Faux Tile

Many artists have their studios in garages, in basements, or converted spaces with concrete floors. Sometimes the concrete ages to a not-so-attractive patina. Even new concrete can be painted, but waiting 30 days before painting is recommended. This morning I was reading Cindy of Dirt-Kicker Pottery blog about her new studio. She was mentioning they want to stain the concrete floor, so I thought I would post how I transformed our screen room concrete into a faux tile floor. The first photo is the finished floor, but look at the next photo. Believe it or not, it's the same room. Warning if you try this, it is a lot of hard work, so be prepared, but the results are worth it.

What you will need:

concrete cleaner
concrete patch/filler
disposable tray liners
paint roller with pole
package of paint rollers
concrete paint primer
concrete paint in your choice of colors
painter's tape for grout lines
hand held flat paint applier
tape measure
large t square or L square
foam pads for your knees
strong knees and lots of will power

The first step to the transformation is cleaning the concrete really well. Pressure washing is optimum, but since our screen room has a wood half wall we couldn't pressure wash the concrete, so we swept, vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed and cleaned and cleaned. If there are any grease stains, those should be removed with a grease remover. Once the concrete is thoroughly clean check for cracks even small ones. If there are any cracks fill them with concrete filler and let it dry. If the filler recedes, fill it again and let it dry thoroughly.


You can paint just one color on your concrete and it won't be that difficult, but as things often go, I took the hard road and wanted a decorator look to the screen porch. I had it in my mind to paint the concrete to look like tile. Since our screen room is very large, 12 x 40, I wanted large tiles. I made my tiles 24 inches in size. Since it is long and narrow I wanted the "tiles" set on a diagonal to minimize the narrow look. I mapped out the size and pattern on paper and then set to work.


I obtained all of the primer, patch, and concrete paint at one of the big box stores. Make sure you get the type of paint made especially for concrete. There is a minimum temperature below which the paint shouldn't be used so check the can. I did my screen room in the Spring when the weather was warm but not too hot to work. The first step after the concrete is cleaned, patched and thoroughly dry is to paint the concrete primer over the whole floor. The primer helps bond the concrete paint to the concrete. My primer needed to dry for 24 hours, be sure to check the can to see what the manufacturer recommends.


Since I wanted a tile look, I painted the whole floor with a first coat in a gray color to simulate the grout lines. After the first coat dried, I starting marking off for the grout lines with painters tape. It isn't easy getting diagonal lines straight. I used 1/2 inch painter's tape to mark off the lines and the tape stretches, so I had to constantly keep checking to be sure I wasn't wavering off a straight line. Those foam knee pads work good, but they kept slipping down, so I finally settled for the foam gardeners kneeling square to save my knees a bit. This is a very slow process, but worth it in the end. Make sure the painter's tape is pressed down real well onto the concrete.


Once I had all my grout lines covered with painter's tape, I painted the whole floor with an orange peach color. I painted right over the painter's tape. Then I let this dry. I then used two more colors, a beige and a darker orange/red color, and dabbed each one onto each tile and quickly took the hand sponge and rubbed those colors of paint with a swirling circle motion on each tile, staying clear of the painters tape. Only one tile can be done at a time because the paint dries quickly. If you don't like the look you can paint over it till you get it right. The idea is to have the edges look like they are slightly receding r curving down to the grout line. Having a real satillo tile as a sample to refer to would have been a good idea, but I didn't do this. Now that I am writing about it I am thinking of things which I could have done to make the job easier.

Once I had the whole floor painted I let it dry thoroughly and then I started to remove the painter's tape to reveal my new faux tile floor. What a transformation. Several people have actually thought the floor was real tile and one person had to reach down to touch it. What a compliment to our handy work. A sealer is recommended, but I have yet to put one on. I always thought if I wanted to touch it up or change it I couldn't if I put a sealer on it. If you are going to use the floor in a clay studio and mop it often the sealer is probably a good idea.


We liked the paint so much we also put it on our garage floor. But we just used one color, that was much easier. But even the garage floor went from an ugly duckling to a swan, don't you think?

A Sign

Keep your fingers crossed, we think we've sold our house. For those of you new to my blog, we've had a a plan for some time to sell our home here and look for a new place to live and to set up a larger studio. The day after the folks made the offer on our house Gary went to town to check the mail and he found a pure white feather at the top of the driveway. When he brought the feather in the house I immediately took it as a sign of good fortune.

Despite my post about Faith in Humanity, our yard sale went fairly well and we made a few dollars and minimized some of the items we don't need and don't want to pack or move. Next we are planning on having an indoor estate sale to reduce the amount of furniture we have so we'll have even less to move. We are planning on traveling around to look for a location which better fits our needs. Some criteria important to us are:

a mild climate
low property taxes
reasonable home prices
close to an art community
close to a city, but still rural feeling
art and cultural amenities
stable job market

Some states and countries we're considering are Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Australia, New Zealand, Vancouver, Canada. Places we've ruled out for various reasons are ones with severe winters and also California, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. We've read Retirement Places Rated, not that we're ready to retire, but we're close enough and the book has some good information in it. We also look on the World Climate where we can check the average high and low temperature, rainfall, and heating and cooling degree days, by typing in the first three letters of the places we're researching. We look on Craig's List and various house for sale sites dreaming of our new home.

So what do you think? Tell me about where you live, why you like it, and why we should move to your state or country. Go ahead and really try to convince us. I think there's nothing better than hearing the facts direct from a resident. Or if you wish you could move, where would you move?


Meanwhile we're packing and sorting, sorting and packing, and Gary's working on our magic bus. I'll tell you about our current magic bus and a few previous magic buses we've had real soon, so stop by again. And please don't forget to convince us where you think we should move.

Suribachi

What no photos? Please read on and you'll see why. If someone makes a comment on my blog, I always click on their name and see if they have a blog so I can learn about them. It's easy and it's also a great way to reciprocate with a comment back to that person's blog. Once I'm taken to another person's blog or website I take some time to look around, checking out the various links and categories on their blog. If they have other blogs listed I look at them if I have time and sometimes I might look through a couple of posts. If they have a website connected to their blog I look at that too. I've learned so much about ceramics and potters from around the world just by reading blogs. There aren't any photos in this post, because you have to follow the links to see the photos.

On my last post Anne Webb of Webb Pottery Studio made a comment and I decided to look at her blog again. I've been on Anne's blog and website before, but I thought I'd go back for a second look. So while I was visiting Anne's website I clicked on the stoneware section to look at her work. The very last section under stoneware on Anne's site said Suribachis. Well that peaked my curiosity. What was a suribachis? I had no idea. It looked a lot like a mortar and pestle but a little different, because it had a rough texture on the interior. Anne's description said it was a Japanese mortar and pestle and could be used for grinding spices.

By now you're probably saying, "That Linda Starr is a lot like a cat, always curious", and you'd be right. The older I get the more I quest for knowledge. I decided to look a little further, and did a search on the Internet to learn more. The Gourmet Sleuth has a nice description and history about suribachi. Apparently a suribachi is a rough textured bowl or mortar and a surikogi is the pestle. I'm not going to reiterate what is mentioned on the Gourmet Sleuth site, I'll let you follow the links to read about it and while you're there be sure to read about usu and mochi. Do I have your curiosity peaked? I hope so.

Faith in Humanity

This past week we were cleaning up our barn sorting items we thought we might sell in a yard sale. Working in the barn in this hot weather has been tough for that reason alone. But another reason for our stress was that we discovered a mother cat and four kittens barely clinging to life in our barn. I guess we were meant to be cleaning up our barn, just so we would discover the cat and her kittens. The mother was skin and bones and the kittens were too. Even though the mother was barely clinging to life she was still caring for the kittens. The mother looks wild in the photo above, but she was quite tame, she was just panting due to the heat. For the past week we've been feeding them, hoping to lessen their struggles to live.


You're probably wondering what the title of this post, faith in humanity, is all about? Linda doesn't seem religious. Most times her posts are current to clay topics at hand. But sometimes my ideas are controversial, but what was our country, America, founded upon? Isn't it freedom of speech, so why not bring to the forefront unpopular yet valid opinions. Perhaps those unable to speak or care for themselves will have a voice through others. Hopefully folks don't shun others strictly for their views, even if they are controversial. Only time can bring answers or solve current controversies.


We finally sorted all the items in the barn, and have been having a sale the last few days to make a few dollars. A gentleman who visited my gardens years ago came to purchase a few items. When he drove up I was having a terrible time dealing with all the yard sale people who were wanting me to sell them items for even less than the already low, low prices I had on them. I have hard time having yard sales for that very reason, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Anyway I guess my frustration must have shown and the gentleman offered to take the cats to the animal shelter for me.


It seems animal control will not pick up cats, they'll only pick up dogs. So I would have to drive over 40 miles one way to drop the cats off myself or leave them to their own devices. Today some of my faith in humanity was restored when a relative stranger who came to my yard sale offered to take the cats to the shelter for me. Of course, I gave him a really good deal on all the items he purchased with a few items thrown in for free.


I was able to capture the mother and three kittens, but one kitten is still hiding. I tried everything I could think of to capture the little one, but it was faster than lightening with a mind of his own. Naturally the one I couldn't capture is the smallest, the pure black one above. I got to thinking of the littlest kitten tonight and how he reminds me of myself, since I've often been considered a black sheep. I will keep feeding the littlest one, and hopefully convince it I mean no harm. Then perhaps I can find it a good home around here somewhere, since it doesn't want to leave the neighborhood.

Pots In Use

Dragonfly Ikebana with Lantana by Linda Starr

A few weeks ago I was catching up on my blog reading and I saw a post by Matthew Katz of Slipcast, The Ceramics Blog on pots in use. I commented I was going to post more photos of my pots in use on my blog, and yet I never did. So today I thought I would broach the subject myself and see what I could do about my promise to myself about posting photos of my pots in use. So I scrolled through all the photos of the pottery I've made and guess what? I didn't have a single photo of my pots in use.

So today I decided to gather some florals to put them in a dragonfly ikebana vase I made. For the first arrangement I used lantana flowers, rose scented geranium leaves and lemongrass leaves. For the next arrangement I used buddleia flowers and bamboo leaves. You may not be able to see it in second arrangement, but the spots and eyes of the dragonfly are the same color as the buddleia flowers.

Dragonfly Ikebana with Buddleia by Linda Starr

Later I was sampling some of the jelly palm fruit and thought to put a few in a ceramic bowl I made. The melon color of the fruit complements the blue of the vase. There's something wonderful about pots in use. The food or object looks much better in the pottery and the pottery looks good with the food or object. They enhance each other. By the way jelly palm fruit is heavenly with pineapple, banana, and mango flavors all rolled into one bite-sized and succulent morsel.

Blue Bowl by Linda Starr

Then I remembered a previous post when I served Gary some sourdough french bread on a woven platter I made. I did have one photograph with my pots in use, but it was on a previous post and I had to copy it to my computer to load it up again here. Oh and those wine glasses could have been ceramic too, they could have been ceramic goblets. Mary Starosta makes beautiful ceramic goblets.

Woven Tray by Linda Starr

I've seen a few potters post photos of their pots in use, but not many that I can recall right now. Some examples of pots in use really stuck in my mind. When Emily Murphy revised her website, I was struck by the beauty of her vases in use. The cup with coffee by Clary Illian posted on Ron Philbeck's blog is so serene. I love the handle detail on Clary's cup. The shape and function of Amy Sanders vase on the cover of Pottery Making Illustrated is enhanced by the chrysanthemum flowers she used. Joy Tanner, who is a wonderful photographer and potter, took some great photos of Jenny Lou Sherburne's pots in use. The grapefruit in black bowls photograph by Lucy Fagella is a delight to the eye.

I know I use my pottery, but I just don't have many photos of my pots in use, even vases with flowers. OK, that's not true. I did find one photo of a vase I made with lavender flowers in it. The vase with lavender is one of the first things I made in clay. That's why I started in ceramics in the first place. I wanted to make a few vases to display the lavender I was growing. I've learned a little about photographing pots along the way too. The photograph of the vase and lavender would be much better with a light background. So where are all the rest of the photos of my pots in use? There just aren't any. I've got to work on remedying the fact I don't have photos of pots in use.

Vase for Lavender by Linda Starr

How about you? Do you have any photos of your pots in use to share? I'd like to see those photos. I can't seem to find many on images or blogs on the Internet. Let's share the beauty of pots when they're in use. Bowls with fruit, cups with coffee, vases with flowers, platters with appetizers, sushi on plates, and whatever else you can think of. I think ceramic sculpture in situ, (Cindy Shake's sculptures come to mind), should be included too as I feel sculpture is a pot in use as well. Do you have a link to your pots in use? On your website? In your blog? Please post the link in the comments section. Do you know of other artist's who have posted photos of their pots in use, please let me know about those too. Let's have some fun, let's share photos of pots in use.

Beer or Wine ?

I'm a California wine drinker from way back; I've never been much of a beer drinker. Even on hot days in the summer, I prefer a cold glass of white wine to a beer. You might recall from a previous post, I occasionally put a sprig of lavender in my wine. In my younger days I started drinking Annie Green Springs and Boone's Farm, which were somewhat affordable on a college budget. I think I probably brought one of those to a Janis Joplin concert. Back then cheap wine and M&M's was the perfect snack for the evening. Wine and chocolate, what a combo. Do they still have Annie Green Springs and Boone's Farm wines today?


Later I graduated to box wines. Those too were inexpensive. I remember bringing box wine on camping trips to the Sierra mountains. Having wine in a non breakable container was very convenient. I'd do a little trout fishing and cook my trout over an open fire and drink a little box wine. I remember camping at Lake Davis and catching some large Kokanee. We'd rent an aluminum boat with a 12 hp motor and head to our favorite fishing spot (no, I'm not telling) where we were sure to catch something.


My favorite way to cook fresh trout is to clean the fish but leave the head on. Leaving the head on helps to keep the fish together while it cooks. After I clean the fish, I put some lemon slices in the body cavity. Next I wrap the whole fish with slices of hickory smoked bacon inserting toothpicks on an angle to keep the bacon from falling off. Then I place the fish on a grate over a camp fire which has burned down and has a bed of coals. The fish is slow cooked over the fire. When the bacon drips down sometimes the flames lick up into the air. It helps to have a spray bottle of water to squelch the flames. The idea is not to let the bacon burn. When the bacon is crisp, the fish is done. There's nothing better than fresh trout cooked over an open camp fire, but you can also use this method to cook fish on your grill at home.


Later I discovered the sweeter white zinfandel wines and started drinking those. Now don't get me wrong I didn't drink all these wines all at one time. All this drinking spanned many years, albeit decades. So I've had plenty of time to try lots of different wines. When I lived in Northern California, a perfect date was to go to the Napa Valley wine country. In fact, on my first date with Gary we went to a winery and then out to dinner to an Italian restaurant, probably Bosko's Trattoria. This started my introduction to some of the finer wines of California. I started drinking white wines like sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, and gewurztraminer. Later I graduated to red wines of merlot, petit sirah, pinot noir, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. If you don't know what type of wine you like, visiting the wine country is a good way to taste different wines to see which you prefer.


Drinking wines from different wineries is like eating a meal at a different restaurant or eating a meal made by a different cook. Even the same food from a different restaurant or made by a different cook will taste different. It's the same for wine. The same variety of wine made by a different winery or grown in a different region will have a different flavor, a different taste. It seems one can never grow tired of drinking wine, because there is always a new one to try.


Several years ago I discovered the pleasure of wine from other countries, like Australia, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain. Once your palette knows a California wine, you can definitely tell the difference when you drink a wine from another country. There is something different about the flavor. In recent times, I've started drinking wine on a budget. Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joes and Foxbrook from Save Mart grocery. Occasionally World Market has good deals on wine too. Surprisingly some of the not-so-expensive wines are bottled by big name wineries under different labels.

This leads me to the reason I started writing this post in the first place. I feel like I should apologize for not having anything new to report about my ceramics. I've had a lot of weeding and watering to do and then I've had to keep this place spotless for folks coming to look. I hate having my house for sale; I don't seem to have much time recently for my clay. Spider webs grow over night, dust bunnies multiply, paint needs touch up, walkways need sweeping, and on and on. I can't wait for the cooler weather or to sell this place, whichever comes first.

This evening Gary turned in early; he's tired from mowing and weed eating. I didn't want to open a bottle of wine for myself, so I thought I'd try a beer. I looked in the refrigerator to see what Gary had in there and saw some bottles on the lower shelf. I figured if I didn't like it I could always pour it down the drain. I know you beer drinkers are crying (in your beer) over that statement.


Anyway, the beer I pulled out of the refrigerator was a Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus. Being the beer drinkers that they are, my potter and blogger friends Gary Rith and Jim Gottuso and Tracey Broome, and probably a few more beer aficionados I'm forgetting, are probably saying "Linda thinks Michelob is a beer?" Well, the first swig wasn't so bad, it had a lime flavored taste rather than a strong beer flavor. The next drink I took was pretty good and there was a nice frothy white head on top. It was cold and light and I liked it. OK, don't get your hopes up, I'm not that easily converted. But every once in a while I guess a beer isn't that bad.

Excuse Me, While I Kiss the Sky

"Excuse me, while I kiss the sky". For some reason this line from the Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze song popped into my head as I was gathering leaves the other day. I'm not sure what Jimi had in mind with the line, did he want to retreat into fantasy? I understand that feeling, I feel like that a lot lately. The line also makes me feel jubilant and thankful for the beauty of nature and the people surrounding me too. Hope you don't mind my documenting my thoughts and inspirations. I'm going to post them as I discover them. Later I'll refer to them when I'm creating something these leaves inspired me to make in clay. This blog is as much for me as it is for you.

At the Sierra Hills Gift Boutique this past weekend someone else was also kissing the sky. An 85 year old woman in a wheelchair rolled up to my booth and I noticed she was clutching something very gingerly in her hand. I asked her what she had. When she opened her hand, she revealed the most beautiful Bradford pear leaf I have ever seen. The leaf had orange, brown, green, and gold. The leaf reminded me of a Rorschach ink blot test. The leaf was perfectly symmetrical as if someone had clamped the two sides of the leaf together with various colors inside and then just opened the leaf to reveal the perfectly formed colors.
Of course I didn't have my camera to take a photo of the woman and her pear leaf, but Gary manned the booth while I went outside to gather a few pear leaves for myself. I didn't find a leaf just like the one the woman found, but I found others. Leaves are illustrated in clay quite often. For instance some folks at Beads of Clay also found inspiration in leaves.
Unfortunately there weren't many sales at the show; only lesser priced items were selling. I understand where folks are coming from only too well. The economy in California is stalled. Unemployment is running very high in the state as well. My local area has 15 percent unemployment. Even those with jobs are feeling the pinch. Earlier this year, Gary was cut back two hours per day and his salary was also reduced. Just the other day Gary's boss was saying when things pick up they'll be getting a raise. Gee, with a raise Gary will probably be making less than he was before. Somehow that doesn't sound like a raise to me.

Anyway, in spite of lack luster sales the Sierra Hills benefit for the local Boys and Girls Club was a success and worthwhile for many reasons. I had plenty of time to enjoy the company of visitors to my booth and people said they really appreciate seeing art handmade by local artisans. Others said they want to come up to visit my studio and several asked about my ceramic sculptures. Since my sculptures are harder to transport, I didn't bring any to the show. Live and learn; next show I'll be sure to bring a sculpture.

Hollyhock Plates by Linda Starr

Meanwhile I'm thinking about building a display stand I can use at shows to hang tiles, decorative plates, and the plaques I make. I could use two pieces of pegboard 2 x 4 foot. Then I'd put 1 x 2's on the edges to strengthen it. I'd make it about 5 feet tall and two sided with a hinge at the top. I'd set it up at the corner of my booth with some lettering at the top with my name. Ceramic pieces could be hung with S hooks. What do you think? Feel free to make comments, in the meantime Excuse Me, While I Kiss the Sky.

Rose and Chartreuse

A few of the Western redbud leaves are turning due to the unseasonably cool weather these last few days. The green veins are so wonderful contrasted against the rose color. I like how the edge of the leaf is just a little darker like a thin frame. The green veins look like they are spilling into the rose, but I know the rose is invading the green.


When I walked in the front yard I noticed the Tropicana canna leaves were almost the same color as the redbud. The green is a little more chartreuse, like Meredith's zinnia, but the rose is almost the same hue as the redbud leaves.


I thought I'd like to make ceramic piece using these colors, perhaps even using the veining. Then I thought about using the colors in the canna leaves too.


I could see myself painting all the little veins, but could I achieve such wonderful colors? I know Kitty Shepherd could achieve these colors.



I know I can't duplicate mother nature exactly, but I'm inspired by the leaves and I dream about the colors and my next creation in clay.

Sneak Preview, Barrel Fired Pendants

Sage Pendant #1003 by Linda Starr

Here's a look at the barrel fired pendants I promised to show you when I finished them. (About time eh?) I'll be taking some of these to the Boys and Girls Club of the Sierra benefit show this weekend at Sierra Hills in Porterville Saturday from 10 am to 3 p.m. I'll also be taking functional and sculptural work I've completed over the last several months. I've been wearing one of the pendants when I'm out and about and have had so many positive responses, I thought you'd enjoy a sneak preview.

Sage Pendant #1008 by Linda Starr

I hand make each pendant individually incorporating a real leaf from my garden, so the texture and veining really pops. Most of the pendants have a silver plated bale attached with epoxy and either a leather or waxed cotton 18 inch cord with lobster clasp. The beauty of barrel fired pendants is they are just as pretty on the reverse as they are on the front. I think they're rustic enough to wear with a T-shirt or dressy enough for other apparel too. These pendants were made from stoneware. I bisque them and then barrel fire them, which is similar to a pit fire. I use various oxides and natural ingredients such as avocado and eucalyptus wood, seaweed, herbs, straw and sawdust. The oxides and other ingredients impart the natural color to the pendants and the effects are totally random and always a surprise.

Sage Pendant #1002 by Linda Starr

Throughout history various words have had a special or symbolic meaning. The word sage means: having or exhibiting wisdom and calm judgment; proceeding from or marked by wisdom and calm judgment: sage advice. I guarantee you'll be wiser wearing one of my pendants, because each day that goes by we're all a little wiser. How's that for logic?

Sage Pendant #1005 by Linda Starr

Several folks asked about purchasing pendants, if you see a pendant you can't live without, just email me know and I'll reserve it for you. My email address is at the top right of the blog in my profile. I've set up a Ceramic Jewelry Photo Album on Facebook where I've numbered each pendant, so you can friend me there to see them. Or if you're not on Facebook, I also posted the pendants on Flickr, so you can see them in detail.

Sage Pendant #1007 by Linda Starr

I'm trying to streamline a process where folks can purchase direct from my blog, if you have any ideas, please let me know. I've got to check with Lori of Fine Mess Pottery to see how she does sales direct from her blog. I see at the top of her page she has a "click here to shop" button. I'm also curious to see how Michael of Sawdust and Dirt will organize his upcoming blog sale. What unique ways do you use to sell your art?

Linda's Outdoor Photography Studio

In case you're wondering about the photos, here is a look at my outdoor photography studio. Sounds really professional doesn't it? It's outside my garage on the side of my house. Rocks, driftwood, and old barn wood were objects I gathered around here to use as photography props. I just dusted or washed them off and put them into immediate use. I turned off the flash on my Sony digital camera and set some poster paper on an old painting stool in the shade and started taking photos.

Sage Pendant #1014

I really treasure this red rock which I brought from New Mexico. I picked it up in a river bottom canyon on private land on a trip seven years ago. Gary and I were four wheeling in a canyon with a river running through it and didn't know if we would make it through or not, but we kept going. We knew others had traveled there because folks were living along the banks of the river as we drove along. The only way they could reach their homes was through the river bed. But still, we weren't sure if it would be a dead end or not. The canyon kept getting narrower and narrower and eventually was just wide enough for our car. Yikes! Now we were really wondering if we should keep going.

Sage Pendant #1028 by Linda Starr

At every turn we kept saying, "Well let's just go a little further" and "We've come this far, might as well see where this leads". Then we realized we had reached the point where we wouldn't be able to turn around. If the canyon was a dead end we would have to back out! Did I mention I was driving? I don't back up very well. The smooth canyon walls were so close on either side we could reach out and touch them. Above us the cliffs hung over our car. We decided to press on, the thrill of what was around the next corner kept us going. We were now driving in the river, straddling rocks and snaking our way through the canyon. Thoughts of a flash flood crossed our mind. We saw an occasional tire track so we just kept going. Then we had worried about the possibility of meeting someone coming from the other direction. At the end of the canyon we were miraculously led up and then out to an open mesa, what a trip.

Over the years Gary and I have traveled in the back country in most of the Western states, taking photographs of old ghost towns and wild flowers along the way. Each trip we have taken I've looked at the map and told Gary, "Here's a short cut we can take". I've become famous in Gary's mind for my shortcuts. This was one shortcut which we survived without incident. I'll have to tell you about some of my famous shortcuts another time. Oh and by the way when we used to go four wheeling, we did not disturb or destroy any natural terrain on our trips. We traveled with the motto: "Pack it in, pack it out, and leave it as you found it for others to enjoy". In all our travels in the back country, I think this red rock is the only thing I ever brought back other than photographs.

Clary Sage Pendant #1004 by Linda Starr

My ceramic photo albums also contain other pendants which I have made. Some have been glazed and fired to Cone 10 in reduction. Some have bales and some have holes and no bales. Those with holes can be strung on a cord of your choice or used in your own jewelry creations.

Overlapping Leaves Pendant #1026 by Linda Starr

My kiln is now in working order, I don't know if it was dust bunnies, a spider, or the sitter which was a little off center, but all of that has been corrected, and the kiln has been tested and is ready to fire. Yippee! Comments and questions are always welcome.

Superwoman

I checked the weather reports and low and behold we were supposed to have cooler weather all this week. Perfect firing weather. I had it all planned. I was going to launch into a firing marathon. I"m talking full speed ahead. Bisque, glaze, bisque, glaze, can't you just hear the hum of progress. I'd be all caught up. Oh, what a thought that was. Everything was prepared and ready. I was feeling like Super Woman.



I was already dreaming of all the work I could show you here. You may not know it, but you all are great motivators to me. Just knowing you are there, reading my blog, encourages me. But then I hit a brick wall. The kiln wouldn't even turn on. Just when I was on a roll, when I had big plans. Isn't that just the way it goes though. Today I felt like this was the straw that broke the camel's back.


Originally my plan was to have two kilns, one as a back up. Later I also reasoned it might be efficient to have one for bisque and one for glaze. My theory was, while one was cooling down, I could be firing the other one. My other thought was I could fire other people's work. Is this faulty reasoning, I'm not really sure. What if I had deadlines to meet or was teaching a class, what would I do. If my car breaks, I can rent one. There aren't any kilns around here to rent, or potter's who rent space. Well there is a place 1.5 hours away, but that isn't cost effective. I like to plan ahead, plan for contingencies. Somehow, though, I didn't get my backup kiln.


Well, tomorrow I am going to look at two used kilns. One is a Paragon 99 B and the other is a Duncan 1027 potter's kiln. I found out you can still get parts for Duncan kilns from Paragon. Perhaps I can barter for something, there is no way I can afford even a used kiln, let alone a new kiln. And of course I don't really need another kiln because I am sure it is something very simple I can easily fix on my Skutt kiln. But I am going to be creative. If you knew what I paid for my Skutt kiln, you would be amazed. I am bound and determined to move forward in clay no matter what. It can only get better from here, right?


My kiln is an ancient Skutt, strictly manual. If it won't turn on, it sounds like it isn't getting any power, I just have to find out why. So far I've checked the breaker, I've checked the sitter. Next I'm checking the electrical. It worked just fine the last time. Several suggestion have been made to me about changing the breaker, looking for spiders, checking conductivity. I guess I was meant to learn about my kiln the hard way, troubleshooting at the very beginning. Wish me luck, heck I don't need any of that, I'm Superwoman. Comments and advice are greatly appreciated.