Sunrise Over the Mountains

good morning

Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Nerikomi or Inlay Clay & Cobalt Deco

We had a whirlwind storm pass through with winds and lots of rain. We seemed to have fared ok through that. I was left with just a little of the dark brown clay and decided to try nerikomi or inlay clay. I used some dark clay in a white clay tile. I put some creases over the top hoping it will give a rustic look when it's finished firing. Look back here to see some plates I made back in 2009. I forgot all about these till now. There is something so serene with just two different color clays contrasting one another.

After looking at this snowflake with cobalt deco I had an inspiration. I planned to make trays and cups to match with cobalt decoration. There is something magical about applying a small wash of cobalt and then seeing the blue appear after firing. It doesn't take much because cobalt is such a strong colorant.

I made a tray but when I made the cup it got much taller than I planned. I'll have to make another but I'm excited to see how this will turn out. Working with clay in a studio is like working in a science lab; there's lots of experimenting and trial and error. It's so much fun to see how my experiments turn out. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have found clay.

Here's the basket I first tried the cobalt wash on. See what I mean about how strong a colorant cobalt is. Ha. A woman bought this vase to take back to her mother in England this summer.

If I get up early enough I can see the sunrise coming up over the hills. My photos are never as brilliant as the sky actually is in person. I have a window of opportunity for firing for the next week so I guess I'll bit the bullet and get to those large pots. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sunrise and a Large Bowl

The other morning I glanced outside and saw a beautiful sunrise. I quickly got my camera and ran out to take a few photos.

You know how sunrises and sunsets are, they are fleeting and can disappear as quickly as they come. Look at the treeline on the distant mountain, towards the left, all the hardwood trees are about the same height. The mountains in the distance are part of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.

Here's the large bowl from this firing. It's 3 inches tall and 15 inches wide. I brushed a light brown glaze over the textured spots and those turned out nicely. Where you see the cream color is where the brown glaze was thinner.

I ran out of the green glaze so I glazed the back half with the light brown but on the back it turned a creamy tan color and the edges the brown. I think I should have put a thicker coat of the brown glaze. I like this color green; I wouldn't mind a set of dishes with just this green. I'll make more of this size bowl, maybe with the rim a little taller. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

U Haul Geography Lesson, Athabasca Sand Dunes in Saskatchewan

Who knew I'd get a geography lesson from a U Haul truck. When Gary made it to Georgia with the U haul truck yesterday I saw a description of shifting sand dunes in Canada painted on the side. I never knew Canada had sand dunes. I investigated this morning and read they're the Athabasca Sand Dunes in Saskatchewan. The dunes are the most northerly active dune formation on earth. I'm adding a trip to the dunes to my bucket list. In fact Canada in general deserves to be on my bucket list. My mind conjures up wild and pristine scenery at every turn of a future trip.

This past week Gary went to Florida and transferred all of our possessions from our treasure bus to a 26 foot U Haul truck. All our worldly goods acquired over 60 odd years are contained in the U haul minus our motorhome, bus and cars. We're  leaving the treasure bus in Florida; we think we'll have an easier time selling it there. Click the link to read about how we moved from California to Florida on shoestring. If you're looking for a good moving or storage bus let me know. Other uses for the bus are hunting bus, RV conversion, tail gait bus, and many others. The bus is 40 ft long is diesel, with new tires and batters and extremely low miles for a diesel. More info to follow.

This morning we're transferring all our goods into a storage unit in Blairsville, the city in the North Georgia mountains, where we're moving to shortly. It's just twelves miles from North Carolina. I was up early enough to enjoy a beautiful Georgia sunrise. Getting up and out before my usual time affords me the opportunity to enjoy the early morning colors of winter. Our new home move in date is almost here. Coming up new studio sketches, book reviews, herbal delights, and more. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sunrise, Sunset

“Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,
Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field,
Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds,
Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”

Shakespeare in Venus and Adonis

“When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather:
For the sky is red.
And in the morning, it will be foul weather today;
for the sky is red and lowering.”

the Bible, Matthew XVI: 2-3

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
Red sky in morning, sailor's warning.

Weather proverbs and historical quotes about red sky sunrise and sunset have a certain amount of scientific truth to them. When we see a red sky at night, this means the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system which has just passed from the west. This indicates a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.


The first four photos are of the sunrise, the last is the sunset of the previous twenty four hours here in the RV park. No matter how I try to capture the vibrant colors of the sunrise or sunset, I find they are always so much better in person. Since I've been living in my RV I don't have a regular routine. I've fallen out of the habit of going outside every day, walking around observing nature. The beautiful sunrise and sunset reminded me I need to return to some of my old routines.