tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82706546780326970012024-02-18T19:18:19.869-08:00Rosa C.Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-3988376033440874412023-11-25T00:30:00.000-08:002023-11-25T00:30:58.152-08:00Therapeutic cushion or sack with wheat seeds and lavender flowers is a h...<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/CznhJNJSMAw?si=rwgAdGvjX4Kne1Ex" frameborder="0"></iframe>Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-12825456068475336482021-02-11T19:48:00.003-08:002021-02-11T19:48:46.866-08:00Shadow Quilt, Etc.<p><b> My first quilt finish for 2021.</b></p><p>Started in 2017 and put away as a completed quilt top, my first. Lesson learned: I could actually piece an entire quilt top.<br /></p><p>Taken out in early 2020 and hacked up. Added black applique figures and quilted each piece. Then put away. Lesson learned: How to do raw-edge applique with fusible medium.<br /></p><p>Taken out this month and bound all the pieces and put it together by zig-zag stitching the bindings of each piece. The edges are all different, as in there isn't a straight edge on any of the four sides of the quilt. I like this very much, actually. I don't think quilts need to be squared up. At all. </p><p>It is a twin-sized quilt, as completed thus far. I ran out of the black fabric I was using with three pieces remaining that could be added at a later date. I am waiting for Moda Bella black fabric from Missouri Star Quilt Co. to arrive to finish them. (I ordered 3 yards of the black and one yard of the "very black," a yard of lime and one of shocking pink (I think) from the same Moda Bella line. I also ordered some clip on magnifiers for my glasses, extra machine needles, and a couple of new kinds of thimbles to try, as the adjustable Clover thimbles I ordered from WAWAK don't sit in the right place on the middle finger of my right hand.)<br /></p><p><b>Other pandemic sewing projects completed so far in 2021: </b></p><p>-Two potholders from orphan blocks and Insulbrite.<br /></p><p>-Two unlined crumb quilt curtains in solid colors, one for each front room window in the casita. </p><p>-Two very small placemats from the leftover bits from making the curtains, done with big-stitch hand-quilting. </p><p> -A coaster for my desk from some very small, ugly half-square triangles. </p><p>-Two masks for Grace's very extra-extra-large friend (7" x 13"). </p><p>-Small talisman made of shell--fabric from Japan, embroidery thread, beads from my collection--and a drawstring rabbit-patterned bag for Kelly's 70th birthday. (She says she keeps her new cell phone in the bag.)<br /></p><p>-Two elastic sheet holders to keep the fitted sheets on the upper corners of my bed. </p><p><b>Next Project: Lime Green Crumb Quilt UFO. </b></p><p><b> </b>Why I stopped working on it: It's too small to be a twin-sized quilt and The Brain couldn't figure out a way to make it bigger that would make sense. So I put away the pieces.</p><p>Why I decided to work on it again: I'm going to try this new technique of binding each panel and then sewing the bound panels together. <br /></p><p><br /></p>Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-75127975673010742082020-01-03T02:23:00.002-08:002020-01-03T02:23:20.916-08:00Quilt Blogs etc.Quilting blogs that I've been reading:<br />
<br />
quilterie.blogspot.com<br />
reproquiltlover.com<br />
nostalgiccafe.blogspot.com<br />
quiltyfolk.blogspot.com<br />
bbquiltmaker.blogspot.com<br />
quiltville.blogspot.com<br />
diaryofaquilter.com<br />
pinkdoxies.com<br />
maryquilts.com<br />
saneandcrazy.blogspot.com<br />
withstringsattached.blogspot.com<br />
treadlestitches.blogspot.com<br />
funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com<br />
myquiltodyssey.blogspot.com<br />
canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com<br />
happyquiltingmelissa.com<br />
quilterscache.com<br />
cluckclucksew.com<br />
<br />
Some of the bloggers stopped updating their blogs years ago, but I like to go back through their archives and read about their quilting. (I sometimes wonder--but not too hard--what happened to them.)<br />
<br />
I think I may start writing about my quilting--the little of it that gets done. I haven't finished too many quilts--four, I think--no, five (not including the two I made for Gray Kitty, and the few wall hangings that I've done)--but that's five more than I thought I ever would. <br />
<br />
I never thought I'd be a quilter.<br />
<br />
<br />Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-77315024866544707182017-12-23T19:23:00.002-08:002017-12-23T19:23:15.320-08:00http://www.afewscraps.com/2017/11/little-quilted-buckets-free-pattern.htmlRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-62442976323321083362017-12-23T07:24:00.001-08:002017-12-23T07:24:02.445-08:00http://kristinshieldsart.com/Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-33341427701479393112017-12-23T03:08:00.001-08:002017-12-23T03:08:56.636-08:00http://willywonkyquilts.blogspot.com/Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-39797408839885814422014-01-01T05:22:00.001-08:002014-01-01T05:22:37.059-08:0012/29 and 12/30Sunday (12/29)<br />
<br />
1. Studio time; the joy of new work, new ideas. Wanting to get to the studio to work. Feeling engaged and quietly happy.<br />
<br />
2. Dinner with Dave and my brother. Spending time with people I love.<br />
<br />
3. Finding out that hibiscus tea might help with my blood pressure. Finding out that I like hibiscus tea!<br />
<br />
Monday 12/30<br />
<br />
1. Studio time and the joy of new work.<br />
<br />
2. Spending the day with David, having lunch and dinner together. Chatting about interesting things.<br />
<br />
3. Rebel donuts cake donuts and a decaf latte. YUM<br />
<br />
Tuesday<br />
<br />
1. Therapy Thursday was Therapy Tuesday this week. Finishing up the first EMDR.<br />
<br />
2. Studio time and new work.<br />
<br />
3. Beets! Beets! Beets! Beet salad for dinner. YUMRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-91227659384799359012013-12-27T02:07:00.001-08:002013-12-27T02:07:51.694-08:003Things (12/26)1. Therapy Thursday--my first experience with EMDR<br />
<br />
2. Studio Time: Making new work (a cell?) out of Annie's Mix, making a mess<br />
<br />
3. Chocolate covered fig. YUMRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-52761737175220173482013-12-25T23:17:00.001-08:002013-12-25T23:17:46.356-08:00Three Things (12/25/13)1. Sleeping away Christmas day. Sleeping until almost 3 in the afternoon.<br />
<br />
2. Studio time. Glazing. Facing down indecision.<br />
<br />
3. Sharing a candy cane with Dave. Our christmas day indulgence.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-59353751890114167002013-12-25T05:00:00.002-08:002013-12-25T05:00:27.526-08:00Three Things (for 12/24/13)1. Having Christmas dinner with my mother, Rudy, and Dave.<br />
<br />
2. Driving around to look at the luminarias and Christmas lights; mono-no-aware.<br />
<br />
3. Snuggling with the cats near the heater.<br />
<br />
Also:<br />
<br />
Body things:<br />
<br />
Good: Thinking about what makes me feel good, physically--long showers, putting on makeup, foot massages<br />
<br />
Bad: Recently--feeling too full after eating too much, toothaches, back pains, feeling the HBP feelingsRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-54050716690567546032012-02-19T06:09:00.001-08:002012-02-24T19:38:24.524-08:00SewingThings I'd like to try:<br />
<a href="http://elily00.wordpress.com/tutorials/wallet/">This wallet from Confessions of a Fabricaholic</a>.<br />
<br />
Places to go on the web:<br />
<a href="http://www.lovesewing.com/magazine/%20">Love sewing mag</a>Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-5469172166997441592011-12-28T09:33:00.000-08:002011-12-28T09:33:08.121-08:00Same Time Next YearIt's been over a year since I updated my little crafty blog. Why? I suppose it's because I started incorporating crafty stuff into my regular/personal blog. And also because my non-clay craftiness has been at a veritable standstill for the last year (!).<br />
<br />
Should I delete this journal? Continue to let it limp along with a yearly update? Update it with clay entries cross-posted to my personal journal?<br />
<br />
Well.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-41950072528379770182010-12-06T08:00:00.001-08:002010-12-06T08:02:25.036-08:00Monday Morning You Sure Look Fine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/5202951977/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Selfed by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Selfed" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5202951977_b5e67c6b79_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I am still here. I still exist.</div><br />
It's the end of the semester and thankfully I am only taking one class, because even with just that one class, I've been feeling pretty under the gun recently.<br />
<br />
I'm here in the lab this morning, having a cup of coffee and printing out the paper that's due by noon. I actually finished it yesterday--which may or may not be a first for me in terms of term papers--and I got a full night's sleep which sounds like a good thing only I was being chased by a zombie all around my dreams. (He was a scary twenty-something zombie, but in the end, when he was attacked by a larger, scarier zombie, I kinda felt a little sorry for him.) So it wasn't a particularly restful full night of sleep, is what I'm trying to say.<br />
<br />
I haven't written a blog entry in about a week and I feel rusty.<br />
<br />
Also, my ear is stuffed up and hurty and I'm afraid I have some kind of ear infection. I probably should go over to the student health center and have a doctor look at it.<br />
<br />
Let's see what else? <br />
<br />
The car went to the shop this morning. It's been spewing some evil smelling, brain cell killing fumes into the interior whenever we drive it for longer than fifteen minutes or so. So that's a good thing, I guess.<br />
<br />
And I got a lot of my Christmas shopping done at the arts and crafts show that was being held in the student union building last week. So that's good. Supplemented with some of our own pottery, I think we might be almost completely finished with Christmas shopping.<br />
<br />
Christmas seems so far away, and yet, it's only, like 19 days from now. Right? <br />
<br />
So you're wondering what my paper was about, aren't you?<br />
<br />
Well, it was the final write-up of the tobacco experiments I did in botany this semester. I worked with three other people (although by using the verb "worked," I don't mean to give you the impression that they did anything except stay out of my way and weasel out of doing even the simplest tasks). Grrr.<br />
<br />
So it's Monday. I'm going to make it through the day at least. That's something.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-31690192440794446232010-12-05T07:01:00.000-08:002010-12-05T07:01:28.540-08:00SwiftlyI really have been working--lots! And Dave and I just participated in the studio show, where we sold about $300 worth of stuff, so that was nice.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-71061425512059338782010-08-21T05:09:00.000-07:002010-08-21T05:09:53.762-07:004:00 P.M.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4912054018/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="My Workspace by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="My Workspace" height="299" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4912054018_2d906bfe3f.jpg" width="400" /></a> I couldn't tell you what goes through my mind as I'm glazing--except today, when The Brain could not shake <a href="http://supak.com/simpsons/wavs/cletus_the_slack_jawed_yokel.wav">this little ditty about Cletus the slack-jawed yokel</a> from an episode of The Simpsons. <br />
<br />
This was my workspace circa 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. On the left, you can see my muse, 44 ounces of diet Pepsi. Then there's an Empty Bowls bowl, a few glazes, and my glazing notebook. Behind that, my inspiration wall.<br />
<br />
I work best in a bit of self-generated chaos.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-21118167410978004772010-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:002010-08-02T19:41:32.875-07:00DetailsThese are some detail photos (taken with a cell phone, so necessarily blurry), of a piece I made years ago. It's called <i>the hand, the eye, the word</i>, and it doesn't exist anymore. On Saturday, after I took these photos, I had Dave fling it against a cinder block wall. (If you want to see the whole piece, intact, there's a photo at <a href="http://tokyorosa.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-fling.html">my non-craftsy blog, Rosa</a>.)<br />
<br />
This is the back of the piece: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4854467867_fa994949cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4854467867_fa994949cf.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br />
The piece was built on this example of my very early carved work, a skeleton holding a trio of flowers. I made this piece first and it sat and sat and sat, waiting for me to be inspired enough to glaze it. I never did. Instead, it was pressed into service as the base that I built the rest of this piece on.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of things you might notice about the back:<br />
<br />
One is that the piece was hung by discarded keys (glued to the piece with a two-part epoxy) and wire. I used two sets of keys because the piece was so heavy that I didn't want to risk one set. The other thing is that the whole piece was held together with glaze. Those heavy swaths of white glaze were actually acting as kind of glue to hold all the bits together. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4854477051_f4b464980e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4854477051_f4b464980e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is my hand, a cast of my hand anyway. It was also held on with glaze. I used my hand at one end and the hand of a then-friend (someone who is definitely no longer in my life, hasn't been for a long time, and never will be again) at the other end.<br />
<br />
This is that friend's hand. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4854548753_791894cbda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4854548753_791894cbda.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
I hated this as soon as I applied the gold patina to it. It reminded me too much of Lt. Data on <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation.</i> I do/did like the glaze effect on the background. It was a mixture of several different glazes, a glossy white, a runny gun-metal green, a crackle glaze, and a Chun red. It was meant to look like a turbulent, angry sky.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4852989663_55a7d2502d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4852989663_55a7d2502d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is the eye part of the work. All those eyes belong to another friend who I am no longer in contact with. Again, I hated the gold patina on it.<br />
<br />
You can also see examples of the words there, pages ripped from a trashed copy of a Dostoyevsky novel.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of close ups of those words:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4854468187_45c3177fb9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4854468187_45c3177fb9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4852990915_4aac8ba443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4852990915_4aac8ba443.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4854476519_b6bec7cf41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4854476519_b6bec7cf41.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I'm glad this piece is out of my life, actually.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-57106584207371316462010-07-06T23:18:00.000-07:002010-07-06T23:18:04.730-07:00Beads Beads BeadsYes, it really was May the last time I added anything to my little crafty blog. I have been working, I just haven't been posting anything here. Recently, I've taken up bead making. I was inspired by a pair of pottery earrings I bought from a street vendor in NYC and here is a bit of the fruits of that inspiration:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4770068842_f2282083af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4770068842_f2282083af.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>These are my little red clay, iron oxided beads, strung on some elastic thread until I can figure out what to do with them.<br />
<br />
Most of them will be turned into earrings like these:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4770064600_84a7a75938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4770064600_84a7a75938.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4769419929_92f71bd69f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4769419929_92f71bd69f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a photo of the inside of the kiln after my first bead tree firing. (A bead tree, in case you don't know, is a device that allows you to fire beads on high-temperature wire.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4770024468_b67bc7c1d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4770024468_b67bc7c1d5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The larger pieces around the bead tree are not mine. Those are mostly student and studio members' pieces and glaze tests. <br />
<br />
Two firings yielded a nice bead soup that I've started to play with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4769425557_d4acccab10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4769425557_d4acccab10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> (I made the plate underneath the beads, too. Unfortunately, the glaze on the plate developed a common firing fault, dozens of tiny pinholes in the surface. But it's fine for using as a bead tray.)Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-55008100905579674312010-05-13T05:10:00.000-07:002010-05-13T05:12:11.444-07:00Button HoledI made a few more buttons recently. These were not included in the buttons I sent to my mother for Mother's Day. These were made after that initial round and are smaller than the early buttons. Because they were so small, they were a much bigger pain to glaze than their larger brethren. <br />
<br />
I photographed them against their entries in my glaze log so that I might have a bit of a record as to what glazes I used and what those glazes did. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/4577387390_f2881094d4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/4577387390_f2881094d4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This triangular button glazed with a turquoise glaze that invariably bubbles and pits, turned out to be one of my favorites. I like the texture very much when it's confined to the small surface of the button.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577393458/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/4577393458_d98377564c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
On the other hand, I expected better from this glaze combination. Oh well.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577393362/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4577393362_40fdb6ae72_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
I like the simplicity of this "really red" button. It feels very handmade to me.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577392444/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/4577392444_3c7bb24ab7_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
The light blue one might be a sleeper.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577390892/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4577390892_e2e0aafd34_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
I should've done two layers of glaze, not just the stripes, because I like that strange mottled section where the glazes are layered.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577390678/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/4577390678_15bc92db5f_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Another sleeper perhaps.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4576758041/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4576758041_6fe9f4b347_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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This alabaster glazed triangle and the oatmeal glazed stars seem rather plain to me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577389628/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4577389628_cc4b673c68_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4576757027/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4576757027_01788e6a8e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Ice blue is one of my favorite glazes. I just love the look of this glaze. It's not so impressive in this small photo, but in a larger photo (and in person), it's just a big, interesting glaze. Love this stuff.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577387748/" title="Buttons by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Buttons" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4577387748_5d2527b21a_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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My little Frankenstein button, a green matte experiment.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4576754987/" title="Button by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Button" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4576754987_66368cca65_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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This waxy lavender heart is pretty enough, and subtle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21268062@N00/4577387524/" title="Buttons by Tokyorosa, on Flickr"><img alt="Buttons" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4577387524_1d41ea25a5_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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This is another one of my favorites, glazed with a single layer of espresso shino. Look at that! Unfortunately, its two similarly glazed companions crawled terribly.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-54999698452591385262010-05-02T21:47:00.000-07:002010-05-02T21:47:11.826-07:00Three Easy PiecesMy favorite of the new work is this calavera:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3325/4573121307_4ddded48f7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3325/4573121307_4ddded48f7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Or maybe it's this diablito:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4573129191_0f792c8359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4573129191_0f792c8359.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
This one's not bad, either:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4573766416_4865c2f13b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4573766416_4865c2f13b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
These are just three of the nearly twenty pieces I got out of the kiln I fired last night. I only had my cell phone camera to use for these few photos, though, so there should be a few more photos soon.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-20837389988870697242010-04-26T22:37:00.000-07:002010-04-26T22:37:17.412-07:00Flower Pots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4535818695_7d5e813f51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4535818695_7d5e813f51.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Flower pots, me-style.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I tried to make a flowerpot in the slump mold style that is taught to beginning clay students everywhere. I failed miserably. The thing looked so lumpy and misshapen that it ruined my night, clay-wise. (I did not take a picture, of course.) I walked away from it feeling sad and defeated. How could I call myself an artist--or even a potter--if I couldn't succeed at something so basic as making a pot in a slump mold?<br />
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The day after falling, I got back on my clay bicycle, so to speak. I went back with the same clay (reclaimed), and the same flowerpot mold, and I made these four pots. The next day I made another. Mojo reclaimed.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-6472364150962162482010-04-13T23:56:00.001-07:002010-04-14T00:14:07.628-07:00ChaosI find that I have a great affinity for a chaotic work environment--so long as the chaos is entirely self-created. In other words, if it's my mess, fine. If it's someone else's mess, it enrages me.<br />
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Luckily my little studio space allows me to be as chaotic as I want to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/4519332233_c89879571e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/4519332233_c89879571e.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
This is the sight that greeted me this afternoon, my banding wheel topped by an upturned vase caught midway through the glazing process. (That vase is giving me fits, by the way. I want to get it done, but I want it to be perfectly done. This is always a dilemma for me.)Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-27518580888558914542010-04-12T12:17:00.000-07:002010-04-12T12:17:37.573-07:00Squidly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2158/4512389439_64c5264dd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2158/4512389439_64c5264dd3.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Heeeeee'sssssss coooooooommmminnnng fooooorrrrr yoooouuuu!!!</div><br />
Giant squid plate in progress.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-39313383678533240142010-04-10T08:10:00.000-07:002010-05-07T11:57:40.603-07:00Testing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/4507448057_3a44c76bf5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/4507448057_3a44c76bf5.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
I'm trying this new thing--no, not test tiles, but taking pics of my test tiles after they're fired. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4507448267_7d219d0386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4507448267_7d219d0386.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4507448485_e390649a2e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4507448485_e390649a2e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The tiles are carved so that I can get an idea of how a glaze is going to break over a carved piece. Some glazes highlight carved details, some glazes completely obliterate carved details.<br />
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The other thing test tiles tell me is how a glaze is going to look over the kind of clay I use. Most commercial test tiles are done on smooth white clay to highlight the color of the glaze. I don't use white clay, I use a relatively dark red clay which has an effect on the color of the glaze. The "violet under osiris" tile, for example, shows this tendency. You can see that the violet comes through all right, but the osiris only looks blue where it's thickly applied, as in the crevices of the piece. Over the flat parts, it doesn't really look blue at all.<br />
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Sometimes, of course, it does look blue, as it does in this test piece:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2751/4459330282_3d6c796c7f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2751/4459330282_3d6c796c7f_o.jpg" /></a></div>Same clay, same glaze. Here, you can see that it did go blue on the inside of this vase. That's because it's very thickly applied. If I tried that on a flat piece, or on the outside of a tall piece, the glaze would run and possibly stick to the kiln shelf.<br />
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See, this is why I love glazing. I love building relationships with glazes like this.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-35650690426446016312010-03-24T14:29:00.000-07:002010-03-25T04:48:02.198-07:00It Takes As Long As It TakesAre you interested in the process?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4254362188_6a8c1706c2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4254362188_6a8c1706c2_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a mid-carving pic taken January 7th. Carving a piece like this takes perhaps four to six hours spread over a day or two. After carving, it has to dry. I tend to let things dry quickly (quickly meaning that I don't cover things so depending on the humidity level, it takes anywhere from two days to two weeks), though things sit on my shelves for a long time waiting to be bisque fired. Since I don't like to mix my work in with the general studio stuff, I wait until I can fill a kiln with my own work. That can take several weeks, so really drying time isn't a very big factor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2743/4367291774_c69b3075c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2743/4367291774_c69b3075c5.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
This has been bisque fired and has had an application of iron oxide. I took this picture on February 17th, though the piece had probably had been sitting around my space for awhile after being bisque fired. (I'm lazy and will glaze easier stuff first, or I'll get a piece and realize I don't know how I want to glaze it and then will have to make several test tiles which can take weeks.) <br />
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Finally it was time to glaze it.<br />
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<a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4412180919_ab165529b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4412180919_ab165529b1.jpg" width="298" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4412949742_cf8b0ee57c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4412949742_cf8b0ee57c.jpg" width="239" /></a><br />
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These are photos from March 6. I keep records while glazing, though they're often maddeningly incomplete. On this record, for example, I forgot to write down what glaze I used on the teeth. When I do this, I can usually make an educated guess, but I'm not always right. (After I reached this stage, the piece sat for a couple of weeks because I got hung up on what glaze I wanted to put on the outermost edge. I finally decided and finished it because I had a buttload of other work that I wanted to fire.)<br />
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Again, I don't like for my work to mix in with the general studio work. I'm not trying to be snobbish, but I will cop to being a control freak. If something goes wrong in the firing, I want to know that it was my fault and not the fault of whomever loaded the kiln. <br />
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<a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4456614184_63be1bab65_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4456614184_63be1bab65_o.jpg" /></a><br />
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The final firing was on Saturday, March 20th, and I took this picture after unloading the kiln the next day. So that's not bad; only about three and a half months for a finished piece.<br />
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Here's a funny thing: I don't consider myself to be a very patient person and so you'd think that waiting fourteen weeks for a finished piece would kill me. But actually it doesn't. I've learned that clay has its own timeline and I don't really have much say in the matter. Oh, I could rush things along, but why? I could force dry things and try to simplify my glazing techniques, but why? I could toss my stuff in the mix with the general studio stuff and it might shave a couple of weeks off the time it takes me to get a finished product, but I don't do that because it might mean having a few more pieces marred by other people's mistakes. That's not worth it to me.<br />
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I guess that clay is one place in my life where I'm not searching to maximize my use of time or to streamline my efforts to make them more efficient. I mean, art takes as long as it takes. It takes time in increments of hours or days or weeks or lifetimes, no?Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8270654678032697001.post-41302732278905732272010-03-23T14:53:00.000-07:002010-03-23T14:53:49.678-07:00Moving Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4453155463_38beb04a5b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4453155463_38beb04a5b_o.jpg" /></a></div>Unloading the kiln on Sunday evening: a stack of plates, some platters and a couple of bowls. Vases and a couple of experimental pieces. Some good stuff.<br />
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I was talking with my aunt the other day at lunch about my practice of destroying work that I don't like or that doesn't sell. She's against it, but I explained that I do it because, man, that stuff has my name on it and I don't want work that doesn't meet my standards to be out there with my name on it. As far as the stuff that doesn't sell, some of it I keep but the stuff that I don't want to keep or store gets smashed. It's a way to keep moving forward.Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617026639060823155noreply@blogger.com0