Just let me get back to my groove...

I'll tell you what, when payday rolls around having a real job is nice, but otherwise it is just a pain in the ass. Earlier this week I was really on a roll working in the studio. I was getting stuff fixed, getting stuff organized, getting stuff done! I was ready to start digging into the new batch of clay I just got (500lbs of B-mix and 50lbs of black/brown, good stuff) and totally stoked to be getting down some nice designs for sgraffito stuff. Then the call came...Don't get me wrong, I don't mind substitute teaching; sometimes I even enjoy it. But when I am all ready to get going in the studio it messes up my flow being called in to work. It is tougher getting back in the studio groove after teaching all day than it is getting to it right away in the morning. Anyway, enough of my belly-aching. Here's what I did manage to get done before life reared its ugly head.

I finally got my wedging table fixed. It worked ok before, but it was kind of wobbly and I had to lean against it so it wouldn't bang against the wall while I was wedging. Now it's solid as a rock! It also has a concrete top that I ground smooth and covered with canvas so there is a better surface to work on.

These are a few replacement cups I had to make to finish out a bourbon set. I guess you could call them yunomi if you wanted to be all fancy, but I am none too fancy so I just call them little cups. The set is actually going to be up for auction through Art Lovers Trading Company and the Southern Illinoisan newspaper, both in Carbondale, IL. So that is kind of cool.

These are some Christmas ornaments I am working on. I talked to another potter at a craft fair in St. Louis who made ornaments & I thought I would try my hand at them. These have actually already been trimmed. Now they are waiting to be burnished, bisqued and barrel fired at a later date.

And finally, a few pieces of sgraffito ware. The plates are small (6 inches across) and will be accompanying a larger plate I made last year. My wife confiscated the first plate from my stock and requested two smaller ones so she could hang them as a group. I will definitely have to use this ribbon motif again, though.

The planter was my first attempt at wheat. I was really happy with how it turned out, but I think I cracked the bowl while I was carving, so this may turn out to be a test piece for a new clear glaze. If all goes as planned I will fire the kiln Saturday, so I might have some pictures of finished work next week.