I was happy to accept the Life in Black and White challenge. At first, I thought it would be hard but I found that taking a picture of the simplest things made the biggest impact in black and white.
Black & White
New Clay! Great Things!
Just when I was ready to throw in the towel early this month due to groggy clay , I decided to talk to the folks at my local pottery supply store to see if they could recommend a new clay body similar to what I had been using for over ten years. I am SO happy... Continue Reading →
Love what you do
Work. What is work? What does it mean? Save Save
Summer Not Yet Over!
Though the calendar says it is autumn, Mother Nature says otherwise! I am thrilled by the warm dry autumn days because I can continue to throw pots on my back porch! Most recently, I have been working on plates. I have been using a certain mid-fire cone 6 clay for over 10 years and... Continue Reading →
Grog Strikes Again
I have been using 112 brown clay for over ten years and have never experienced the problems with grog as I have this year. The particle size of the grog seems unusually large causing a lot of damage and heartbreak. 😦 Looks like I will be looking for a new clay. Save
Lemonade
When given lemons . . . . . .make lemonade! Save
Oh Grog!
This year's throwing season seems to be going well! Very minimal mistakes plus,thanks to learning about an alternative way to take large pots off the bat, I have been able to throw larger pieces: plates, serving bowls, platters and pet bowls! To date, I have thrown over 35 pieces since Memorial Day! 😀 Unfortunately, I'm... Continue Reading →
Try, try, try again
One reoccurring problem I have had was making large pet dishes (7+ inches or larger in diameter). In almost every single instance, I would ruin the pet dish when taking it off the bat. I had some extra time over the winter to research alternative ways of taking large pots off of the bat. I... Continue Reading →
Signs of Spring 2017
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 →
Ready for Glaze ~ Last Batch of 2016
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 →
Underway: The Eradication of the Lily of the Valley
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 →
New: Organic Bowls
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 →
Time to Bisque Clay, Zucchini and Cucumbers
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!
Pea Season!
"The peas are here! The peas are here!" our grandson exclaims. Yeah! Peas!
An Element of Surprise
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 →
Today’s Pictures Brought to You by Rain
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 →
Watching Clay Dry
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 →
A Strawberry Kind Of Day
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!
Spring Has Sprung
Gardening is how I relax. It's another form of creating and playing with colors. Oscar de la Renta
Hooray! It’s Spring!
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 . . .
Back Porch Studio 