Ceramics for the Great Outdoors

This week on The Great Pottery Throwdown it is garden week and the potters will be 'making stunning ceramics for the great outdoors'. I have decided to get there first and update my blog with some of my more recent makes for the garden! (No, I do not want to be on the next Throwdown, I don't throw.)
However I do love making ceramics for the garden. Planters are a great favourite and I continue to experiment with shapes and surface decoration.

Umbellifer planter with sea glass (~25cm diameter)

I was particularly pleased with this one made using a flecked stoneware clay into which I carved the umbellifer design, highlighted using manganese dioxide. The use of sea glass around the rim worked very well.
This planter sold nearly as soon as it was out of the kiln! About to start making some more.

Spiral planter with sea glass (~25cm diameter)

This planter also has sea glass around the rim, but hard to see in this photo; I changed the plant to a smaller one before selling the planter.

Paua shell garden stone (~25cm diameter)

This 'garden stone' was again made using the flecked stoneware clay. This time I had great fun carving in my paua shell design (spirals yet again!), these were highlighted using cobalt oxide.

Ceramic flowers on copper stems

Previously I have made calla lilies on copper stems, I have now progressed to these 'poppies' (poppies do not need to be red). Quite a few of these are now 'growing' in gardens around the country, even as far north as Scotland!