Mug Cozies

These big mugs of mine are a little large for Coffee, but actually perfect for tea, and for some reason I find tea much hotter than coffee, well maybe just when it's brewed in the cup. So I fashioned a few mug cozies, and even though as always some changes will be made the next time I make one- I am pretty happy with the results. I love that fabric, with the multicoloured flowers all over it, I used it for the big floor pillow I made N for Christmas, and I love using old buttons for that purpose, I think it's a very tactile way to use them, you can really enjoy them that way. 

A Winter Walk

It snowed here in earnest a few days ago (it's mostly melted away- what weird winter weather we're having in Manitoba), and N and I went out to use her snowsuit at least once this winter, we had a delightful time pushing the snow around, and trying in vain to build snowmen with the dry fluffy snow, and hanging up some oranges for the birds (I have no idea if the birds in our area like oranges, I suspect not actually, but at least they look nice hanging from the tree).

We have been feeding the bids lately, and have some nice ones in residence here at the farm, blue Jays, Woodpeckers (or sapsuckers I guess?), chickadees, nuthatches, juncos and sparrows. It's a real delight to have these friendly birds around, Maybe one day I'll try feeding them out of my hand, like we used to do growing up in B.C. I remember the odd thrill of feeling their tiny spindly claws attach to your finger, the light weight of them, suddenly taking off.

Merry Christmas!

See you in 2012!

Happy Solstice

From here on in the days just get longer my friends! If that isn't reason to be thankful- I don't know what is. 

A Seasonal Approach

  

Lace mugs in my new glaze colours- I love the way they look together.

I have been working with clay again this past month- after a hiatus in which I focused on seasonal needs and demands; the garden, preserving, cooking, sewing. I missed art making, not at first- not right away- at first I reveled in the apparent freedom of giving myself the space to think up new pieces, new ideas, but in the fall I started to get twitchy- I felt the need to make some art- somehow. I had the idea that I would try to manage my pursuits in season, summer for gardening winter for art- in an attempt to manage that craziness that goes with trying to do it all simultaneously. I think it's a good idea, still- but I think I need shorter seasons.

Lace Mug with the glaze rubbed in to design, and wiped- gives the texture much sharper contrast.

I have felt very happy and peaceful seeing these pots go through their firing process, I made them last spring, and they've been nagging at me to get fired, but I knew I wanted some bright glazes, and I didn't have it sorted out yet. I'm pleased with these mugs, they are simple to make and quirky, and unique, and they are bright I think, they make me smile. I have learned a little bit from these mugs too, they need to be a bit smaller, and I'm itching to see how the colour will look if I rub it into the pattern, and then wipe it off, instead of letting it go thickly over it, which obscures the texture a bit. I also am pleased that my Chicken souffle dish worked out, It was the first time I tried an applique method, inspired by Wedgwood's Jasper ware ( I got the chicken impressions off of old toys of K's, which I made plaster moulds of,  I plan to make more with more farm animals, I love them)

 Souffle Dish with Appliqued Chickens, pretty good for a first attempt.

You see I have many hobbies, and I tend to turn my hobbies into more than just that- I will try to live solely off my garden, and to make everything we eat, and to sew my own clothes, and make my own dishes, and.... well you get the idea, I get carried away. I'm usually well able to do all those things, and to put in the effort that makes it possible, but I'm just now learning that it's not necessarily possible all at the same time, and not always with a young child in tow. The thing that I am loving about this seasonal approach is that it seems to afford me a little mental space, where I can focus on one thing at a time, and I think that allows me to grow more within each hobby.  Also, I feel renewed each time I start again, and I am astonished at how capable I am in that particular activity (the flip side of this is that worry slightly before I begin, that I have lost my knowledge), I am loving that experience of having to trust myself over and over again.

Vintage Treasures

I love thrift store shopping- I was raised on it- and whenever my mom asks you to guess how much an item cost her you should always start at 5 cents, always, sometimes it's true, and even when it's not, it's probably not too far off. Anyways- usually there isn't too much for me but I always go and check out one place in particular because they have great sewing notions, old thread, and buttons, knitting needles, lace trims, I go with whatever change I have in my pocket, and try not to spend over that amount.

The other day I was dropping off some old clothes there and went in with 2.75, and I had some great luck- five of those small blue and white plates- 25 cents each, and the red and white table runner for 75 cents- but actually it was half price! Also the jello mold for 25 cents, which I plan to use to bake coffee cake in. I left the place with change!

One of the great things about shopping at second hand stores is that usually your money is going towards a good cause,  and I love the older church -run thrift stores for exactly this reason- when you buy something at Value village- it's still Eco -friendly and all, but it's essentially mimicking a department store, and they're not a non-profit organization. When you support the smaller stores you're probably contributing to your local non-profits, and that's important, and Eco-friendly, and Human-friendly. Also, though it's less important, when you step into these stores, it's just like stepping back in time, they charge ridiculously low prices for things, and it makes me feel nostalgic and just generally happy. 


 P.S. I wasn't sure I could bake in the mold- but I looked it up- and sure enough it's just coloured aluminium, not copper, so it's safe to bake in- you wouldn't want to bake in unlined copper pans, or jello molds with any sort of varnish on them.

Monday Inspiration: Robin Hopper

Robin Hopper, Fluted Bowl, three coloured agate ware, (source)

Robin Hopper, Lidded Jar Faceted Three-Coloured agate ware, (source)

I really really want to take pottery classes from Robin Hopper. I think his works are alright- I love the agate ware he makes, to me they reference old china pottery- Wedgwood, and the early twentieth century fine china makers, and I love those references, but the rest of the pieces are sort of ho- hum to me). But what stands out about this guy is that he is so very knowledgeable about Ceramics. He wrote the book on glazes, and several other ceramic related things (literally). He doesn't just make pots, he explores them, and how they're made- his value is in the knowledge he holds about clay, not his conceptual vision as an artist.

One of the reasons that I love working with clay is that it requires an actual knowledge base, It's more than just creativity- and it's not easy to pick up, it requires study, and practice, and acquiring knowledge. It's as much a skill as it is an art- it's a fine craft, and it requires good craftsmanship- and I value that. For some artists the idea is the main thing- those artists don't care whether they make the art or a team of people carry out their ideas, to them the carrying out of it is secondary to the main concept.

I like a good concept too, but mostly I value workmanship, I value long hours trying many ideas that didn't work out to find the one sample that did work. I value lots of drawing and painting and building and planning, lots of practice, and lots of hours learning about your material or art.  Clay is different from conceptual art in that it requires that type of practice in order to make a good piece, you will be better at clay if you practice it, try it, study it, and sometimes, fail at it. But you're always stocking up your knowledge of your craft.

Making clay pieces feels that way to me in a way painting doesn't- it's a Craft. I don't mean the kind of craft where you glue pom poms to Popsicle sticks either, I mean traditional- apprentice at the age of 16, put in ten thousand hours, become a master, type of Craft.  Robin Hopper is that sort of potter, he's a Fine Craftsman, and I love that.