"Grandmothers Guarding the Nest"
This graceful Grandmother Raven Nest Blessing Bowl, luminous with hand painted Raven eggs in a feather lined nest, will charm your home. The burnished clay is a tawny russet, infused with a constellation of mica stars. I've freehand painted 6 Grandmother Ravens who circle and guard the nestlings. Seven eggs in a feathered nest are painted with foodsafe underglaze in the approximate size, patterns and hues of actual Raven eggs. The underside is hand painted as well, with feather designs and spiral dots.

I have sold all my bowls in this design and will make one as a custom order for you. Please allow 3-4 weeks to throw, trim, fire, glaze decorate and then fire twice more.
You may request a certain number of eggs in the nest, and/or an inscription since it will be made for you.

A mica blessing bowl is mesmerizing as you gaze into the starry universe of its curves and the smooth surface of the broad rim. This bowl is an original, one of a kind treasure.

Size: About 11”-12" diameter, 4.5" high
100% food safe

Food can be a sacrament when created with love, and served in a mica clay blessing bowl. Fill it with fruit and vegetables, or use it to serve salad, bread and side dishes. This mica bowl can be placed in the oven to bake a round loaf of bread or a savory casserole. Mica clay is said to make food taste better. Because of its alkaline qualities, it balances the acids in foods, which is key for a healthy diet. Eating meals from mica pottery has changed my whole approach to food.

Another mica clay potter writes: "Something magical happens when you eat or drink from a micaceous clay pot. The clay absorbs any impurities and increases alkalinity levels. Your tea tastes sweeter, your water seems colder and more pure. Some believe that the health benefits are profound."

Place your blessing bowl on your holiday table for a magnificent centerpiece. Use it as a "burning bowl" for sage and cedar smudges. A unique wedding, anniversary or housewarming gift, this bowl will become a family heirloom.

This clay a silky smooth blend of mica clay from New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. I throw and trim my mica pots on my potter's wheel, then meticulously polish with a smooth rock to create a lustrous semigloss surface. After the pots are polished, buffed and fully dry, I freehand paint the ravens and nested eggs using food safe underglaze. It is then fired in my small kiln for about 10 hours to 1800 degrees. A second firing it in a wood pit fire creates the "fire clouds", the blessing of the smoke beings. Each fire cloud is unpredictable, a true gift of the fire. Traditional folklore says that this is where the spirit of the pot shows itself.

I make offerings and prayers with blue corn at every stage of the process of creating a vessel. Each vessel I've made seems to require from 8 - 10 hours of loving hands-on care, from clay to fired pot. It is signed with my potter's name Patch, and Taos, NM, and as seen in the photo the title "Grandmothers Guarding the Nest".

This clay is unlike any other clay I've known during my forty years as a potter. I feel that the mica has a healing quality. Mica has been used in Native American medicine bags for protection and thwarting negativity. I find its energy signature to be of an angelic being, named Micah, who has accompanied me on a recent healing journey and will come when called.

Caring for your mica pot: I have "seasoned" this bowl with a coating of olive oil then baked it in my oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Seasoning increases the life of the pot, seals it, makes cleaning easier, and enriches the flavor of food. The color of your blessing bowl will become richer with use. Use only warm water and a scrubby sponge to clean your pot. Use baking soda or salt for scrubbing stubborn bits. No soap please, because it will remove the seasoning. I will include a description of this bowl and its care instructions, and am happy to gift wrap and include a note from you if you so desire.