I know it's not really spring yet, but this week has brought blue skies and at least one 70 degree day, and all the bulb flowers are sending up shoots. I'm even seeing a few blooms. I've been getting outside more, taking Maddy for walks and to the park when it was warm enough.
I finally finished painting the backs of all 4 pendants. I gotta get faster at these! I just procrastinate so much when it comes to painting surfaces. I doubt myself. I know that the more I paint, the better I'll be, but when I know I'm sending something to someone, I want it to come out perfect, and I always feel like I could have done better. Oh well. I am pretty happy with these over all.
I bought a respirator, and I did a second shellac resist bottle on Wednesday, then painted it with blue engobe. Wish it luck!
Finally, one more altered bowl. It still needs handles, but I did a split scalloped rim on this one taken from Gary Jackson's blog. He does lovely things to finish his forms. *sigh*
My husband joined a weight loss challenge at work, and I've been wanting to eat healthier, so I'm joining him in trying to eat better and exercise more. The nice weather outside has given me a nice boost, so I'm kind of excited about it. Plus, I have an iPhone, so I got two nifty apps to spur me on - Endomondo, which is a GPS fitness tracker I use to track my walks, and The Eatery, which is a social food diary app. I take pictures of everything I eat and drink, without counting calories, and people can rate how healthy my meals are. It definitely makes me think about what I eat, and I'm less likely to grab quick junk knowing it's going on my permanent record;) I'm only on my third day, but it's been nice eating regularly, and making food for myself that I can share with maddy because it's healthy. I sit down with her in the morning and we share breakfast, which is really nice.
Tonight is Stephen Wolochowicz's closing reception, so pics to come! I'm looking forward to his slide lecture tonight, and his workshop tomorrow. Gotta see how he makes those forms!
This session at Beech Grove Clay Works is drawing to a close - this is the last week. It's been a fun session, and with the majority of my students being interested in wheel throwing, I've been really pushing myself to try wheel thrown forms that are out of my comfort zone. I've spent hours trawling the Internet for ideas, videos, and how-tos. Pinterest and YouTube have been invaluable resources, (not to mention majorly addictive!), as well as Ceramic Arts Daily's archives. Most recently, I've demoed throwing a citrus juicer, tall bottle forms, and a combination chip and dip bowl and cake stand (the idea is it will flip over to function as both - haven't quite worked out the logistics of how I'll fire it, but it's an experiment!)
I've also been trying to do more handbuilding, which I'm really enjoying. I love the soft, pillowy effect you get from building with soft slabs! I think it's a direction I'd like to explore further. I shied away from handbuilding for the longest time, so it's been really liberating.
All in all, a very rewarding session. I love how teaching has made me stretch myself. I hope my enthusiasm shows in my classes! Definitely looking forward to the new session, and continueing to find new things to share with my students.
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