E is for earthenware.

Though I'm not regularly in a studio at the moment (my last space was an hour drive in one direction and when gas prices shot up last summer, it became too expensive to make the trip; I've been unable to locate anything closer), I have been a potter off and on for the last dozen or so years and worked in studios literally spanning the country.

I've worked with stoneware, porcelain and earthenware, though earthenware is both the one I've worked with most and arguably the most common clay used in the US by recreational potters. Earthenware clay can come in a variety of base colors, each of which will look different after the firing and under the same glaze. My most recent studio stocked both red and white earthenware, but I worked mostly with the white earthenware because I liked that it was a little more versatile and would show the "true" glaze color.



This piece is a vase or pen holder or whatnot that was glazed with a turquoise crackle glaze that made it non-food-safe (whatever's in the glaze to make it crackle isn't safe to ingest, if I recall correctly).



My candy dish at work is also one of my pieces, one of my favorite, actually. Because I have only worked sporadically and usually for no more than 8 to 10 months at a stretch, working up to larger forms is something I have to do every time I get back in a studio. So to have a larger serving bowl come out so well is somewhat of a point of pride. I also have a smaller bowl that I like to use at home for soup and ice cream done with this lilac glaze.



A dear friend I met in Chicago who now lives in far off Delaware makes an absolutely fabulous baked brie with brown sugar and raisins that is To Die For(tm). She has a perfect little dish from Pampered Chef to make her brie in, but I frequently fall victim to the "I can make that!" bug and decided to try my own. The glaze on this one ran a bit, so there's a bit of kiln wash stuck to the bottom still that I haven't gotten around to grinding away, which means I'm still pining for Jennifer's baked brie!



This is one of a set of goblets I made for friends for their wedding. My goblets aren't glamorous or elegant, but I like to think they're still functional and pretty. These were done in plain black as I wasn't sure what they were going to end up with for feast gear and didn't want them to clash with their kit.



I rather liked how this drinking cup turned out, even if it is a bit thick and therefore heavy on the bottom (but hey, at least it's damned hard to knock over!). I made it as a gift for a friend who does a Norse persona in the SCA. I'm not sure it's entirely appropriate for his persona, but it at least doesn't look jarringly out of place.