Glaz Is A 4-Letter Word

Day; 155. Sunny, warm. Temperature on outside kiln; 82 degrees

Thus ends 4 straight days of glazing. ... I am exhausted in mind, body, and soul. But I am caught up with the show and now only need to do a couple of image transfer firings. The panic has subsided....

The Glazing Never Ends....

Day; 154. Overcast, cooler, and raining! Temperature on outside kiln; 68 degrees.

Or at least it feels like it! I spent yesterday and today filling up Big Mamma Kiln. I have not fired it since I replaced the bottom element so I am saying extra, extra prayers to the kiln gods tonight. No time for a re-fire so I hope the electrical system is as it should be!!
Errands in town this morning, so I started my day here at the my favorite coffee shop...

.. then a quick stop here for supplies...

 

And ended up here the rest of the day, you guessed it, GLAZING!!!

 More GLAZING  all day tomorrow for the last load in the little baby kiln....someday I will make something out of wet clay again.... !!

If It's Sunday.. Then I'm Glazing...

Day; 153. Sunny and warm, no threat of rain. Temperature on outside kiln; 86 degrees.

A beautiful summer Sunday and I am glazing! But big-summer-show is T minus 10 days and counting and I have to start glazing today... I have two large loads to do and then the image transfer firing, it's gonna be close!? But when is it not? 4-5 firings in 10 days... Scutt kilns don't fail me now, please! Extra prayers to the kiln gods may be required!
If I have to glaze on a Sunday afternoon, then my trusty State Pen Porter is going with me...

Dueling kilns under the portal; loading the last bisque firing while I glaze and load the big mamma glaze kiln...
Poor dog-sled team!, so neglected. Good thing dog-walking husband is due in from Alaska in two days...

I Always Learn Something From My Students...

Day; 152. Overcast all day long, strange...but warm. Temperature on outside kiln; 80 degrees.

After errands in town I helped Pepe pug probably 200 pounds of clay. The studio is stocked with newly mixed clay and all the bags of scrap clay, as well as buckets of throwing remains, are gone! It feels good to have that all day and bags of fresh clay stacked under the table. Ready for the next round....

In the afternoon I had Kim and Suzanne come and work on their tile project, almost done! They brought over the most amazing photographs- images of vegetables and nature patters- back lit on a light table. They look so incredible transferred onto their tiles that I searched Google for similar copy-right free images that I could use. Sadly they are not free and I must purchase the rights to use them, this makes it unworkable for me. But I did find some lovely stuff on Graphics Fairy and download several new images I am excited to use. I  am so tired of my old images I hardly want to use any of them anymore, I continue my search for interesting images that are not copyrighted...
Here are some of the images Kim and Suzanne brought, and some of the tiles they are transferred onto...

Good work girls! I love them! So wish I could steal some of these designs but that would be bad juju!!

We Get What We Think About; Whether We Want It Or Not!

Day; 151. Sunny and warm, no change there! Big puffy New Mexico clouds but no monsoon. Temperature on outside kiln; 84

This past winter/spring I decided to teach more and make inventory for big summer shows less. I just figured the students would show up if I focused on what I wanted and Voila!, the Universe delivers! I am always completely bowled over at how I  get whatever I focus my attention on. The Law of Attraction seems to really function in my life, don't know about anyone else's! Therefore, I attempt to only think about what I do want, and not about what I do not, but my success rate is intermittent at best.

However, as regards to teaching, it seems to be working. I have had more students call for lessons in the last 3 months than the entire last couple of years combined. 3 more students showed up today through the Santafecreativetourism.org site. I gave a very enjoyable two-hour class on hand-building and wheel-throwing with Millie and her two boys Benjamin and Alexander. Lovely, lovely Swiss family  who now live in Miami but have a New Mexico native for a father. Why does French sound even more wonderful/cute coming out of the mouth of a 10 year old boy, I don't know, it just does. We made a series of wonderful textured cups and then attempted some small bowls on the potters wheel. While throwing on the wheel was challenging, everyone got good and messy and a great time was had by all....

Two Weeks and Counting..

Day; 150. Sunny and warm again! Monsoon clouds in the afternoon. Temperature on outside kiln; 78

I leave for the big summer show in Crested Butte, Colorado in two weeks; that means it is time to stop making wet work and get on with  glazing. It will take me the next two weeks to get everything I have made so far in and out of the kiln 3 times. It is always so hard to stop making stuff...."just a few more mugs, just a few more plates..." especially when the show is two weeks away, it seems like a long time, except if you are a potter. Then it is time to buckle down and start up the kiln!!
Tomorrow I have 3 students coming in the morning and then Pepe-the-intern is arriving right afterward to work with me for his last day! Oh nooooo, what will I do without him?! So I think we will just recycle all the scrap clay and then break out the glazes, there is really no more time to make new work for the show. As I write this, I am resistant; I am thinking,  well maybe a few more pieces..... It is such a great show and I want so badly to have a booth full of amazing pieces. The truth is, I will have what I have when the time comes to drive north and that is all there is to it. Give it up girl and start glazing....! ( really?, can't I sneak in just a few more cups...?)

Back in the Studio and Back to Walking Dogs....

Day; 149. sunny and warm until this evening; major monsoon downpour! My garden is so very happy. Temperature on outside kiln; 75 degrees.

Started the day with the first walk since "the snake"! Decided to brave the Galisteo Basin again and get the dogs out for some exercise, they have been climbing the walls since Friday and chewing everything in sight. We did however choose a different trail, one without hills and lots of rock outcroppings , prime rattle snake habitat. Instead we chose a wide open path, flat, and fairly easy. We also went a little later in the morning hoping that the reptiles would be back in the holes by then hiding from the heat. I have to admit I was a little nervous and decided to put 3 of the 4 huskies on leashes. My dear friend Carl, who helped me walk the dogs this week, was a real trooper and held onto 65 pounds of bucking, jumping, thrashing husky even when the mosquitos swarmed us. All present and accounted for when we got home and I was hugely relived.

Students Suzanne and Kim came for one of their last lessons and to finish up their tile project. We got everything glazed, cleaned up and loaded into the kiln. I can't wait to see what their new kitchen counter looks like!