Completion of Address Pot

Yay! This morning I got up early, before anyone else in the house. I made a cup of java and headed out to the studio to work on the Address Pot. I knew I was close to being done, and yesterday was frustrating since I only had 25 minutes in the clay studio to work. I seem to be a little obsessive about leaving some projects unfinished. I like to stop at a good place, and when the completion of a project is near, it is ALL I want to work on! I'll let dishes pile up and bills go unopened, just so I can get some work done. That is how I was feeling yesterday! So this morning, when I woke, I thought "Carpe Diem!" So off to the studio I went, and I was able to finish my birds and thus the address pot is complete! I need better lighting for the final shot, but you can get an idea here. There are detail shots in previous posts.. The finished height is right at 6' tall. There are 5 sections, not including the three birds. I think I will epoxy them on after firing. I think that bond will be stronger, and I won't have to worry about accidentally snapping them off. Let me know what you think! This is the tallest project I've ever made and it took me over a month just to build it. It will be a while before it gets fired....

Three Little Birds Sitting on some Foam

Three little birdies sitting on some foam. I made these birds to go on my address pot. I am a bit obsessed with birds right now, and so I expect they will be showing up in my new work. And now I can get started on new work, now that I have this monster of a project complete. Whew! I don't think I have ever spent over a month working on a single project. I'm usually looking for the end, already thinking of the next piece I want to make. But anyway... these little guys kinda made me smile, all sitting there together on the foam. Or laying on the foam...they DO look a little like three dead birds on foam don't they?? :)

Work in Progress

Finally! I have finished building the main body of the address pot and now I'm just making birds to attach to it. One big bird on top and a few on the ledge of the pot. I was working on the birds today in the rather warm studio (my AC is out!) I am having a blast sculpting the birds. I can't wait for the next project, so I can do more bird-related stuff. I've been thinking about that... I seem hooked on birds and all things birds recently, but that is a whole 'nother post. I will put some photos on when my camera and my computer begin to play nicely again.

Address Pot - Work In Progress

I am finally nearing the end of the column part of this piece. It has been slow going, but it has also been a good lesson for me. Don't stop, just keep going!! I have never taken so long to work on one piece. Usually my attention span (or lack thereof!) prevents me from working this way, but since I am getting so little time in the studio these days, it is the only way I can work. On the photo on the left, you can see the three different sections of the column, separated by toilet paper. It keeps the clay from one section sticking to the next section. It just fires away, no need to remove it! The photo on the right shows that I had to switch out my stool for a ladder to work on the top portion of the column. I couldn't see what I was doing. I'm just a short thing, only 5'1", so a ladder is a must in my studio. So the next step I'm working on now is finishing the column and then I'm on to forming birds to attach. I am looking forward to that- something different to work on! Yay!

Studio Dog #2 - the Original Studio Dog

This is Kendo. He's the Original Studio pup. I think of him as my first born child. He is always in the studio with me, and as you can see, he has a bed under my slab roller. I even keep chew bones in there for him! He's so funny - if I make even the tiniest squeak of surprise, he comes running like, "What is it? I'm here to save you, Mom!" And he's Guard Dog Extraordinaire. Let's just say I wouldn't want to be a burglar sneaking into our house some night. LuLu is just scary looking, Kendo can be just plain scary when he wants to be!

Studio Dog #1

This is one of two studio dogs that I have. This is LuLu. She came to live with us after my mom died in February. All of my family was so worried about LuLu. They'd ask in a sad tone, "How's LuLu - is she okay??" And I'd respond that LuLu was just fine, fitting in quite well at our house. As you can see, she really suffers here. This is her perch when I'm in the studio. On my little futon couch. But it is nice to have company in the studio. Sometimes, I don't even play music, I just work quietly, and I can hear LuLu breathing as she sleeps. It's rather comforting! Now I need to show you Studio Dog #1. He's the Original Studio Dog. But you will have to wait until another time. I need to get a good photo of him!

A VERY Early Morning

Well, I had an interesting night last night. Recently, I have been waking up easily around 6:00 am, feeling great and energized. So I've been sliding out of bed and enjoying the peace that the early hour gives me. Last night, I woke up, feeling pretty good even though my eyes were a bit tired. I quietly grabbed my clothes and shoes and crept downstairs. I was already starting to think about coffee, toast, and then out to the studio. But then I came around the corner and saw the clock on the oven - and it was 1:05 am! Oh no! I knew I was in trouble then because I was feeling wide awake. As someone who has had a lot of insomnia over the past couple of years, I am all too familiar with being up in the middle of the night. Its not fun, ESPECIALLY when you have a baby or toddler that will wake up early and be ready to play all the next day! So I read some blogs and tried to go back to sleep, which probably ended up being around...4:00 maybe. Ugh. And here I am again at 7:30 am, wide awake! Today I will leave you with a little pic of Marley and Charlie on the pier here at Folly Beach just the other day. We were killing time before dinner and she loves birds, so we walked the Pier.