Inspiration is all around us

I'm always on the look out for inspiration and never know what can make the creative juices start to flow. Even on holiday I find myself looking carefully at the ceramics in the shops and the styles that different cultures adhere to. Recently while visiting Spain I was inspired by the vibrant colours and bold designs that they use. In fact, it seemed to be a theme in other places that we visited on this cruise, including Corsica and Pisa, Italy. 

I know it's not the most polite thing to do but I did have to photograph some things that I saw in the shops. At least I tried to do it discretely, I didn't want to be shouted at in a language I couldn't argue my point in!

Take a look and you'll see why I was drawn to them. 

Barcelona. Handmade pottery.

Handmade ceramic tiles in Barcelona

Handmade pottery in Barcelona

Mass produced (I think) ceramics in Corsica. They have great vibrant handpainted designs.

Hand painted ceramics in Corsica

Corsica

La Coruna, Spain. Quite a different style here compared with Catalonya but still very bold. 

I'll keep this blog handy for when I need a bit of motivation and inspiration. Strangely enough, during my water colour painting class on ship I was told by the tutor that I have a very bold style. I never would have thought that but when I looked at other class members work I had to agree with him. Maybe I'm working my way up to being as bold as the Spanish (and others) with my ceramics. 

Thank you for reading,
Cathy xx 

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Roman pottery

While I was on honeymoon I was, of course, drawn to anything pottery related that I saw. Just ask Mr Ty Siriol and he'll roll his eyes and smile. :-) While we were in Cartagena, Spain we went to visit the site of a Roman Theatre that had only recently been discovered and excavated. It had been buried a long time ago rather than demolished (as it was cheaper and easier) and the site had been built on. Over the years it was forgotten. 

The inhabitants of Cartagena were shocked when they discovered Roman remains (buildings and pottery) during a routine mini-excavation, which is required before building planning is granted. Archaeologists were called in and a full scale excavation took place. No one has any idea how a Roman theatre so big could have remained hidden for so many years. Houses and buildings were demolished so that they could uncover it and work is still going on today. 

Birdseye view showing just how big the site is.

The Roman Theatre at Cartagena, Spain

In the museum they had displayed some of the pottery that they found and it seems that this site was in use for hundreds of years. When it was no longer used as a theatre parts of it were converted into shops, like a marketplace. Much of the pottery was here and came from countries all over the Mediterranean as shown on this map.

Map showing the origins of some of the pottery found at Cartagena Roman Theatre.

I tried my best to photograph some examples to show you but the light was poor. Here's some of what I got. 

The platter on the right appeared to have been made by being pressed into shape. The two jars look to have been made on a wheel. There was no obvious decoration on these pieces and they were more functional. 

These amphorae are oriental (if my translation is right) and look to have been decorated with a layer of clay slip, some of which is still present.  

This pitcher looks like is was made from coils of clay and dipped in clay slip so that it could be more asthetically pleasing.

Here we can see 2 plates that have been beautifully decoration in the Catalan style using oxide stains. The lower right jar is much older and shows decoration made from finger indentations. 

These are from the Paterna-Manises region and show a more decorative finish. 

I love these pieces. They show the scrafitto (scratched) decoration beautifully. They were made to be asthetically pleasing as well as functional. 

I have looked through all the photos from no less that 3 cameras and it seems that there isn't a photo of me in Cartagena. I'm usually the one with a camera in my hand meaning of course that I'm rarely in the shot. I need to do more selfies! Anyway, this is a photo of me on the ship not long after we set sail again from Cartagena. 

Me on the ship leaving Cartagena

I hope you enjoyed, or at least indulged me by reading through my blog on the pottery found in Cartagena Roman theatre. 

All the best,
Cathy xx

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The Ty Siriol Honeymoon

Wow! What a summer! Throughout being really ill and back and forth hospitals this year I have also knocked through our kitchen and dining room, created a workshop in the garage to contain my clay mess, planned a wedding and of course got married, been a full time mum especially over the summer holidays and am responsible for around 90% of the Ty Siriol business. Thank you to my parents who are picking up the slack for me while I've been unwell. So as you can imagine I was ready for a holiday in the form of a honeymoon this autumn. 

As it was a really special holiday we splashed out (pardon the pun) and went on a cruise of the Western Med. Lil Miss came with us because Mr Ty Siriol married us both. Also, I don't think she would have forgiven me for going without her! 

We left from Southampton and stopped at Gibraltar, Cartagena (Spain), Barcelona, Ajaccio (Corsica), Pisa (Italy), Monte Carlo (Monacco) and La Coruna (Spain) before arriving back at Southampton. We were really lucky with the weather considering it was the end of September with temperatures in the 20s and 30s (degrees C). We had a fantastic time and I've come back feeling so much more relaxed. 

As usual, I don't do blogs without at least one pic, so here are a couple. :)

Our ship 'Oceana' is in the background

In the Little Spanish Village, Barcelona

I have a thing about palm trees. I really miss them after living in California.

Ready for Black Tie night

In the atrium on the ship

Thank you for reading and sharing with me. 
Cathy xx

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Twitter: @tysiriolceramic