27 INCHES

27 inches is the height (and width) of my kiln. To build larger than that, I must find artful ways to add a layer that can be fired separately from it's base. It's a skill I Haven't yet fully mastered, so I have been making pieces that fit in the kiln...a weak premise for creating art.

My new device (a bead dangling from a light fixture) tells me when I am approaching the 27 inch mark. I can, then, decide how to section the piece. It looks like this one will have removable heads.

SUNLESS TANNING

Once in a while a piece will come out of the oxide firing with a mottled surface. I find this distracting so I will use whatever is at hand to smooth out that appearance. I have let go of the idea that only fired effects are valid. For me, the final appearance is more important than how I got there.

BIG NIGHT

The paperclay symposium hosted a reception for the artists who presented and demonstrated their work during the weekend. The weather was unseasonable to say the least...it's Laguna Beach for god's sake and it's raining so hard that they are starting to worry about road closures.

It was so very interesting to see and hear how other artist are using this remarkable medium. They are my new extended family.

RAINY DAY

Like laundry, warm from the dryer....unloading my kiln on a cold rainy day Is very satisfying. What happened in all that heat. Is everybody OK? Some get prettier and some fail to reach potential. Some surprise me. The series of three figures I used to work out a construction puzzle now look like a group that could easily go out into society. I learn to never judge until a piece is finished.

PEDESTALS

Tomorrow I take down the Marin MOCA show. I had six pieces and more than a little trauma about how to display them to their best advantage. Most pedestals weigh more than the piece they display. And they're unwieldily, take up space in your studio, your truck, van or car. I had to make do with what I had and what I could borrow, but as this photo shows, a higher pedestal would have been better. I am on a mission to find a better solution. Lightweight, folding pedestals...Time to break the time honored tradition of wooden pedestals before they break my back.

THE WINNER

When I finished firing my series, only one stood out as fully embodying my concept of "Voyager" She moves into the ethereal plane fearlessly and wins the name for herself alone.

KILN FULL

I have just finished my first series. I usually create singles...or at most 2 versions of one idea. This time I followed my concept drawings to explore one idea. Each piece borrowed ideas from it's predecessor. the result is a kiln full of work has the same upward looking form, they make me laugh.