Weekend with my two grandsons.  Since I missed Christmas (couldn't get there because of snow), I gave them a tube of prehistoric sharks and another, larger shark.  This kept them occupied for the entire visit.  They have great imaginations and make up whole worlds.
Friday night we drew Thank You cards to people who sent them Christmas presents.
Saturday morning, we had French toast, went over to the local ceramic studio, where I'm a member, and played with clay for a couple of hours.  A made a battleship group and a 7 finned shark... N made a figure ( an Inquisitor) and a hose sprayer.

Home for lunch, then we had to decide what to do in the afternoon.  A wanted to go to the local art museum, where Family Arts Day included creating abstract art.  But N wanted to go next door to see a movie, The Iron Giant.  We actually managed to do both.
A really nice weekend. Mom just came, with the new baby, T, who's 5 months old.  She left me with her laundry (her washer died), and off they went.
I have to go to the ceramics studio tomorrow morning. I have 6 mugs that need handles and carving, 7 mugs, two goblet tops and two bowls to glaze.
I'm determined to up my production this year, create more detailed work and sell a lot more work.  I am also going to investigate galleries out of the area, where I expect I could charge quite a bit more than I get here.

New Year, New Work

It seems that I try to evolve my work every year.  I'm planning to put more color into my pieces and to do more detailed, interesting carvings.
I have also been collaborating with a local woodworker to make porcelain and turned wood goblets.  We have been selling them at the artists' cooperative gallery of which we are both members.
Here are a couple of pictures of the first ones we made.

Recent Work

Here are some pictures of mugs that have been carved, but not yet fired. I use the technique of sgraffito.  I brush on a colored slip (black, in this case), then carve through it into the leather-hard porcelain to reveal the white porcelain below.  My designs are drawn freehand.

OK, I'm going to start blogging again...

Hi all,
I'm sure you missed me. I have not been active on this blog for almost a year, but I love reading it, even if no one else does.  I hope that, when I'm dead, my grandchildren will read it.  I'd like it to be a diary of sorts. I'd like to record the kind of things that you think you're not going to forget, but you do.
So, here goes.

I'm still making ceramic pieces.  Tomorrow, I'm going to one of the local retail stores to show my pieces to the owners and see if they want to carry them.
Here's a picture or two of some of my pieces.

So, we'll see how many pieces they buy.

I'm also getting involved in a new art coop.  It's in a sweet, old building that has been the home of an art gallery for many years.  We hope to open in November.
I'm making lots of new pieces for the holiday sales season.