Blog

Website Frustration

Pottery, I love. Technology not so much. I have just spent over an hour trying to update my website so that my extended gallery shows some of my latest work and was only able to get one to picture to load. Aaaargh! Any hints to working with WordPress and Juicebox would be appreciated!

New Gallery

I am pleased to report that some of my black and white sgraffito work and my elephant pots are now in the Smith Studio and Gallery at 124 S. State Street, in Geneseo, Illinois.

On display at the Smith Studio and Gallery in Geneseo, IL

Love the Minty Glaze!

Mint Baker with Grape Leaf Handles

My new mint glaze is doing some wonderful things over my brown clay, especially where I layer it over some iron oxide stain. The bakers come out satiny smooth inside, but on the outside I sometimes get some glossier areas…love it!

New Work

Trying new glazes and new shapes. This is one of my favorites, a combination of a wheel thrown body and handbuilt lid. The glaze is a soft, satiny mint with some interesting “accidentals” like the blush on the one side.

Twisted Jar

And an Honorable Mention!

I also entered this set into the contest and it won an Honorable Mention. The coneflowers are created using sgraffito (“scratching”) through a coating of black slip over creamy white B mix clay. I used a satin clear glaze.

Contest Winner!

ClaySpace sponsored a 3-piece place setting contest for its members and students last week and I was thrilled to win First Place! The design challenge is adapting a theme to 3 completely different forms. I bumped out the plate rim to accommodate the elephant motif rather than make a row of little elephants…elephants aren’t little animals and I thought it would look silly! Since the elephant areas are not glazed, only finished with red iron oxide, I didn’t want to put elephants in the center of the plate. Surprisingly, food looks wonderful on black…it makes the colors of the food pop!

Getting Ready for March Show

This is the postcard shot for my March show at ClaySpace. The basket is about 10″ across, handbuilt over a plaster hump mold and dried VERY carefully so that it didn’t collapse!

Footed Basket

Walnut Broccoli Casserole

Here is the recipe for a family favorite that goes perfectly in one of my 2 quart bakers. It’s easy to make ahead and then pop in the oven while you are making gravy and carving the turkey.

Walnut Broccoli

2 16 oz. bags frozen broccoli

1/2 c. butter

4 T. flour

1 1/2 T. powdered chicken stock base

2 c. milk

2/3 c. water

6 T. butter

about 2 cups seasoned croutons

2/3 c. chopped walnuts

Cook broccoli until barely tender. Drain. Place in casserole.  Melt butter (can use same pan), add flour and chicken stock base. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, to make a smooth sauce. Cook until it just starts to boil. Pour over broccoli. Heat water in same pan, add the second butter. When melted, turn off heat and add croutons and walnuts. Top the broccoli with this mix. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or for 30 minutes if oven is at 350. This serves 10 to 12.

New direction!

I’m taking a class with Mary Kay Botkins on soft folded slab work and loving it! While I’ve done some things before..like my “bathtub” pots..I’m learning lots of new stuff. Here are some pictures of works in progress. I especially like the basket with the soft folded handle. I can picture a row of little cacti planted in the long oval one. I call the one with the handles sticking up my Dilbert pot because it reminds me of the pointy haired boss! Now to figure out good glazes…

Basket with soft folded handle

Plant this one with cacti?

My Dilbert pot!

Did you Call Me?

Someone called me yesterday about ordering a mug to replace the one her husband dropped and broke, but somehow (husband?) the message was erased from my answering machine. I’m hoping the person who called checks my website and calls back because I am currently well stocked with mugs but after the Grove sale in 2 weeks I may run low!