Inspiration:
I Love teaching my Ceramic Goddess Mask Making Class. Students come to my studio for instruction, meditation, transformation, and return home with their own completely original mask! Small classes hold up to to 8 students at one time, so I often have room to fill Momma kiln with special items that I have handmade in earthenware clay. All pieces are original designs that I dreamed up.
Sculptural sun moon and star sets, mermaids and sea turtles, handmade ceramic tiles and angels. I hope you like these pieces, and I am glad to be able to share them with you on Etsy!

Processes:
A rolling pin (really) is used to roll out flat even slabs of white or terracotta earthenware clay. The design is then sketched onto the clay and then a needle tool is used to cut out the shape. It could be a sun, a face sculpture, seaturtles or whatever the inspiration of the moment is.
The sculpture dries for at least 1 week. When it's fully dry, I fire it in Momma kiln at 1940 degrees.
When the firing is finished, glaze and stains are used to color the design using a watercolor brush, often in the style of a watercolor painting that Gail is famous for.
When the second firing is finished, cone 05 or cone 04, and the piece is cooled, wire is strung through the back of wall hanging pieces.

STARS:
All of the stars in A Cosmic Mermaid Shop are free form hand cut (not using cookie cutters), so EVERY STAR is UNIQUE and unlike any other star -ever!! like the real stars in the night sky!!
ANGEL SCULPTURES:
Love creating these sweet creatures!! I "go within" during a meditation/connection for instructions on how each angel is to be expressed ie: the shape of the head, arms, and the wings. The angel is constructed and then dried slowly for at least one week. Then the piece is bisque fired in Momma kiln at high temperatures for about 7 hours. When cool, color in small amounts is applied, then a clear glaze is applied over the color, and then fired again for about 7 hours. When firing is finished and the angel is cool, an original poem/prayer is rolled up and tied with natural twine (to look like a scroll), and then placed inside the bottom of each angel.

One of the wondrous things about ceramics is that when you fire a piece in the second firing, "glaze firing", the result varies! Yes, you can use the same glaze in different firings, and have an idea of how it will turn out, but until you see it when the firing is done, you never really know how it will turn out. So, after the firing is done, and the kiln is cool, it is an exciting mysterious event, to see how everything ends up. Sometimes the glaze will blur a little, sometimes it drips a little too much and the piece is trash. You never know what you are going to get, I love it!

I also create in Watercolors! Check out my watercolor art prints at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/gailmaustinart

website at:
http://www.gailmaustinart.com

Pintrest:
https://www.pinterest.com/gmaustinart/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/gailmaustin/

Thank you for visiting A Cosmic Mermaid Ceramic Shop on Etsy!!
~Gail