Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!

Kenny has been sitting (in his wheelchair) by the front door for a couple hours waiting to serve little visitors their treats--but so far no callers. I just spoke with my daughter-in-law who lives just a couple blocks away to see if they have had any callers yet. She said they had just turned on the lights. So we were a bit early over here! I thought perhaps with all the scary stories these days that perhaps the trickers would come around earlier. Do hope we get come trickers--Kenny will be so disappointed if he has sat by the door all evening with no callers AND then we will have all that candy left over that I am sure to get into!

Besides waiting for the trickers, I am waiting for the kiln to get cool enough to open and empty. This is the second glaze firing in a little over a week. Our guild has its annual sale/show November 8 and I foolishly thought I'd have some work by then--but it has been a big push to try to get some things to offer. What I learn from this last minute push is that it is NOT the way to work with pottery-making. I need to have lots of experience behind me to crank out work on such short notice. I need to do lots of exploring and experimenting in a more leisurely fashion. There are so many 'tests' I want and need to do. I have one week to get another bisque and glaze firing done. I have greenware drying out right now. Just a bit disappointed that I am not able to do some more interesting work. Guess that comes later--I hope it does come later!

Well, I hope you are having a nice evening with family and friends. Boooo.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

what's up?

First, I blamed my failure to post to my blog regularly on my inactivity in the studio. (I can't believe it has been 2 months since my last post!) I blamed my inactivity in the studio on other things--but that is another story!
Then, I have blamed my failure to post to my blog on being so busy in the studio that I haven't had time to post!
Then I thought it was because I was not doing anything interesting in the studio.
Come on, girl. What's up? Maybe I just got out of the habit. Maybe I'm just a bit lethargic emotionally. Maybe it was too hot, too long. Maybe because once it started raining it has not stopped. And now the mosquitoes have moved into the studio and taken over...

Our guild, San Antonio Potters Guild, is holding is annual sale on November 8th. Months ago I was sure I would be back in the studio soon and would want to have a booth. Well, I was not back in the studio soon and I have almost nothing to put out in the booth. So now I am in frantic, around the clock frenzy of making, glazing, firing. After a few days of throwing, I went into clean up mode before I began a round of glaze mixing. I washed all the tools I'd been using and laid them out on a towel to dry. I was astonished at how many tools I'd used. I know I am a tool junky but was rather pleased to see that at least I use the tools I've collected--not all of them, mind you, but enough to justify the collection to myself, at least. I am always impressed when a potter says he/she only uses 4 tools to make all the wonderful pots he/she produces. Well, I'm on the other side of the spectrum.

You see my name on those tools--because I was carrying them back and forth from the community studio for a couple years. Just like in school, everyone had the same tools and it was too easy to get them mixed up, so mine are marked!

I had fun the other day blowing up some of my closed pots. It was the first time I had tried that and it was amazing. I used a straw to blow into the almost closed pot and it expanded so easily. I had weighted out several balls of clay the same weight and was making similar closed pots. After I had made the first one I tried blowing into the next. The difference in the pots was amazing. In the photo, the first pot (not blown into) is in the middle of two pots I did expand by blowing.

Well, it looks like once I get started I can't stop. Nice of you to drop in after such a long dry spell!