Bird Man

The much anticipated Bird Man appeared briefly the other day. Luckily I was able to capture a quick photo just before he had to leave. His bird is a young African Grey Parrot. Parrots have been kept as pets for over 4000 years, being depicted in hieroglyphics in Egypt and also kept by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Pottery Mound of the ancient pueblo people a mural on the wall of a kiva shows a woman holding two parrots. The parrot is also illustrated on numerous other pieces of ancient pottery found throughout the world.

Bird Man's parrot is named Lola. I thought Lola was a rather sexy name for a parrot. Later I read Kama is the Hindu god of love and is very often depicted riding on the back of a parrot. I guess Lola is a good name for a parrot and Bird Man's parrot keeps him company while he is away from home.

Bird Man, aka Jose, is a lineman for the electric company. Apparently a lot of the people in this RV park work as linemen and travel around to various parts of the country keeping our electric service operating. Whenever I hear the word lineman, I always start humming the song by Glenn Campbell, so I'll leave you here to enjoy Wichita Lineman.

Nerikome

Nerikome Plate by Linda Starr
slab built, 6 x 6 inches, cone 10 reduction
A few months ago I experimented by inlaying thin strips of B Mix clay into Black Mountain clay. I wasn't sure if this would work and didn't know this is an ancient technique called Nerikome. According to research done by Robin Hopper neriage involves blending two different clays an then throwing the clay on the wheel. Faith Rahill shows the process of nerikome which is blending different clays in hand building ceramic pieces. I did know incorporating two different clays together can sometimes be disastrous because one clay may shrink at a different rate than the other and the two clays might separate or repel one another.


Nerikome Bowl by Linda Starr
slab built, .5 x 7 x 7 inches, cone 10 reduction
The three pieces made it through the bisque just fine. Then came the next experiment with glazing the pieces. Many times if a clear or transparent glaze is placed over a dark clay with high iron content, the glaze will react with the iron in the clay and thus the glaze will turn an opaque gray. A year ago I attempted to counteract that effect with a glaze experiment.


Nerikome Plate by Linda Starr
slab built, 6 x 6 inches, cone 10 reduction
I tried using a non iron celadon glaze over a high iron content clay. Much to my delight I discovered that non iron celadon glaze will be nearly transparent over high iron content clay. I wanted to achieve this effect so the natural color of the two different clay bodies would be visible under the glaze. I was able to repeat this again but was not as successful even though I used the same clay and glaze. The celadon glaze should have been a little thinner and the firing temperature should have been a bit higher. All in all, though, this is a successful experiment in my quest to use two clay bodies together contrasting their different colors in one piece.

Cathedral Window Bowl

Cathedral Window Bowl by Linda Starr
1.5 x 12 x 12 inches
handbuilt, slip, glaze, cone 10 reduction

When I was about 12 years old my grandmother tried to teach me a paper piecing method to make a Cathedral Window quilt. At the time the method seemed too complicated and I gave up. Now I wish I would have had more patience to learn what my grandmother was trying to teach me. Years later, in my late 20's, I took up quilting again and used cardboard templates, cutting each piece of material out separately. Nowadays a rotary cutting tool allows many pieces of material to be cut at once.

The pattern on this bowl is based upon that same quilt pattern Cathedral Windows. I used one color of slip which I thought would be green but the color turned out more of an ochre or umber color which I'm glad it did. This color gives the bowl an antique quality. Next time I'd like to try this pattern using a different color slip for each diamond window. Click this link to feast your eyes on more Cathedral Window quilt photos.

Today I am reminded ceramics is an art and a craft. An art and craft requires a lot of patience which is a virtue I have always struggled with. I am an impatient person, but luckily I am also persistent. My persistence keeps me coming back to clay trying again and again to be successful in my attempts for each piece I make. Many of the pieces I made recently were not successful, but thankfully some of them were. With each unsuccessful piece as well as each successful one, I learn something I can apply to my next attempt at art and craft.

Rain Stick

Saturday Gary and I went to the San Joaquin Clay and Glass Sale in Fresno. Gary was enticed to go since there was glass, but we didn't see any glass pieces except a few pendants. It was a windy day and perhaps the glass artists didn't want to tempt fate. Gary mentioned he has always wanted to try glass blowing. I'm going to get him to delve into one of the arts one way or another, even if it isn't clay.

I purchased this ceramic rain stick. The stick has some nice carving and it looks like it was rubbed with RIO. This rain stick is about 18 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter. Apparently little pieces of clay are put inside and baffles are attached to the interior. Then the top and bottom are sealed except for a small hole to let the air escape during firing. After the piece is fired the stick is rocked back and forth slowly and gently and the clay particles make a melodious sound. I am amazed at the tone this rain stick makes, delicate and slightly high pitched. I wonder what it would sound like if a whole group of people had ceramic rain sticks and rocked them all at the same time?


While I was getting new tires put on my car the last week I browsed the auto parts aisles to prevent boredom and came across this pack of bondo spreaders. No, I'm not taking up auto body repair; I plan to use these with clay. They're very flexible and were inexpensive too, about $2.00 for three. I think they'd be good for smoothing the clay or for spreading slip across slabs or into crevices. Clay tools seem to be everywhere I look. How about you, do you have any unusual clay tools?

Black and Blue

Dancing Ravens by Linda Starr
3 x 12 x 14 inches
handbuilt, slip, glaze, cone 10 reduction

Sometimes I decide to fire a piece even though I know ahead of time it won't be perfect. Both bowls developed small cracks on the rim in their green state, which I tried to repair but was unsuccessful. I fired them because I wanted to learn how the slip would react with this glaze, and wanted to be sure the bowls wouldn't warp at cone 10. I tried B-Mix instead of Windsor Porcelain for these bowls and each clay has different characteristics.

Other than the rim cracks, one small unglazed dot for the raven on the right, and some kiln wash which unfortunately fell into the poppy bowl at the studio where I had them fired, they would be fine. The slip colors turned out just like I wanted. I'll make these again and be more careful drying the rims. Also this transparent glaze fits like a glove, does not pit or run, and isn't overly shiny.

Blue Himalayan Poppy by Linda Starr
2.75 x 11 x 12 inches
hand built, slip, glaze, cone 10 reduction

I plan on making these two bowls again and I'll be more careful drying the rims. I really enjoy painting on clay and I have so many more ideas. I can't wait to move and set up my new studio. Please make comments and come back again to see more of what I've learned from recent firings.

Moon Craters

Have you ever had clay go so completely wrong and think, I like it. Later do you think I can use this, and wonder if anyone else will like it? Do you throw the pieces away or say to yourself, so wrong and yet so right?


When I called the studio today to see if my pieces were fired, they said yes. Then they asked how did you get the dots on the inside? I said, oh those are slip I'll explain it when I get there. As I was driving up there I thought, Gee, I don't have any dots on the inside, only the outside. Could they have bled through? No, that wouldn't be possible. When I got there I walked up to the shelf and saw moon craters, perfectly formed moon craters. I love them, EXCEPT, I wish they were on the outside instead of the inside.


Many moons ago, I love that phrase and it sure works for this situation, I made several pieces with cassius basaltic clay with porcelain slip applied to the outside of some pieces. I was warned not to use the clay because it could be fickle. Then I was warned to only use it for sculpture and not functional pieces. Then I was warned the clay is subject to dunting and bloating and not to use glaze. Then I was warned that the slip would just fade out due to the dark color of the clay. Some of those warnings were correct. But the slip turned out just perfect, the clay did not dunt, but it did bloat right through the interior glaze, which gave me moon craters.


Did I listen? No. Do I ever listen when it comes to clay? Well maybe some of the time, but most of the time I want to try it for myself. I want to see what will happen. What do you think I am going to make next? Of course, a sculpture using cassius basaltic clay with moon craters on the outside and I think they will be so wonderful to see, to feel, to look at, to contrast with the black cassius basaltic clay.




So from now on if someone tells you not to try something with clay, please follow their advice and listen to them. But, of course you know I'm not going to listen to them, after all this is one of those times for the phrase do as I say, don't do as I do. I intend to make use of this clay and glaze mishap, a moon sculpture is in my future.

More work up next, some good, some not so good, so come back again and please make comments, I'd love to hear from you.

Bones

If you looked out your window and saw this cat staring at you what would you think? Would you rub your eyes to be sure you were really seeing what you thought you were? Does he look wild? Does he look like he wants to attack? What is he thinking? Does he remind you of a cat you might see in a scary movie? Well, appearances can be deceiving.

We're staying in an RV park this month while we pay off our bills, get tires, tuneups, make travel arrangements, and decide which health insurance to get. Gary is still working so we can keep our current health insurance. We are in an indecisive quandary about getting health insurance when Gary quits his job. The quandary is I know I won't be paying for health insurance, I'll be gambling. The insurance company will be gambling we won't go over the deductible and we'll be gambling we won't either and that we won't need any care at all.

The least expensive insurance we can get is with a $10,000 each deductible, 30 percent copay, and $35 office visit and it's about $250 per month. That's $3000 a year, plus $10,000 each, that's $23,000 before the insurance pays anything and that's before we go to any doctors or fill any prescriptions, etc. We might as well pay cash since we are basically healthy. Except we aren't young and the odds are against us. Unless we had plenty of money, it seems we are encouraged to either not have insurance or not go to the doctor unless something major happens. For now we plan to eat right, not do any high risk activities, and hope all our body systems stay in perfect working order. If Gary and I can both get jobs where employers paid for part of our insurance we'd be better off. Gary can get a job easily, perhaps in another area I can too. But with this economy, not so sure. I hear Starbucks pays benefits even for part time employees.

our RV

The other morning I was sitting at the dinette in our motorhome and my cat Butter was looking out the window very intently. We happen to be parked next to a beautiful grove of eucalyptus trees which makes our RV space very private.

cat lady RV

more cats
one under picnic table too

You may recall I met several characters here in the park and one of them was cat lady. After our initial introduction we've never seen the cat lady again. I think she's a recluse. Cat lady told us all the cats she feeds were abandoned by people who previously lived in this RV park. The day we met the cat lady she introduced us to a few of her cats.

Bones coming to greet me

Anyway, I thought my cat Butter was looking at a bird in the eucalyptus tree beside our RV but as I turned my head I saw Bones, one of cat lady's cats, staring right at me. Now if I hadn't of met Bones beforehand, I might have thought I was looking at an apparition. If I look straight out our window I'm at an eight foot height, which means Bones was a long way up in the eucalyptus tree. Bones has a scrawny body, a lumpy face, and a very penetrating stare unlike any other cat I have encountered.

Bones jumps up to be pet

Apparently Bones was wondering about me and my three cats in our RV and picked a perfect vantage point to survey us from the tree outside, but as you can see Bones is a very sweet cat. Bones reminds me of Peter and Laura's cat, Ginger. What do you think? I guess cats are a lot like people you can't judge them by their appearance but have to get to know them.

Here's a Twighlight Zone moment. I just realized Bones is another cat with a name which begins with a "B". If you are curious about that, please read the story about my yellow tabby cat Butter and how he got his name. My other two cats are named Binky and Betty. Bird Man appears next so be sure to check back again.

Satsuma Afternoon

Yesterday afternoon I spent delighting in the flavor of satsuma mandarins and browsing a couple of ceramics books I requested from the library. Mandarin oranges have many anti-oxidant properties and help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and recent studies have shown they are also good for the liver. The rest of this week I'll go back and read these two books in more detail.

The first book, Modern Japanese Ceramics, Pathways of Innovation and Tradition by Anneliese Crueger, Wulf Crueger and Saeko Ito with photography by Thomas Naethe is a feast for the eyes with the numerous color plates on just about every other page, although the title is misleading. The book focuses mostly on the history of Japanese pottery with only a few examples of recent Japanese ceramics. But the books is worth reading for the historical aspects and the descriptions of the traditional glazing and decorating techniques and various kiln locations.


If you like like learning about surface techniques in ceramics, you'll love Maureen Mills' book, Surface Design for Ceramics. I wish I'd known about this book several years ago. Many of the surface techniques I've independently discovered and tried on my own are explained in detail in this book. I could have saved myself months of trial and error, mental acrobatics, and unanswered questions about how to accomplish my ceramics goals. I know Amy Huacani and Judy Shreve would enjoy reading the book. Even though I've checked this book out from the library I think I will go ahead and order my own copy of the book.


You might think I have a life of leisure and in one way you'd be correct. Please don't envy me my leisure. I do have time to read, but I also have time to think. Time to think about the future and reflect on the past. Time to think about where I want to live and what I want to do with the rest of my life. Time to reflect on my past life and the stresses of living in today's world and how I want to change my way of living. I find all this thinking expends a tremendous amount of energy but is also very necessary right now. Come back again for a bit about the past and more about the future.

Lowe Jar Holds Auction Record

Photo courtesy of Case Antiques

A jar by potter John Alexander Lowe (1833-1902) set a record for Tennessee pottery at a Case Antiques Auction on Sept. 27, 2008. Estimated at $12,000-$18,000, the redware jar soared to $63,000, selling to a collector.

John Case said at the time that state archaeologists dug up pottery shards bearing Lowe’s name at a site in Greene County, TN, several years ago. The pottery site attributed to Lowe was located and excavated near the Harmon Cemetery near Blue Springs in the 1990s, with thousands of shards recovered. However, the circa 1860 jar, with extruded handles, incised decoration at the handle attachments and stamped name circling its shoulders, is the only known intact piece of Lowe’s pottery to ever surface.

I found an informative article about Great Road Pottery on the Blue Ridge Institute site. Please be sure to read this article and click "next pages" on the right side because the article is several page long and there are lots of great photos and information about the pottery of that region. I was reminded of present day potter's work such as Peter Gregory, Mark and Meredith Heywood, and Michael Kline, while looking at the photos in this article. How about you, are you reminded of potters of today while looking at pottery of yesterday?

Well I'm off to do more research on new places to live, like the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee, which is what led me to learn about Great Road Pottery in the first place.

Sun Bleached Bark

Sun Bleached Bark by Linda Starr
13.25 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches
slab-built stoneware, unglazed, Cone 10

My first bark sculpture survived a very rough road, literally. Last winter (has it been that long) I made the piece having been inspired by eucalyptus bark I saw in a grove at the coast. Once it dried it was so thin I hesitated to move it off the ware board to my kiln to get it fired. So I set it aside to think about it. Then we sold our home, moving day arrived, and I had to do something quick. I put the ware board on a towel on top of boxes in the back of my car the day we moved out, and figured the piece would just crumble in transport.

Sun Bleached Bark (top view) by Linda Starr

I drove around with the sculpture in the back of my car for a week before I had a chance to take it somewhere to be fired. Then I drove 1.5 hours north to Clay Mix to get it bisqued, and it made it. I decided not to push my luck and left the piece unglazed and drove across town to Potters Studio to get it fired to Cone 10, and it made it.

After I set this piece aside to dry, I made other bark sculptures, but I made them smaller and with a groggy clay, worrying the first piece was too thin and wouldn't survive. For the others I either used oxides or colored slips. Now I see I should continue pushing the limits of what I think is feasible with clay, taking risks, even if they are small calculated risks. I'd like to make more pieces with unglazed clay, letting the natural clay surface speak for itself. What about you, what do you think?

Sun Bleached Bark by Linda Starr

In a couple of days I should be able to pick up the other pieces I had fired. There are a couple of Nara Cone 5, a few Cassius Basaltic Cone 4, and some Black Mountain Cone 10 pieces I also made months ago, so please check back again.

Birthday Mug

Sometimes I splurge on something just for myself even if I know I shouldn't and that's just what I did this past summer. I purchased this absolutely beautiful mug from Lori of Fine Mess Pottery for my birthday. I just love the shape, texture, and the color. I happen to love lavender and purple and I see it so infrequently in pottery, so when I saw this mug Lori made I just had to have it. Thanks Lori, I truly treasure this mug.

The local RV park characters of the cat lady and bird man seem be shy so I haven't been able to take their photos to show you. I have my camera ready and I finally learned how to upload and do some minor editing with my laptop so I just need some subjects, hopefully they will reveal themselves soon.

I'm taking care of a few details of tires, tune ups, and paper work. As usual things take much longer and cost much more than I originally anticipated. Meanwhile I glazed some Cone 4, 5, and 10 work I made months ago and it's being fired and I should have photos coming up soon, so stay tuned.

Cherokee Roots

Retrospectively, I've discovered deep memories have been striving to come forth in clay. Recently felt an inexplicable draw to travel to North Carolina. I now feel my Cherokee roots are pushing and pulling me and are struggling to come forth. This past week I've read several books about Cherokee history and legends. One book I'm reading about legends is The Path to Snowbird Mountain, by Traveller Bird.

You might recall Spirit Bird, White Feather, Black Feather, and the piece I called Balance. I made these pieces before I did any reading about Native Americans. This week I read Native Americans see the world as dark and light and believe in achieving balance in their lives. A good warrior brave tries to achieve a balance between the forces of good and evil.


With time on my hands I am finding libraries are a wonderful resource. I picked up Lark's 500 Animals in Clay. What fun looking at all those sculptures.

I also found the library has a large print section for novels and I'm reading two authors this week, Richard Wheeler and Phyllis Whitney. Wheeler writes about the old West in the United States. I'm reading The Buffalo Commons and Where The River Runs by Wheeler. Cindy and Meredith please check out Feather on the Moon, by Whitney, an easy read mystery I think you'll both like. I love the title and once you see the dust jacket you'll see why I chose that particular novel of Whitney's to read first.


Meanwhile I have glaze ingredients on order and should be able to glaze my pieces next week. I'll be mixing my glazes with my paddle drill on the picnic table outside our RV. Wonder what folks will think I'm blending up? (Insert wicked laugh). Gary and I are also researching the various choices of where we might move, planning our trip, and doing a few repairs needed to make our vehicles safe. I'm moving into the 21st century slowly but surely, learning Windows 7, how to work without a mouse, and next up is Skype. I even chatted on facebook with Mary the other evening. I heard a beep and saw a window pop up. Who knew, not me till now.

The rusty truck photos were taken at the same location I took the Christine photo. Please let me know what you think by commenting, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A Barn

Wood griping soil
peak grasping sky
storage for being
shelter for beast

luxury then necessity
usable then adaptable
repairable then convertible
convenient then obstacle

leaning beyond return
slipping from memory
sliding into earth
forsaken forgotten friend.

Dreamer, Traveler, Potter

1953 Dreamer

Here's a few photos of me in previous hats. I took the last photo moving day when I was so harried. I'm slowly recuperating and hope to look and feel young again soon. In about a month I'll head out to look for a new place to live and set up my ceramics studio. In the interim I'll be renting studio space in various locations. I'm learning to operate my laptop and how to load photos, once I master that I'll introduce you to some of the characters in this RV (recreational vehicle) park. Bird Man consented to photographs last night, so he'll be up first so stay tuned. Please make comments and let me know what you're up to.

1970 Dog Handler

1994 Beekeeper

1995 Realtor

1998 Boat Captain

2004 Lavender Farmer

2009 Dreamer, Traveler, Potter