A Bit of Pretty Inspiration

I do not hand build and for the most part not a huge fan of it. The wheel makes things slick, smooth, and flawless. Maybe I just haven't found many things that I can consider perfect or beautiful that have been hand built. I did a bit of surfing tonight and stumbled upon a beautiful ceramic garden that is hand built and gorgeous. I googled "ceramic flowers" and found Sugiura Yasuyoshi's Ceramic Natural History collection from 2002. His pieces are so delicate which makes them seem real.

He started making his collection in 2000 and it has 410 finished pieces. Some pieces were made in individual smaller parts like leaves, petals, and seeds that were put together after they were completely fired. I don't like matte finishes, but this collection would be nothing without that textured matte finish. 

As a potter I have had to teach myself when not to over touch or "fix" a pot, I can't imagine what kind of skill and experience this collection must have taken. I do not believe I can achieve anything like this, but maybe I should practice my hand building skills sometime. I can't get enough of these delicate clay blooms.