Beaches and Mugs...

Last weekend was warm and beautiful but not crazy hot so we took the afternoon to head to Torrey Pines State Reserve, a cliff side network of trails that lead to a lovely little section of beach.  The water temperature was supposed to be over 70 degrees and I managed to go all summer without dipping my toes in the ocean so I took my opportunity while I had it (for the record, it didn't feel like it was over 70 degrees, I'm a cold water wimp)...

It meant a hike back up the hillside with sandy socks but it was worth it!  We learned that when the water recedes there are a gazillion little sand crab critters just under the surface of the sand.  13 years living in San Diego and our friend, a So Cal native, can still show us new things!  We have a long promised beach bonfire in the works, this year we're going to hold him to it!

I've been absolutely horrible about remembering to take photos of my ceramic class pieces...maybe it's sheer embarrassment over the quality of what I'm bringing home but I'm happy to say that at least my pieces are showing improvement (i.e. getting larger and less lopsided!).

Love the way this green glaze ran into the white base...

I can at least say that I've been overjoyed with all of my glaze results on my pieces...with the exception of the (not photographed) mug that was supposed to be blue and ended up a yicky brownish color...apparently one of the glaze batches was mixed up incorrectly and a rather critical component was omitted by the student responsible.  I now know to avoid that one until unwitting newbies use it all up!

Another great glaze interaction with a wonderful semi-matte (but smooth) bronze finish...

This is definitely a good representation of my progress so far...momma bear, papa bear and baby bear mugs! (note the ugly old tile bar that was the "before" of my kitchen!) The little guy only holds about 8oz but the largest one can hold over 16 oz and has actually made it into my regular coffee mug rotation.  There's still a lot to be desired as far as the trimming and thickness of these mugs but at least the big one is functional!

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the mug I sent off to Dallas to live with K, but I will have another piece to show soon that has the same yummilicious purpley red glaze.  It's a finicky one but it seems to like me.

Sadly the studio will be closed until October for tree removal and cleaning so I'll have to be disciplined about using my wheel at home to keep practicing.  I'll miss having access to those lovely huge buckets of glaze though!

So, should I keep showing my little misfit wheel pieces or would you prefer I stick to beads and pendants?

Fresh from the Kiln...

I had a couple of stragglers for an order I needed to fire this week so I thought I'd try to fill up the kiln as much as I could with a glazing marathon. I have a couple of new glazes that I needed to try out and thought I'd try to make some sets rather than my usual random glazing. I quite like these rust and pistachio and rust and blue combinations, particularly on a smooth pendant or one with very pronounced designs.A couple of pieces went to the BOC Etsy shop but everything else has gone into my Etsy shop or on the website. I continue to mess around a bit with my potter's wheel but I can assure you that nothing with any semblance of symmetry has come off of it yet! Luckily once filled with succulents my wonky little pots are actually a bit charming...at least that's what some kind people are telling me :)

No danger of me abandoning pendants for housewares, that's for sure!

Summer is starting to wind down for me...I'm feeling the need to try to try to be super productive for a few days but also have to balance it with a little more relaxation before the reality of fall hits!

What do you feel like you still need to accomplish this summer or have you mastered the art of summer relaxation?