eCourse

Undertaking Diana Fayt's eCourse which started last Monday.  I enjoyed the previous one and thought "what the heck, it's only money and I'm positive will learn lots more".

 This time it's on mould making and after being up to my elbows in plaster

and managing to get it everywhere including in the house and on the leather lounge,

I have included a few photos of my efforts.

After tidying up these are the results of first lesson

I've been a little tardy with my blog lately, shall try to blog and post efforts a little more
often in 2014.  

LAST POST

 

I would like to thank Adriana for welcoming me to join in every week

to post my latest hits and misses.  I have thoroughly enjoyed "making 

new friends" which I would not have done without Mud Colony.  

 

It's only about 18 months ago I came across Mud Colony,

and it opened up a whole new world for me.  Every

week I would eagerly wait for the next installments

in the lives of the many talented potters who contributed,

following their successes and tears while getting

down and dirty in clay.

 

What a life and how lucky are we who get our hands

into lovely squishy clay.

 

I will miss Mud Colony, but intend to keep up by

 following everyone on Facebook.

  

The last couple of weeks I've been trying to "venture outside

 box" with my painted designs.  Below are just a few  images

of new avenue I'm experimenting with.

 

 I'm excited with the result of this jug,

just don't know if I got too carried away and

didn't know when to stop

 

And my gum leaves which are becoming very popular

and one slightly wonky bottle

 

 

Well, that's me forthe last Mud Colony post, but don't

forget to check out Mud Colony for everyone else's

last week.

 

Thank you again Adriana, and a big thankyou in regards

to your help with the gas "monster" kiln.  I've bought a

small electric kiln since then and it gets a workout these days instead

of tackling the gas monster.

 

 

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

 

 

I can't believe it's 1st November already, before we know it, the Christmas season will be here and we'll be frantically organising ourselves buying presents and goodies for the day. I started in January this year so wouldn't have the last minute rush making and firing porcelain decorations.

 

This weekend in Barraba is the bi-annual International Festival  and this year it's the Philipines.  Filipino food, music, markets and an  art exhibition.

I'm participating in the markets,  and have my small Christmas Tree, stand and pottery ready to go.

 

As usual the photos not the best, going to show you anyway.

 

I've enjoyed Mud Colony Blog immensely. Living in a fairly small isolated community,  it has helped me feel that I am not alone with my attempts at creating something out of the lump of clay.

 

I am in awe of the beautiful work shown on this blog and  will continue to follow all my favourite potters - (and that is everyone who has been a participant).

 

Now that I've finished rambling, I'm going to pop over for the last time and check out everyone else on www.MudColony.blogspot.com.au 

 

Wishing everyone a beautiful and happy Christmas

with family and friends.

 

 

 

 



PLATES, PLATES AND MORE PLATES

Excuse the poor photography.  All waiting for bisque fire.

 



WOW! What a weekend

 

 

The weekend started off Saturday morning at an Auction Clearance Sale.  We love these, lots of lovely goodies to pick up for a song.  After picking through rows and rows of rubbish, we did bid for a few items for $2, $5 and $10.  The dearest $20 for a wrought iron outdoor setting in good nick.   But it rained all throughout the sale, I was miserably wet, the umberella kept wanting to turn inside out, then the sun came out once all items were sold.  Oh! well! That's the weather for you. 

 

Today, Sunday morning, was planned to set up a pit firing of a couple of burnished pots I've been saving for this occasion.  Lots of nice dry cow manure mixed into sawdust, copper pieces, corn husks (soaked in salt and dried), banana skins, coffee, dried leaves and an experiment (mistletoe leaves draped over pots).  Copper, magnesium, iron, salt and baking soda mixed through the manure/sawdust mix.  Took a lot of photos and here are a few of them.  This fire will probably burn for a few days the way its going at the moment.

1.  The big cauldron bought from a Clearance Sale
for just this use
 
2.  Plenty of fuel layed out on bottom of cauldron
and a large heavy grill placed about 1/3 way up.

3. The pots placed on a bed of sawdust/manure mix which has been laid on grill. Lots of other goodies placed in, on and around pots.

4. Another layer of sawdust mix,  placed carefully placed over pots and a layer of timber on top of that.

5.  Fire is lit under grill and away she goes

6.  "Lucky" guarding the fire, but it will be too hot soon for him to stay

Well that's the best I can do with these photos
they do what they want, not what I want
them to do. 

Don't forget to check out MudColony and see what the other "Muddies" are up to.

JUST OUT OF THE KILN

 

VOILA!  MY FIRST BATCH OF PENDANTS

 

I have been working towards this day for a few weeks,

yesterday I fired these pendants in sawdust and

anxiously waited for them to cool down.

They have been polished with beeswax and

 hung on thin leather cords.

 

 

 

 

Also working on another range of pendants

which will be glazed front and back.  Just sorting out how I

will hang them in the kiln to fire. 

Can't wait to finish them. 

 

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony to see

what other potters are creating.

 

 

 

""EXCITED''

 

It doesn't take much to get me excited these days, but today I am very very excited.

You see,  for the last few years, have had to fill the washing machine by hand at every

stage, manually turn the dial to spin, etc. etc.

 

WELL, today the machine has been hooked up to the large water tank

 (which had a leak, so therefore could not do this before) 

and now I can just load up the machine and walk away, and wait

for the load to finish.

 

BLISS..... I have done 3 loads in the time it would take to do  1.

What used to take all morning for 1 load, I can now do 3 or 4 loads.

Of course, then there is the ironing, but it can wait,

I've more important things to do, like throwing, turning, glazing, etc.

 

.