Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
We have had a terrible cold and flu season. So much coughing and so much mucus (TMI, I know but still . . . so much!). This past week has been fairly mild so we went on a walk to look for signs of spring. Looking forward to planting our peas around Saint Patrick's Day... Continue Reading →
All my bottoms are waxed and ready to glaze! I can hardly believe this is my last big batch of pottery for the 2016 throwing season on my back porch. Aside from my most popular item, pet dishes, I made a few new things this year: Organic Molded Bowls (To be listed soon but you... Continue Reading →
Little did I know that this sweet innocent looking plant, Lily of the Valley, would turnout to be a such nightmare for me and my perennials. A few short years after transplanting a small bundle of Lily of the Valley under the shade of our Bradford Pear tree, it took over! It invaded and started... Continue Reading →
My newest pieces: organically shaped bowls made from a slab of clay slumped over a plaster mold. They are becoming my favorite to make. I can roll out a slab of clay, slump it over a plaster mold, walk away to do something else! Within 20 to 30 minutes, the clay has dried out just... Continue Reading →
Bisque firing today! Meanwhile, the zucchini, squash and cucumbers are doing well. Soon we will have bowls for zucchini bisque, squash bisque and cucumber bisque!
"The peas are here! The peas are here!" our grandson exclaims. Yeah! Peas!
As any potter will tell you there is always an element of anticipation and surprise when you open the kiln after a glaze firing. A couple of weekend ago I glazed and loaded the kiln. I tried a few new glaze combinations; some I liked and others I didn't and will not do again! (I'm... Continue Reading →
Because the forecast called for rain today, I was hesitant about firing the kiln. (My kiln is on a covered back porch...open to the elements.) Luckily, no high winds! We had a lovely gentle rain most of the day. So, as I fired my first kiln load of the season, I enjoyed taking photos of... Continue Reading →
Is watching clay dry as exciting as watching paint dry or grass grow? Believe it or not I have done all three. WATCHING CLAY DRY WATCHING GRASS GROW While the clay dries, I look out to our yard. The lush green grass (and clover) inspires me to practice taking pictures of, well, grass. A... Continue Reading →
It's beginning to look and feel a lot like summer. 🙂 We picked about two pounds of strawberries from our strawberry patch this morning! Delicious!
Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with colors. Oscar de la Renta
We started our garden inside except for the peas which we planted outside last month. So far we have planted the seeds for lettuce, squash, zucchini, cilantro and tomatoes ( Thank you Shelley H! 😉 ) Now we watch, water and wait... Meanwhile . . .
Happy New Year! A new week! A new day! Hooray! I made no New Year's resolutions. In fact, a long time ago I resolved not to make New Year's resolutions. Instead I decided to make daily resolutions or, as some may call them, daily affirmations. Daily resolutions are much less daunting. The intent is for... Continue Reading →
I have not had a lot of time for pottery this year. That is not to say I have not been busy. Our grandson comes over every day. His little hands are busy as well as his mind exploring the world around him. While his hands are busy, my hands are busy clicking my camera... Continue Reading →
Bees, peas, bubbles and worms, oh my!
Brushing up on my throwing skills and math skills this week.Upon occasion, I have a customer that would like a dish to be a specific size. For more accuracy, I'm finding math helps! For example: I want to make a dish that will be 5 inches after the final firing. The clay I use to... Continue Reading →
Over the weekend we brought my pottery wheel to the basement from the man cave (a.k.a. garage). Wheel maintenance will start this week to make sure everything is in tip top shape for this throwing season. The first thing I need to check out is why the wheel head continues to rotate when the foot... Continue Reading →
Well, here I go again with the crazing! It's crazy! I thought I figured out the cause; apparently not! Argh! The cause could be any number of things: the clay the glaze - it only happens with the clear glaze so that could be a clue! the combination of the clay AND the glaze glaze... Continue Reading →
Great photographs drew me to photography not the camera. Seeing breathtakingly beautiful photographs in magazines such as National Geographic, Life, Sports Illustrated and Science inspired me to try and capture the perfect picture. I've never been one to read the owners manual and I didn't much care for the mechanics behind the workings of a... Continue Reading →
Back Porch Studio 