gardening..

check back later, kiln is cooling and i am outside planting stuff!
1.one apple tree planted,
1.one garden box composted.
1.one fig tree hole dug.
1.one hole dug by maebelles for one tennis ball
1.one suspended from school neighbor kid put to work...3 hours..five dollars, included studio sweep and fire wood stack...
1.one baby girl swinging the oliva newton john look before school.
1.one spider found next to purple flower.1.one bikini woman on two different tumbler forms.
1.one peek in kiln, looked beautiful.
1.one good day

sunday..

hello.. been a couple days. haven't had much work to report on, i have been busy being papa this weekend. all the parents out there know that having a toddler and accomplishing tasks is almost impossible. i can work when she sleeps. the kiln is cooled and ready to glaze. i will do that tonight. my mom got in town for a visit yesterday, so we are going for a hike and then some lunch...went to the banff last night. it was good, watching films about mountain climbers is always inspiring. if you get a chance and it comes to your town, go.

crankin'..

just lost my post..that sucked..i am not going to re-type it. kiln is almost full. new molds..bowls will be tested tomm..

!

worky-work...busy day today. off to pot.

weekend..

had a great weekend, spring is just right around the corner...didn't get as much work done as i'd liked, but i never do, so that is okay. this week looks to be highly productive, with the introduction of some new forms. these molds will be a coffee mug, square japanese style plate, medium size bowl, and serving tray..also i will get back on the wheel and throw a couple of large platters....double also have a couple of sculpture cups to create..i love mondays, they are the start of a new week of creating and working through ideas..emma is already in bare feet walking in the woods and on rocks! mountain born girl here! she was very excited about the lambs ear we found on our hike behind crystals'(emma's beautiful mother)...

bueno!

two great things happened yesterday. one the company my mother and step-father work for sold! i am very happy for them,they have been working their tails off for a while, and deserve the payoff. i use their camera for all my videos, the Flip is top-notch and very user-friendly. that is right i am plugging my parents work, hey, that is what family is for. really though, for the money you cannot get any better! two, i got my work into Carlton Gallery, which is a stellar gallery run by artist extradonaire, toni carlton. i know we will have a great relationship, and look forward to the possibilities. today i will be working on some sets, for her gallery, i would like to have some clay in her space by next week.
here are some pics of more work that came out of the last kiln. these will be in my etsy shop very soon!

50/50

that is how i feel about the kiln..i used a blue underglaze that just doesn't pop out from the black. you can see the difference in the before and afterpics..someone out-there likes it i am sure, but not i. also i am learning that when the cups are casted very thinly that, there will be a percentage that cracks. this might heve to do with the speed at which the kiln cools..over-all it is a useable kiln with some really nice pieces coming out. i will post more work over the weekend. i will began to restock my etsy store again with this kiln...today i will meet with a prospective gallery owner. she has a very nice place, with incredible work. i hope we will be working together in the future..

rips and sticks...

i have about fours-five hours of solid studio time, before i pick emma up from school...yesterday i slip-casted, while doing deco-work on the dryer tumblers. i am very new at this technique and the process is teaching me daily. the slip drys very fast when the weather is nice, the humidity low, and being that i can produce work at a fairly fast rate, i have altered my design work a bit. i will do a design on the tumbler and then "run" with it on the next four. there is a evolution as new ideas pop into my head. i like this. i also am just working through a fixed design, so that i can produce matching sets. like this too...
so..the next step is branching out with the forms. i feel somewhat limited with my skill making molds..for instance this pic above of a face cup is the culmination of eight hours of design work, both in creating the original sculpture, and in re-working the cast, so i can get the mold out! and it still rips and sticks. i will have to discard this mold, and that is hard for me to do...but i do know how to cast the mold differently next time...well, as far as forms, i can utilize my wheel skills! i have not thrown in over a month! a combination of slip casting and wheel-work will suit my needs fine. i have a new-gallery meeting tomm. and excited to to see the results of the kiln that is cooling..

future potters..?

the class was great...i really enjoy spending time showing how i do my craft to young folks..i believe i will be doing this much more in the future!..i am glazing today, and taking pictures of work for my etsy store, which needs updating badly! off to take babygirl to school, have a good one!

new fromat..

well, it is early and i just saw my mom off. the coffee is staining my blood stream, and my mind is booting up...i like blogging better in the morning, when i am refreshed and full of promise for the day. so, i am going to switch up the fromat (format, i just like saying fromat), and blog in the morning, i will do a brief summary of the prior days work, along with pictures, and any thoughts on the direction that i am going to take my work to today....and anything else that falls into my thought stream as i boot up for the day..i will be finishing deco work, by adding some color to the tumblers..casting some tall tumblers, and loading the bisque kiln...i am going to take dolly's like, and put no color a a few of the tumblers, just black and white. i first started out, only putting one red heart on each piece. it was my signature, but as with everything evolution could not be held back, and in my heart i am a painter, color is language, so the introduction of more color seeped in...i will post pics tomm morning, have a good day!

sunday..

worked at the gallery all day. it has been a busy weekend with my mom here. we have got grandpa settled somewhat, he is enjoying all the attention and seems to fit in just fine. i was unable to get in the studio like i wanted too. for me i need six hours to really get in a groove and let the flow take over. i was mostly doing an hour here and there, and it is hard to really produce any deep groove. what the hell am i rambling about with this groove, and flow..in plain english, i need to work! i am busting at the seems with all this energy....tomm. i see my mother off., and have a good shot at some real time in the studio. then at four i am having a high school group come back over to finish some work they started a month ago. they are taking me out to eat afterwards, and i am hoping i can drive the bus! here are some tumblers, i did some new designs, a couple of trucks, emma's books are are bleeding into my mental imagery..these still need colors.

woohoo..

sooooo...gramps seems to like his new "apartment". his roomie is also a ww2 vet, so they get along good. the social aspect is great for him...has only been there a day and thinks he has been there a week, and has plans on buying half the building. this is wonderful! i feel light and free, excited about being back on the scene..got my slip, plaster and masonite shipment in today. i am ready to get this party started. emma is with her mom, this will be the first weekend i have no one to watch after in a very long time..well at least for tomm., i am keeping emma on sat. so crystal can go see ani difranco..lucky!

***

busy getting everything ready for grandpa's transfer to assisted living. he goes in on weds...it will be better for everyone, including him, and especially me! i am ready to rock it out this spring. i told my friends, watch out i am back on the scene. work has slowed down to a crawl, just have too much on my plate to take care. all good two more days and then a big release. i am excited...me and emma are goin' bust open on the scene yo.

nice.

so beautiful here. sunny warm, perfect. we are outside all day! see you tomorrow!

...

slow work day, emma started spring break, ran errands for grandpa, still a little fun in the studio..

snapshot.

here is toady's winning trifecta..emma and i collaborative piece.dinner.two molds made from thrift store cup. held a massive studio cleanup, and material organization event. i was the only one who showed up for some reason.

new horizon..

i apologize for my slackness in posting...life is rounding a huge bend, my life is about to change drastically. i have been caretaking for my gramps, for over a year. come this time next week, he will be in assisted living. it will be the best for all involved. i can no longer offer him the level of care he truly needs. i won't go into details, but to say that i will be freed up a bit, is a drastic understatement. i feel so relieved. i had been experiencing burnout, and the passing of my lab caused to levy to break. that and his pulling guns out again!..i will be able to be more present with my daughter, have friends over for dinner, talk in a normal voice inside, shit the list goes on and on.,...not to mention my work, this is like leaving an 30 hr plus job. i am ready to get busy and go to the next level in expressing my passion for life.. come on and join me....it will be a great ride.

pequeno mas..

here are a couple more shots of work from the test kiln. i fired another kiln last night. i did a fast fire to cone 6 in 4 hrs! no problem, the slip ware did fine, some warpage on the really thin pieces, but overall good. this is great, for i cut my firing time in half. sweet. see you tomm. oh yes, hi dolly, glad your here. had a lot of fun in math class a bigillion years ago. represent brooklyn yo.