Sun from Owl Trail

The sun on a walk today mostly out of the clouds, but fun playing with them as well.

The Choir -- Ceramic figures

All ceramics -- some green, some bisque, a pit fire (rear left), and a sawdust fire (black).  Local clay from side of stream back row right. Four from mold I made (one from hand formed item, one from existing item), two free form, one formed around shape.

On a walk yesterday...green all around

Mushroom  looking like an elephant head.

2014 Jumbo Gingerbread Boys who appear to be Girls

5 year old

8 year old

Tried to limit the frosting this year....to allow the gingerbread to have a chance at imparting its taste.

Again this year, the candy grab was evident when candies were added with bravado at the end.  A way the kids have access to candy is by putting them on their boy...and snitch off later. 

Guest Artists...Collage and assorted works

Part of the Holiday mood being set by their artwork having a special lighting display.

Top row one kid, second row the other.  Particularly attracted to the paper collage . 

Lighted Boat Parade

Peace, Joy, Love. 

Love in the distance. 

Peace and Joy hanging out. 

Seahorse with red hat. Very tall. Too bad he looks caged...needed to turn off the flash. 

Cork Gingerbread Boys Decorated

Cork forms, paint, glitter, holiday confetti, ribbon.

Tree Hat -- made of Felt

A special hat for a special friend. Stitched by machine and hand. Used felt sheets (store bought), shaped, and sewed to flat strip (trunk). Sewed trunk together, green part thus circled. Sewed tree trunk to "ground" I had already sewn and formed into hat base. Put dowel in trunk for extra rigidity, but likely ok without  dowel. Did hand stitch some of  the tree "branches" where they touched the "ground"/base to stabilize. 

Stencil Glitter Card

2014 Card...created and mailed...well, many of them mailed...still some to go. 

Cut out shapes...heavy paper/card stock to help retain shape. 

Tape to card you are preparing. 

White glue open spaces of stencil. Sprinkle on glitter..one color

at a time if you are trying to save "clear color" excess. 

                                  Remove stencil.  Wait a bit for glue to dry.

Apple Applique -- Wool Skirt

Wool jersey as skirt, wool tweed as apple. Apple placed off center.

Figure -- ceramics

Practice with the syrup bottle figure gave me some practice on the proportions of leg, torso and head. Free-formed this one to use for mold making...same idea as the reddish one, but without the feet to make the mold making easier.

Mold Making

Both the same size...just angle of the shot. Wrapped clay around syrup bottle. Waited until it dried a bit. Sliced, dried and fired. Did the mold making process again with an original figure I made...this time used waxed resist between the two part as they dried..should be a more snug fit. Playing with iteration  theme...plan  to adjust their accouterments. 

Chirstmas Garland

Snowpeople, birds, trees and the Abominable. Foam colored sheets, pen, glitter, and twine.

Pirate Ship -- Ceramics

Started as a lark one day when I had a patch on my eye from recent hiking accident. A pirate ship.
I made them greedy pirates with a very big treasure trunk in relationship to the size of their ship.
Their treasure? Cheese!  The crack formed as  I made it ...this particular clay seems to do that quite a bit.  But perhaps fitting, as greedy pirates in clay ships tend to get cracks in their hull.

Fashioned a sail, put it on an ocean here.

Ceramic Figure -- my first

Still wet, but I am happy to have my first figure still be standing!  That is a puffy had (turban or chef toque) on top. Keeping the image slightly dark to add to mood...standing back, arms crossed and thinking is the pose.   Clay came together easier than drawing...the 3D being real rather than illusion.

Below, fired.

Pit Fire in Sand on Beach..Coil Pot

Coil pot -- Pit fire. Season with copper scrubby and some interactions with other elements and perhaps some surrounding pots in the fire. 

Fire Pit process.

a. Assess how much to fire, map out size of pit. We ended up with 8' circumference circle.
b. Dig.
c. Placed 3" of sawdust on base of pit.
d. Placed bisque fire works in saw dust. Foil wrap if you don't want black on the part that will touch       sawdust..
e. Put kindling wood around pieces. Some put dung on top of pieces, then kindling.
f. Put sheet metal on top of "wood pile" to help heat stay in the pit. Use metal bars to support sheet metal so they don't fall onto work as fire burns.
g. Start the fire, and wait until it burns out.
h. Allow works to cool to help avoid cracking...they shouldn't be taken out immediately after fire burns out....let them gradually cool.
i. At the end of the day, voila, your pot.

Tree

She has probably had her picture taken many times as she is along a path in walking area, but still, she seem to deserve the attention.

Boo!

Coil pot : 4-1

The one that comes after two and before four.  That number coil pot for me. You'd think being the third daughter would make me ok with the number three, but ....looking to avoid jinx n the pit fire.
Greenware, not yet burnished. About 24" tall.

Second Coil Pot

Second coil pot -- quite a bit bigger than my first coil pot, but not jumbo...sits open palm of hand, or two hands if you are being more careful.  Burnished with stone and oil. Not yet fired. This one is set to be fired in pit on beach. I am a bit concerned that she will blow up. We shall see.