I feel its pain as if it were my own...

Our last ceramics project was an installation using text and paying special attention to space. This was definately out of my safe zone! I decided to express the growing nature of ideas. I casted a leaf from one of my larger houseplants (wasn't that an experience!) and three tries and two press molds later ended up with a nice slip cast mold. I made several, but I had about half break on me in transit. I then threw three large flower pots, trying to imitate store bought. I didn't have any extra terra cotta floating around, so I threw them with stoneware and sieved out nice, smooth terra cotta slip to brush on. They're not all exactly the same, but I'm proud of how close and light I got them. Then, for the stem of the tree, I took cardboard tubes and glued on pieces of yarn. I love the mishmosh of different textures, colors, thicknesses, feeeeeeeels of yarn and fabrics, so this was a great justification for my ginormous stash. I began with one layer of plain brown, and then started adding different size pieces of the color accents. Then there are some great ways to print onto paper to transfer to bisque, so one they're all done I'll begin experimenting! I wanted to have the leaves on each tree express a single idea, while all being related to the main idea of each plant. One for love/positive emotions, one for hate/negative and one for apathy. Marina suggested that they be hung from those plant hangers for ivy, and I love it.

My wheel is kicking! My poor baby, Brian couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. He did change some cords and....other things? I have *no* idea about electrical...anything, but I got a quick little lesson while he had my wheel apart. Then today I got a lesson about different kinds of kiln shelves and different slip ingredients and their outcomes. I originally went in just to clean off the kiln shelves (day off) but ended up staying until almost three.

St Patty's dinner Sunday night!!! Woot!