rosejoy22

[rosejoy22]

Garden Late Spring 2025

From the front of the yard to up and around the garden, spring has sprung with plenty of rain here in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Walking up the path from the front to around the back yard lush growth emerging. Aesthetically and ecologically valuable gardens and mulched pathways wind up and around the 3/4 acre property. 

Multiple levels with benches to sit and relax throughout. Shaded area with many ferns outside the fenced in area.

Upper level area include expanded fenced area. And separate fenced in area for vegetables.

Walkway above slope and view walking down the other side of the slope, Aesculus parviflora, Bottlebrush Buckeye, is taking off, amongst other plants. A diversity of species, over 100 varieties of trees and shrubs and over 200 different herbaceous perennials, includes fruiting trees and shrubs, culinary and medicinal herbs, and native plants.

[rosejoy22]

Flower Totem -- Ceramic Spring 2025

Three piece totem; thrown with pinched top.

Two thrown cylinders attached and then carved and texture added.

Pinched top hollow with hole at bottom. Other pieces have hole on top and bottom to stack on post. Middle piece is two thrown bowls attached and cut and carved into.

[rosejoy22]

Coiled Totem with Bird -- Ceramic Spring 2025

Three pieces, two exposed coiled and pinched bird in nest on dome, fired to cone 10.

Bottom of totem; coiled pieces with face integrated into coils and balls.

Middle of totem; smaller leaf face integrated into coils and balls.

Top piece of totem, pinched dome and bird attached together, with hole in bottom for rod to go through for building totem.

[rosejoy22]

Bird & Faces Totem -- Ceramic Spring 2025

Totem in three pieced stacked, base, four faces, and bird sitting on head, fired to cone 10.

Faces with spike on top to hold the bird.

[rosejoy22]

Garden Gnome -- Ceramic Spring 2025

New addition to the garden with pitch fork in hand, fired at cone 10.

Made from a slab, then coil for rim of hat.

[rosejoy22]

Gargoyle Statue -- Ceramic Spring 2025

Ceramic gargoyle statue made fired to cone 10.

Created sections, hollow, hence it will not blow up in kiln when fired.

Added wings and started to form texture and define structure.

Refined more and added white slip trailing for horns and on chest.

[rosejoy22]

Garden Early Spring 2025

Front yard in early spring, no lawn, grasses and other plants deer will not eat.

Front walkway around the garden outside of the fenced in area. Rocks define the pathways.

Replaced and expanded deer fencing in our backyard.

Gate to go up side of garden in the back.

View from bench placed on the side of path going up the back area of the garden.

Lower garden near back of house and double gate along house.

Compost area and leftover fencing and chicken wire.

Fenced in with chicken wire too, veggie garden. Asparagus popping up.

Gate on other side of house.

Back corner of yard gate and path along the top of slope behind house.

[rosejoy22]

Birdhouse -- Ceramic 2024

Ceramic birdhouse made from a template using stiff slab clay -- with removable lid.

[rosejoy22]

Leaf Soap Dishes -- Ceramics 2024

Pinched soap dishes resembling a leaf with a bottom dish and three legs to sit on.

[rosejoy22]

Garden Gnomes - Fall 2024

Gnomes thrown from a cone shape and added feet, nose, coil for hat edge. Garlic press used to make beards for two of them.

[rosejoy22]

Totems - Ceramics Fall 2024

From an arrangement of various ceramic pieces stacked on an aluminum rod -- outdoor garden totems, fired at cone 6. Thrown, pinched, and coil methods used with underglaze and colored slip, then clear glaze.

[rosejoy22]

Early Summer 2024

Bee balm, Monarda didyma, in flower now. Our compost bins, use household kitchen and garden waste to make soil.

Sweet peppers and cucumbers, and volunteer tomato plants producing fruit. I let some of the plants flower and bolt from the previous season and reseed. I didn't harvest the beets from last year, so used the small leaves this year in salads and letting go seed.

Covered front lawn with mulch last fall, and placed a bench we made to welcome visitors. In the back yard, had some large trees taken down and used the mulch to cover the ground, ready for new planting. Another bench up in the back, too.

Tall Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum, grew about 10 feet last year and arched toward the house, so braced it early this year. Placed ceramic bird house on a Goumi, Elaegnus multiflora, where we see birds coming in and out of. A magical place to be.

[rosejoy22]

Summer Garden 2023

Symphony of life and living unfolds throughout the year, each day bringing change, growth, death, a multitude of colors, scents, and butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds. 

Pure pleasure, no questions asked!

[rosejoy22]

Looking Yonder -- Ceramic Tile Mural

Four by four ceramic tiles merge to form a mural, etched, underglaze for color, then clear glaze after bisque fired.

I first sketched the design on a sheet of paper, then pressed the design into a slab of clay.

Added additional clay to make a more three-dimensional effect.

Etched in more of the design, then cut into four-inch squares.

This is after bisque fired. I added colored underglaze, then covered each tile with clear glaze before fired at cone 6.

[rosejoy22]

Looking Up - Ceramic Bust Sculpture

Ceramic bust of a woman looking up made from earthenware clay. Underglaze for colors with a clear glaze to finish it off. I made at our local college this past spring.

Started with a newspaper armature, to use as a structural base.

Formed small slabs, smoothed them out to cover the armature.

Sculpting the features while amateur in place.

Cut away part of the head, to remove newspaper and smooth clay inside. Then slipped and scored head back together.

Fine tuned features and added birds and flowers.

After bisque fired, added underglaze for colors and cone 4 clear glaze.

[rosejoy22]

Ceramic Garden Totem - Spring 2023

Interchangeable outdoor garden totem I made at our local college ceramic class this spring. Added colored slip or underglaze for a pop of color in the garden. Brighten up your day!

[rosejoy22]

Fall 2022

Goji berry harvest.

Tomato harvest, one of many. 

Fire Cider batch, doing its thing.

Garden sculptures, doing well outside.  Will cover during winter.

Spent hours digging up and removing mound of rocks and overgrown plants, etc.  Planted clumping bamboo near property line, will eventually fill in area.  Then covered soil with wood chips.

New fenced in area in area behind our house, productive with a variety of squashes and other edibles.