catching up...

It feels like a long time since I've made any actual musings on the blog, but never feel like there's time for musing. Glazing is done for contribution to kiln 1, bisque is cooling, meetings are done, studio has been neatened and clay is prepped for a nice session with mugs in a bit. Lissa the Wonder Dog is snoozing, blissfully hopped up on pain killers (her own catch up will accompany a picture below for those not on Facebook and following her drama) ... on that note I'd just like to say that I am filled with gratitude to be surrounded by such love and friendship, whether it's from those immediately around me or those so deeply in my life that distance makes no difference. The support, on so many levels, from so many people, has meant so much to me and I love and thank each one of you!

So I've caught up enough to pause. But now the volume of blog muse possibilities could well overwhelm me into deleting this and going back to the wedging table. But instead I think I'll just empty out the 'blog' image folder and let that be today's muse (in no particular order):

I'll start with the most recent event, which may become an ongoing blog subject. You may remember my joy at finally getting the standing kick wheel into the studio, and how much fun it was to throw bowls all afternoon on it at the Empty Bowls event. Well now it's in my studio, catching the eye of all visiting potterly types. Any curious souls are most welcome to come try the wheel, and today I've had two visitors who gamely jumped on:

Kyle Carpenter, who may well feel it tomorrow:

Lindsay Rogers, having so much fun she almost threw herself off the wheel!

This isn't everyone, but on this particular day, every studio member, including both Senior Project members, were in the studio at one time or another. The studio was filled with great creative energy!

Our newest studio member, Rebekah, making me look like a dang fine teacher, showing off the results of her first two weeks on the wheel (first two weeks ever!):

'tis the season for mugs - some new ones in the works for the Chocolate Lounge and Roots Cafe:


Senior project member Caris has been building up her wheel vocabulary. She's making aromatherapy diffusers, and has been working on the wax dish and candle holders - here she's getting ready to start on larger cylinders:

Senior project member Alex is finishing the colored porcelain/hand building portion of her project, and then will move on to the wheel:

Some recent results from the cone 7 ox kiln - studio member Matt's fun sets, some new vase forms and a few test mugs from me:

Some may not know, but Lissa the Wonder Dog has had recent health issues that resulted in a spleen-ectomy. Yesterday she had to go back in and have her stitches re-done, adding buttons to keep them closed tighter - detail shot for all those who hadn't yet heard and are no doubt thinking 'buttons?':

this shot was sent in recently for an Art House Coop project of the week - the view out one of my favorite windows, in this case not because of the view, but for the window itself:

Pause is over - back to work!

quickie for a test

Well they say the 7th time's the charm, right? It's been crazy busy at Crazy Green, but I've tried several times (let's say six) over the past week to put up a new post, share some updates, a few images ... technology was not in the mood to play along.

First, I had images stuck in my camera. I could see them in the camera, but they wouldn't upload to the computer. I did have a few other random images of getting ready for the kiln I'm about to load tonight, but when I tried to post, no images would load and even a text-only post just didn't want to go. I took that as a sign from the universe to step away from the computer and get back to studio work.

Yesterday I closed the studio and spent the day in the glaze studio - thanks to my visiting friend Karen sitting the studio on Thursday night, I was able to move all the bisque over to the glaze studio and get set up. I had waxed most of the pots at my studio, so after set up and waxing the pots that came out of the last bisque fire, I was ready to glaze. A full day and into the wee hours was almost enough time to get it all done, and this morning saw the last of the wax resist and cover glazing. I'm back at my studio for a few hours for open studio, which is kind of a break, but for loading another bisque so I can also fire a cone 7 before the Clingman show load-in. Later this afternoon I'll head back over to the glaze studio and clean up my pots as I start the load.

So this is kind of a test - so far so good, and in other good news, I finally retrieved the stuck images from my camera. I'll close with the pictures, just so I can see if this posts.

Caroline & Matthew came to the studio for a Weekend Pass, and they made a couple of lovely bowls and some other small fun pieces. If you're reading, Matthew & Caroline, your pieces just came out of bisque, and I'll be loading them with my cone 7 glaze load on Tuesday, so they'll be ready for you this week!

This one is just because. I thought I had deleted it from the camera, as it was one of those random shots taken while I was fiddling with the settings on the camera. I've cropped it for dramatic/artistic effect.

Yes, this confirms both that I'm very tired, that perhaps I need to get out of the studio more often, and most definitely that I need to remember to put the shea butter on BEFORE I start working with the clay. This is part of my hand.

And on that note, time for some lotion and a little studio clean up here before heading over to load the reduction kiln. Since I'm firing both kilns at the same time, it's also time to make a new kiln god. My cone 7 god, Fred, is doing good duty here, so it's time to make a new one for the reduction kiln. peace.