Love

I was asked to make a Eucharist goblet for one of our town churches. Perfect timing to practice the technique demonstrated by Cynthia Bringle recently. I have made goblets before, but always in two sections. This technique was a lot more difficult than I expected! I had about a 50% success rate and we'll see how many actually make it all the way through. This weekend I will  practice some more.

Practicing  new goblet form

January is the month for me to work on new forms. So goblets it is, and a new shape for bowls. How is it that a curve can be so elusive?! Drives me nuts! I see it perfectly in my minds eye, but cannot make my hands create that curve on a regular basis. Practice more~





Love making pots!



I also work on glaze development during the winter months. I have a stack of books and notes waiting for me to peruse through. With the gas kiln I need a new palette of glazes to work with and lately I've been getting itchy to expand my repertoire of glazing techniques- underglaze, layering techniques, etc. Making functional pottery in cone 10 reduction limits some of my choices.

This is where the part-time potter thing gets in my way. When a weekend comes up I want to be in the studio throwing pots (my favorite part of the process). I like to see the shelves fill up...but other stages of the process also need my attention. Wait- I also love the imprinting stage....maybe I could learn to love the glaze development phase too ???

I just have to suck it up and devote some seat time to work with the books and think. How do you manage the whole glaze development piece of your work?



L.O.V.E.

 
This is my niece swimming backstroke at a college meet last weekend. She and her sister are the closest thing I have to children of my own. Honest to goodness, I do not know how you parents do it! My heart swells with so much love for these kids I feel like it will explode - and I am just the Aunt!!!

Anyway, it's such a treat to watch her swim. This time the meet was in Rochester, where my father lives. So my sister and I met up at his house and we three went to the swim meet together.

My other niece had her own high school swim meet (they crank swimmers out in N.J.). She and her father stayed home to attend that. I keep trying to convince my other niece to attend college in the Capital District...but, alas, I think I will lose that one... her father's Alma mater beckons!! Regardless we have two years before that happens.



Dad and Sister. Love them too!!