And here we go… this is how my mug handles begin!
Little wedged clay nuggets ready to be pulled the traditional way!

There was a LOT of trimming that went on yesterday… so I had a lot of clay scraps everywhere. Perfect chance to “pulverize” my bone dry scraps before adding them to my reclaim bucket. The finer the bits, the smoother the reclaim!

And yes, bone dry clay is important for easier reclaiming of clay. I get frustrated all the time when I see students just tossing lumps of clay into a bucket filled with water… and then expecting it to do something magical to become reclaim?! Word to the wise… a wet lump of clay won’t get “wetter” in a bucket of water… it will still be a lump.

Here we go… giddy-up!!!

An early start with a lot of wedged potential.

Step-by-step… processing my reclaimed clay this afternoon! It has set out in a plaster bat for awhile and is finally a good “clay” consistency. I like to layer it with some fresh new B-clay. Thin layers of each, sliced in half, stacked, squished, repeat. It incorporates both clays quickly with just a bit of wedging at the end. When it comes to using this reclaimed clay, it will all get a full wedging then!

Time to turn out another huge batch of reclaimed clay in my studio. It’s been a busy season making lots of pots for the holidays… which means lots of trimming… which means lots of RECLAIM!!!

A beautiful blue-sky bike ride north into Evanston… which just happened to take me past this amazing house on the corner or Lake & Hinman! Terra cotta craftsmanship like you’ve never seen before. Exquisite design & craftsmanship… they don’t make ’em like they used to!

Yep, a nice pile of reclaimed porcelain clay setting up in the studio. All from a bunch of dried scraps from a potter-friend up in Minnesota who doesn’t reclaim… but does save the scraps for ME!!! Can’t wait to start playing with nice some white clay!!!

Time to get a little “dirty” in the studio this morning… breaking out the terra cotta clay for some special pieces. ART IN THE GARDEN is just two weeks away!

I came into my summer camp room to find that some adult student from last night left us a little “present” in the splash pan of one of the wheels! And yet somehow the kids always get blamed for leaving a mess? They don’t even use that kind of clay!!!

Plus, I have confidence… and I would easily bank on my summer campers cleaning better than most!!! They’re great when it comes to clean-up. I just wish everyone followed Gary’s Summer Camp Rule #3… “Whatever mess you make, you WILL be cleaning up!” Adults included…