7-1-19

We arrived at our tree house nest in the mountains today. All tucked back in the woods off a gravel road, the house is remote. It would be quiet outside, except the air conditioning unit is always running. My mother and her friends are here too.

I spent some time spinning my wheel.

6-30-19

Three Mama Mocha Mugs!

June is over. It was a good month. I was a bit depressed, but not too much, and I had a lot to do. We leave tomorrow for Highlands, NC and I'm looking forward to the natural beauty. I'm bringing clay with me... so stay tuned to see what I manage to do away from home!

6-29-19

My second little pottery student, Fossy! Fossy and Buddy are visiting Alabama from LA and we had them over for dinner tonight.  They play together so well, even though they are very different in personality. I made panko fried chicken, rice with sweet and sour sauce, and broccoli with a honey mustard sauce. The boys played Frisbee golf in the backyard with Dan. I LOVE having them with us. It really make me wish I'd been able to have a fourth child.. a brother for Squirt. One regret in my life is not having a fourth child when I was young and able. I think it would have been really good for Squirt to have a brother. Maybe one day I'll have two sons in law... and they will be like a brother for him.

6-26-19

June is coming to a close. All I did in June was pottery every day. NO work, no school, no traveling.

This mug is for a lady who loves Harry Potter, I dipped her spoon in the gold glaze.

Next month I have three trips planned, so I wonder if I will be able to get my clay fix at all....

6-23-19

Another popular item is wine coasters. I got the idea because my mom uses silver ones.

Below are two cauldron mugs I'm sending to FRANCE!!! I got an order for two of them from some lady in southern France. So stoked!

And the pink one is for someone in West Virginia who loves pink things.

6-22-19

More doodles to test whether or not to use black or blue in the carvings on the platter I made.

Me with Teensie, knittting a sock.

6-21-19

sold

sold

sold

She hasn't picked it up yet

sold

sold

sold

6-20-19

I had coffee today with a friend from high school AND the church we were going to. She wanted to know why we stopped going. I told her some of the story...

We started working on a paper together but I've got no passion for it.

This toast you see was really good.

6-18-19

Dan is in Wisconsin for the week and I'm having a rough time. I feel lost and unsettled. I thought it would be nice to have time alone, but instead, I feel ungrounded. Here are six spoons I made in anticipation for more orders for the cauldron mugs and spoons.... They take forever to make.

6-14-19

This mug is a special order for a woman I don't know, but who follows me online. Turns out she is friends with a graduate student I've been talking with, and he asked me to make this for her as a surprise for him to give her for her birthday.

6-13-19

I was on the phone today for a 90 minute conference call, and so I put the phone on speaker and doodled on this plate. It was so nice to have something to do with my hands. In the phone call we were discussion a book we are writing. This doodle looks like eyes, microbes, and a space ship!

6-12-19

This is how the two round-bottom mugs turned out. I was asked to make a cauldron mug! I made two, and made matching spoons. The lady who asked bought the one on the left. Another lady bought the one on the right for her daughter who loves Harry Potter. These become very popular on Etsy and Instagram....

6-11-19

Two big pots made... and I was sorely disappointed that they weren't the exact same size even though I made them each with 14 pounds of clay....

6-9-19

Last night we went to a party at B&M's house and today I taught my young friend how to use my wheel. I realized I need to know how to teach pottery, especially if I ever have my own studio and offer classes. Just as science education has research-based methods, I'm sure ceramics has the same. I taught her the same way I taught Squirt to drive a car.... here are the keys!

6-7-19

It's here! My FIRST ever pottery craft fair. I could NOT have done it without Kismet. She decorated the space with a rug, a dog water bowl, burlap sacks, the ladder display, a shelf, crates, etc. She has a brilliant mind for design and I so appreciate and value my friendship and collaboration with her. 

We sold a ton of stuff. We had LINES at times! It was really exhausting but really rewarding and fun, especially to see former students, current students, and friends show up.

6-6-19

I just love these little coasters. Totally too much work, but great fun for doodling.

Another large thing made at the university class... a stick bowl this time.

And I made jewelry and button cards for the craft fair. I wont really sell any (Hope got sold to a little girl by that name).

6-5-19

The craft fair is almost here! I'm busy working on my sign painted on clay-stained canvas.... 

6-4-19

My goal in the university class is to learn to make big things. I have been commissioned to make two big planters, and have failed on numerous occasions. So this evening in pottery class I made this large planter from 14 pounds of clay! 

6-3-19

A porcelain pig!

Kismet and I decided to do a craft fair downtown and we are getting ready. This month starts a real summer of pottery for me.... a single minded pursuit to get better, diversify my offerings, find my true style, and get my name out there. I start thinking about maybe retiring from academia at the age of 60 and starting up my own studio. This dream fills me with joy!

6-1-19

This is a big planter I made with my signature style of leaf...

And I cleaned my desk in my mud room... (Squirt's old bedroom)

And THIS is what the rounded bottom mug looks like now!

5-31-19

This mug is significant. I decided after making it that is is my signature style, and in the months that follow this date, I make many other things with this style of leaf with the three dots. I love the blue interior. Unfortunately, the shape is not ideal-- top heavy or something like that. Too much torque required to hold it up. Wide handle, wide lip... do the math.

5-30-19

This is a photo of a mug I made IN HAWAII! I mailed it to a friend for her birthday and she took pictures of it having a great time on the beach,

Now, this picture is important. I was making something for the first time, a request by a person I met on Instagram, for a special kind of mug. This begins a fascination with this style of mug. You will see it unfold. Hint--- the lower clay all gets trimmed away so that the bottom is rounded.

5-28-19

I got some little dishes back today. And my friend Kismet decorated this mug below. It has her little acorn symbol on it. Tonight she and I start pottery "lessons" together at the university.

5-27-19

This mug, which was bought by a former student, is said tot be reminiscent of the Coliseum in Rome.

This one which was given to my friend, Kismet, is said to be simple and strong.

Since I am writing this two months in the future, I can not remember the day when I took these photos. My calendar says it is the day before I start pottery classes at the university.