Saturday, July 28, 2012

GHOSTS!

There's something about the ghostly look that my animal whistles have after I've glazed them but before  I have started the decorating.  They have a blank look with only the large gesture being apparent.  I find that this frees me to design as I wish without becoming a slave to the original image.

They change so much after I have done with decorating sometimes it's hard to realize that they are the same work.  This challenge is another part of what I love about majolica.

Yesterday was so humid that I spent the whole day waiting for the glaze to dry.  For me it is better to let the glaze dry slowly.  If I put object under a heat lamp I often get uneven drying.  It's most disconcerting to be working on a hard surface and then suddenly find it's not.

Everything has dried very nicely, so I get to spend studio time today.  I don't think it's going to rain until much later so I will also put some reprocessed clay out to dry a bit.  It's such a sloppy process that I like to do it outside.  I'm going to prepare for the winter winds this year and get ahead in my clay.


In spite of everything, I managed to stay busy.  Proge and I spent the morning readjusting the pond filter and pump.  He was the one wading around in thigh deep water, but I still managed to get soaked.  If you are going to have water features in your garden you have got to enjoy messing about in water.

I made buns so we could have hamburgers.  The bread is from the other half of the recipe.  It's just my plain old Cuban bread, but the loaf is so handsome that I have to show it off a little.  The recipe is quick and easy so I have been trying herb additions.  Rosemary & Dill is especially tasty.


I am a fool for love (of plants).  Our pond guy is selling most of his plants at 25% off.  I bought three day lilies.  This peachy pink is my favorite today.  I also got a small rosy pink and a deep purple and gold.

Of course I need more plants!  I like to keep adding them until winter (the season) stops me.


And lastly here is Winter, totally mystified by how she got herself into this tangle.  Most of the time she gets herself out of twists and turns, but she needed some help with this one.


After a day of hot-stickies we had a heavy thunder storm yesterday evening which dumped almost an inch of rain in about half an hour.  No complaints here!  It dropped the humidity and added water to pool, pond, and well.

This post can be seen at  Mud Colony and Artists In Blogland.  Everyone should drop by and see what is going on; there are lots of new people to discover, plus old friends.

Did anyone watch the opening of the Olympics?  I was absolutely thrilled when Sir Paul led Hey Jude ...and opened with...."And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." 

Have a bountiful, happy weekend, and, as always, thanks for stopping by..........*s*






11 comments:

  1. Winter looks like she is such a sweet dog; you have me thinking about glazing work and having it white and somehow being able to disregard the original shape of the piece.

    I had a clawfoot bathtub pond at my last house and no aeration at all and with added plants the fish, snails and bottom feeders stayed healthy miraculously it seemed even in the 115 F summer temperatures.

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  2. popping in from Artists in Blogland. That bread looks soo yummy! i think i need to start making bread again. thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. Beautiful ghosts and poor Winter *smile*.

    Hugs
    Elna

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  4. Yum that bread! you should post the recipe, hint :)
    The opening ceremonies were really great last night. We especially enjoyed the William Blake reference, Wesley did a very in depth paper on that poem in high school and I learned more than I ever thought I would know about William Blake!

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  5. Dearest Suzi,

    You have done a great job and now the painting. Your fur baby Winter is a cute one. They look puzzled, trying to figure out how to untangle.
    Enjoy your weekend!
    Mariette

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  6. Hi Linda...Winter is a dear. I need to do a post with pictures of her latest mud adventures.

    The blank aspect of the glaze only occurred to me after a few glaze sessions...many years ago.

    My brother used to balance his fish tanks so he did not need filters and such. Plus he grew great watercress!

    Hi Lilian....thanks for stopping by. This particular bread is really easy! I'll post the recipe in the next few days.

    Hi Elna....wait until I get some photos of Winter making her Mud Factory

    Hi Tracey...I'll post the recipe soon.
    I loved hearing Kenneth Branagh do Caliban's speech....a great favorite.

    Hi Mariette...She does look completely puzzled. "How'd I get here?"

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  7. Excelente post,gostei muito.Tenhas um belo domingo e deixo aqui meu grande abraço.

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  8. Ohh that bread looks amazing! I have been making all our bread too but it hasn't been great the last few times .I would love the recipe mmmmm :) Nice day lilly, I am a bit of a plant addict too,great watching them grow ,flower and become valued members of the family.

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  9. My mouth is watering at your cuban bread. I grew up on that in Key West and miss it today.

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  10. Hi Suzane....thanks for stopping by.

    Hi Sadhana.....I'm posting the recipe. Look to your yeast if you aren't happy with your bread.

    Hi Patti....it's a go-to recipe for us.

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