Quick break in routine

Took a vacation day, on Woody's day off, so we could go pick up 400 lbs of clay. He said that ought to hold me for a couple weeks. Can you imagine if I had a kiln? LOL The car was NOT happy. I guess fat people don't drive Hondas.

Feels like a Saturday but I have to go back to work tomorrow. But but but but I don't WANNA! I have 150 lbs of red and 250 lbs of B-Mix calling my name from the garage.

But... 9 hours on Thursday and 4 on Friday, I'M DONE.

Should have bought more bats................

Majolica tests

I am SO dying for a kiln. LOL I have some majolica style pots I'm wanting to test. Amaco HF-11 (white) over bisque with the GDC underglazes painted on top.... waiting for a cone 5 fire!!!! I have never pretended to be a painter hahahaha but here are my test pieces:

The spiral bowl is turquoise and black. The grapes are green, blue and purple. The vases are chartreuse and red or turquoise with black dots. I have some orange and some pink testing on the coffee mugs. I think these will be translucent colors over the white, and I am just praying they don't just run into little rivers. LOLOL

I'm beside myself waiting for a kiln. My stomach is full of butterflies. It's a miserable feeling and a wonderful feeling. I've never been so happy in my life as when I get to play in clay, and I need to take the next step. I have so many new pots waiting for bisque firing!! I refuse to transport my babies across town in a laundry basket with bubble wrap again. Even though I know I will have to sacrifice a few to test the kiln, they are safe here on their dusty old shelves.

Move over little dog

Cuz the big dog's movin' in. Tonight I asked about the little kiln. "Any word on that kiln, or should I start shopping again?"

YES there is word, but on a BIGGER and NICER kiln.

WHAT? Hmmmmmmm I don't know everything the future holds, but for sure it holds bisque ware! LOL

I don't know how much longer I can stand to wait for friends and acquaintances to "know someone," before I have to break down and buy a NEW kiln. LOL I'd rather have one to start with, that someone can tell me its quirks and give me the history and helpful hints.

There is so much to learn, I think buying a used one might save a few test pots. Maybe!

Meanwhile the instructor we signed up with this session just came back from a workshop or seminar or something with some crystalline glaze ideas. He's stoked... but warns us that it moves like a runaway train, so we can't use it on a vertical surface. We've been cranking out plates, upside down platters and really wide shallow bowls. No idea if we'll ever get the kiln loaded in this session. Might have to sign up with Alec again next session. LOL

OK time for the old folks to get some sleep. See ya!

Cleaning THAT up...

Wow, I reread today, what I wrote last night. How disjointed!!!

So anyhoo the studio managers had a personal kiln, sold it to someone who's never used it, so they are trying to get it back so WE can buy it. It's going to be awesome for a beginner like me!!!

And, we wait.......... (vacations, busy schedules, etc.)

OH, also confusing was my canister-to-fluted vase transition. By canister, I meant a big ol' barrel shaped pot at the studio, holding wooden spoons and such in the glaze room. Barrel shaped, but with that soft cuff shape at the top. I have NOT managed to make that exact barrel shape! But this attempt was so pleasing to us, that I decided to flute it and then do more like it.

Woody texted from work: there was a curious ad in the paper, Pottery Business for sale (??) and I called and it was just something like they wanted someone to sell off all the dishes they bought from all over. Mexican pots, whatever. I'm like, no thanks, mine are food safe...... and I already HAVE a day job....

But, this guy (realtor dude) says they are moving forward on another project to fill a nice big space in a nice strip mall on the rich side of town, with booths, tables, rooms, walls, whatever, full of gifts, art, handmades, by people who don't want to buy a business but have things to display and sell..... I said KEEP MY NUMBER! I am to pass this idea to all my arty friends and won't we have a time, all coexisting in a space, not having to worry about anything but shared rent or something??? I don't know how it's going to go down, but it's intriguing. Woody, my better half, is quite the photographer, and his pretties will help fill that space too.

I don't know if I have what it takes to go in a gallery or anything, maybe a little, maybe not... but in this situation I'd just be there, you know, here have some nice mixing bowls, they hold water and everything. LOL My friends love my mixing bowls. Maybe strangers would too!

So we'll see. It's not like I can just up and leave my job and follow craft fairs around, and good grief, I don't even have a KILN YET!!!!

Okay, HOUSE is on, so you won't see ME the rest of the night. But I wanted to try to flesh out that skeletal post from last night. haha

Should be in bed

Nothing quite went as planned this weekend, BUT good plans were made and good foundations were laid...

I might hear about my kiln soon... it's used, it's 3rd hand or will it be 4th hand by the time I get it? But I'll tell you more about that later this week. I really *should* be in bed.

But I saw a cute canister at the studio the other night and thought I'd try to copy it. I haven't nailed it yet, BUT decided to try my hand at fluting a bit, and ended up being QUITE happy with it even though my flutes are wobbly. I will repeat this shape a few more times and see if I can make some really pretty ones.

Been busy. I either need to fire something or slake it all down and clean house! LOL Well that ain't happening...

Remind me later to talk about galleries. There are stories in the wind.

G'nite!

So to begin...

Woody thinks I should blog. I haven't had my mind on writing for many years now. This might be clumsy.

All my life I've been fickle in my passions. But for over 20 years I wanted to learn to throw pots. Don't know why, and never knew anyone who knew how, either. If it was offered in school I didn't know about it. I'm really jealous of the people who had ceramics in school!

Even while taking my kids to their Special Needs pottery classes at a local studio, paid for by the county family services, I didn't realize there was something there for me! I assumed the studio was FOR SPECIAL NEEDS.

While in the throes of my perennial gardening passion, I realized I would be devastated over winter, not being able to get my hands into the sticky Missouri clay and make things happen. And at some point, I discovered the art studio was FOR EVERYONE, so I signed up. January 2005, I got my hands in clay and learned to make things happen.

Once a week isn't a lot when you're trying to get good at something, but I almost never missed a session from that point on, even taking 2 sessions a week sometimes. Except for the spring when our youngest was hospitalized, I was there. It was my joy.

And it seems like forever ago. I can't believe it was less than five years. But here I am, still a beginner in my mind, and forever a student. Some people think I'm getting good at it. I think I get lucky sometimes.

Looking back through my old photos, I definitely see progress, and if nothing else, pottery has taught me PATIENCE, something I've always been quite short on.