Repurposing

I was decorating pots last nights and got to thinking about how often I repurpose stuff.

I rarely use hairspray but I find it invaluable in the studio.  I spray it on the raw glaze before I start painting to provide a stronger surface.  When I am mixing colors on the pot I use hairspray instead of water to move the color around.  I also spray lightly before I begin adding the black outlines.

Nylon coffee baskets are so useful for sieving small amounts of slip, clay, terra sig that I have at least six of them.  When I'm working I hate to stop and clean so they get dumped in a bucket of water until the end of the day.

And I can't forget popsicle sticks, I buy them by the thousand at craft stores when they go on sale.  They are strong enough to make small wooden tools, yet not so precious that I can't throw them out when they get worn.

When I was still teaching my students would often say that Benny's, the local hardware/auto supply store, was my favorite pottery supply.  Chamois and sea wool sponges, for example, are always much cheaper than ordering through a pottery supply place.

Here is our post Thanksgiving turkey hot off the grill.  I took this in the dark with my little fill flash.  I am always surprised that it's possible to stake photos at night.  Last night I made turkey lasagna with a sauce made from leftover creamed onions, mushrooms, ricotta with a layer of parmesian and cheddar on top.  I still think no boil lasagna noodles are one of the great gifts to the modern cook.

Sadly this is the last week of Mud Colony. Go over and see what we are up to in the world of clay.

 Kudos and thanks to Adriana for providing such a wonderful site......and we can still meet up on Facebook!

Enjoy the holidays you celebrate;  there seems to be something to celebrate every day.....Not least of which is clay buddies around the world.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Tis The Season

We opened our Holiday Sale today.  Turn out was good, very steady for the five hours I was there.  I'm very happy with the work that is being shown this year.

Jason's ship below is a real centerpiece....even more impressive in the flesh or rather the clay.  The photos below are a small representation of what we are selling.

I'm also posting this over on Mud Colony.  We're down to the last few weeks of the Mud Colony Blog
so everyone should take a look at what is going on.

We seem to be going through another cold spell.  It doesn't usually go down in the teens until January, but there you are!

An edit added on 11/30/13

I just found our yesterday that for a change Rhode Island is leading the way on something!  As of tomorrow with the proper registration with the state there will be no sales tax to collect on fine art and craft.  We have had tax free zones in various cities for years, but now the legislature has made it a state wide thing.

This also applies to liquor and wine but not beer.....Proge is sad that beer is not included.  But still, pots and a bottle of wine sounds pretty good to me.

I stopped at a local remnant shop this morning and bought fabric to make curtains around a small portion of my studio.  I am hopeful that with my little heater and the southern exposure, I'll be able to work there all winter, rather than moving everything upstairs to the living area after Christmas,

The cold weather has brought home to me how much I like being in my own space.

I'm beginning to sort out Christmas decorations.  We don't put out tree up until the Winter Solstice, but I like to get stuff up outside.

I also sorting my seasonal cd's and downloads.  My, I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years .

Remember to visit Mud Colony; next week is the last one.  How we will miss our weekly get-togethers, but the Facebook page will stay on.

Thank you for all the kind Thanksgiving wishes and, as always, thanks for stopping by.......*s*

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL!

One of the great joys has been finding the clay blogging world!

The turkeys were out in my woods last spring.  I think they are thankful to be wild and free......and able to tease Winter!

Enjoy the day in the way that best suits you and yours.

As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

UHHH.....What day is it?

I lost track of the time....rather days.  I spent most of Sunday thinking it was Saturday.  It wasn't until  I was dropping pots off for our sale that I realized, or rather was informed, that it was Sunday.

That's what happens when you get busy as the proverbial bee.  

I did a firing (one of the best I've ever had) which included the prototypes I've been working on, because I always have to complicate busy times by working on something new....it makes life fun.

I'm very pleased with the cupcake stand.  I just have to figure out a better way to attach the legs.  I think  they need to be exactly the same moisture and pliability.

Speaking of feet I do hope that everyone will pop over to Gary's Blog and take a look at his take on feet!

Suddenly I am having problems uploading photos.  This is a new one for me....I'm not sure what is going on, but it's difficult to talk about things that can't be seen.

Fifth time is the charm....finally got it to post.

I made this mug around a balloon.  I was working with wet clay and wanted to get an idea into reality.  It needs a couple of points opposite the handle for balance and stability, and the rim needs to be nicer.

With this I think I may have a solution to using a clear glaze over terra cotta.  Generally I don't like them as they always cloud somewhere on the pot.  This time I added a small amount of Mason 6131 Titanium to Spectrum Clear 700.  Commercial glazes work on terra cotta greenware, but I will be experimenting with my studio glazes.  That ought to keep me busy in the dark of winter.

We are having a gray day which will turn to rain later today and most of tomorrow.  It's going to be lots of snow further north.  I hope everyone will stay safe and think twice about traveling in bad weather.

We are doing two feasts this year.  On The Day we are having dinner with friends next door.  This is a gift, as the sale opens on Friday at 10:00 AM.  I am working that day as we have had trouble getting people to work.  I still question the wisdom of opening on Friday.  I think we could open Saturday and use Small Business Saturday to our advantage......Friday evening could be a special grand opening.

It's time to go meet the day and go out into the world....which means going to the market.  We are doing most of our shopping at a locally owned store.  (three stores does make a chain) I did some careful comparisons and if I buy staples such as animal food and such from the big markets (Walmart is not the cheapest place around!) I don't spend more than a dollar over shopping at Stop & Shop ......aaaaannnnnnd....I don't feel like I need roller skates to get around the place!

Stay warm dry and safe to enjoy a most Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, thanks for stopping by.............*s*

It's Always Sumthin'......again

This is what happens when low fire glaze goes on a terra cotta plate that has been sitting around for a while.  All those little brown spots are glaze crawls where there was grease or some other scuz in the surface.  I did this a few years ago; found it during a clean-up.  A fine lesson in reminding me to cover stuff as soon as it comes out of the kiln if I can't glaze it right away.  A good hard spray with vinegar and water is also a good idea.

If you click on the picture you can get a better idea of what I am talking about.

 Our Christmas sale at the South County Art Association started Friday.  I did not go over until four o'clock, when it was really slow.  Things were busy and crowded earlier, with people waiting to get in when it opened.  I haven't sold much, but then, due to the hurricane and then the well pump giving us a jolly time, I don't have anywhere near the stock I was planning on.

I'm going to fire on Monday-Tuesday, so I will have a lot more stuff when we start up again on Wednesday.  We are rethinking our hours for next year.

If we are going to open Thanksgiving week end I would like to see us do something to connect customers to Small Business Saturday....... not sure what we could do..... perhaps a give away item that day only.

Despite pump problems we had a great very low key Thanksgiving.  Below are turnips and part of a sausage roasting on the grill.  Potatoes and squash were done earlier.  Roasting the vegetables gives them a wonderful, earthy flavor.  I generally boil a few potatoes too....it makes them easier to mash.

Here is the turkey, almost ready to come off the grill.  I stuffed it with herbed bread, apples, cranberries, dried cherries and blueberries, sausage, onion, mushrooms, pecans and walnuts.  Everything was precooked and went into the brined bird just before it went over the coals.

Today is turkey soup day.....a good thing to make in the slow cooker as I am thinking mostly about pottery and glazing.

Thanks to all those who commented on my Thanksgiving Day post.  That has always been a great favorite of mine.  I love the idea of other pairings!

High cirrus clouds today are making the sunshine look cold today.  When I was out with Winter at 5:30 AM in heavy sweats, I was looking at the stars and thinking, "Three and a half months ago I was out here in the sun wearing a tee shirt and sandals."   Sometimes it's hard to believe it's the same planet!

I managed to miss the post time on Mud Colony, but go take a look anyway.  There are lots of cool posts up this week.

Have a happy, productive and/or lazy day.

As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

copyright Dan Piraro 9.12.1999