Good, Bad, and Beyond

The wren on a branch tile turned out as I expected. Sometimes the kiln gods are favorable; and sometimes you have to take the good with the bad to learn something.


This is the second plate with the same clear glaze and it pitted and bubbled too, this glaze is rejected, It's been fired to Cone 5 and Cone 6 and still pits and bubbles. I don't have the time to devote to it. I do like the smeared, newspaper print look of the flowers and the splattered underglazes and plan to develop these glazing techniques more in the future.


I made this "She's Thinking" tray with sculpture clay which is what I had left in the motorhome. Therefore the surface is a bit rough. I put green slip and used sgraffito to draw the faces. Green slip turned black under matt clear glaze. Strange but somehow appealing. I'll make another of these three face pieces. The matt glaze isn't completely melted. This was fired to Cone 5 and I think this matt glaze needs Cone 6.


Here's the alphabet tray I also made with sculpture clay. Not the best clay to use for functional work. I like the impression the alphabets make in the clay, but they'd be better on a tall jar or box. I also like the melon color, the melon glaze developed mottled colors on this clay body. More testing for this one. I'm surprised at how good the flat trays feel in the hand when carrying them so I think this shape tray would be very functional.

Only two distributors have the 26 inch octagon half shelves in stock which I need for my new kiln. Either location has to ship them; they should be here next week; programmable firings coming up soon. Somehow I didn't complete my EZ cube order so it is now being shipped; improved photographs also coming up soon.

Tons of pieces are being bisqued: five serving bowls with four matching plates each; several more large bowls, six dipping bowls, a pie or cake plate, ten or so pinch pots, several sculptures and lidded boxes, tiles, test tiles, three large platters, a bird house, and one tiki jar. The other tiki jar with the seam facing the back of the closet separated at the seam and I just discovered it today. I also have more functional and tall sculptural pieces drying which need to be bisqued. I amazed myself making this list. Now I have a few empty shelves and ware boards I can make more. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Summer Inspiration

Here's a native pink purselane, Portulaca pilosa, I found blooming by the side of the house. The flowers are about half an inch in diameter and like dry sandy soil. You can find hybrid varieties of Portulaca, or moss rose, in the nurseries. No matter how hot it is outside I need to take a walk in the morning because there's lots to discover.


We're trying to get organized, getting rid of unnecessary clutter before we unload the treasure bus. I had a bunch of old decorating craft magazines published in the 1970s I picked up this past winter. There's lots of summer inspiration for clay in these magazines.


This article about making handmade paper had some neat patterns I thought would be good to use for ceramic glazing techniques. I better keep this one. I'm supposed to be sorting through these magazine and getting rid of them. Hopefully Gary doesn't read this post, he hates the pack rat in me. Oh, maybe I'll just rip out the pages that inspire me, that might appease him.


Look at this yarn goat, I'll bet Cindy would find inspiration in this yarn animal for her metal sculptures.


Oh, here's an article about using scallop shells. Remember my scallop shell diving trip? Perhaps I'll have enough to make a lamp and some wind chimes.


Hey, here's a description on how to do a fish rubbing. I just saw some fish rubbings at Cedar Key art festival not too long ago.

Ken, our tile guy, is just coming in from mixing up another batch of thinset. Ken has lots of experience in his profession.


Look at this intricate cut Ken has figured out. This tile goes form the dining area into the hall and around the corner into the utility room as one tile.


This is one of the many reasons to have a professional tile installer lay your tile. Ken has lots of experience figuring out how to make the tile laying a seamless transition between rooms. Another option if left with a sliver of tile in the next room is to put in a contrasting threshold. So far we haven't come across that. Well I better get to clipping out magazine articles. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Crazy Cioppino, Cedar & Cypress

What's up with all the C's? First off I'm back home after a foray into the wilds of Florida. I'm cooking the tomato sauce for cioppino and the smell is intoxicating simmering away on the stove. A few weeks ago in the frozen section of Sam's Club I found a bag of mixed shellfish and seafood and immediately thought of making a seafood soup. Strictly speaking I think cioppino has fresh shellfish in the shell, but I like to experiment so I've made up my own recipe; let's call it Crazy Cioppino.

Crazy Cioppino

2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
1 large shallot chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
3 cups of water
1 cup of dry red or white wine
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 bay leaf crushed small
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
couple of pounds of mixed shellfish & fish pieces

Saute the garlic and shallots in the olive in a large stock pot till translucent. Add the canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water and turn the heat up to high. Add in the rest of the ingredients and when it's just about boiling turn down the heat and simmer. While the pot is simmering, you can post to your blog, like I am now.


What? You want to know how it tastes in advance. I've made up thousands of recipes and they've all been good. You'll just have to trust me on this one. After simmering at least two hours add in your seafood and cook about 10 to 15 minutes till tender and serve immediately in your favorite cermamic bowl.


Driving back from Chiefland, (there's another C for you), where I visited a private sawmill, I was in heaven smelling fresh cedar shavings and some beautiful cedar and cypress wood I picked up. I needed some wood with character because I have several mixed media pieces using wood and ceramics I'm working on. More about that later.


While we were in Chiefland, we decided to visit Manatee Springs. These are different springs than I mentioned in a previous post. These springs feed the Suwanee River. There are wonderful bald cypress growing along the banks and their knees are pushing up through the damp soil in search of air.


That's it for now, I've just got to get into the studio to see what I can do with the ceder and cypress wood, after I have a second helping of that crazy cioppino. See how the sauce is a brownish red, rather than pinkish red, that means it's simmered just enough to meld the flavors. Oh boy is it good! I just know there are lurkers, oops, readers, out there; please make some comments, I'd love to hear what you think and have an opportunity to know about you.

Pin Cushion Jars

The idea for these tall jars was sitting in my head and I decided to make them this evening. I originally intended them both to be pin cushion jars.


Both pieces are triangular in shape. The second one was the original pin cushion idea which I sketched in my journal. The wire was supposed to come out of the top and the sides.


As I was making the jars I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to have rough wires sticking out of the top and sides, so I added the little heads at the end.


I didn't put any wires coming out the sides of the lid either. I wonder if I should add those now? Having the pin cushions with the heads isn't the same effect as my drawing. I might have to make another one with spikes of clay sticking out instead of wire. Oh I just had another idea, I'll have to work on that.


Meanwhile I changed the tile pattern for the entry to 18 inch tile instead of 12 inch tile which makes it less busy. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

An Arm and A Leg

There's giant grasshoppers in Florida. We saw some of the same type when we lived In Arkansas. There are a few arms and legs helping us with our home remodel. I couldn't help but think this grasshopper wanted to help out too.

Gary was pressure washing in preparation of painting the outside of our home. I kept snapping photos and every time the flash went off he stopped and looked around. Finally he saw it was my camera making the flashes of light. We both got a laugh out of that.


Here's a shot of our entry tile laid out to see what the hopscotch pattern would look like. Sometimes it's better to do a dry run before laying the tile in thinset. I guess test tiles in ceramics are dry runs of a kind.


Cindy Shake wanted a photo of the pool. I think she was hoping for a shot of Gary and I actually in the pool. We plan to have a BBQ for the tile guys in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll have a few action shots then.


No pottery making happened today, I spent too much time running to get this and that for laying the tile. But the evening is young and Gary has brought me another box of supplies from the bus. I thought I had all my supplies in my car. I can't believe how much stuff I have; what a thrift store junkie I am. Wonder what ideas I can drum up tonight. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Motel Hello

Gary here, I know Linda's been promising a post about the motel from you know where. Truth is she may have built it up a little too much, but then maybe not. Flash back to Wills Point Texas. You are soon to find out why I will never, ever forget that experience. Motel hello, good bye and good riddance.


I was driving so many long hours in the sweltering heat and I just wanted a long hot shower and a bed with clean sheets. Sometimes you get what you wish for and sometimes you get just the opposite. I had my doubts when I pulled into the motel parking lot but I hoped for the best.


Trouble was I got the worst. I called Linda and let her know where I was and when she heard the description of the location, she immediately said to leave. But I was so very tired I decided to stick it out. What a big mistake. Linda often has feelings about certain things and she's most often correct in her feelings. I should have listened.


I don't have the heart to show only horrid motel photos, so I decided to show a few of Linda's pinch pots from today, as a little relief from the graphic photos of the motel. I really hate to contaminate her wonderful pinch pots with the photos from the motel in this post. I neglected to take the worst photo of the toilet and I was admonished by Linda for neglecting that one.


Right after I get in the room I heard a banging on the outside and thought someone was knocking on my door. I opened the door to see a grammar school age girl pounding on the railing. She said, "Oh, am I disturbing you sir?" I said, "As a matter of fact you are". She said, "Well tough!"


It was then that I looked around and discovered I got much less than I expected to get for my $55 cash for the room. The bed wasn't made, the drawers were filled with food, the mirror hung askew from the wall at a dangerous angle, the shower wasn't cleaned, and then there was the toilet. Suffice it to say, the toilet was well used in more ways than one (that's the photo Linda said I should have taken).


I immediately left the room and headed for the office to request my money back for the room. The clerk promptly told me there were no refunds. I left in disgust, thinking the $55 I lost saved me from an infection and possible injuries later in the evening.


Being dead tired I drove down the road to the nearest rest area and slept in the bus, sweaty, tired, and glad to be alive and well. I am often amazed at the unique pots Linda makes from lumps of clay. I'm especially happy to see them now, having been exposed to the very worst of what can happen when traveling on the road. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Vermouth Will Work

Tall Flower Basket by Linda Starr
stoneware (green) 11.75 x 5.75 x 3.75 inches

Slowly I am finding more of my ceramic supplies. I've always wanted to use kanthal wire in a piece. Today I decided to give it a try, since I found a package of wire in a box I unpacked. I just finished up this tall flower basket form.


I started making the tall basket and my paint roller just wasn't sturdy enough to hold up the sides till I got them together. I ran to the kitchen pantry looking for something and thought to myself that bottle of vermouth will work. It's heavy and just about the right diameter to temporarily hold up two sides till I get the other two attached.


Once I got the four sides together I pulled out the bottle and set it aside. Later Gary came in and said you aren't dipping into that Vermouth are you? I said no, not while I'm working on this piece. I can't even remember the last time I had a vodka martini, but one of these days I'll make one. I know the last martini I had was before Gary and I were married that's for sure. Besides who would drink vermouth straight?


I set the tall basket aside and made some clay beads to string on the kanthal wire. I also noticed the wire is made in the USA. Then I ran outside to ask Gary for a wire cutter. I have one of my own, but I'm not sure where it is at the moment. After I inserted the kanthal wire handles I decided to strengthen the corners with an corner support on the outside where I inserted the wire. I thought the wire might try to push it's way out. I like the addition of the top corner supports. See the reading glasses in the background; I notice my clay seams are much better now that I use them. I got the strongest magnification I could find and they really help.


I attached a foot to the bottom before I attached it. I used to make vases without feet, but I think feet look much better. This foot is really almost invisible since it is so thin, but it raises the vase up a bit. Of course the seams here will be cleaned up and smoothed out, but I wanted to show you before I attached it to the vase.


Meanwhile in the living room the tile is being laid and I can hear the tile guys remarking that the tile is made in the USA. I chose a simple brick pattern for the 18 inch tiles. Gary has been tied up unloading a few items from the bus and, of course, there's the ever so important "BS-ing" with the tile guys, so his story about the motel is still right around the corner. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Fresh Florida Scallops

Here's Gary holding the first scallop he harvested today, the opening day of scallop season in Florida. The gulf scallop float in the sea grass and the water is so clear you can see them easily. When they sense you are near they "scallop" away by snapping their shells together but only a short distance. We were three miles out in the gulf where the water is only four to five feet deep. They say for every mile you go out in the gulf, the water only drops a foot in depth.


We booked a scallop trip through River Safaris in Homosassa. Captain Frank was a great guide and his wife Sherry knows just how to find the scallops. Here's a photo of Frank in front of the scallops we got today. That looks like a whole lot of scallops, but after they are cleaned there is a tiny, sweet morsel of scallop.

I read that scallop season was opening two weeks earlier than normal so I called to see if could book a tour. I really just wanted to see what it was like to go out in the gulf and to get the scallop shells, although I do like scallops. Here are a couple of baby osprey we saw in their nest on the way out to the scallop area.


Look at the Boston ferns hanging from the porches of this grand old house along the channel. Yesterday Gary was making all kinds of excuses why he didn't want to go scalloping. He doesn't like scallops, didn't want to swim with alligators, didn't have fins or snorkel. We ran and got fins and a snorkel and I booked the tour. Now Gary is raving about the trip and wants to get a boat. What thanks do I get? He wants me to clean all the scallops and cook them too.


This is a view from the boat looking out into the gulf. There's mile after mile of water everywhere, and the boat is gently rocking us as we take in the views.


Here's what the river channel looks like on the way to and from the gulf. One of Gary's and my first dates he took me to a seafood restaurant and I had fresh scallops served in the shells. Those shells were a beautiful coral color. I saved those shells and later when we were married I made a scallop shell wind chime. I drilled the scallops shells and threaded fishing line through and attached the line to a piece of driftwood. The small scallop shells make a nice tinkling sound as they knock against one another.


Here's what scallops looks like in the shell after they've been cleaned. To clean the scallop, Frank suggested putting them on ice and then the shells would open. He recommended using a shop vac to clean the scallops. Just take the filter out of the vac and vacuum away.


You can see using a shop vac makes a messy job much easier. Gary opened the shells and used the shop vac to clean them. Then Gary handed the shell to me and I used a paring knife to scrape the scallop off the shell into a bowl.


I decided to pan fry the scallops. I sauteed two tablespoons of butter, added some chopped garlic, about 12 mushrooms, a tablespoon of capers (drained well) and let the mushrooms soften a bit, then added in the scallops. They were really tasty. Gary would never eat scallops before today. After eating these he now says he likes scallops.


Most of the shells are brown and green on one side and white, tan or cream on the other side. You know I'll be making scallop wind chimes real soon and there's sure to be a scallop or two in clay. Comments and suggestions are welcome.