Wednesday is Clay Day... Part 3

The pots have made it through the bisque, and are now ready for the pit fire! Below are the beautiful pots all ready to get thrown into the fire. As you can see by the work here, there are some quite talented ladies in my class. I try (and do not succeed very well) not to be envious of their pots!!! Though, I have to remind myself... I am not retired, nor independently wealthy... currently I'm just a working stiff, & thus I simply do not have the time most of these lovely ladies have to put into this class. I try (really hard!) to keep this in perspective! 

:)

The Pit Fire goes like this:

1) Dig Hole,

2) Stuff Pallets with Crumpled Newspaper & Place in Hole,

3) Stack Pots on top of Pallets.

(The Pots themselves make a cool abstract art form, don't you think?!)

Once the pots are all stacked, you cover them with bark from the Ponderosa Pine (this is what gives the finished pot the "smokey" look) and various scrap wood & light the whole thing on fire!

Everyone in class is an active participant... from digging the pit, stuffing the pallet, keeping an eye on the fire, etc. The whole process takes around 3 hours.

After the wood burns down, the pots are soon ready to take out out of the ashes. 

Below are some pics of my finished pot~

Hmmmmm. I do like it, but I have to admit I am a bit partial to the golden orange of the bisque fire! The smokey effect of the final firing is fairly unpredictable, depending on how the wood burns, and in my opinion it came out just a little too smokey.

But, what the heck, it's my first micaceous pot, I have a lot to learn (story of my life...) and while you cannot control the end results, I believe you can learn to manipulate them a bit more. I have 2 more pots I'm concurrently working on, plus some various hand building projects, and my little bear made it out of the glaze firing... but we'll save that for another post... it's late, and it's back to work Tamale...

"Autumn is a Second Spring, When Every Leaf is a Flower..."

 ~ Albert Camus

Where I went hiking last week, the colors continue to change and huge swaths of the mountain have turned brilliant yellow & fiery red. Along with the color also come large crowds of people, because who wouldn't want to see & experience such natural beauty!? But, being that I'm around people constantly at work... I was craving a little solitude. So, just a bit farther up the mountain I went, to a favorite trail that meanders through stands of Aspen. Many of the leaves have already fallen, and the forest took on the most beautiful yellow glow! To lay upon a blanket of freshly fallen leaves, look up at the blue sky, and breathe in the smell of the sweet earth... makes my soul just a little bit happier.

:)

Wednesday is Clay Day- Part 2: Who is that Masked Woman?!?

Ha Ha~ it's me, of course! I had much scraping & sanding to do on my first Micaceous Pot, to get it as smooth & uniform as possible... and one DOES NOT want to breathe in dust for hours! I didn't win any fashion shows today, but I did get a few ideas for a bank robbing stint.... kidding!!! 

:)

Remember all the work I had left to do? It took another 5 hours today to scrape, sand, apply slip & stone burnish (rubbing smooth stones over the surface~ one section at a time on this BIG POT!) Work, yes, but not like work work if you know what I mean. When I'm working on it, it just feels like something I do... if that makes any sense. Anyhow, here's how it looks now!

Now, just say the potter's prayer that it makes it through the bisque firing and the pit firing!! I am hopeful, but I also try not to get too attached to the work, knowing anything can happen. Good reason to document with photos...  if it cracks or blows up, I can say, "No...really, I did make this super cool pot once..."

:)

In other clay news... I did sneak in a little wheel time last week, too. I thought I'd make a couple of the coffee bean mugs like I had made up in Oregon, since I had given all those away. I like them, but they are kinda a pain to make, having to slip & score every bean, and then stain them a dark brown color, (French Roast!) which must be painted on. They still need to make it through 2 firings too, so keep your fingers crossed!

Have I mentioned that I love clay days?!

Stay tuned next week for Clay day Part 3... I'm working my 2nd coiled Pot with a new twist!

:)

"In Every Walk With Nature, 

One Receives Far More Than He Seeks" 

~John Muir

How true this quote is! The colors are just starting to change in the Mountains above Santa Fe, and I as much as I was tempted to say to myself I was too tired to hike today... I knew my soul needed to get out there. So glad I did!

The air was fresh, the sky blue... and the sound of the wind rustling through Aspen leaves was like music to my ears.

:)

Have you ever noticed it looks like they have eyes? Aspen are one of my favorite trees... though I've yet to meet a tree I didn't like!

I found a tiny little creek with miniature waterfalls...

And hidden treasures!

I return rejuvenated, and I'm reminded once again how much beauty is in this world.

:)

Wednesday is Clay Day- Part 1

So, it's decided then! Starting today & every Wednesday... it is officially my "Clay Day..."

for the next six weeks anyhow. No laundry, no errands, no house cleaning... just me & the clay. Yeah, sure... I would love to do it full time, but it's not an option presently... so I'll do the best with what I've got :). I finally got to dig in & make my first ever Micaceous Pot today! It's not finished, but I wanted to show it anyhow, because for me this is pretty exciting stuff!

I've actually never made a coiled pot before, so it was a little challenging for me. It took about 5 hours to get to this point!

It will still need to be scraped, sanded, slip applied & stone-burnished before it's ready for firing, so lots of work to go, but I'm off to a good start.

Me & my pot... just to show scale, as it looked so small in the pics above, and it's actually quite a large pot! If it makes it through all the steps above, it'll be a functional cooking pot... now is that cool or what?

:)

Rivers and Tides

I've always loved this clip from Artist Andy Goldworthy's Rivers & Tides. Watch it & maybe you'll understand why. I can relate to so many things he speaks of. If you get the chance~ watch the film in it's entirety... it's such a wonderful blend of man, nature, beauty & art. I believe his art (which is intricately tied to nature) is his passion... his souls desire. We all have those things that we love to do~ our passions~ things that on a deeper level feed our souls if you will... things that that we must do in order to feel fulfilled on a deeper level. For me, it is very simple things that feed my soul. It is time spent out in nature, having the time to create, time to sit quietly and just be. A place where no demands are made, & there is no place that I have to rush off to. How do you feel when you are not pursuing your souls desires? Do you feel rootless, disconnected? I do. I think that's why I've been feeling a little glum the past few days, for seemingly no reason in particular... but perhaps simply due to the fact that lately, I feel as if I have to "squeeze in" these moments that feed my soul.... amidst the clamor & demands of daily life. 

Madrid, New Mexico~ A Stop Along the Turquoise Trail

My Mom & Grandmother have been visiting each summer for a few days for the past 3 summers that I have been working in Santa Fe. I am the self appointed "tour guide" & try to show them a little something different each time they visit. There is so much to see & do! Wednesday we drove out along the Turquoise Trail to Madrid. It's a tiny little town, rich in mining history~ turquoise, lead, silver & coal. (If you're interested, there's some really great history here: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/nm-madrid.html~ it even tells of a several hauntings!) After the coal bust it essentially became a ghost town... but it's since been revitalized into a funky little artist enclave & popular tourist stop along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway.

I love old buildings, things that are funky, and checking out other artist's work, so poking in all the little shops & galleries was right up my alley.

We didn't eat here, but we all got a kick out of this sign. I mean, really, isn't it the coolest? While poking around, I also found this really simple, yet beautiful turquoise necklace. 

My birthday is coming up this month (already?!? It seems I just had one!) and my sweet Gramma saw how much I loved it & she decided it would be my early birthday present. Awe... thanks, Grams! It is by local Jewelry Maker & turquoise miner Rianna Newman~ you can read about her & her work here:

http://theroamingtumbleweed.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/the-gem-of-madrid-riana-newman/ 

Our last stop before heading back, was to photograph this little church a bit farther down the road, near Golden, NM~

I've photographed it before, in 2008... actually using it as a template for a Printmaking class I took this spring. I'll often photograph things/places repeatedly... there's always a slightly different angle, weather or season that can change the whole feel of a photograph. It's a great side trip if you're ever in the area!

A Walk Through O'Keefe Country, Through My Eyes

A Landscape that needs no words... but you can clearly see why Georgia loved it so much here. I could have spent days exploring in the hills behind Ghost Ranch... and hope to get there again in the not to distant future & do just that! Be Sure to check Georgia O'Keefe's interview in the post below~

It's awesome!

:)

Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico

I found this interview with Georgia O'Keefe a year or two ago on YouTube, & thought appropriate to post, as I just spent the day w/ my mom & grandmother up in O'Keefe Country at Abiquiu & Ghost Ranch. If you like Georgia O'Keefe, you'll love this video- she's 92 here & still quite spunky! I love the part where the interviewer says "It was nice of Steiglitz to let you go to New Mexico every summer...."  to which she replies, "Listen, he didn't let me go, I just went." I really admire O'Keefe, not just for her Paintings and her contributions to the Art world... but I've done a fair amount of reading about her life, and I think she was an incredibly strong woman, and quite ahead of her time.

Days off are the Best!!!

I do enjoy my days off! Presently I am working far too much & far too hard... but sometimes this is just a part of life, and I try to accept this. I am paying down some of my tuition from going to school up in Oregon, and putting a little aside for my next "plan." It is my hope that soon, I will figure out a way to create a little more balance in my life. My plan is that by the end of the year, I'll have figured out a way to work part time, go to school part time, still make ends meet, AND have more time & energy for getting out in nature, and more time to do the things that nurture my body & spirit. Dare to Dream!!! Presently, I don't have time to squeeze in all the things in I'd love to do, and sometimes I just need to REST! That's what I did last week on my first day off. Leisurely coffee drinking, house cleaning, cloud watching... you know, the important stuff!!

"Rest is not idleness... or watching clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time."
J. Lubbock

On my next day off I finally got to meet one of my bloggy friends... Annie, of "Blissful Bohemian."  Annie is an artist living in Taos, New Mexico... I found her blog when I was living in Oregon, and bought one of her ceramic cups on her Esty site. Here it is, pictured in my Oregon apartment~

Isn't it just the cutest?! I thought it the perfect reminder to keep following my dreams! Annie is just as sweet & wonderful in person as she is on her blog. It was fun to see her art in person, have lunch & talk about art & life. you can visit her at:

http://blissful-bohemian.blogspot.com/.

I was also treated to a spectacular sunset on my way home!

In other news, my clay class starts next week, and I can hardly wait! I was inspired to buy a couple of bags of clay and start playing around early, so that I'll have something to fire & do some test glazing on. I love making these little bears!

 They are a little rudimentary & I still have a little cleaning up to do with them, but if they make it through the bisque & glaze firing, I think they'll turn out quite cute!

As for my upcoming class, there were so many fun classes to choose from, it was hard to decide! Below is the class I chose... a Micaceous Clay class. I doubt mine will turn out as beautiful as Anita's (pictured below) but how fun it will be to try!

Anita Ginocchio

"Micaceous clay has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples of the Southwest to create functional cookware, which has the unique quality of withstanding the direct heat of stove top cooking. We will build our pots using the traditional coil method, then scrape and sand them so that the walls are of a relatively thin and even consistency. The pots are not glazed, but are finished with several coats of micaceous slip, which are stone polished to a high luster. We will then do an outdoor pit firing, which embellishes the lustrous surface with distinctive smoke clouds. Instruction will be highly individualized, fully geared to the experience level of the student. Though the process is labor intensive, the product is a unique blend of beauty and utility. The vessels are remarkably sturdy, and once you have cooked with micaceous cookware, you’ll be hooked!"

 Sounds great, doesn't it?! I hope you're all having a wonderful week & are finding the time to do the things you love, too!

:)

Morning Sunrise~ Santa Fe,  New Mexico

"How Glorious a Greeting the Sun Gives the Mountains!"

                    

                             ~John Muir

I Love the Farmer's Market!

I absolutely love the Santa Fe Farmer's Market! It was worth getting up early & going before work on Saturday.

It can get really crowded, so early morning is really a great time to go... I easily had enough time to stop at all my favorite booths, take photos, chit-chat a bit with the vendors & still make it to work on time!

My first stop is always for fresh greens... lots of others had the same idea!

There are so many wonderful goodies~ from freshly baked breads & local jams & honey, to organic, free range meats... and every possible vegetable in season that you could think of!

And spices too! Along with red chile, heirloom beans, soup mixes, & freshly made salsa!

Aren't these fingerling potatoes cute? They are particularly delicious fried up in olive oil & garlic! 

Another of my favorite stops is for Goat Cheese! It's a great addition to a fresh salad, but it's also my after-work-guilty-pleasure... Green Chile Goat cheese & crackers.... yum!!

If you live in New Mexico, then you know it's green chile season here, and there are chiles galore at the Farmer's Market!

Aren't they beautiful?! One of the coolest things (especially for a busy person) is that you can purchase a bag of FRESHLY roasted green chiles... which saves a lot of time!

Romero Farms

Chile roasting in action! Talk about fresh! In my opinion, green chile goes good with everything... I eat them plain, scrambled in eggs, with my sandwiches... I love 'em!

Another special treat were these organic blackberries from Santa Cruz Farms out of Espanola... probably the best I've ever tasted!

As if your mouth wasn't watering enough... some sweet treats!

I ended up having an apple/cranberry/walnut streusel (not pictured here... but equally as mouth watering!) The Farmer's Market is such a special treat for me! When I was up in Oregon, going to school & pinching every penny, I was living on some foods that were probably not that great for me... so there is a perk to that pesky full time work~ fresh food, among other things. I also feel good supporting the Local Farmers, versus the corporate giants. And from an environmental standpoint, think of all the fossil fuels saved from buying local! So many reasons to love your local Farmer's Market!

:)