Out of Commission

Like this cracker house with many of it's parts out of repair, I've been out of commission the last couple of days with back, hip, intestine and possibly kidney problems. But like the cracker house I'm still standing. I hope to be back soon.

I really want to make a cracker house out of clay like this one; it has so much character but that will have to wait. These windows would make a great wall hanging with the tattered curtains and broken glass. I feel a mixed media piece coming up real soon.

The lace curtains still look fresh in the front window and the wood isn't weathered under the porch, amazing. The porch is long since gone though.

The back porch is in really good condition. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Exploring Pedestal Bowls

This week I decided to explore some pedestal bowls. I love developing new forms. For this one I envisioned an organic shape and thought I'd make the pedestal portion free form as well. I also made the handles with an organic shape.

I think the pedestal portion could be smaller in diameter and taller and little less volume. Maybe flared out at the bottom. I like the organic shape of the handles but they are not quite right, maybe hollow handles would be better. I don't like how the handles are attached either.

I guess that's why I always attach handles on the underside because I struggle with making them an integral part of the piece. Perhaps I should have blended the edges into the bowl. What do you think? Once there is glaze the sharp contrast won't be so noticeable. I'll be trying a few more pedestal forms over the next week and I'm continuing with my shrines and doors and more. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Fossil Plate

I wanted to try different spices this time with the local shrimp we purchased from a local fisherman. Here's the lunch I tossed together. I chopped a portobello mushroom in half inch squares and sauteed it just to soften and set the mushrooms aside.

Then I sauteed some fresh ginger and shallots, added the shrimp and sprinkled in a generous amount of thyme, chives, and turmeric. At the last minutes I added the mushrooms back over the top and folded them with the shrimp mixture. I served them with my usual vegetable medley.

This plate sits on a small round base and is 7 x 7 x 3/4 inch, Cone 11 reduction, Black Mountain stoneware clay with a brown glaze. You might wonder why I call it a fossil plate.Years ago I was at a show selling my high fire work. A young boy about 12 years old was very interested in my pottery. He looked at each piece with great interest. When he saw this plate he started rubbing his hands over the top. I explained the impression was made with a pine leaves and pine cone. He asked very seriously and with great wonder, "Is this a fossil?" I think I replied, I guess in a way it is a type of fossil. Sometimes at shows children are more interested in the pottery than the adults. I spend as much time talking with them as I can hoping they'll be encouraged to pursue some type of art. Now every time I see this plate I think of that young boy. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Roof Repair

 Perhaps you remember I bumped the edge of this roof and a piece cracked off. I finally got around to repairing the roof on this mountain cabin personal shrine. I used thick slip mixed with vinegar. I have the edge propped up with a folded piece of cardboard to put some 'up' pressure on the underside of the roof. Hope it holds; the true test will be in the firing.

Here's the underside of the roof. The piece is in drying in the cabinet now.  I'll touch up the color in a day or so. I don't dare sand the slip; it would make the repair fail. This will just have to be a roof that a tree fell through and was patched. One of these days I'll do some tests with dried pieces and crack them on purpose to see which repair methods work best; might be nice 'clay clinical trial'. Ha.

Here's what the cabin personal shrine looked like just after I made it. Off to get more clay today. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season.

Tagore

The Gardener 1919

by Rabindranath Tagore

Who are you, reader,

reading my poems an hundred years hence?

I cannot send you one single flower

from this wealth of the spring,

one single streak of gold from yonder clouds.

Open your doors and look abroad from your blossoming garden

gather fragrant memories of the vanished flowers

of an hundred years before.

In the joy of your heart may you feel living joy

that sang one spring morning,

sending its glad voice across an hundred years.

The camellias were given to us for Christmas by our neighbor. They have a huge camellia shrub covered with these delicate pink blossoms which I noticed the other day as we drove by. How did they know I admired them so. Even though I know there's no fragrance in the flower I can almost detect a faint scent. I couldn't find the translation of Camellia by Rabindranath Tagore, so I posted this poem. While researching camellia I discovered Tagore and would like to read more of his writings in the new year.

Merry Christmas

From our door to yours Merry Christmas from Gary and Linda and Betty, Binky and Butter.

This door had so many parts I forgot to put a handle on it. Hope you have a relaxing holiday.

Bricks and Rust

Please don't stand too close to this brick wall deteriorating in the desert, the bricks may fall on you. The rusty metal door is all but holding up the small portion of wall that's left. This piece is 10.5 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches. Inspiration for this one came from an old ghost town Gary and I visited back in the late 1980s. I wonder if the building is still there? I wonder what sign the oval above the door used to hold? Maybe I'll add a nail to the next piece and then a viewer could add something. A sign, a wreath, a name perhaps?

Some day we hope to get back to all the ghost towns we visited so long ago in the Southwest. For years we went out into the desert and took photos of gold rush ghost towns capturing many before they deteriorated or were pilfered. I hope to have a group of these finished after the new year. Hope you're having a relaxing holiday season. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Every Door is a Possibility

Today I took a detour from the shrines. I've always been drawn to architecture and doors so I was inspired to make one in clay. This piece is about 9 x 6 x 3/4 inches. A few years ago I took a photo of a door in Baja Mexico very similar to this one; it hangs in my studio. I did my best to show a flame in the gas light. I thought about adding steps, but I'll add some on the next door. I could make a hundred of these. I'm sure I won't make a hundred, but I'll make a few more with different styles. Every door is a possibility. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Blue Christmas

I don't think I showed you blue boy after I fired him. I added the raindrops several of you suggested. I thought about adding some Swarovski crystals to embellish his eyes.

On closer inspection I like his eyes the way they are now, they show his character. The holidays make me a little blue but I am keeping my smile like blue boy.

I thought about a companion Blue Girl piece and I came across this video of Janis Joplin singing Little Girl Blue which I've never heard before.

Then I remembered the song Blue Christmas by Elvis. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Give A Hoot

Since Gary is working the flea markets till Thursday, I'll keep working till then. It's work but it's more fun than work, if you know what I mean. After that we might take a trip to the beach before the new year, who knows. But look who, (hoot, hoot) just flew into the drying cabinet - Give a Hoot, an owl in a shrine. I've used some dark gray underglaze for the night sky, can't wait to see how that fires up. The owls I hear at night here are the barred owl, or hoot owl. It's hoot sometimes sounds like a barking dog. The owl in the shrine is more of a great horned owl.

The shrine ledge is just deep enough to place a votive candle. I may think about putting a lip on the front to better retain one inside. I can envision some lattice screen doors which would open and close on the front. I'll have to figure out how to construct those to make them movable. I have the idea, but don't know how to make that happen just yet. Suggestions are most welcome, thanks so much, and happy holidays.

Grits and Grunts Next Time

We tried a new fish today called grunt fish or pigfish which doesn't sound very appetizing, but the name belies the goodness we soon discovered. The name grunt comes from the ability of this fish to grind it's teeth making a noise which sounds like a grunt. I didn't have any grits so I couldn't make the famous Florida dish Grits and Grunts, but look for it next time I have this fish. There's also a folkloric novel about Key West by Stetson Kennedy called Grits and Grunts which I'll have to see if I can find at the library.

Before I began to cook the fish I started some brown rice. While the rice was simmering, I cooked up a large batch of a vegetable medley which consists of  fresh tomatoes, crookneck, and zucchini squash added to sauteed ginger and shallots with a generous sprinkling of whatever herbs I grab from the cabinet. We eat the vegetables all week long.

Once the rice and vegetables were well on their way I sauteed a little fresh ginger in a small sauce pan, placed the patted dry fish fillets in the pan and then added some teriyaki sauce after I turned them over. I covered them briefly and they were done in a flash.

Grunt fish is a delicious reef fish which is very mild and sweet. Since the fish cooks so quickly, next time I'll reduce the teriyaki sauce beforehand to thicken it, then pour it over the fillets. The fillets were delicate and tasty morsels. Once again we're thankful to shop at such a wonderful local fish market and for the bounty the Gulf of Mexico provides. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Market Report

Did you think this was going to be a stock market report? Sorry, this is my farmers market report. Saturday at the market I was sandwiched between a church cookbook fund raiser and a children's camp fundraiser. Despite the distraction of those much too aggressive sales booths on either side, my sales were brisk. Folks raved about my work and bought lots of pendants, bowls, serving platters, and even one of my Easter Island inspired sculptures. Although no one purchased a wall tile they've been really well received. Several people will be opening commercial offices and are considering my wall tiles. In order to have enough work for the next market I got right back to work and started with some more leaf pendants.

I added some silk flowers to a couple of vases and this added height and brightness to my display. Although I'm normally not a fan of artificial flowers, I noticed the public were drawn into the booth by the bright color of the silk flowers. I am wondering how to keep the wrinkles out of the table cloths. Polyester doesn't wrinkle much but these natural linen look cloths tend to wrinkle more. Perhaps if I take them out of the dryer and roll them directly on a cardboard form? I dispensed with the rotating stand for the wall tiles and just interspersed a few of them on the table. I need to purchase a few more of the easels but the wall tiles are a bit heavy for the easels and in a strong wind they might blow over. I'll have to think about a better way to display them. I've seen a couple of potters have wood plate display racks, but that adds more weight to carry. Thanks for reading, comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Inverness Market Today

Today I'll be at the Inverness Market from 8 am to 12 noon. I'll have a nice selection of mugs and cups, appetizer plates, serving platters, wall tiles, sets of bowls, and more.

 Please stop by if you're in the area and enjoy the festivities. There will be much to choose from for any last minute holiday shopping needs. Thanks for all your support.

Pottery, Art, Craft, Or Both

The leaves are from Acer floridanum, a native Florida maple tree, in our front yard. This medium sized maple tree has small leaves for the size of the tree but the fall color is wonderful. There are hundreds on the ground. I know they'll deteriorate soon, so I gathered a few leaves to enjoy in my studio.

I fooled around making some test tiles from scraps of slabs yesterday experimenting with transferring leaves coated with slip and overlapping slip colors to see how they fire. This was the first attempt and the leaves are blotched.

This next one has a taupe color of slip background which I haven't used before. This ladder of leaves is 11.25 inches tall and 3.75 inches wide and fairly thin. After I made this one I thought this size would be nice as a group of three, five, even seven. I'll see how the slip colors fire on all my test tiles before I make any tile panels.

Later I made this small, almost miniature, purple topiary shrine with left over pieces of clay cut from previous shrines. This shrine is 8 inches tall and 4 inches wide and three inches deep. I planned to make red roses but I didn't put detail in them so they look like apples. Perhaps I should make a snake tempting someone to partake of the fruit. I might add a little bird in there somewhere. I'll go back and change the color of the stem and pot to make them contrast more. I keep rolled slabs of clay wet by putting them in a sandwich of plastic and wrapping them. They'll stay fresh for several days to use at a later time. If I keep them in plastic too long the slabs start growing mold.

After the flea market yesterday Gary drove over to the gallery to see which items sold. The woman working there told Gary my work was craft and might sell better at a flea market. I guess this type of attitude about pottery stems from folks thinking pottery is craft and painting is art. Maybe pottery is both craft and art. But I think painting is the same, both craft and art. It's probably very lucky I wasn't there when she said that. Perhaps she wouldn't have made this remark to me and I wouldn't know how some in the gallery perceive my work. And maybe this person feels the same way about the other pottery in the gallery as well. I do think if my work went through the jury process to get into the gallery, those working in the gallery should be upbeat about the work no matter what their personal opinion happens to be. At least that's what I would do for other's work if I was working there.

Here are my wall tiles displayed in the gallery, not the best way to display them. They look crowded  in comparison to the large paintings hung nearby. My functional work is in a different location. I tried to work with them and offered to bring in a different display, but they have so many paintings and photography packed into this gallery location there isn't any empty space at all. I envisioned a few of the tiles on easels interspersed with my functional work grouped together. On this particular wall display I could envision a panel of tiles as one group. Perhaps I'll make something like that for this space and remove these from the gallery. Most galleries have more open space and white walls or panels to hang work. Perhaps this gallery isn't a good fit for my work.

Now my apple topiary shrine might be craft, but I don't think my portrait wall tiles or other shrines are craft. I realize my work isn't like other work people may have seen. Maybe my work is perceived as folk art, outsider art, funk art, or avant-garde?  I think my functional work is within the normal range, whatever that may be. Anyway pottery - art, craft, or both, does it matter? My work isn't factory made, it's hand made, one of a kind, made with thought and care. This post is part of Artists in Blogland Show and Tell Saturday. Comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Malcolm Davis

One of the first clay workshops I took was with Malcolm Davis; sadly he passed away this week. The photo shows two of his shino glazed tea bowls. Malcolm was a full time studio potter since the early 1980's and worked extensively with carbon-trap shino glazes which he said developed best in early and heavy reduction.

At the workshop I attended Malcolm shared freely about his life as a potter and his experiences in the world of clay where he threw multiples of porcelain tea bowls off the hump. Malcolm said early in his career, each time he took a workshop, he was given different and often conflicting advice for working in clay from other ceramists. Malcolm said he learned each ceramic artist must find there own way in working with clay. What I remember best about Malcolm was his humor and kind and gentle nature. 

Something to Crow About

While Gary was selling at the flea market yesterday I made this crow shrine. These shrines take quite a bit of time to put together, drying and then brushed with stains and slips. It took me about five hours to make this one, cutting out the shrine, then the crow and branches, letting them firm up, slip or stain painting them, assembling them and doing the touch up staining and slip painting. I see the left hand side of the roof extension is longer than the right hand side, not enough to be a saltbox. I measured and divided it in half, how did that happen. Oh well, that's part of the whimsy of the piece which is about 13 inches tall and 9 inches wide including the roof or 7 inches wide without the roof. It's about three inches deep which would be enough to place a votive candle.

The crow and most of the branches are sprigs added on top of the multi-colored blue background. I can't wait to fire some of these to see how the blended colors turn out. Some of the branches are slip painted extensions of the sprigs and climb up the sides like branches in the shrines I made recently. Can you tell he's just landing in the tree? I like the contrast of the black crow against the blue background; he looks like he's thinking of something important. He could have been a bit more animated. My old crow salesman samples are the inspiration for this piece. Click on the link to see the resemblance. These shrines lend themselves to birds, well to all sorts of things and are so satisfying to make. This post will be a part of the Mud Colony weekly what's up in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Be Vigilant to Prevent Fraud

Over the last several years, I've made it practice not to use my credit card, I use postal money orders instead of checks, I shred everything personal, I don't put anything personal in the trash, I don't use my mail box out front but rather use a post office box at the post office instead, I never leave outgoing mail in my mail box, trying to protect my identity. Two things have happened recently which has made me promise myself to be even more vigilant. Not long ago I received a notice from my credit card company that if I didn't use my card within two weeks they were going to lower my credit limit significantly. I didn't want my limit lowered in case I needed to use the card for an emergency, so I decided to charge one item and pay it off when the bill came. I ordered a rotating peg board display via the internet and paid off the bill when it came in person at the bank in cash.

Yesterday the statement came from the bank showing my payment, but also two charges I didn't make at JC Pennys on the West Coast. I spent hours talking to the credit card company, JC Pennys, the company who I used my credit card with, the sheriff's department reporting the fraud. I'm not sure how someone got my card number since I changed my card number only two months before I used it, but they did. JC Pennys didn't ask the person who used my card number for the three digit code on the back. Hey, if we have protections for the consumer why don't businesses use that simple way of protecting us?

Three weeks ago we put our trash out for pick up the night before. We usually put it out in the morning but rain was predicted and we didn't want to go out when it was pouring. Later that morning we were going to the library and I noticed one of the trash can lids had blown off, so I got out of the car to put the lid back on. I noticed the bag inside was dumped out and all the trash was loose. I went over to the car to ask Gary if he had put the trash in the can that way, he said no. Then I opened the other trash can lid and saw the same thing. All of the bags had been ripped open on the side (they were tied tight at the top) and all the trash was emptied in the can. During the night someone had gone through our whole trash can full of trash, every single piece of trash. I was mortified at the invasion of privacy. Luckily I hadn't put anything personal in the trash. Now I know it wasn't a raccoon who did this because a raccoon doesn't smoke and they don't put the lid back on the trash can. Lying beside the trash can were many cigarette butts. I also reported this incident to the sheriff, I told my immediate neighbors of the incident, and an article was published in my local homeowners bulletin to warn others in my neighborhood.

My point is please keep an eye out and be vigilant to prevent fraud. Check all your bank statements to be sure they are correct, check your credit card statements, and shred anything with your name on it. Also stay in touch and talk to your neighbors and report suspicious activities to your local sheriffs or police departments. The sheriff's department was glad I made reports because if they don't know about these occurrences they can't help prevent them. They said knowing patterns of occurrences helps them solve crimes. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Tent City

On a drive down to Tampa yesterday I noticed the tent city along the highway had been removed or moved, not sure which. I remembered hearing on the news they'd banned begging in that city except on Sundays. I wonder what those people will do now.

We visited one pottery (all I could talk Gary into visiting) on the Tour de Clay which was San Antonio Pottery. I had a nice time visiting with Jack Boyle and McKenzie Smith, and guest potters Michele Ginouves and Susan Livingston. Jack Boyle said a brick building next to his building has sat empty for 30 years. He tried many times to purchase or lease it and the owners couldn't agree among themselves so it's just sat empty the whole time rotting away for 30 years, amazing and sad.

Surprisingly no one has ever broken into or vandalized the building in all that time as evidenced by the spider, webs, and egg sacs which line the edges of the doorways. The spider and the egg sacs with protuberances are from a brown widow spider. I thought about all the homeless and then about all the houses sitting empty across the country.

In preparation for hurricane season earlier this year we purchased some canned goods. Since next summer they'll be out of date we donated them to the food bank. We had some camping gear we were going to sell at the flea market but decided the amount of money we'd get for those items wouldn't be much to us but the gear would be a lot to someone homeless. So we donated them to the local shelter which can pass them out to someone needy. Last evening I made this blue moon shrine with paper resist and sgraffito techniques. Hum, the tree looks like a hand, a hand with eight fingers. I may add a blue tent under that tree. The ground is blue too; it's cold outside. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Studio Mate

Here's a bird's eye view of what it looks like when I start to make a piece. Yesterday morning my cat, Betty, was my studio mate. I've put the blue towel in the window sill because it's a place my cats like to sun themselves in winter, since the window faces South. Betty kept me company until I started rolling out the clay. Then she decided I was making too much noise and getting a little too close for comfort with the rolling pin. I think she may be part Maine Coon cat because she has those tufts of fur between the pads on the undersides of her feet. Betty's about twelve years old now. As I sit here typing she's sitting on the top back of my computer chair, eventually she'll move to the towel I have beside the keyboard. I tried rolling the clay slab on an old sheet, but finally discarded the sheet in favor of the fiberboard. I started using fiberboard when I made work while living and traveling across the country in an RV and it's become a habit now.

Here's the next shrine, niche, or alcove (whatever they may be named) in process. This one's about 13 inches tall by 6 inches wide, taller than the last one but same depth. I can't make these fast enough for the ideas coming out of my head. The colors may seem somewhat dull here, but it took hours to blend the subtle colors of slip on the background. I started brushing with light gray, then overlapped swirls of dark gray, then some lavender, some turquoise, some red, and some dark purple. I did a little blending with my finger tips too. I was envisioning a winter sky. You know how the sky gets a low hanging gray color as an indication of impending snow.

Not sure how these overlapped colors will turn out, we shall see. The outside top and sides are faded black and brown blended together like a rough and worn wooden surface. I see the bottom is a little askew, I'll have to fix that. I want these to sit on a shelf or hang on the wall so I need the bottom to be flat. I'm having a terrible time with the humidity. I used to work in the dry air of California; here, even inside it's humid. Of course the wet clay drying in the closets adds to that.

Here's the second tree shrine. I've done more refining since this photo. The overall look is moody which is the feeling I wanted to capture this time. This tree has more branches and yes my 'signature' roots are on the bottom. What a hoot, as if I have a signature or trademark, but who knows maybe these will be it. The grass growing on the ground has turned brown due to the cold winter air. Still thinking about the moon Teresa suggested. I'll make the next piece wider, not as tall, and perhaps a different style roof. Thanks for reading and for all your comments and encouragement.

Step by Step

I wish I would have stopped here but I didn't; I added more to the tree. I like how the tree grows up and over the sides and up the roof interior.


First I built an enclosure for the shrine. This piece is about 10.5 high by 5.5 wide  in inches; at the edge of the roof it's 8.5 wide. The sides are 2.5 inches deep, the roof is 4 inches at the center and curves slightly narrower at the edge, and the base is 3 inches deep curving narrower to meet the sides. After I made the piece I let it firm up some and dry over night.


The next morning I brushed three coats of blue and green stained slip on the panels. I usually brush the slip before I assemble the piece but this time I did the reverse. I found out it's much easier to put the slip on before assembly. When it's assembled I have to be really careful not to knock my hand or fingers against any of the sides while I'm brushing on the colored slip. I use a small brush (an acrylic size) because the slip dries quickly; I need to keep dipping into the slip so I can apply wet coats to the surface.

After the background colors dried, I brushed in the tree and branches. Then I layered more colors of slip for the tree, bark, leaves, and grass. See this is what I mean, I think the barren tree in the first photo was more dramatic than this later one. But I can always make another one. In fact I plan to make several more of these. The tree now looks about like the sweetgum, Liquidamber styraciflua, outside my studio window; still holding on to some of it's leaves.

Trees by Alfred Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree. 

I added roots of the tree under the bottom. I also added one yellow star on top of the roof. I have a few ideas of a sculptural piece to add beside the tree inside the shrine. This post is part of Artists in Blogland Saturday share. Comments and suggestions are most welcome.