After a lot of floral over-stimulation at the Garden Show,
I made it back to my studio… my own little garden! Yes, my holiday poinsettia
is still doing really well in the studio. A little dusty, but still bushy & blooming!

First off I attached handles to the latest batch of mugs… and drying slowly.

Next up, I threw some new bowls which will eventually become spring berry bowls.
As they were firming up, I was unsure what to throw next… especially as I was quickly
running out of table surface space. So?… what to throw?… fairly small that doesn’t take up
too much space?…. well, more ornaments of course! This time, a batch in B-Clay,
and another in Porcelain. Another 37 ornaments closer to Christmas!

By the time I finished throwing the ornaments, the bowls were ready for shaping & altering.
I covered them up for the night… hoping to trim them in a day or two, punch the drainage
holes and make the drip plates to finish the set. Sadly, I was too tired to remember to take
pictures… it had been a very long day of flowers, stained glass, mosaics & pottery!!!

The first batch of ornaments for this year all came out of the bisque kiln just fine.
I’m always a “little” concerned when I fired enclosed forms… always hoping that
I remembered to put a small air hole somewhere?! Luckily I did… no explosions!!!

And now they’re all boxed up waiting for my next soda kiln…
plus I still need to make the little tripody-things that will hold them up in the kiln!

After yesterday’s throwing marathon, today had to be the stamping marathon!
Shucks, huh?… good thing I love stamping!

Although my pots were all still a little wetter that I would like them to be,
a little “strategic drying” really payed off. A little bit of fan. Some rotating.
A lot of waiting… and some trimming of older pots & another batch of tiles…
and I finally got to stamp all of the pots I made yesterday. Okay, so they were
still a little squishier than I would normally like… but it was fun to see the
transformation from “plain” to textured. So much better now…

Coming soon… a LOT of trimming and handles for the mugs!

Yesterday, my studio “neighbor” Karen Patinkin asked if I would be
interested in splitting a cone 10 reduction kiln with her. Of course I said yes.
Unfortunately, I’ve been focused on my next soda kiln… and not cone 10.
So I asked her when she would like to fire and when I would need to have
my pieces ready to go. She mentioned two weeks!!! Yikes.

I’m always up for a challenge. So I started the production process today with
several hours of quality studio time. I used about 75 pounds of clay making some
of the “standards” I know I’ll need for the upcoming art fair season. Mugs, bowls,
soap dispensers, tiles and more! So I’m thinking that tomorrow I’ll be faced with
a LOT of stamping!!!

And if a day of throwing weren’t enjoyable enough… tonight was also
the PBS broadcast of the “Les Miserables” 25th Anniversary Concert!
So I got to play in the clay and hang out with all of my favorites… Eponine, Fantine,
Cosette, Jean Valjean and Javaert. The concert was great… even if it was on my
small, dusty & splattered studio TV! Didn’t matter… still completely enthralling!

And now that I’m home for the evening, how “convenient” that the second broadcasting
of “Les Miz” is currently playing on my larger & much cleaner living room TV.
It’s all so much bigger, brighter and more beautiful on a better TV. Looks like I may
be staying up a little longer than expected this evening. Shucks!

Tonight I finished making the first batch of Christmas ornaments.
Finished stamping, trimming, adding tops and some slip painted accents!
Now they’re setting out overnight to dry… then to the bisque!

Coming soon, another batch… probably with B-Clay. I’ve found that the B-Clay
ornaments make perfect filler in the back stack of the soda kiln. With less soda
exposure, the B-Clay still flashes well and soaks up everything it needs!

With Christmas exactly ten months away…
is it ever too early to begin making more Christmas ornaments?!

More bowls. More stamping. More fluted rims… and this time, in very close detail!
So much so, that if you look closely, you can see my fingerprints!

I worked all night tonight in the studio making the water drip trays
to go with the newest batch of terra cotta planters. Because “some people”
seem to think that they need trays?! I’m still not sure…
We’ll see how this debate plays out at the spring art fairs!!!

Last night at the studio, I finally got around to adding the textured rims around
the top of my new planters. Coil, attach, texture. Coil, attach, textures. Repeat.

Today I’m headed back to the studio to add feet and drainage holes… and then start
on the water drainage trays that will go with this batch of planters! After the online
discussion about the last batch, the response was mixed as to whether or not terra cotta
planters even need water trays?! So we all kind of decided to leave the first batch
“trayless” and make a second batch with trays. Then we’ll see how they sell…
and if there is a definitive answer after the first couple art fairs this spring?!

After the comments & discussions over the last batch of terra cotta planters,
the consensus was that I should leave the first batch as it was. Tray-free.
And then make a second batch with drip trays! So that’s where I’m at.
Tonight I started constructing the textured terra cotta planters. Walls done.
Bottoms added before I left for the night… finishing details in the next couple days!