Temporary Chaos

Sunflower. Fibonacci sequencing. Awesome patterning. Math, science, art are related.

     When it rains it pours. Something happened in the middle of this year that caused my rhythm to explode and suddenly, I'm the headless chicken. Boom and bust. We've gone from warm in March to cool in May to horrendous heat and drought in June to Suddenly, rain! in July and August with the latter part of August being dry again and rather comfortable. Unusual for August. My Mammoth sunflowers exploded with huge heads! One has reached 11 feet tall.

KY7 Biennial, Lexington Art League, Loudon House.

Uncomfortable Surprise

     I went with fellow artist, Lyndsey Fryman, to check out the KY7 Biennial at Loudon House a few weeks ago. My piece, Uncomfortable Surprise, is included in this interesting, eclectic collection. The exhibit runs until September 9th in Lexington, KY.

Bowls and soap dishes

     Lots of throwing to bulk up on inventory for future firings. In between the items for myself, I've been throwing some Raven Black Clay for Empty Bowls in Lexington, KY at Bourbon n' Toulouse on Sept. 22. The bag of Raven Black I received must have been a bit dry since it was hard and a bitch to center. Very groggy but made for some nice sturdy bowls. I think I'd stick to hand-building with this clay, though. Dried quickly, too. I'm assuming it's heavy on the iron and manganese. It leaves my water chocolatey brown so I always have to have a snack of chocolate after throwing. With tea.

On Etsy: Wood-fired Carved Stoneware with Turquoise Eye, $70

Fine Tea. Highly Recommended.

    Here's a suggestion for tea. One of my teapots and some Harney & Sons tea. I love a blend called Chocolate Mint. I'm generally not big on flavored teas but these guys hit the right ratio of flavor to tea. Awesome brew.

This new doorway only took all day to cut through heart pine and oak panels!

A pineapple for 29 cents??? (Pineapples have fibonacci sequencing, too, you know.)

      At home, we have undertaken some renovations in a front room that has sat relatively unusable for the last decade, for us, at least. Too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. It's been reframed, doors taken out, doors put in, new windows, you name it. Our friend, Nate Miller, did the work and he is fantastic. Not enough that he's great at remodeling, he happens to be a terrific botanical photographer. Here is his site to purchase his images: http://www.cafepress.com/natemillernaturephotography

Murray, Super Cat.

     In the midst of all the renovations, my sweet, eighteen-year-old cat, Murray, took a turn for the worse and died. He was my transitional cat. I got him when I was living in Manhattan, still married to my first husband. He came with me through the divorce, the move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and then the Westward push to Estill County, Kentucky. Through it all, he was a trooper and talked to me the whole time. He would wander the hills of my property, howling to hear himself echo. When I would take a walk, he would howl after me, so I would answer and he would come running at the sound of my voice. My friend, relatives and I referred to him as The Cat With Eyebrows since he seemed to have that same capacity for eyebrow expression that dogs do, but in a cat way. He was often concerned for me, sniffing and raising his head, peering down his nose, particularly when I was taking a bath or shower, as if to say, "You realize you're in all that water? You sure you want to do that?" He touched my heart more than I realized. He will be missed.

mudcolony.blogspot.com

     And finally, I joined the parade of clay people-types at Mud Colony. They have this nifty blog and Facebook page. If you're into clay or pottery, as a maker or collector, this blog contains some great spotlights on artists as well as links to other ceramic artists and potters from around the globe. Check them out!