A few small pots

Tylecodon reticulata, 3" wide pot



Othonna cacalioides, 2" wide pot

Peperomia species, 1.5" tall pot

Euphorbia waringiae, 2" tall pot

Euphorbia ambovombensis, 2.5" tall pot

Euphorbia capsaintemariensis, 2" tall pot

Not your mother's terracotta

This pot was from my 2nd attempt at crackpots using terracotta created back in May of this year. Hard to believe I just started this technique at the end of April. Anyway, it's not quite right for this Pachycormus but it will do till I make some more. I think it would look better if the container was a couple inches taller and an inch or so narrower.

Need to reposition some of the branches next, stay tuned....

Operculicarya commision update

The round pot (have 2 more just in case) is just about ready for it's 1st firing, still need to do some work on the feet so maybe another week before it goes into the kiln. One thing about making bigger pots they need way longer to dry, if I do it too fast it will crack.



As a reminder, this is the Oppie that the pot is intended for.

Carved foot

Trimming the base and feet has not been my most favorite pottery task so a lot of times I add the feet at the hard cheese stage. Was looking through some flickr images when I came across some photos of Japanese teabowls with carved feet. Was intriqued by the results they were getting so I gave it a try.

Digitostigma caput-medusae

Made this pot just to see how difficult it would be, now once finished I had no plant that would look right in it.

Till I purchased a grafted Digi, the graft fills about 2/3 of the 6" depth pot. Recognize this Rich?
This was made from scrap black mountain clay that I mixed with tissue paper resulting in what is called "paperclay". The fibers in the clay make stronger bodies and bonding as well as reducing weight. I wanted to make the walls an 1/8" thick and could not have done that with traditional clay, it would have been too brittle. The texture on the outer surface is from slip made from the scraps and brush on diagonally. The grog(sand) shows up do to the brush, it wipes away the fine clay that makes the surface smooth.

Cacti is not my thing but I was intrigued by the form of this one. I also have a seed grown plant that has some nice tubers, when it gets larger I'll make a pot for it to show off its attributes

Greenware 12" diameter bowl

Tried a variation of the sand technique with a rim this time, although I think it's a little too wide. We'll see after it after it's bisque fired as it will shrink some.

Also using a new clay (to me), Laguna's Santa Fe. A cone 5 medium coarse stoneware that fires to tan in oxidation, and was easy to throw with.

Yucca endlichiana

Another plant I picked over the weekend, Yucca endlichiana, rarely seen in collections and not offered for for purchase very often especially in this size, although I did find a couple of seedlings last year. This plant is roughly 15yrs old so it slow grower, it was dug up from a raised bed so in pot pot culture it be even slower. Also plant is hardy here in zone 9b so I can leave it out all winter without worry.

Normally the tuber/caudex it buried but it can raised for staging purposes without causing ill effects. Pot color is not right but it was all I had, I made a couple of different shaped containers last night for it's permanent home. Will update photos when those pots are complete.


Lovely bark texture!

Curly threads of the leaves are very nice also.

BIG Ceraria namaquensis

Purchased this large specimen from a private collector over the weekend, it was removed from a raised. My truck bed is 5' wide to give you an idea how large this plant is. The white root is from a near by Adenium that grew through the Ceraria roots. I'll the let fresh cuts dry for a week before potting up and start some shaping. Will also try to root some of the cuttings. Staging in one of my pot will take place in the spring.

Large oval bonsai crackpot

Began with 12-15lbs of Cassius Basaltic clay


Form to a 16" bowl with no bottom, then was bagged to let the walls firm up enough to be handled and shaped


A batch of papreclay was mixed up to make the bottom and feet


4 days later it is dry enough to shape into an oval, it is now 18.5" in diameter


Paperclay was kneaded, wedged and rolled out to a 1/4" thickness. Then cut to size to fit into the bowl. I apply the bottom of the pot inside so no seams are seen from the out side of the pot and not to disturb the cracked textured outer surface.


Bottom is blended with the walls.


Ready to be bagged again to equalize moisture content and firm up enough to flip over to apply feet.