Spice up the greenery…

My name is Lisa Marie Porter. I live near the beach on South Padre Island, Texas. I have a bachelor’s degree in ceramics from Houghton College in Houghton, NY and it is my pleasure to combine these two experiences to bring you these planters.

I love artwork that is both aesthetic and functional and working with these planters has taught me that not only can a balcony full of green leafs and shrubberies become a mecca of playful and dazzling colors but also that I’m not nearly the plant-killer I once was! Finally I have become a caretaker of plants and that in itself is nearly as rewarding as finishing a beautiful planter!

All of these planters are crafted with my enthusiasm for ceramics and my love for the Gulf Coast of Texas. Each pot has been personally handled with care from the start. I have hand-selected each one, sanded any sticky materials off and solution-washed them to remove any oils or impurities. Then I brush paint the white base glaze on and it is this specially formulated white glaze combined with the iron in the clay that gives the colors their brilliance. This white glaze is also my canvas on which to conceive, draw and paint my ideas. After the colored glaze painting is finished I detail the surface with raised-glaze and let that dry. The final glaze step is to gingerly brush-coat (again!) the entire piece with a clear glaze. This clear glaze assures that the raised dots and swirls will meld to the rest of the glaze in the kiln and will not pop off when finished. Completely dry pots are then transported to a kiln and fired to nearly 1900’F. The chemical reaction that takes place in the kiln turns the delicate powder painting into a thin sheet of glass. The paintings will no longer scratch, fade, stain or wash away and will compliment plants for decades to come! Each step is time-consuming and essential to the evolution of the pot. I enjoy both the processes and the appreciation that accrues with such detailed and concentrated work.

The stylized animal that I paint onto each of my pieces is a unicorn-seahorse. The unicorn symbolizes the powerful, mystical and prevalent presence of the universe and the seahorse is one of aquatic nature’s most trusting and defenseless entities to the dangers and tides of the ocean. Together they represent the perfect symbol for the connected creature who lives with courage, grace, acceptance and trust… and if I’m not the only one who learns to caretake the life of a plant and more then the possibilities for beautiful life around us will prevail.