Outside

 

Vintage-y ..and a reminder of some lovely and enlightening adventures

 

Going through some of my clothing storage containers...found a treasure -- Wild and Lethal Trash dress..Walter Van Beirendonck label at the time...made in Italy...likely from a shopping trip in Europe for work. Brought back some fun memories of those days ...looking for ideas and inspirations, and enjoying the culture and surroundings...with a mission, but with pleasure. Threw on the Docs I likely wore with it(maybe altered docs and pumps) ..Docs from first trip overseas ..with end result of that trip a sweater convention in Ireland...with government of Ireland sponsoring the trip! (Long purple sweater coat from then too...but, that is in use, not in storage!). That first trip (not the blue dress trip..and no, I don't remember trips by what I bought...just remember the eras of when I was where and why). stopped over in London because Ray, division head at the time, had sister's family living there..easy way to start the seemingly wide open world exploration at that time.  To more of it! 

Out and About - walks

 

Well..she wasn't on a walk..but, perhaps was looking to fly in for a visit. 

Ice Cream Aficionado— Ceramics

 

Fixed? Platter finds support

 

Found a solution for the Mishima platter that lost its sides in the kiln.  Had planned for the tray to be  outside, so, needed to find a way to fix it that could withstand variety of outdoor elements. Voila (after some searching)...a cement tray that looks like a tree.  I will glue and grout (the platter itself fits in about perfectly ..less than 1/4" ..still needs grout, but shouldn't look too out of place.  It is a bit heavy, but nicely made. Ideally, will turn it into table..but that will take further figuring for the base ;). 

Waterfall and Flowers -- on walk

"Hidden" waterfall at the end of a long street in nearby neighborhood. Magnolia blooming. 

 

BooHoo...it broke...Mishima large platter

    

17" tray -- high fire was too much for it.  I must have not had the sides on firmly enough, though not apparent to the eye in the prior stages.  Made it through the first fire, but couldn't take the pressure of the high fire.  I will take it as a lesson learned for better results the next time. 

Wreath making

County Parks has wonderful annual event where they offer a wreath making session.  Cuttings from local trees and plants.  They wrap a branch in circles, secured by wire/strong tape.  Then the participants take a range of the cuttings and wrap it around the circle, tie the cuttings with wire. Lots of toyon berries this time 

 

Boars after ice cream

 

Good thing they are fired clay, and can't close their mouths...and that she has her smile firmly in place no matter what.  Just messing around -- her overly sweetness was done on purpose...and boars mouths seemed to lend themself to mock nibbles. The boars came out too skinny...no wonder hungry....not that it excuses them in play for ice cream. 

Boars to get their speckles at cone 5. Ice cream gal will have her ice cream in hand after her glaze fire. 

Cloud

Gorilla face down, whale, seal, airplane...what do you see in it? 
 

Mostly mailed last week

 

Gingers 2021

    

 Been doing jumbo gingers with the kids for 10+ years now.  Now, as they age, think it is the kids that are humoring me by making them. The youngest one went for simple this year -- imitating a character, rather than trying to put on gobs of candy.  

This year, adults played along too...with the kids' parents each taking one half of one...ahem...one looking particularly candy loaded.

 

   

Boar-ing...Ceramics

 

I made this one free-standing -- not a "creature that hangs."   He still isn't as fat as I wanted, but maybe the distress look is because a bit hungry.  Next time will make separate columns for the legs...I had started it out as a hanging, but then shifted when found it stable enough....might end up with rod from below into a base to make more secure. When fired at higher temperature, body should have little flecks show up on brown/tan. 

Boar -- Clay

Trying a clay that is new to me. The bottle is there for support, not to eat. 

Another creature to hang. 

 

Partial Eclipse

  

From Mia. above.  My shot below was earlier in the evening -- looked like an eye to me. 

 

Pressed Circles -- found on walk

Collected these little circles on a less travelled trail, and placed them on the rock above.

Seems like maybe the tip of a walking stick put into the clay of the area there...intentionally -- too many to have it be a random thing. Maybe making themselves a set of checkers?  The trail was an offshoot of the main trail, so, likely why so many still around, not yet pulverized back into the ground. Pretty day as well. 

 

In work: Two more clay pieces that hang

 

Will be holding a spear. Subconsciously inspired by Trilogy of Terror -- the "warrior doll" that came alive and used a knife to slash under the kitchen door ...among other scary pranks.  Karen Black...who tried to incinerate the doll in the oven as I recall, eventually got further entwined with the doll, but it was the "under the door" knife yielding that scared me quite a lot ..in a kind of funny, kind of not...when I saw it years ago.   Just looked it up, and this guy doesn't look like the one from the film, but the knife/spear thing was the thing that stuck in mind...all these years! Uga.

Ok...a silly saccharine one here below..  Both in drying phase, with a bit more clean up to come. 

Both take off from prior experimenting  -- the guy with spear was done as a flat by me prior,

and the ice cream fan was done as a small sculpture in clay.  This series of hanging pieces is to give some 3D play to walls. 

Second creature that hangs

About 12" tall. Bisque stage.  I don't want it to get shiny, so contemplating glaze step. 

 

Maybe wants to be clay-ized

 

Saw so many this morning on my walk...a message to render in clay? 

Large Tray- Medallion - - Mishima - initial phase

Took a photograph of a section of a rug that was recently given to me -- to make tray as a "thank you." 

Traced photograph on sheer-ish paper, then used needle tool to transfer pattern to clay. Next will be opening up crevices a bit more, then put englobe (glaze) into those crevices. 

Wasn't trying to make it exact "and "symmetrical," as is hand done rug, and wanted the tray to feel a bit that way -- has a pattern, but by hand (and wool pile!). 

   

       Used pencil to open up grooves more. Clay was not perfect consistency (s/b leather hard), but my schedule had me doing it a earlier than ideal -- more clay flecks to clean up.

 Have found applicator helps direct englobe better to groves. Still clean up to do after it dries, but better.