These are new pieces designed to welcome in the spring season when birds search out a place to set up home and raise their family. Each piece is hand formed and made from stoneware clay. The work is hand painted using slips and underglazes. A transparent glaze gives the ceramic wall hanging a shiny finish. The gold lustre detail gives each piece a rich stylish look. Gold lustre requires a third firing for the work and unfortunately adds to the expense of production.
To complement the wall hangings, each are hung on carefully chosen waxed cord which is decorated with hand made ceramic beads. A larger button size bead is a clever detail to cover and hide unsightly wall pins or nails. The colours used in the pieces compliment other work in the Vine Haugh Ceramics collections. My favourites of the ceramic wall hangings are the teal pieces along side the raspberry and dusky pink shades.
The detail of the little birds sheltering in the trees create a quirky story around each piece and draw in the viewer.
If you know the work of illustrator Jane Ray you will see her influence in this work. I love the magical, fairy tale atmosphere she creates and I think that can be found here in this work where birds peer out from their perches.
