Opening the Kiln Before Halloween

Almost Done

Needing to pack up old work...

Finding a place for wall pieces to hang...

Not very many plates left over...

Finding a home for the nest cabinet...

Obelisks on the shelf...

Only the tool table is organized...

The living room is back for the living...

Artwork, books, and trinkets are back...

Just Browsing...

A garden of treasures...

Some artful sheet music...

A peeling urn full of seedling pots...

Framed religious paper art...

A lovely vented container...

Intricate reliquary...

Colorized vintage photos...

Enameled Parisian coffee pot...

Some lovely barred doors...

Friday Night on the Town

The day started out with a sweet treat...

Drove to my parents' home after school...

Barbara's roses still look lovely...

Talked my sister into a movie at the Stanford Theater...

Least favorite Cary movie, but the giant poster ain't bad...

Love "The Big Sleep" on the big screen...

Typographic travesty in the parking lot...

Apparently my sister hates Richard Widmark, not James Mason...

Odds & Ends

Found this yesterday...

One of my students asked if she could come to my house sometime, to visit and to see my studio. I told her that she was welcome anytime, but that she might want to let me know, beforehand, what day she would be coming. She asked why. I told her that I spend a lot of my spare time in pajamas, with no makeup. She laughed like it was a funny, funny joke. But, I guess that the look on my face stopped her laughter. I said, "Never underestimate the comfort and the perfect ease of loungewear, Fernanda." This might become a new catchphrase for me... 

This has been a weird week, trying to get my house put back together, and trying to finish up some odds and ends. Next week, I will be making Anasazi plates with the fifth graders next door. So, I have to get the rattles done and out this weekend. Here's to finishing stuff!

Started working it into a basket last night...

Paul sent me an art trade today...

Kids finished glazing their late faces...

Placed the greenware pumpkin rattles in the oven today...

Open Studios Post Mortem: Back to the Lived-In Room

The car finally fits back into the garage, despite the book boxes...

Putting everything back together...

Every knick knack tells a story...

All of the ceramics are back out in the shed, waiting to be boxed up...

Thank heavens that the couch didn't have to move...

Now, we still need to bring in all of the boxes of books...

Thoughts on Nervousness

The first weekend of Open Studios has come and gone. It was a great chance to show off the work that I do quietly, on my own, in my clay shed. Most of the time, art work is a solitary pursuit. And, that's a good thing, because I'm an introvert at heart. Having people over to look at my art work is scary. It takes a kind of bravery that is difficult for me to muster. Maybe it's the lingering of critique sessions during the final three years of my BFA. I hated those critiques. They did nothing to toughen us all up. Instead, they made all of us feel nervous and insecure. 

My clay work is very personal to me. Unlike the graphic design work that I completed in college, I feel completely invested in what I produce in my studio. It is my work, and mine alone. There is no client or professor. And, I guess that's what makes showing work difficult.

As with all things in life, friends and family members make it so much easier. This time, they brought pies, and cookies, and conversation that melted away my nervousness. Thanks to everyone who stopped in to visit.  Thanks to Betty, for providing entertainment, and for being the official greeter. Best wishes to all of my fellow Open Studio-ers for Encore Weekend. When Betty wakes up, we'll be ready for the next round.

Boom!

Many Survivors.

Piper's Rattle.

We had some hard luck with our pumpkin rattles. Some students formed their pinch pots on the flat desks, instead of in their hands. This caused some of the rattles to have super thick bottoms. When I fired them, the bottoms weren't entirely dry through and through. There were five or six explosions! We'll just have the students with the exploded rattles, make new ones, during our glazing session. I probably should have used a longer warm up setting on the kiln, too. The good news is that they sound fantastic! We built small paper envelopes for the clay rattle balls inside. This kept the rattle balls from sticking to the side walls of the pumpkin.

Strong Stems.

Parent Rattles.

Textured Pumpkins.

My Demo Rattles.

Nice Shapes.

Faces for Absent Students.