Collabortorium

This is a new project....a collaboration with my friend, Annabel.
I've had this urge for awhile now to work with porcelain but to be honest with myself there are only so many things you can try to be good at and there is no way I am catching up to the talent of the likes of Annabel at the wheel.
The process of collaborating has also been on my wish list, but up until now I have not found the right person/project to pursue.
This is the perfect project.  Working with Annabel is exactly what I need right now.....we're our own little  mutual admiration society.  It's such a fun process of designing:  problem solving, experimenting and humor (well, with Annabel humor is always a major component).
Something about this process of collaborating has freed me up to play with design more....and more lightly (because it is a contribution? the nature of the project?) and more focused (Annabel cracks that whip). And I'm curious to see how it grows.

Annabel's studio is tucked into the back of her enchanting (seriously; a pond, wysteria, magnolias, frogs at night..etc. ) back yard.  It's a dusty clay space adorned with old wood block stamps from everywhere, plants, paintings, butterflies, tools, colors, books....it's a crazy good space. I can lose myself in it, and I did.....the day spent drawing these I sat in the same chair for 7 straight hours without getting up to eat or stretch....it had seemed more like 3. (I don't just mean these few...there are 24 cups to our primary experimental batch)
So, she gets these 24 out of the kiln and brings them down to my work because we don't have the patience to wait for the next day and we immediately begin the process of problem solving again and mentally noting the do's and don'ts of the next batch.
Annabel is also a highly productive and motivated person....she's set her demand at 40 for the next batch!  Hear that whip snap?