years now. Is it perfect? Of course not. I'm...

Buy this vase on Etsy now  Welcome! I had to take a minute to share this vase with y'all. It was the first one I went full out on, which is why so much of the vessel's surface is covered.  So, after 2-3 hours of sculpting that went into it before the bisque firing, I then painstakingly hand-painted glaze on each detail. Some got two different glazes! It was a lot of work. The result was totally worth it though, because damn! Look at that finish.  I obsess over this one whenever I pick it up. Check out this spade of grass that stands out on its own.  I'm just so pleased with it. Putting these Sea Life pieces together is an exercise in patience and planning. I'm still trying to perfect it even though I know for certain I never, ever will.  Just like with everything, turning lumps of clay into beautiful coral bodies is an ongoing lesson in innovation and improvement. I am seriously obsessed with the resulting textures,...

Buy this vase now on Etsy . Welcome! This little vase is too beautiful not to share. It is the first one in my Sea Life series that got a straight glaze dip for decoration, and I gotta say; it slays. This was the first Sea Life piece that got a straight glaze dip for decoration. Since then (early 2019), I've dipped a few more Sea Life pieces in this particular glaze simply because it is so perfect. It's called Spearmint, and it is made by local pottery genius and my friend, Clay Liston. Yes, his name really is Clay, and he's been doing pottery for 30+ years. He makes amazing pots and even more amazing mid-fire glazes in Utah. Check him out on Instagram @claliston . Anyway, Spearmint is particularly perfect for my Sea Life pieces because it pools blue where it is thick and stays a lovely translucent green where it is thinner. The green is reminiscent of a cone 10 Celedon, except there is much more depth and variety in this particular mid-fire glaze than ...

Hey, y'all. I'm here to write about pottery today! If you've been following along, you know that I've got a thing for sculpting coral reefs out of clay. I'm honestly pretty obsessed for someone who has never seen a reef up close before. But if you could see my instagram feed these days you'd notice I've been looking at three things lately: Witcher memes (bc c'mon. How hot is Geralt?), coral reef structures and wild mushrooms. The coral reef collection goes back the furthest, because I have been obsessed for a while. See my first set of sea life mugs: It all started in November 2016 with the Star Fish Mug Obsessive texturing. November-December 2016: The finishing process Aaaand totally finished in January 2017 Pretty sure my sister got this one. Possibly my MIL. I got started on the second one while the Starfish Mug was being fired. I know for a fact this one went to my MIL, because she loves Sea Horses Please excuse...