Teething......

There are teething problems with the little person in our house - 4 hours lack of sleep will play havoc on the pottery front today, but I can't blame that on these two finished teapots! I still can't quite believe I actually fired the teapot on the right and put a handle on the thing without the glaringly obvious fault. This was an end of year effort so it speaks volumes about 2009! And that other strange unfinished attempt for the 2009 Sydney Teapot Show - ah well I did have one that actually made it down there - sometimes you have to wonder at the creative ideas that emerge from addled brainspace!

The temperature and humidity is soaring up here and the rain is dropping in short bursts giving minimal relief so potting outside under the awning is quite something - they call this crazy condition associated with prolonged summer heat 'mango madness' Still I have some teapots ready for the bisque - lots of bauxite will be splashed about so the kaolin will work its magic on the shino and glazes and handles are in the right place this time.

Farewell to the Fashion Genius Alexander McQueen

He was an incredible artist and will be missed on the runways

Working......

Michael Kline's 12 to 12 plus walking here
finally got some hands dirty. Little hands also made their first pot. Now I have to get down to business and stop procrastinating. Yesterday was a dry day so all pots are trimmed and a few jugs even have handles but today is different - humid and the odd shower - am I looking for excuses here?

Nature is full of surprises - tucked away amongst the paperbark roots was this multi-coloured mangroove seed (I have never seen one with such a varied palette), standing tall while its mates were gathered on the high tide line in a jumbled mass.

Mark Hewitt

"The world is filled with a lot of junk, its really nice to use smething that's actually made by someone you know and who cares deeply about the place where they live and its history and its geography and its ceramic culture. You know this is the manifestation of that love and experience and its just my gift to the world and this is just what I do to try and make a better place."
Mark Hewitt.

No work, new slab

I have been very quiet on the blogging front - life's little complexities have meant the clay has had to take a back seat. Still I am finally getting a bigger slab in readiness for a new shed - the latter coming next year when middle son returns from his overseas jaunts. Hopefully cyclones stay away as my poor old shed is just holding together and a big blow might see it sail off across the ocean!

The dogs have loved this dust bowl to play in and are not happy with the meshing restricting access. Monday sees the pour so it will be interesting to keep two dogs from laying their marks across their favourite area.

Next week I will be glazing - famous last words - but I am hopeful I can spend some time throwing some colour around for some patient customers. Family always comes first so I will happily give time up for them, so we shall see what happens - even the clay can't match that passion.

Weipa goes to Sydney

These are some of the pieces which have journeyed to Planet. Hope city life embraces them!

I am so fortunate to have inspiration overload up here and the raw materials on hand to use and make these pieces unique. Southern Ice gives such a beautiful translucency to the forms and works so well with bauxite. I still have to make up my local porcelain using raw kaolin - unfortunately its still slightly tainted with the bauxite but I am sure I will get an unusual workeable body.

Hamada, beach etchings

Beach Etchings - handmade and environmental
"Why not be a potter? Pots can be used, they have a function. Even a bad pot has some use, but a bad painting, there is nothing you can do with it except throw it away"

I think I will put this up in my work area to catch my eye each time I sit and throw that clay around - thanks to Hannah McAndrew for finding this gem from Hamada.

Not much potting happening apart from a workshop with some young students from Western Cape College, but sometimes there are things in life which need our attention - when the claywork begins again it will benefit from this little break.