J. B. Bartram
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jbbartram.bsky.social
J. B. Bartram
@jbbartram.bsky.social
1.4K followers 170 following 2.3K posts
Illustrator, ceramicist, graphic designer, studio gnome. She/her.

Pottery shop: heywitch.bigcartel.com
Newsletter: https://hey-witch.beehiiv.com/subscribe
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jbbartram.bsky.social
I’m doing my first Ottawa market this weekend (613flea on Nov 15, 10-4 @ Aberdeen Pavilion for anyone who also lives here ) & have to promote this thing on insta…which lead to a gently unhinged video about the first chunk of mug-underglazing, brought to you by the LOTR extended editions. Enjoy!
November 11, 2025 at 1:55 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
I got into my first local market for next weekend (613Flea at Aberdeen Pavilion for any Ottawa folk) & am trying my darndest to get a quick batch done. Pease wish me luck as I enter THE GLAZING FRENZY (everything has to go back in the kiln by Thursday!! Eek!!!).
A wooden desk with a bunch of trinket plates being glazed. Each plate has a little swan in the middle & the glazes are various colours — reddish, lavender, and light pink. They all have chunky crystals because I’m going fancy on these!
November 9, 2025 at 11:45 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
This is the (possibly too adorable?!? Look at her TINY FACE) guest-pup, who I had to go get from the bedroom around 8am for her morning walk because she is the most chill animal?!
A small red-brown dog with an orange bandanna on looks pensive while lying on the couch with her little paws daintily draped off the edge. She is ridiculously cute.
November 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Ok, well that wasn’t the result I was hoping for (to understate it) BUT we’ll always have Ernie’s stunning and elegant slide into home (& all the other amazing moments from this series) 💕 What a team, what a season. I’m ready for next year!!
Ernie Clement slides into home plate in game 7 of the World Series, his leg elegantly raised, his expression mischievous!
November 2, 2025 at 4:46 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
May your weens be hallowed and your toads (& frogs) be-hatted!! I feel like these autumnal little pals needed to be showcased for Halloween — can’t you imagine them as a forest witch’s familiar?!
Two ceramic amphibians — the left is a frog and the right is a toad are nestled in autumn leaves, wearing mushroom hats. Two ceramic toads, still in autumn leaves, these ones are wearing flower hats! More flower hat frogs Yet another pair of flower hat toads!
October 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Continuing on with photos from this last batch of pottery — pls enjoy these wee Worrybirds (warbler-mode)! I got a lovely matte clear glaze for this batch & they feel like the smoothest, most pleasant river stones now 🥰
A small ceramic blackburnian warbler. It has a vibrant yellow breast that fades to lighter yellow along its side and dramatic black markings A small ceramic ovenbird. It is a lovely tawny brown with darker brown stripes on its head and sides A small ceramic northern parula warbler. Its top half is grey with some subtle white on the wing and a yellow belly Four small ceramic warblers/Worrybirds upside-down on my hand, showing that they have little feet painted under there
October 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
One more set of photos tonight as I scream at baseball — staying on the trash panda theme with a raccoon mug! I was trying to capture the feeling of looking through my patio door & seeing the rotund beasts who use our fence as a highway trundling along.
A mug with a translucent blue glaze & detailed illustration of a series of round raccoons going around the mug with a moon and stars above them. The mug also has a red-brown rim And a matching handle
October 30, 2025 at 1:23 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
I spent all day editing photos of my latest batch of pottery & took advantage of the picturesque autumn situation in my yard for some of the creatures, including these wee raccoons! 🦝 💕 Stay tuned for a load of new photos soon!
Two little ceramic raccoons, a mama and a baby, perhaps, stand on a horizontal-ish tree trunk. There are yellow/green fallen leaves behind them. One ceramic raccoon in the same setting. This one is very rotund! Two adult raccoons creeping down the tree One round raccoon peers up as if begging for food
October 29, 2025 at 10:21 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Actually took some photos of my pottery today WAY in advance of when I need them!! Please clap!!! (I will try to get some guys in the shop, hopefully by the middle of November!)
A DSLR camera taking a photo of a little fish guy (see next alt text for fish guy description) A tiny ceramic vaguely humanoid fish guy sits on a (regular person sized) wooden stool while getting its picture taken. The fish guy is yellow with reddish spots.
October 28, 2025 at 11:39 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
It’s been too gloomy for proper photos, but I am SO happy with this week’s glaze firing & had to take some quick shots yesterday despite the bad lighting!!
A ceramic frog (green with darker green & reddish spots) wearing a yellow pointy mushroom upside-down as a hat A ceramic raccoon looks at the camera with a pleading expression, pls give it a treat A hand holds three small ceramic pigeons A ceramic toad wearing a purple aster as a hat
October 24, 2025 at 10:54 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Sportsfan-Mom update: now we’re talking about baseball outside of game time, the transformation is COMPLETE (side note: the iPhone message service decided to animate the word HUGE when I typed it & it freaked my mom out 😂)
A text screenshot that reads: Mom: we WILL have the pleasure of seeing the Japanese whizkid Shohei Ohtani. Me: Ohtani? Oops sorry, missed his name at the end Yeah, I'm scared of him, but also so interested to see him at bat!! Mom: scared? Me: Did you see footage of his massive home run in the last Dodgers vs. Brewers game??? He's incredibly good at hitting the ball!!! It's scary for our Jays Mom: i mean a home run is a home run. What's a massive one? Me: It went up to the top of the stadium!! Much higher up in the stands than usual More texts… Mom: omg! really! Me: It was HUGE Mom: i don't know anything about him. Is he a batter but also a pitcher? Now.....oh my gawd is that PULSATING "HUGE" going to haunt me forever Me: I do NOT know why that happened??? Weird He's just a batter, I think? Nope, according to lan he does both?!?!?!? Wow It seems rude to be very good at both batting & pitching???????? Delivered Mom: totally
October 22, 2025 at 1:51 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Uhhhh they should have put this up BEFORE they interviewed Schneider right after the game & he dropped multiple f-bombs 😂
Photo of a TV showing the Blue Jays celebrating after winning the ALCS with the banner “The following may contain coarse language. Viewer discretion is advised.” in the bottom left corner of the screen
October 21, 2025 at 3:22 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Tfw you get your mom into October baseball & it’s adorable 😂💕
Texts that read: My mom: so it's Springer who may have saved the day....whoopeee Me: SPRINGER DINGER!!!!!!!!!! My mom: did a FLINGER NOTHIN' wrong with Springer's leg and joyous run around the bases!!! Text from my mom: god...no hits into the stands. Don't know how they can stand the ruckus in the stands More texts: My mom: So...here we go!! Geeeeez! Those silly hits that roll along the ground seem to be the best...the ones up in the air just get quickly caught. are there two!!! mariners on third? Me: No, one is a base coach
October 21, 2025 at 2:39 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Ummmm so I accidentally made ocarinas due to the butt-holes of my Fishbutt guys?!??!! And they each MAKE DIFFERENT NOTES??? A delightful thing to discover on a grey & rainy Monday. I hope they still do this once they’re fired (I’ll update when I know).
October 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
I also made some cosy winter pigeons & find them so charming?!
A hand holds three bisque-fired clay pigeons. All are underglazed in wild rock dove grey with black wing bars & they’re in neck tucked in chilly/cosy mode The same three pigeons upside down, showing the little orange feet I painted on their undersides Another view of the loaf-mode pigeons
October 17, 2025 at 4:33 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Underglazed some warbler worrybirds today & I’m absolutely thrilled with how they turned out. So excited to clear-glaze & fire these guys!
Eight little bisque-fired clay warblers sit on a steel banding wheel. They’re each painted as a different species of warbler — clockwise from the front left: redstart, yellow, northern parula, Canada, black & white, ovenbird, black throated blue, and in the middle, blackburnian! A higher angle of the birds, showing off their back patterns! Seven birds in a hand is better than…some in a bush?! The birds after their first round of underglaze, before the patterns/details went on. I sponged this layer on for a very smooth finish.
October 17, 2025 at 12:40 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
I have a sweatshirt from Simons that does this (unfortunately got it years ago, but worth checking to see if they still sell this style!). I have tried to photograph it for reference, but uhhh it’s hard to get pictures of a dark green sweatshirt 😅 It’s from their Twik line.
Green hoodie on a bed Detail Of hood
October 15, 2025 at 10:15 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Timeline cleanse: my mom’s sweet Minou from our thanksgiving visit. As you can see he is tragically unable to ever get comfortable 😂
A grey tabby with a white belly and face lounges on his back against a person’s side/in the crook of their elbow as they sit on a couch. One of his back legs is stretched way out (he stayed like this for 10mins). A close-up of the casual leggie. Yes, this cat is absolutely ridiculous. Later on in this snuggle session — he’s still on his back against my thigh, but now his front legs are up in the air, paws limp and relaxed How to started: a more regular cuddle stretched out against my side
October 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
A moment of calm from the gigantic (at least 4-5’ tall) New England Aster at the front of my house. Pollinators love it & so do I (NE Asters have been a favourite native plant of mine since I was a kid & I’m so thrilled ours is thriving!!).
October 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Our final steps-total was about 86,000 and it truly felt like a trip perfectly-done — we ate a ton of great food, walked a bunch of neighbourhoods in casual exploration mode, and planned exactly the right number of things amongst the lovely wandering. What a spectacular city, I love it so dearly 🥰
Basilique Notre Dame in Vieux Montréal, looking towards the altar. The vibrant dark blue vaulted ceiling is spangled with golden stars and the altar area is incredibly elaborately decorated A funky little dragon carving guy hanging out at the top of a neoclassical doorway in Vieux Montréal A monument in a cute plaza with a bunch of bronze statues, all of whom have pigeons perched on their heads A view from the train as I reluctantly leave Montréal. There’s a cool modern building with a blue circle design filling the middle of the façade that’s made from coloured panels, mosaic style and the old Farine Five Roses sign atop the old flour factory building
October 1, 2025 at 5:25 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
We’re home now, but here’s a little Montréal goodness from our last day yesterday. First up, Parque Olympique / Biodôme / more Métro appreciation (I am OBSESSED with the black sturgeons in the Laurentian tank!!)
The Olympic stadium’s tower in Montréal photographed with a lot of swoopy rooflines in the foreground & an extremely clear blue sky A large black sturgeon with the trademark sturgeon side-scutes in a big tank at the Biodôme Another view of the Olympic stadium tower from between the shiny aluminum planetarium building bits A beautiful brutalist Métro station with brown tile and a gorgeous concrete skylight that brings light down onto the platform
October 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Montréal day three: Mile End, long lovely walk back to the hotel (wondering why my feet hurt so much & then figuring out we’ve walked 63,000 steps the last 3 days), one of the amazing pedestrian streets that go from May-October and damn every city should do this?!
A colourful mural in Mile End The Church of St. Michael and St. Anthony in Mile End A colourful abstract mural on our walk back to the hotel A closed-off pedestrian street with a bunch of people out enjoying the perfect weather
September 29, 2025 at 11:07 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
Montréal day two — Lachine Canal, lovely Métro, Habitat my beloved, found a non-touristy café in Vieux Montréal (Paquebot Café)! I forgot how damn much I love this city 😭😭😭😭
A view of the Lachine Canal featuring some swan-shaped paddleboats in the foreground Looking town from an upper track to a lower track in a Métro station with cool multi-hued orange circular tiles. A train is pulling in on the lower track A view of Habitat from Le Grand Quai with a little tour/cruise boat in the middleground and a new wood-floored parkette in the foreground A photo of a very tasty peach cold brew with the ground floor of the café out of focus in the background
September 28, 2025 at 8:10 PM
jbbartram.bsky.social
We’re in Montréal for a few days & managed to do a ton between getting off the train at 10am & now (midnight-ish) & I forgot how much I love this city?!?! I haven’t been since 2019 & that’s a true travesty, seeing as we’re only 2hrs away!!
A cool plaza streetscape looking over to Mount Royal w/a neat giant circle suspended between buildings that frames the mountain. The Kent Monkman show on right now at the Beax-Arts is SPECTACULAR I love this guy (a weird bronze sculpture of a human figure with wings & a torso/face made out of hands) & it was nice to see him again! Beautiful stained glass installation from the Métro near our hotel.
September 28, 2025 at 4:17 AM
jbbartram.bsky.social
I’ve only gotten into pinch-pot vessels this year & have had such a great time exploring various forms. My latest? A dainty teacup!! I love this wee thing!
September 25, 2025 at 11:06 PM