Around the studio

Since I moved my wheel outside, I've noticed a surprising number of new little creatures that I probably wouldn't normally see on my usual trip to the studio. Gekkos, Red headed skinks (a lizard), blue racer skinks, crab spiders, a rainbow of different colored dragonflies, etc., all going about their business seemingly undisturbed by my presence and the constant hum of the wheel. A great place to look for design inspiration.

Saw this unusual little fellow hanging out on a loquat leaf around dusk. His/her body alone was close to an inch long. Always suspect of unusual looking bugs since moving to the south, I checked online to make sure he/she wasn't venomous. From the Dave's Garden web site (a great gardener's resource, btw), I learned he/she was a "Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia viridans)" that loves to eat bugs (including wasps) but is not known to bite humans. I was glad to know that since the plants in that part of my garden, especially my gardenia, have had a bit of an aphid problem the last 2 yrs. I'm always in favor of a natural predator vs using pesticides.

Around the studio: Out of the mouths of babes

I was throwing mugs today. My 3 1/2 year old wanted to smell the pots as they came off the wheel. She leaned very carefully over to give one of the wet pots a sniff.

"What smell like?"

I kept throwing and absently said "Uh.. mugs..?"

She huffed then said "No, Mommy. Not smell like mugs.. Smell like money!"

..little parrot pottery child..

Potting outdoors today

Absolutely beautiful day out today, here on the coast. While I do miss my fall days in Canada, on days like today, they couldn't be further from my mind. Low humidity, sunny, slight breeze, and in the 80s F.

The deck on the studio (all built from wood gathered from the beach after hurricane Ivan) was finally(!) cleared of the last bits of refuse scrap lumber today. Gave it a good sweep off, cut back the blackberry vines that were working very hard at taking over, and I was quite amazed at the transformation.

Once the spot was clear, I just went ahead and brought out my wheel. Not sure why I hadn't thought of it before but I am so glad I did. Made for a much more productive day. I was able to be outside, have a clear view of my much happier 3 1/2 year old playing in her wading pool, and able to throw for a lot longer with relatively few interruptions. Even the dogs and cat were happier as everyone now had an equally prime spot beside my chair.

I think I may do it all over again tomorrow. No rain in the forecast until later in the week.

Sick Potters Make No Pots

I've been out of commission for almost a week now with a bad head cold. I have no idea where I picked it up, but it hit me like a truck early Saturday morning as I was getting ready to go run my usual errands.

Today, while still a little foggy, is the first day I've felt semi-human. The possibility of a wholesale customer popping by sometime in the afternoon was motivation enough to get presentable and head out to the showroom to straighten up and take stock of what I had before my guest arrived.


Took the opportunity to snap a few photos in the gap between when my customer left and my daughter's school bus was to arrive.

One thing about being sick and out of commission, no pots are being made. Its even more challenging when you have small children (and I have 2 less than the age of 5).

It was good to see the pots and think about clay again. Time to regroup and get back into the groove.