Rambling Red Rose

This week a rambling red rose is blooming in the garden. The flowers are a very dark red more like the second photo. Do you have any idea what variety this rose might be? I don't think it's called rambling red although I titled the blog post as that. The blossoms are about two inches across with yellow centers and the petals are double. I don't detect any strong fragrance.

I started organizing the studio today. Actually Gary started opening boxes to prod me along. Later another home remodeling project was moved to the front burner. I may have more pottery to show you coming up if I make it to Helen Arts Center tomorrow if the weather isn't too rainy.

There's a white flowering native vine blooming at the bottom of our driveway I'll have to take a photo to show you. I also saw a pink azalea and learned from Clay Club it grows only in North Carolina; I'll have to go back and get a photo to see if it's a rare pinkshell azaleas found on Grandfather Mountain. Hope you are enjoying the spring weather. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

New To Me Shimpo Pottery Wheel

Sometimes persistence pays off. I read on Clay Club's blog of several used pottery wheels for sale. Yesterday Gary and I spent seven hours driving to  and from Penland School of Crafts to get a shimpo pottery wheel. Gary strapped it down nice and tight to keep it safe in the back of my car. The things we do for art. Ha. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sea of Sunflowers

The other day we turned a bend in the road and came upon a sea of sunflowers, acres and acres of them. They're growing near the quaint village of Townville, SC. When I normally think of sunflowers I think of the giant ones but these were a very short variety.

I suspect they are being grown for the seed or oil. Notice the silo to the right. There were four of them probably for storing the seed temporarily. The flowers above look less vibrant as the flowers are facing the other direction, to the West.

Here's closer look at the diminutive beauties with their faces turned to the West to capture as much sunlight as they could.

Above is model for the pattern for the florets of the sunflower proposed by Vogel in 1979. It is a form of Fermat's spiral. There is beauty but also science and mathmatics in nature, so much to learn. Click the link for sunflower to read about the uses of the sunflower, a truly amazing plant.

Seeing all the sunflowers reminded me of the sunburst platter I made some time ago. I must make more of these, was contacted by someone just this week about purchasing one. Hopefully I find a new place to land soon. OK, what does a potter do whose living in a motorhome? Why read an ad for a shimpo and be prepared to drive five hours to get it. But wouldn't you know it I just missed out on purchasing a shimpo wheel I noticed for sale on the Clay Club. Hopefully another one will show up one of these days. This post is part of Mud Colony what's happening in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.