Thanks Michele and Jeff

Somehow I just realized shino means sheen. Look at the sheen and soft luscious color of this beautiful wall pocket vase that Michele Hastings gave me yesterday. Thank you Michele; I love this piece. She and Jeff were on their way to NCECA and stopped here for the night. We are about an hour north of Tampa.

We talked late into the night and we all got up a bit late. After a leisurely breakfast Michele and Jeff headed out to NCECA; I hope they're refreshed enough to take full advantage of all the NCECA events. With the 9 hours driving from North Carolina to here yesterday and then the torrential rains and tornado warnings today, it's been quite a whirlwind.

A tornado warning was issued for us at 3:30 pm yesterday. A warning means a tornado has been sited. A watch means a tornado is possible. Gary and I and the three cats got in an interior walk-in closet for about 10 minutes. Thankfully the tornado missed us but did damage about six miles away which is too close for comfort. Gary and I planned to head to Tampa today, but he was called for an interview mid morning, hopefully he'll get the job and we'll go down tomorrow or Saturday.


Michele and I met via our blogs when she was living in New Hampshire. She and Jeff planned on moving to North Carolina and Michele contacted me about the ins and outs of purchasing a bus to move with. After Michele read my blog and a few emails we had back and forth, she was convinced that was also the way to go for them.

Michele and Jeff purchased a bus to move with and named their bus the Gypsy Potter's Bus. Gary and I moved across the United States in our bus on a shoestring and ours is the Treasure bus. Just before Michele and Jeff headed out I wanted to take a photo of them by the pool, they opted for a shot by the pool and in front of our treasure bus.


Here's another shot of the wall vase, look at that carbon trapping, sweet. I've learned most artist's work independently and alone, and I've been content in that circumstance, in fact I prefer it. But I've found it's also beneficial to connect with other artists on a regular basis. Till I moved to Florida I was isolated in my artistic world in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. But blogging led me to meet so many potter's around the world. I'm glad I'm part of a warm and supportive group of pottery people.


The carafe above was made by Jeff. Chatting with Jeff yesterday I learned he has a rich background in pottery dating back to the 1970s. Please check out Jeff's website to learn more about his impressive knowledge and foray into today's contemporary pottery. Up next a couple of pots Gary and I acquired from the Clay and Blogs show last year in North Carolina. Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog.

Intimidated

The great thing about acrylic paint is I can paint over it. I redid this painting with texture and stencil applications, to my mind's eye it was way too busy. I like this one much better. Although I am half thinking of applying more textured color to the clouds with a palette knife. I think they call that impasto, I want to try that for sure. Then I am supposed to let the painting cure for a couple of months before I put a sealer over the top. Something else I didn't know about painting with acrylics.


I learned in my painting class just three colors could be used effectively in a painting and also the human face can be painted with blue or red and still look realistic. At my last class my painting instructor, Sharon Harris, did these two value studies of her husband's face, one in red, one in blue. She painted these in less than five minutes each. What feeling do you get from the red painting, how about the blue painting? I'm intimidated to paint the human face, landscapes or abstract art seems easier to my mind, but I'm going to give it a try one of these days. I need to push myself to try what I don't feel comfortable with. I think I can learn more that way.

Up next a visit with Jeff Brown and Michele Hastings. Also a couple of pots from other potters in the Clay and Blogs show in North Carolina last Autumn, so stay tuned.

Mr. Hyde Studio Part Two

I was going to organize my studio work area before I posted this today, but on my last post, Studio Tour Part One, another pottery blogger friend, Paula, made a comment about seeing a work area AFTER someone's been working. Then several other's commented about how organized I am. I started feeling a bit guilty about those compliments. So I decided to show you the other side of Dr. Jekyll, this is Mr. Hyde studio part two. I'm a gemini I can't help myself. This is where I make my work.

I didn't clean or straighten up or organize any of my work areas at all, I just snapped photos. The studio shot was taken after I worked on some clay pieces, the photo on board, and several acrylic paintings. As you can see I like having everything I need right at an arms reach. I sit in my chair and work away.


Up until I started sorting the photos and before I added the easel the studio had a lot of open space, but now the center is filled with the boxes of photos and then the easel takes up a little space. There's also a daybed on one side of the room that serves as a lounging or seating area for visitors (even my cats), (oh, maybe that's my employee lounge, just like Dennis has) but today I have some plastic bins sitting there waiting for me to get more organized.


My studio adjoins the kitchen and there's a pocket door to close it off. I'm happy I have two big windows in my studio which lets in a lot of light during the day. Yesterday was very rainy so the lighting is subdued. On the other side of the studio are shelves to hold finished pottery.


Here's a view looking in from the kitchen. It wouldn't look so cluttered if those boxes weren't there. I am planning on sorting the photos into some sort of order, but until then, they'll stay where they are. When I sit at my studio table I don't even know they are there. I can gaze out the window and my mind goes to another world, relaxed and ready to create.


Here's the closet in the studio full of supplies in great disarray. I'm going to organize this spot next. In all fairness to myself, remember my studio used to be in the other room and then I moved into this larger room? Well everything got into a jumble after that move and I still haven't re-organized it all. Soon, very soon.


I've got greenware and bisque ware in several closets in other areas of the house, here are a couple of them.


Our washer and dryer is in the garage. Remember when we first moved here I got a whole set of kitchen cabinets for a song? Most of them went in the utility room which was a small empty room when we moved here. The remainder went in the garage for storage.


I use this for more storage and I have my photo cube set up permanently in there. I have the lights clipped to the bottom of the upper cabinets so the doors have to stay open to hold them. I am sure there is a better way to set these up but I haven't given that much thought. This room could use some organization too. I just know one of those professional organizers would have a heyday around here.


I'll leave you with a shot of my desk in the guest bedroom, where I am sitting right now showing you the parts of my studio which are works in progress. Now you know about the rest of the studio and my disorganized side. I'm glad I posted this because I'm really motivated to get these areas organized very soon. Thanks for all of your comments; they spur me along each day.

Studio Tour Part One

Several of my potter blogger friends posted tours of their studios, you can see Dennis, Judy, and Tracey's studios here. When Judy suggested folks post their studios I was mortified at the condition of my work areas, very messy. I decided I needed to do a little organizing before I could show you my studio space.


Here is part one of my studio tour. My studio is located in several areas of my home. The garage, utility room, and one of the bedrooms. Today I'll show you the garage area. The first photo is a long shot of my half of the garage. You can see I've got it pretty filled up. The second photo is the raku kiln which is on Gary's side of the garage. I'd like to remedy that, but for now at least it's on wheels and can be moved around if necessary.


As you enter the garage on the left is the chop saw I use to cut the wood for my tile and wood plaques, like the woodland spirit I made a while ago, and various other projects like when I built my market shelf system. Under the saw I have a storage cabinet for my jewelry supplies.


Next is a ware cart for my tile projects. It has wheels and can be rolled around if necessary.


Here's my slab roller, which a friend made me back in California. I keep it covered when not in use; it also doubles as a wrapping and boxing station for mailing pottery. Under the slab roller are extra boxes.


Next is my big Skutt kiln in action. I still can't believe I have this kiln. I sold my little kiln to make more room in the garage. Hope I won't regret it, but that gave Gary more room.


Here's a bookcase we had which just fits under the breaker box and plug for the kiln. I use it to store more tile projects, some chemicals and a few underglazes.


This is the ware cart where I store my kiln shelves, posts, and when I load and unload the kiln. There's some house paint up on top too.


Here's my glazing table and glaze storage cabinet. Behind the glaze table to the right are rolling carts which divide the garage in half. Today I put some landscape fabric on my side to hide the clutter from my view. It makes my side of the garage seem more like it's own room but air can still flow through.

Beyond the glaze table I have my lumber storage area. I keep the lumber up on wood blocks to keep air flow so it doesn't warp. That's also where I store my market shelves and market tent and pottery packed in bins to take to shows. Come back again and I'll take you inside to show you my photo area, office desk where I type this blog, the greenware storage areas and my work station.

Photo on Board

Some time ago I mentioned I was sorting through 40 years of photos and wondering what I could do with all of them. I happened to find a hardwood board at the thrift store the other day. So I decided to mount a print of an original photo I took onto the hardwood board. Oh, I discovered two more boxes of photos. I wish I had a penny for every photo I took, I'd be rich. I guess I'm rich with memories though.

First I painted the wood with a a few colors of acrylic paint to pick up some of the colors in the photo. The plaque is about 8 x 11 inches, so I printed the photo smaller so it would have border around it. Then I mounted the photo on the board and put a clear coating over the top. I'll epoxy a couple of D hooks on the back with wire between them for hanging. I might try ripping the edges of another photo and mounting it on board and see how that looks. I have a few other ideas for my photos too, more about those later.

One Million Cranes

I like this 12 inch square size. In my previous post you can see how this canvas started out. I can always paint over it, but some of the texture will be lost, I'll see. I'm going to have to take a trip to the thrift stores to see if I can get some more canvas. I have some more ideas about layers.

Please see Quoteflections post about school children folding a 1000 origami cranes to raise money for Japan. They hope to raise $1M by including other schools in the One Million Cranes project.

Also Handmade for Japan eBay pottery auction to raise money for Japan ends Sunday. Their goal was increased to $50,000 and they're almost there already.

A nice way to start the day reading about people helping people.

Painting Is Like Clay

We learned about painting a value study in class on Monday. I also learned I can do a whole painting with just three colors. Using the right values, light, medium and dark, the painting will look correct to the human eye. Our teacher did a landscaping painting as a demo with just blue, umber and white. I forgot to bring my camera to class, otherwise I'd show you the painting. So I could paint a face in blue or red and using the right values, it would look correct to the viewer's eye. I'll have to give it a try.


I had a perfectly good start with an ocean and sunset and then I decided to add some texture to the ocean then random dots to the sky. Can you guess what I used for the texture. Then I asked myself, is this painting going to be realistic or impressionistic or what. I think painting is going to be a lot like clay, it's going to take a lot of practice and experimentation before I know where I want to go.


This is a beginning for the painting in the first photo; I have much more to do on it. I now have three paintings in process. With paint I don't have to keep the paint wet if I want to add more, but sometimes I have to let it dry before I can add more. To be continued. Oh, that's the first tortoise I was able to capture in a photo for this year, they've woke up from their winter slumber and he's mowing the grass for us.

Please read Temptation of Words post about "The Other Side of Japan's Agony" a very uplifting read about people helping people.

It's Alive!

Today I unknowingly saved a metallic wood boring beetle. Gary was walking in our yard in the late afternoon and he said a bug had tried to bite him. Later he came in the house and went to the kitchen and said he felt a bug crawling on himself. He quickly removed his shirt and flicked the bug from his back.


About that time I came into the kitchen and saw Gary pulling his shirt off as quick as he could. I asked Gary what he was doing. He said a bug had "attacked" him in the yard and when he came in the kitchen he felt it crawling on his back. I said it probably just accidentally flew into him when he walked by. We looked around and on the kitchen floor we saw a shiny elliptical something which might have been the culprit. I couldn't see any legs and wasn't even sure if the item was a bug or if it was alive.


I got an envelope off the counter and scooped up the item and brought it to eye level to get a closer look. I decided it was an insect, but it felt so light and looked so still I thought it was dead. I took a few photos and bug remained still as an opossum. I decided to carry it outside anyway, just in case. As I was walking to the door with the bug on the envelope, the legs on one side of the bug started to emerge. I yelled out to Gary, "It's alive!", so happily. As I set the envelope down outside the legs on the other side emerged from under it's body and I knew it was probably going to be ok. The bug must have been stunned when Gary flicked it to the floor.

Later I learned more about this insect by doing a search for a "metallic elliptical insect in Florida" which helped me identify the metallic wood boring beetle, or Chalcophora, and wondered which species this is. Later I went outside and saw the beetle was gone. Now I'm wondering if by saving this beetle, I have unwittingly caused our trees harm.


I'm working on another painting in my class which is a giant sequoia tree near a log cabin. I can't get the trunk to look right. I need to add more layers of paint to improve the details. Now that I'm thinking of it, I could have painted a cracker house or a waterway scene of Florida. My mind's eye memories are of California, but I'm now living in Florida. I'll have to remember that next time I try to think of something to paint.

Meanwhile I sold a few more pieces of pottery at the market yesterday, but the crowds were rather sparse. I'm also trying to figure out how to get a pay pal button on my blog buy page. If anyone has any advice on to do that, please let me know, thanks. Oh, my tip of the day is craigslist has a free category, you never know what you'll find there. Today I saw an ad for free church pews, free cans, free exercycle, and so on. There was an ad for free block so we could finish off our garden plot, but they were already gone.

The Elusive Whippoorwill

This evening will be the same as others, the song of the whippoorwill will be calling me soon, very soon. Each evening I'm serenaded by the sound of a whippoorwill over and over again. I thought to describe to you the feeling I have when I hear the song. But much like the elusive whippoorwill, I can't quite put my finger on my whippoorwill feelings.

The night sounds of the whippoorwill, the melancholy sound, the repetition of the calls draw me in. It's the haunting call of two, sometimes three notes, repeated over and over again which lead me into a rhythm of relaxation and reflection, and dreaming of softness and sweetness.


I discovered this poem by Emily Dickinson called, A Feather From The Whippoorwill, and thought you'd enjoy it.

A feather from the Whippoorwill
That everlasting -- sings!
Whose galleries -- are Sunrise --
Whose Opera -- the Springs --
Whose Emerald Nest the Ages spin
Of mellow -- murmuring thread --
Whose Beryl Egg, what Schoolboys hunt
In "Recess" -- Overhead!

Several of you asked about purchasing pieces of pottery from my home gallery. For your convenience, I've added a buy button at the top of my blog. I'll be at a local market today so measurements and pricing will be added by tomorrow. Thanks so much for your interest in my pottery.

It's Tea Time

The other day I was thinking about making teapots; I seem to be in a clay thinking rather than clay making phase. There's been my painting class, sorting items out of the treasure bus, reviewing old photographs, various local functions, health issues, then the flea markets, and other pursuits, but at least I'm thinking about clay. I've only made a few teapots in clay. Making a teapot, at least for me, is something I need to warm up to.


I went to the library and checked out several books on the tradition of drinking and serving tea. No wonder I am thinking of teapots and tea time, it's Spring, the perfect time to have a leisurely tea party, don't you think?


Later in the week I was at the grocery story and I decided to peruse the magazine section. I stop there to do what I call magazine window shopping. I don't purchase the magazines, I just look. For some reason I splurged on this Tea Time magazine (cover in first photo). The dainty and brightly colored teapots and the whimsical tea table displays inside won me over.

I saw there was an article inside Tea Time magazine about tea rooms/shops in Tampa. Tampa is about an hour's drive South of me. I'll have to take a trip there one of these days. On the net, the magazine website has extras to go along with the magazine issues. Oh, look at the bottom magazine cover, gluten free recipes inside, I just noticed that, meant to be.

I started remembering times of my youth when I'd have tea parties outside with my siblings serving them in a my tin tea set. The one I had is something like the photo I have shown (borrowed from the net for illustration purposes). I remember I used to pick oxalis and serve that with imaginary tea, usually water, but sometimes sassafras or cool aide.


As I was leafing through the magazine I discovered an article tucked in the back about the Seagrove Potteries referencing the Teapots and Teacups show at The North Carolina Pottery Center now through April 30, 2011. I remember my friend and fellow blogger Meredith of Whynot Pottery posting about the show see examples of the teapots here and here which are on display.


If you have the opportunity please visit the exhibit or if you're thinking of purchasing a gift, think about a handmade pottery and teapots. Steeped in tradition, you can't go wrong with a teapot to use for daily tea, a tea party, or just to display for it's beauty.

You could even have a tea party with a relative, a friend, your child or grandchild, wouldn't that be fun? Spread a table cloth on the ground or on a picnic table in the shade, bring out a tea set and some tasty morsels, and have a wonderful tea party. Happy Spring to you; it's tea time.

Levi Ambition

Do you remember me talking about the Levi quilt I made in the late 1970s, the one I never completed? This quilt has been wrapped in a plastic bag, then stored inside a plastic container ever since that time. It probably should have been stored in cotton, but that was then, this is now. This quilt is a story of my past ambition, Levi ambition, forestalled till now.


Today I took the quilt top and bottom out, spread them out on our king sized bed and took a photo of them. Yes, it's a king sized reversible quilt; matching my king sized ambitions from back then. This is the first photo of this quilt and the first time I've held this Levi quilt in my hands since the late 1970s. Oh how time and ambitions fly by, so quickly by.


I was inspired to design this reversible Levi quilt back then because Levi's were the most popular staple of American dress. So many pieces of this quilt were worn by me and others back when cotton lasted, really lasted, a lifetime. Of course I had to cut the squares of Levi from worn pieces of material. I wanted that worn look and that soft feeling Levi material gets after it's been washed, worn, and washed many times.


I remember going in many a thrift store for several years looking for just the right size and worn look Levi's. Only the top part of a larger sized Levi pants leg could be used for a square because each square had to be 6.5 inches in order to have the seam allowance for a 6 inch square. Lots of Levi's have been recycled into this quilt.


I've already quilted the center red star and blue star. The thread in the red star is rotted on one side and will have to be re-stitched. I intended to tie the corners of each square together. Some time after I made this Levi quilt top and bottom, I met Gary. We were married and the project went to the back burner.

I googled Levi quilt and apparently others have used Levi for quilts too, but mine is the only one with a star in the center. Using a star in the center of the front and back of the quilt had nothing to do with my married last name; I made the Levi quilt before I even met Gary. He and I have been married for twenty five years, so the quilt is older than that.


Each Levi square is six inches. The quilt top, Levi with red square, measures 102 x 72 inches. The quilt back, red with Levi square, measures slightly smaller. I intended to add more Levi squares around the edge to make the back the same size as the top.

Miraculously I saved a multitude of Levi squares, a few pair of Levi's, and some extra of the red material. Today I'm wondering if I have enough ambition to finish this Levi quilt from the past. Comments are welcome.

Green Reality

My post today was going to be a few photos of green glazed pottery with no words just a Happy St. Patrick's Day wish for you. Sometimes, though, I start typing and the words flow freely. We finally made it to the local flea market which we'd packed up for a couple of weeks ago. We couldn't go then because the weather turned cold and attendance would have been low; then I fell ill; then Gary's back was bad. We finally made it there yesterday.


Sales started out slow since many folks get up late in these parts. I can't understand why, but they do. Even in summer we get up early and get our chores done before the sweltering heat overcomes all of our ambitions for the day. But the flea market vendors along with us were there before the light dawned on their booths.


Gary sold a few license plates from his collection. He's been collecting them for eons it seems. I sold a few garden books, I know them by heart after all these years. I brought a few pieces of pottery to sell, one of which sold, a large free form bowl, with slip applications some being native Florida clay. I hadn't signed the piece and borrowed a permanent marker to sign the bottom for the woman who purchased it.


Our booth neighbors were a gentleman selling shelled pecans for $7 a pound from his 32 acre farm in North Carolina. He was here in Florida for the winter living with his children. He makes the rounds to flea markets six days a week. Really he was none too gentlemanly partly based on the repeated telling of bawdy off color jokes, partly based on his snide remarks about each customer after they left his booth, but mostly about his saying he took back two packages of nuts because they were rotten and telling us he'd just sell them to the next person.


The other booth neighbors we had were a jewel of a full time RVer fisherman couple selling rods, reels, and tackle they towed in a custom wells cargo trailer. They did a hell of a business and we learned a whole lot about local fishing from them. I was even invited to go fishing in his boat in April to learn the ropes of Florida fishing.

The best part of the whole day for me was when the fisherman told me of fishing sixty miles out in the gulf with a friend one day and hundreds of swallows landed on their boat. The swallows were on the deck, on the windshield, and lined up on their fishing rods to rest during migration. He said if the birds were in his way he could gently pick them up cupped in his hand and move them to another spot to rest. I won't ever forget how he spoke with wonder about those barn swallows. His realizing the swallows were too tired to fear being handled by a fisherman while they rested their weary wings on the only land for miles in that great expanse of gulf water.


We didn't stray 20 feet from our flea market space yesterday, but we met a cross section of people from mainstream America. We met a mother and daughter selling items from their home and garage for a few dollars; an almost 400 pound veteran who rode in on an expensive Harley panhandling with a bucket up and down the aisles for spare change; folks reselling tomatoes they got from a local truck farm. We met so many folks selling odds and ends; selling what they can to make ends meet; green reality.