Pottery and different finishes by Kolene Spicher

Nautical Mugs with different finishes 

It has taken me some time to get this down.  I had a friend from the Harrisburg area that looked at me and said, "Pottery is humbling, isn't it!"  I couldn't agree more with her.  She's well past that humbling point in her career and is so talented.  She may or may not know how talented she is!  HAHA.  Anyways, about these mugs, I have two different types.  I finally found a clay body that was compatible with a darker clay body that will receive the slip (to paint on) that will not cause pinholes.  OMGOSH, too much info, not to mention the dozens of mugs I had to make to get it right.  Blah. 

These all look basically good, I would sell them.  They are pretty light and really there is only one visible flaw on them and it is the mug that is the third one in from the left.  It has a small crack that is surface only, meaning that the glaze went in and it sealed fast.  You can only see it on the inside and barely so because it didn't crack thru to the outside.  It is superficial.  

I included the hairline crack (that I repeat is superficial) just so that the potential buyer could buy being aware of it :)  

I am quite happy with the finish on these, and the colors are very vibrant.  The surface is entirely smooth.  The next set with the same images are thrown about the same size but the surface is flat and is meant to mimic salt glaze, but I didn't do that process.  I don't know if it is as good as the real deal, but it is the Kolene version.  I am basically an non-academic at this and it is quite daunting.  

I usually go for the shiny, but there's something I really love about this.  As my son and husband says, it reminds them of blue jeans.  I agree. 

You can really see the finish on the above cup.  Like I said, I really like it. Like the imagery, it has an old fashioned look to it.   It is deliberate and I intend (if well received) to do more.  

I adore whales... 

Here are the two finishes side by side.  

I also love how the blue from the inside slips onto the outside, a marrying of the two sides! 

Isn't the sponge gorgeous!??  

Which do you prefer?  I don't know how to get people to see this blog.  I do get some feedback but it needs updated and I am ready to try a different blog.  If someone has a suggestion which forum is better or best, please advise.  Happy Friday. 

Kolene 

Tweet

Bird Mermaid Platter by Kolene Spicher

Showing off her bird-catching skills 

A Kolene Spicher Mermaid Pottery Piece 

Hand Building Pottery 

I have made some progress with my platter since I last posted.  The colors on this piece are beginning to POP as the clay is drying out in preparation to Bisque Firing.  

The edge of this piece was designed to look like coral.  I think it has this look, too, but I don't know for certain what this will look like once it is Bisque Fired. 

I decided to add the curtain because it gives it a good pop of color.  The water is textured and many shades of BLUE will stick out once fired. 

I am really loving this whole process.  I am going to be making many more of this sort of thing.  As I learn more about the clay, I am leaning more toward the hand-building process.  I am also learning to throw on the wheel, too.  

ENJOY! 

Tweet

Sailboat portrait by Pennsylvania Artist Kolene Spicher

My Happy Place 

A portrait of a 19th century Schooner

Inspired by my antique Diorama  

Water that is full of color and light 

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the water.  It makes me happy EVERY TIME.  I love to paint water and sky and boats--anything nautical!! Ahoy!

The Antique Diorama 

About 5 years ago, I purchased this very cool Diorama.  It was actually made by an elderly gentleman from the Baltimore, MD area back in the late 19th century, early 20th.  I loved it.  Everyday, I look at this and think, "Wouldn't that be a smart looking ship painting!"  So here we are, fast forward five years, and it is finished.  Hey, it could've taken 10 years.

On my beautiful mantle and look at that Spicher Vintage Vinyl on the floor! 

The schooner is painted smaller than the frame could accept but I actually liked it the way it was and decided to frame it in a way that accented the beautiful sky and fluffy clouds.  The frame compliments the period in that it is grained.  The finish on the frame is smooth and the gold liner is still intact.  I love it.  

Before the American Flag 

I was going to leave it without the American flag (pictured above)  but like the other nautical pieces that I have painted, I just couldn't stand to not identify what country this came from.  The flag tells the viewer the origin and that is important.

The sky and the water were brightened up some in this picture 

It's hard to know when to stop and so like many of my pieces, I will wait to actually frame it and place it behind glass.  I am forever changing 'finished' stuff.  The number of paintings I paid to have put together only to later tear apart is more than I care to share.

I love the light in the water 

My Happy Place 

Thanks for looking at this and other pieces that I have completed.  I only do one show a year anymore, the rest of my work is wholesale and painted specifically for Spicher and Co.

This and others will be taken to the Wilton Historical Society Show in New England on
November 3-5, 2017.

Check the show out here!

artisans/http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/american-artisan-show-2016-artisans/http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/american-artisan-show-2016-artisans/

Enjoy! 

Tweet

Large Black Swan Painting by Pennsylvania Artist Kolene Spicher

Wait for me 

Wait for me is a painting about a family going for a ride on a black swan!  Total Whimsey! 

Having had 5 sisters, it wasn't uncommon on a Sunday morning or Friday night to hear, "Wait for me!" 

"I want to come, too!" 

That is what this is about.  I love the big fluffy clouds and bright white Ticket House! 

ME

I decided to paint ME in the picture...again.  It is becoming a new trend!  Maybe not. 

Mom started out as 'sister', but then I  quickly decided she looked more like 'mother'.  I think the little girl, named Sister, looks quite patriotic in her blue dress with red shoes and American flag.  Lots of flags always make me feel free and happy. 

Wait for me! 

You can never have too many ships, I think.  I might even add to this painting after a bit.  I am working on it for Wilton.

The frame you see pictured is an 1850s LEMON GOLD frame, New England. 

Here she is!  She's full of whimsy and fun.  If you live in New England around Wilton,  Connecticut, I am working on this piece and others for a show that is held at the Wilton Historical Society on Friday evening...   This is a fund raiser (the opening night) so the ticket price is a bit more than usual. However, you can come on Saturday and Sunday and it's much less.  Read about it here! 

http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/american-artisan-show-2016-artisans/http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/american-artisan-show-2016-artisans/

Enjoy! 

Tweet

What goes into a custom piece like a mermaid

The Black Pearl 

I am working on a custom piece for a couple.  This is the painting that they referenced.  I thought today's post could be about what is involved in making a "Custom" painting.  

The first step is to find a frame.  In this situation, the couple is looking for a 'beachy' frame.  What is a beachy frame?  It's a frame that would go well with beach decor!  They are usually white, black, or natural.  

We immediately thought of black.  We have  at  (Spicher and Co.) a simple black moulding that we often will frame nautical pieces in. I have framed original art in this moulding and it looks fab.    In the photo below, it is featuring a folk landscape but imagine a mermaid... 

We also could go white.  In this next picture, you will see a beautiful chipped up white frame that screams beach. 

The scale is wrong on this, but we could have it cut to fit. 

LOOK

This leads me to my next step, choosing a size.  

My suggestion  for mermaids would be to go with something that is 18x24, and this would be painted on paper.  The frame would add even more size to this piece.  The frame is a big part of the art! 

Here are the colors! 

Correct color pallet

The actual black pearl painting is below.  The room is dark that this was photographed in so the colors are sort of muted and dull in the reference piece.  

Colors not accurate

I love this ocean.  Oceans can really reflect many different colors.  We can go dark sea or light.  Check this out! 

Beginning stages of seascape with whales (top)

This is what we start with!  I go bright and each layer subdues and enriches the next.  Till I am done with this, the colors will be wonderfully muted like this mermaid! 

Really, that is the process.  Frame first, which determines the size, and then subject matter, and finally color.  

All you have to do is message me!  

Enjoy. 

Thanks for looking. 

Kolene E. Spicher 

Tweet

Whaling Scene

The Tale of Two Whales 

The water is clear and the whales are free 

Have you ever gone on a whale watch?  I have and for some reason, the guide didn't go up and close!  Maybe the old whale is a little forbidding and needs to be viewed at a distance! 

Peaking thru the water! 

I love the red boat!  These six guys are brave!  I wanted them to be front and center and the water crystal clear!  

The flying whale! 

The tale of two whales!  

Trying to figure out the title was just as much as a challenge as ever.  After a while I came up with The Tale of Two whales!  (A take off from The tale of two cities).  

I like it next to my mermaid!  (NFS). 

ENJOY! 

Kolene Spicher 

PS, This is going to Nantucket Country! 

www.nantucketcountryantiques.com 

But I think it's sold! 

Tweet

Original Whaling Scene, Maine Post 2

Starting To Add Some Color! 

A likeness of Curtis Light 

There are many lighthouses in Maine.  This painting is centered around Curtis Light which is just outside Camden Harbor.  This painting is not meant to be 

an exact copy but rather a gently likeness.  

My customer loves whaling and ships.  Like many of my paintings, this is a fictional rendition of a time back in the mid 19th century.  

I started to draw and realized that I didn't want the painting to have pea sized buildings so I went BIG with the scale.  You can sort of get an idea of HOW big in the picture below. 

The buildings are larger than I had drawn out on my thumbnail sketches, but I felt it was necessary.     I think it makes for better composition, especially when viewing from any distance. 

This could be a painting just as it is featured in the above cropped version.  However, it is just a snippet of  a larger piece.  Tomorrow, if I have time, I want to show you some more 

pictures of what I have completed.  If I don't post tomorrow, it will be Monday! 

As I paint, I will add layer upon layer until the oversized folky bricks sort of disappear and are not as obvious.  This is the very start of the painting.  

Tune back in for more... maybe tomorrow!

Enjoy! 

What a view! 

Thanks for looking today and spending a little of your day imagining what life might have been like back in the 1840s...

Tweet

Dapper looking Sailor/Whaler

Worthy Whalers Wanted 

Navigating the Shoals 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/478764983/kolene-spicher-original-one-of-a-kind?ref=shop_home_active_1

This antique frame is in amazing condition with the exception of a few flaws in the corners.  It does not
affect the overall look of this painting.  

For sale on Etsy 

I love this #whalersailor look that I have painted over the years.  I have included this item for sale on my Etsy store because it helps the buyer to see how to include various paintings in group settings.  I happen to like the way this picture looks with the painting WORTHY WHALES WANTED,  also for sale on ETSY.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/461914254/kolene-spicher-original-ship-painting?ref=shop_home_active_2
(This is the link for the top picture on ETSY) 

Using the antique frames is fun.  Often times you find frames that are one of a kind.  This gives your home a unique look that is not cookie/cutter, which I tire of quickly.

Navigating the Shoals 

Holding a book that has maps of the Shoals was very important in early America.  Many dangerous shoals, for example, surrounded the whaling port of Nantucket.  This painting is a story of a boy Sailor/Whaler who navigated the shoals of Nantucket.

These closeups show the naive style in which they were painted.  Not all of my paintings are done this simply, but this is correct for the time in which I am depicting.  It falls into that category of #folkart that was #selftaught and lends itself toward #outsider art.  

Also for sale on ETSY 

I feel that this frame is not photographing well.  The piece in person looks really unusual because it has specks of real gold leafing on it. I find it very pretty.   The pieces that stand out and are lighter are actually gold leaf.  Here's another shot.  (below) 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/474363435/kolene-spicher-original-mermaid-painting?ref=listing-shop-header-2

Thanks for looking today! 

ENJOY. 

Tweet