Kiln Building

For years I have wanted to build a kiln. Today I got the chance. A friend of mine is building a wood fired kiln on her property and I was invited to come help. Being the extremely helpful person that I am, I brought along my husband, my two kids and our coyote proof 85 pound retriever to help.

We started by building a form for the arch that was then placed inside the kiln. After the form had been positioned properly inside the kiln we used good ol' duck tape to seal the edges then lubed the form with petroleum jelly so that the form can be removed after the cement has set. This was the fun, messy part since those corners were tight!

Next came the cement. We used over 300 pounds of cast-able high fire material to create the arch. This being Colorado (in a drought) we had to use much more water to mix the cement to the correct consistency than the bag suggested, but everything should be OK. This is where it comes in handy to have some strong guys around! My poor husband wound up with several blisters, though!

During all this time, the kids and the dog were having fun exploring the property, especially the dog! Once we got home, our wee little puppy-kins was totally zonked! We had the most peaceful dinner we had since we got her this evening!

Tilla enjoys a well earned rest after a hard day's work!

Spring is coming

I thing this is one of the most intriguing times of year. You can tell that spring is coming. The grass is starting to green, the buds on the trees are starting to swell. It's the moment between the death of winter and the flurry of growth that is spring. It's the feeling you get standing on the edge of the pool anticipating jumping in. This piece was inspired by the dry leaves still blowing around the house and the promise of a new start that is held in the dormant seeds. It's my ode to the time between winter and spring, between dormancy and rebirth.

Tools

It takes all of these...

to make this.

I spent the morning thinking about tools. You really need the right tool to for the job. I was trying to do something that I really didn't have the right tool for, but did manage to get the job done. Traditionally, I have not been one to make my own tools, but know many people who do. As I get farther into ceramics and want to make things that are unique and different, I find myself contemplating making my own tools. I also find myself using tools in a maner that is different from their oringinal intent. Why not use a power drill on clay? Gold leafing tools are fantastic for smoothing clay.

Everyone's colection of tools seems to be as unique as they are. It's really fun to go through friends' tool boxes and see what's in there. What are some of your favorite tools? Are they custom made or customized? What do you use them for? What do they say about you?

Double Ovals

When I was in college I would go from Boulder to Ft. Collins for a few hours on the weekends to see my boyfriend. Once while I was visiting him, after we had said our hellos, we were getting ready to go out when he sat down and started playing his guitar. I sat down and pretended to listen, but was really fuming inside. He had all week to play his guitar, but only had a few hours with me! Why couldn't this wait until after I had left? As he finished playing, he informed me that he had written the music he had just played and it was entitled 4/18 (my birth date). Boy did I feel stupid!

I've recently had a similar experience with my husband. We were discussing my artwork at dinner and he asked why I never made art about him. "But, the double ovals are about you!" I said. We use our artwork to express our thoughts and feelings, but oftentimes forget to explain the meaning behind those pieces to the ones that we are making them for.

The double ovals are about the melding of two into one while maintaining individuality. They are about collaboration, but also about contrast, which can sometimes lead to conflict. Most importantly, they are about knowing that you can embark on new tasks and adventures with the comfort of knowing that someone will be standing by your side the whole time, supporting you. The light oval supports the dark one and vice versa, and the two are all the stronger for it.