MY OBJETS ARE ALIVE TO ME. I talk to them (and they

talk back). They each have a different character, so private-

ly they have always had names to me, and recently I have

decided to share their names, as each one is different – I

can’t have two Vanessas! They also have a gender. Some are

beautiful, some are absurd. Some are grasping for beauty.

Some are laughing at the try. Here are some of their stories,

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them.

— jill frappier

Bouquet for Rosa

Once there was a poor potter called Rosa. She lived in a

little cottage in a remote village., Rosa’s first love was her

son Luca, her second was her potter’s wheel, and third their

beautiful garden. When Rosa was not producing cups and

plates, she was tending her garden.

Luka helped his mother. He prepared the clay and locked

after the kiln. He watched his mother produce beautiful

shapes. At the end of the day Rosa let Luka use the wheel

for fun. He became an adequate potter but what he really

loved was carving the clay into the shapes of the flowers

in his mother’s garden.

Then one day Rosa became ill. She was too weak to use the

wheel, so Luka took over for if production stopped so did

their meagre income. It was a particularly hard winter and

sadly Rosa took a turn for the worse. Luka carried her to the

cart they used for pottery delivery and took her to the hos-

pital. It was 50 miles from their tiny village. Rosa was put in

in a long ward with very few windows. Luka worked hard

to produce the pottery that would keep them fed and warm.

Rosa became depressed. She missed Luka and her wheel

and her garden. Luka wanted to lift her spirits. There were

no flowers in the frozen garden. Imported flowers on sale at

the hospital were far out of his range Then he had an idea.

He would make her a beautiful vase for when spring came,

and her garden would be bursting with blossoms again. But

then he had an even better idea. He would make the vase

flower. That’s why he called this vase Bouquet for Rosa.

“When is a vase more than a vase?” he asked his mother?

“When it flowers! “she replied with a big smile.

The Slender Sisters

Once there were three beautiful princesses named Larrissa,

Lissom, and Claire. Everyone called them The Slender Sisters

because they were very slim but also because it seemed

miraculous that they were that shape.

Each of the girls had a different personality, but they all

loved to dance. Larissa, the oldest, and the most fashion

obsessed was a lover of everything shiny like silk and satin

and diamonds. Lissom, the slimmest of all was a great

walker and climber. Claire, the youngest, was a great animal

lover. She had kittens and puppies and kept birds (not in

cages she insisted). They were free to fly anywhere they

chose, and they often chose to alight on her head or hand.

Their doating parents noticed that the sisters often looked

tired so they made a rule that the princesses must go to

bed at 9. As they rose at 7 this should give them a healthy

amount of sleep.

The three girls dutifully went to bed at 9:00 and were soon

daintily snoring. The king and queen were satisfied and

went to bed themselves an hour later.

Then at midnight the girls woke up put on their floatiest

dresses and crept off to a clearing in the forest where their

handsome dancing master and his musicians awaited them.

They danced and danced their slim little legs off till dawn

when they went back to bed for a couple pf hours sleep before

breakfast. Promptly at 7 they scampered down for breakfast

and proceeded to eat and eat. Breakfast was a 3-course meal.

This was why their slenderness seemed a marvel.

Castle Gar

This castle is old and falling apart now, but once it was a

happy place. Duke Gareth of Gar was a big man in every

sense. He was 6 feet 6 inches tall, generous, kind and just.

He was the perfect ruler for this tiny Duchy. The palace

was always open. There were all sorts of festivals and

balls. It was a place full of joy. The only sadness that had

ever touched this place was the death of the Duchess while

giving birth to their only child, a daughter called Gardenia.

While Duke Gareth mourned his wife, he realised that he

must be positive for his little girl. There were no cousins for

Gardenia to play with, but luckily his adviser Sir Chevron

had twin boys close in age to Gardenia.

The three children became inseparable, growing up together

as brothers and sister. They shared hobbies like fencing

and riding. Their book choices weren’t quite so similar as

Gardenia preferred romances to the boys’ books of battle

and war. The years passed happily, until one day the Duke

sustained a serious injury while riding in the forest. The

court doctor did all he could to ease the pain, but he told the

duke that his days were numbered. The duke was sad to go,

but grateful for the full and happy life he had been given.

What worried him was not his own passing, but the safety

of his daughter Gardenia. She was certainly well-schooled

enough to be Duchess, but he feared that a woman on the

throne could be dangerous. He decided she must marry

as soon as possible. But who should be the new Duke?

Why that was easy — one of the twins.

But which one? he asked Gardenia.

Beween sobs Gardenia vowed that she loved the twins

equally and would not make Sophie’s choice.. The Duke

made a fateful decision.

Well then let them fence for you.

What?! she asked in horror.

A duel! A duel!

The brothers both died from their wounds and so did

the Duke. Gardenia could not bear to live in a place that

was so full of terrible memories. She left the Duchy of Gar

never to return.

Seraphina

Seraphina was a Victorian lady who was obsessed with

clothes, the more elaborate the better. She loved dressing

up. She liked to have her gowns made by a special seam-

stress. She became more and more ambitious to be the

most outstanding lady at every ball. Everything she wore

became bigger and bigger and more extravagant. Her

hats were 2 feet tall and her dresses sported more and

more embroidery and sequins and pearls then sculpted

additions. Finally for the grandest ball of the year her

finery became so heavy that she could only stand still

and have people come and admire her.

Undulation

Undulation is a happy-go-lucky guy who has never met

a tree he didn’t want to climb or a bank he didn’t want

to slide down. He loves nature and is a good friend, but

unfortunately, he has another side. Sometimes he can be

insensitive and make cruel jokes.

I made him outside in my back yard during COVID. I

enjoyed being close to nature while I was working. I

couldn’t use my wheel, so this piece was hand-built and

somehow freer than other pieces started on the wheel.

I love the feeling of reaching and hoping, which echoes

some of my COVID thoughts.

Dancing Queen

“Dancing Queen” also came into being in my backyard

during that same time. There is something so happy,

almost euphoric, about her. I love the curves of her

body and her ridiculous gyrations. I also call her “Joie

de Vivre” because she reminds me of that sudden, little,

unexpected burst of joy I feel on the first sunny, blue-

skied day of Spring.

I remember when I was a child in England, snow

was rare and one time it made me so joyful I went out

to the backyard and danced and whirled in my new

circular skirt.

Bells

I love to walk everywhere. I am fascinated with the

variety of leaves that I find for my collections. I notice

the shapes of the flowers and their sometimes subtle,

sometimes rather phallic methods of encouraging the

bees to come and drink their nectar.

“Bells” was my attempt at exploring a different sort of

flower, a new shape.

Glinda

Glinda the good witch. She has a feeling of generosity

and warmth and welcoming. She is named after the

receptionist at my yoga school Glenda who was a very

warm person who was also a death doula. The curves

are like gushes of love.

Floribunda

I love flowers. I love leaves. This began as a somewhat

florid, floral vase. but then it somehow became so besotted

with its own blossoms that it escaped all vase-like bounds

and liberated itself into bountiful floral freedom!

Dark (K) Night

I just discovered this handsome vase. The shade of blue

is nighttime, and its decorations make me think of a

very flamboyant knight wooing a medieval maiden.