Of Purple Great Danes And Fine Pottery

Whenever I think of hound dogs, I don't know why, but  I always think of that old song, "Hound Dog", that  Elvis used to sing. It makes me wonder what he would have thought of these funny salt and pepper shakers I happened to find at one of our local antique stores?! I know these are much more modern, but I think they could just about bay out that song. I call them dogs with attitude! Just take a gander down below and you'll see just what I mean.

 

On the left is Maybelle, she is trying to get Marton to listen to the honey do list she has planned for him, but he is listening with only half an ear. It must be he's heard this harangue a few too many times before.

 As you can see he has moved a bit further away, as her demands became a bit more strident. He's listening to the sounds of the hounds out the open window, baying for a coon in the woods and he's dying to join them.

 Maybelle says something sharp and tells him he can't go until the chores are done. Which miffs him off so he turns his back on her in a huff. Isn't that just like a man?!

I think they got tired of my interference in their squabble and turned their backs on me. ha ha ha

These two sweet little purple salt & pepper hound dogs are actually make by a company called S.W.A.K. which stands for Sealed With A Kiss. These and many other fine and funny ceramics are designed by a very talented artist by the name of Lynda Cornielle. You can always tell her pieces by the red kissing lips mark, SWAK and her signature. I have several pieces of hers which I truly delight in and can hardly wait to get them unpacked and onto my shelves. In the meantime I shall enjoy watching Maybelle and Barton, just to see what antics they get up too. I think they are truly the funniest hounds I ever seen. He's a salty dog and she's just full of pepper. I paid $8 for the pair and when I looked them up online to check their value was pleasantly surprised to find that these little beauties are worth a good bit. Two pairs sold last year for $112 & $135 respectively, plus more for the price of shipping. It's always nice to know you've found a bargain.
NOTE: After writing and posting this, a very astute individual pointed out to me that the dogs are not Hounds but Great Danes. How stupid of me, because of course they are! ha ha ha Shall I change his name then to Marmaduke?! : - )

When I saw this handled pottery pot on the shelf, both my son and I, thought it too wonderful to leave it there. We were immediately drawn to its color and design. Even from a glance it was obviously a well made pot and hand thrown.

I took it off the shelf and looked it over, finding the back to be interesting and well designed as well.

Then I took the lid off and what a gorgeous riot of color met our eyes. The piece was truly wonderful, and we both knew we had found something special.

 From the handle to the bowl this was masterfully done and we couldn't believe the meager price of $15 was all they were asking.

The lid was also beautifully done, from it's fun little nub to its striped and dotted design, it was a delight to the eyes to look upon.

Turning the lid over revealed yet another burst of color and design, this was fantastic, and I was more than happy to take it along with us.

I just love everything about this piece of hand thrown pottery, and best of all the artist clearly wrote his last name on his art. C Kienle turned out to be, Chris Kienle, a well known Oregon potter. He began sometime about 1987 in Portland, Oregon and after studying under Tom Coleman & Patrick Horsley at the Portland Museum Art School and then under Don Sprague & Kathy Millard at the Oregon College of Arts & Crafts, he moved out to George Wright's artist colony in Manning, Oregon, where he worked full time as a studio potter. In the spring of 2007 he moved to southern Oregon to the Rogue River Valley area where he had a showing of his pottery at the Southern Oregon Pottery & Supply shop in Talent, Oregon. Sadly, that is the only info., I could find on Foogle for him. So if anyone knows more about this wonderful artist please leave a comment.
His pieces, tho rare, seem to sell well on ebay, a small plate selling for $66. I couldn't find anything like the piece I have so have no idea if it was one of his earlier works or not?! It matters little to me tho, as I just love everything about it, and shall proudly display it with my other fine pottery pieces.