LeeU

Funny--this is what I did today with some slab trimming scraps---I'll make hundreds and they will be gifts for the staffs of my favorite local non-profits

These are just inventory reference pics-not meant to see the light of day! The current key fobs are held on a spring clip (like for lanyards) and then attached to the ring, to give them some 'swing' and not be too fixed to the ring...I figure that might help prevent breakage-tho so far after a year or so none have broken that I know of. I don't care for the pendants (the cording-can't afford gold or sterling YET, which is how I would prefer to offer them...but people like them & it keeps them inexpensive (i.e. they sell) , so whatta ya gonna do!

I no longer have the temperament or patience for proper construction w/slabs. I do mostly freeform from scratch or a combo with hump/ slump forms. I am doing more clean and sometimes even straight edges to dishes now because I am in a touristy retail shop. It kind of distresses me tho that people get excited about my key fobs and not ..oh well......go figure!

Seems like a medical question---personally I would want to do some research into the specific condition and choose carefully what type(s) of health practitioner(s) I consulted. Mainstream medicine did nothing for the type of arthritis I have, in a segment of my neck/shoulder, and in my right hand, but a year of (insurance-covered) expert chiropractic treatment reduced it significantly, proven by x-rays. It is not gone, of course, but in over 3 years it has not progressed from that reduction and is nowhere near the pretreatment degree of pain and restriction of movement. I am absolutely not offering a medical opinion--just sharing what has been the case for me, which has been counter to what I was being told by M.D.s., including that progression was inevitable. Keeping my hand/fingers/wrist moving-including working with clay-is a recommendation for my ongoing flexibility. I do not throw very often; I handbuild. My most significant restriction is wedging, and I have found that the cut & slam method is the best technique for me.

Well, not exactly on the workbench but I thought I'd share a peek at how my test herb markers did and a new shallow dish treatment that I like (PC Ancient Copper).

I rarely throw and my style is intentionally a bit raw, allowing the natural properties, incl. "flaws", presented by the process to remain "as is". When I do throw I don't often add feet-if I do I trim if needed just enough assure a flat base. Trimming for my freeform slab/hand built pieces is limited to softening sharp edges. I close my eyes and feel the greenware as tho I could not see. It gets "trimmed" by how it feels. The feel of it is the point. I do some very light sanding (sanding-oh no, say it isn't so! yep-I do!) or slightly round the edges with a damp chamois, sometimes I trim/shape thick pieces with a Surform Shaver, depending on the look I want. That gets real seductive and I sometimes get carried away, as tho I'm shaping a sculpture twenty times the size of my little piece and I go too far!

If anything I am still emerging from the deep dark side of way too many of my years, and am willfully traversing a lighter existence for, lets say, about the last 20+ years (I'm a slow traveler & take every side road that comes along.) Now in this last quarter of my projected life span ( I want to still be kickin' at 100-then-poof, bye bye.) I refuse to let anything/anyone push, pull, bribe, or seduce me back to "the dark side". In terms of clay, at this point in time, this means that I must-must-must-stop looking at making something as simple and innocuous as herb markers as the work of the devil! When I read the title for this topic, my first thought was...Yep, I'm being forced to the dark side right now, "having" to make pretty things for a tourist boutique in order to pay for my dope (my clay)." I had to give myself a royal talking-to when I heard that in my head. I choose to let the light in: to acknowledge; own; be prideful; be humble; be receptive; be resilient; stubborn in moving forward; be grateful; be deliberate, and; stop thinking so much....just go finish glazing that last batch--now.

I got myself an AI smart speaker, and put a ton of music into playlists of all sorts that suit my fancy, with some designed to take up X amount of time, some designed for pacing myself while doing specific things (like mixes for rapid energy, or for low & slow, etc, --not about mood, but more about tickling the brain/body connection to help me move in harmony with the work at hand. The latest one I've been using a lot in the studio is Midnight Diner. It's an understated, quirky series (requires subtitles) on Netflix and I love the music. There is no commercial soundtrack available so I had to scout around to find the individual pieces and put one together. That, and the commercial soundtrack for the online game June's Journey--great music to work by.

Thanks...yep--that is exactly what I'm going to do--I have a heart shape I can snip and it's pointed end is perfect! The pencil thing doesn't work for me but cutting between two paint sticks is perfect. Once I stop trying to stamp clay that is too soft the labels will look better, also. I hate this type of work, but I'm sure it's good for character-building or something My daughter is being my task master (a coach with a whip) and she's really helping me get over myself. I chose to do this, I want to do this, so reverting back to being like a stubborn 4th grader is not serving me well.

This is an exercise in discipline & stick-to-it-ness. I find people want these (herb markers) but they are not my favorite thing to make-the factory mentality is off-putting to me. Antithetical to my "let's just play slap & tickle with the clay and see what happens" mindset. Just FYI, no I don't open-dry; I have them under sheets of smooth wall tile to keep 'em flat and slow dry them. I'm beginning to develop the patience to be more precise with the stamping & cutting. I'm getting a metal V shape made so I can do the point easily and consistently. Getting better at uniform sizes, tho I honestly don't care if they are not all the same & perfect. Probably should, but I just don't. These are just so "not me" that I am rather pleased with myself for giving it a go. In addition to the artisans shop I am in, I have a second outlet, too--the local feed store, and I know of a third place, a nursery, that is highly probable. I'm changing to a different glaze line (my go-to's are not suitable; these won't work with oil spot or tenmoku This batch will get Stroke & Coat--we'll see. Update 7/23-looked at 'em again today & am fighting hard not to just trash half of 'em, but I know if I do that'll be the dead end of it. Part of the problem is the clay's too soft and I hate waiting for it to firm up before cutting/stamping, so I need to devise an engaging, constructive distraction while the slab gets itself together. I made up a poem today after cleaning up the studio: Whines and moans, oh my weary bones, the aching back, don't cut me no slack; wedging hurts my wrists, and that leaves me pissed; but onward I will trudge, just need a little nudge. (Maybe I should reactivate the blog on my website & whine & moan there.)

I organize my tools very well, thank you. Just can't seem to keep them from running off.

Well, I have not yet reached an acceptable refinement technique for a "final" version of my herb markers, but I'm getting there. So far there is alot of interest/enthusiasm for these. I have ten different ones (love the stamps I got from Joel Socwell/stamps4clay) to be glazed in ten different colors. They're approx. 7" after firing. All the scrap from cutting the form are used for tea light holders and small catchalls. white body, ^6. Small, portable to local stores, lightweight, EZ to ship.

Yee haw---ain't nuthin' on my workbench cuz it's all on it's way to the kiln. Finally!

I was infatuated with the ceramic process and work of the Pamunkey Indians, a Virginia tribe located within a day trip from VCU's School of the Arts where I was earning my BFA in ceramics. I had studied the work of the Maria Martinez and other native people's doing pit firing & burnishing black & red wares and I knew the Pamunkey's were just beginning to resurrect their craft. I lucked out and got to tag along for a few weeks with an anthropologist who was assisting them with research and reconstruction of their history and the reestablishment of all aspects their traditional way of life. I got to learn about making/firing/finishing the pottery along with them and just couldn't wait to do it on my own. Silly me. Apparently the small back yard of an urban apartment, with fussy neighbors and even fussier management (something about not liking the smoke-go figure) was not an appropriate place to do my thing. I might have given them some lip about why the heck can't I do what I choose with my little patch of ground, but they were having none of it and threatened to kick me out--only the fact that I was a single mom with a young child saved my butt...but I had to cease and desist with the backyard bar-b-ques!

I'm too tired tonight to fool with photos, but on my workbench is an array of catchalls, tea light holders, free-form-trays, biz card holders, and various angama-fired and raku-fired wares, such as utility holders/vases. I have to remove the masking tape with my item codes that is on the undersides for ID, and replace it with transparent tape that looks a lot better and includes the price. There is a new artisans shop about 20 miles north of me, in a rural area on the road to the resorts in the White Mountains. I hope to have 5 shelves of space in the shop as soon as the Gov allows them to open at all.

My forms have not so much "progressed" as they have just kind of wandered off sideways, over the years. I look back and see less variety currently, in the sense that I no longer make a boatload of things such as large bird baths or sculpted figures or different types of bowls, lids, mugs etc. Simplifying and getting more primal is a metaphoric progress for me, in that it seems to seriously benefit my head. I am less interested in developing a broader range than I am in fine-tuning the limited array of forms that are emerging now. I don't throw much and my slab/hand built forms stay pretty low to the ground these days. Some of that is logistics & comfort: space considerations, money, arthritis/back and such, but mostly I am intrigued with a kind of stream of consciousness process that I am allowing to take over when I put my hands on the clay...more free-form than planned form. My challenge is to improve, improve, refine, refine, and see what the public will go for...that's my task, assuming I am accepted into this artisans shop in June.

Because it is disorienting and makes my brain twitchy trying to reconcile it in my head.

@neilestrick I do not dare run my mouth about the evils of the "on paper the danger is past/unrecognized" and the highly dangerous position people who won't use physical distance, or gloves & masks, or stay out of non-essential locations are putting the rest of us in. This truly is politics and legislation and self-interests "weaponized" against public health and fair economic relief for those who need it. Breathe, baby, breathe. Slow in, slow out, and do it a lot. Have a cup of peppermint tea and try not to punch a tree. I am so sorry for all the artists/craftsmen & self-employed creatives who are so hard hit by--not the virus per se--but by those in power positions who are either short-sighted and ignorant or just plain greedy. I'll stop now-best I do!

I got an invite to place some of my pieces in a new "artisans" shop in a town conducive to people looking for art, including some tourism traffic. Delayed of course due to the stay-at-home, but I am making some items to try out a different glaze palette. Mostly large spoon rests, biz card holders, tea light holders & shallow tray-like catchalls. Should be fun. I have some commercial oil spot glaze that I've not used yet. There is also a fish imprint on one of these and I want to do something different with the image-maybe a line drawing-dunno yet. The main thing is there's "something" where for too long there was nothing. Yay me.

Having worked in allied health, peripheral to public health, for state government, for many decades in two states, I know way too much about the disregard and misunderstandings of how to interpret and apply valid data for populations. Collecting and analyzing the best valid data and massive testing needed. It is more about trends and regional containment strategies than about single positives/negatives of us as individuals. I ain't budging until Sir Fauci tells me it's worth taking a chance. And then I'll wait a few weeks after that to see what's happening out there!

Ha ha---someone noticed! I don't of course. I cut it up...I took the pic with it still whole just to show off...opps, I meant to show it off.

I love mushrooms! This is a glazed, roasted portobella cap with deconstructed "stuffing" alongside & underneath. Glaze is balsamic vinegar with just a touch of real maple syrup and chili paste. The stuffing, made stove-top, is chopped "whatever" mushrooms, shredded carrot, minced garlic, minced onion, some yogurt and coconut flour to hold it together. A sprinkle of flax seeds on top-should be sesame seed but I'm out. Delicious hot or cold/room temp. Bowl is anagama fired from a couple of years ago and a little porcelain pillow for the sticks.

@Min-the bears are coming out of hibernation-it is not good (for them or us) that they are coming down from the ridge into "civilization", so I need to be more vigilant about not leaving tempting treats out at night! All this baking looks yummy! I'm doing a Plant Paradox food plan (which has cut my blood sugar way, way down!) The only bread I eat, and minimally at that, is genuine sourdough--@Neil, yours is beyond luscious looking! @Callie-I no longer eat pasta at all---but I am coveting your gorgeous meal! @Oldlady-ya just hadda show the bacon, huh? @Mea-ooooo-pie! @Roberta12-have you no mercy? Now all I need is for someone to shove a really great potato dish under my nose, and my goose is cooked. But I don't eat goose, so maybe I'm gonna be OK and will survive this thread without having a nutritional relapse!

I don't have a kitchen table. Just a counter in a galley-type space. So, I was taking a break from prepping freezer foods "for the duration" and came to read the CAD forums---saw this topic. Went back to the kitchen and took a pic of the reduced produce bananas I scored today--62 cents for 6 good ones--that I am cutting into chunks to freeze and at some point thaw for going into yogurt or cover with melted dark chocolate. Then I hear a racket outside. Oh-it's you again! This bear has been visiting me for 4 years now, 1 of 3 baby cubs, when big mama used to come too. I forgot that it's now time to bring in the feeders and suet holder.