Eeek!
Have you looked at the calendar? The Greyhound Gathering in Kanab, Utah is 8 weeks away. Ulp.
I haven’t started.
I do have a plan. That plan does not included panic at this time. But I’ve scheduled in room for it, if necessary!
All posts tagged silly stuff
Neighborhood watch, part 2.
When we last left this corner of the fence it had a gigantic snowbank behind it. Thanks to a week with some, but not enough, melting, the snowbank is still there. Turns out, Annie, Sage and Winchester aren’t the only dogs in the neighborhood with a snowbank.
Brody has a snowbank too. Right across the alley.
“Brody, man, you have a snowbank too?”
“Woof!”
“Guys, come over here and look at Brody’s snowbank”
“Woof, woooooooo!”
“That rocks. Do it again!”
“Those skinny hairless dogs are so easily amused…”
Watching Westminster
Do you watch the Westminster Kennel Club dog show each year? I do. Can’t wait for all them to roll out the green carpet. This year Annie is watching with me.
She was especially interested in the working group and some of the terriers.
She hasn’t told me who she’s rooting for for Best in Show yet.
Neighborhood watch
The yard is enclosed by a 6.5 foot fence – I would say it’s about that tall. Usually. If one was measuring from the ground to the highest point of the fence.
Now it’s a little shorter in places. Places where the snow has drifted in behind it. Does Winchester care? Not much. Does Sage care? A little. Does Annie? You bet!
She’s worked the snowbank into a rock hard perch where she can survey the neighborhood.
“Humm… what are the neighbors doing over there? I see the chiropractor is out with his snow blower again. So nice of him to blow out the driveway.”
She’s become a regular neighborhood watch. Finally a Greyhound Watch Dog.
Sage occasionally joins her. He doesn’t stay long.
Just long enough for me to get a shot of his tongue… Sigh.
I sure hope it starts to melt soon.
Oink! Oink! goes the piggy.
I must be a pig. How else does every surface in the studio fill with stuff?
This is not an exaggeration. It’s like an Art Bomb blew up in here.
There are sculptures (and water jugs) stacked on kilns because…
the shelves are full with more sculptures, tiles and other stuff.
See, every surface. Boxes of clay. Sculptures in progress. And stuff.
Even the Greyhounds know this is a horrible mess.
Really now. Even the slab roller? (See these bags of left-over clay under the slab roller? My most vivid fantasy is that these bags disappear. But one can’t throw away clay! So there they sit, until I use them for small pieces…)
Sage does his best to help. Sorry, Buddy. We’re going to need more thumbs for this job.
Under glaze and I don’t remember what color
Ahh… soooooo… well. I’ve sort of completely forgotten what color this box will be once it’s fired.
And this one too.
See the were glazed right before Dewey Beach…. and I couldn’t fit them into the glaze kiln…. and I use a couple glazes that look radically different after firing but look remarkably like each other when dry…. and well now I don’t remember…. at all.
I really should keep a record of these things.
Well. Guess the glaze firing will be more exciting that usual. Shooting for Wednesday of this week.
The last custom order
My last custom order arrived safe and sound at its new home today. Whew.
Custom orders stress me. So much can go wrong with clay:
- things crack while drying
- things crack in the kiln
- something else cracks (or explodes) and takes out its neighbor
- glazes don’t turn out the way they were expected
- things break during shipping
I’ve solved the “possible problem” problem by making two of the custom order. Chances are one will turn out, right? Not always.
There was the time that I made three versions of a brindle greyhound in an attempt to get the brindling pattern and tone just right. “He’s not red brindle like a normal Greyhound. He’s caramel brindle,” she said.
“Ah. Okay… like this?” I replied as I pointed out the same clay body, same glaze that I’d be using.
“Yes, just like that.”
And it turned out a different tone. As did the next piece I tried. As did the subsequent piece I tried. All from the same clay, same glaze, same firing temperature.
There is nothing worse than a custom order that doesn’t turn out the way the customer expected. I feel like I’ve broken the trust. Totally hurts my feelings, makes me feel worthless. I know this is silly. There has never been one custom order that has left my studio that I didn’t give 100% my best. Plus the number of dissatisfied customers is really small. Trouble is the negatives stick.
So here’s the decision. No more custom sculpture pieces.
And even as I write that I think, “Yes, but, boxes could be custom, and tiles too. And if you changed mediums you could do it…”
Sigh. This is the way my head works. I think I’m heading to the dog park….
Sometimes you get more than you’ve bargained for.
Yes, Sage is a counter-surfer. Thief.
Yes, this is a yellow bell pepper.
Yes, he really did eat some of it.
The big goofy.
His name is Winchester. He masquerades as a dignified, aloof Greyhound.
His real personality, big goof ball. Every play session must begin with the three hop and dig combo. Hop, dig, Hop, dig, Hop, dig.
Play bow to the left…
Play bow to the right.
Then RUN!
He didn’t. Oh yes he did.
Sage loves to roll in the grass. Or used bath towels, but right now we’ll talk about the grass.
He’ll flop around like a trout out of water — having such a good time.
Sometimes Sage hits the jackpot. Like today at the dog park… and yesterday… and the day before….
He’s had alot of baths lately.
For feces is this youngster’s favorite fragrance.
He’s not happy until he’s covered with his new “cologne.”
This score was so good that he made a second go around. Good boy, Sage. Think you missed a spot the first time….
There you go, boy! Grind it in…
The car ride home will be with the windows down.
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