Square casseroles

I've been playing around with making square casseroles. I made them without bottoms and attached slab bottoms. The handles were intensely time consuming until I got the hang of it, and by the seventh one I had a good feel for what I wanted and how to get it.

I threw some more to work on today, but I threw them with the bottoms in. I have seen others make squares from pots with bottoms, but when I pushed the sides in the bottom bunched and puckered up inside. Maybe there's something I don't know. So I ended up cutting the bottoms out and will finish them today, probably with a different style handle.

I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm way too tired to try to write anything interesting, so that's all for now.

Super-size me bats

Since I obviously don't know how to stay within the parameters of my immediate equipment, the last platter I threw was about 21" across, and even without a Masters degree (sniffle-sniffle) I knew it would not fit well for trimming onto my 21" bat-never mind the drama of trying to flip the beast over on such a small confinement. And so yesterday I drove to my neighborhood lumber yard and bought a piece of plywood. For any of you interested in such a trip, be sure to realize firsthand that just because the inside of your vehicle measures more than 48", doesn't mean that the point of entry does. Fortunately, after attempting to help load the piece into my car with my friendly lumber guy without success (when he asked me what kind of plywood I wanted, I responded "the long flat kind" to which he was amused and not annoyed) he had no problem cutting down to 24" pieces, which is the size bat I wanted to make anyway.

So I made two of them with help from Adam's manly strong hands holding the wood for me as I jigsawed, and he ran the table saw, which I am quite afraid of, to rip the remaining wood down to made smaller bats. Another pearl of wisdom: the diameter is not the same as the diagonal. I know the old adage is to measure twice and cut once. I apparently prefer to measure five or six times, and then cut twice. There's a disconnect in my brain somewhere. At least my error was on the large side, so can be fixed.

This platter isn't actually finished yet. When I took it off and flipped it over there was still way too much clay on the sides so it went back on. But there it is, 21" platter on one of my 24" bats. It took every ounce of strength and commitment to flip this over onto the bat for trimming. Factor in 25 lbs. of clay, a 16" plaster bat, and a 24", 1/2" thick bat all sandwiched together, and being held up with the strength of my left arm. It's a scary moment.

Sweet ride

So I'm pretty grateful to Jeff Martin for his inspiration to me. Not only do I love his work but he's into bike riding which has really inspired me to get back out and do a little riding before the snow flys. I usually ride quite a bit, but this year almost nada. So I went out for about 45 minutes this morning and feel really good. I got that riders high. I was gonna take a picture with me in my silly gear with my bike, but my battery was dead so I'm all cleaned up and showered with my sweet ride. I had to turn around this morning cause I was a little cold. I had to put leggings under my bike shorts and put a thin hat on. Brrrr. Thank you Jeff!


I did a little texturing on the sides of my square plates. In my mind they look really sweet when they are done. The edges will be unglazed with oxide rubbed in, with the center glazed. Can you see it?

Little Miss Stripey

Well, the in-laws are here for the weekend, and, my father Dennis has had to come to Boston for the weekend, and so there is a bit of a family theme for the next few days. I would like to post some photos of some slab plates I made, but I just don't feel like the whole photo download thing, so here is another pot from my last firing. A vase. To put flowers in. Be back Monday or Tuesday!

My big baby

This little beauty is about 21" across. It's quite flat, the largest flattest thing I have thrown so far. I have thrown a 24" bowl, which is a little easier I think.

These are some wood molds I made today for shaping slabs over to make square plates.

My heat gun I bought the other day, which greatly improves my ability to throw something like a 21" platter.

One of my pots from my last firing.


I had a few responses to my last post, and I found my response becoming quite long (what a surprise) and so decided that I would reply as a post. I promise not to post anything else so serious for at least one day after this. I'm not trying to contradict anything anyone said, just to write down what it got me thinking of. I am particularly interested in the idea of living for the moment, or rather treating each moment like it could be your last. I think it's a nice concept, but in the long run difficult, not to mention depressing thinking that every moment could be your last! It's a lot of pressure to put on yourself in life, because there is so much that has to be done that we really don't want to do but has to be done. Maybe some people manage to pull that off but it would be pretty hard for me. I know if I treated each moment as if it were my last, I'd never work, never clean the toilet, etc. I certainly wouldn't be sitting here typing on this computer.

I think the more do-able and equally important thing to do is to be present in every moment. It's like that bumper sticker that says: I'd rather be here now. It's something to really think about. Most of us probably perform a lot of tasks all the while wishing we could be doing something else. when I find myself rushing through something, like dishes or whatever and my mind is scattered and I'm starting to feel anxious because I'm already thinking of what I need or want to do next, I try to mentally stop, and while not exactly enjoy doing dishes, at least experience doing dishes. You can find a little Zen that way. I should say as a disclaimer here, that I desperately need to take my own advice. I'm not exactly settled most of the time. But it's something to think about-what you would do differently if you knew for sure this was it. If you told me, and I knew it to be true, that I had three days left to live I would embrace my hearts desire. I would do what I needed to do to spend those three days at peace inside. But I have to live believing I have maybe 30 years left, and that's a whole different ballgame.

Thoughts on Alan

I don't know if it is appropriate for me to spend time addressing Alan's death and death in general and how I feel about it. I don't want to offend or hurt anyone who knew him well, yet lately, when things are on my mind, this is where I put them.

I didn't find out about Alan until late last night. It had been a good day for me and I had spent the day with pretty high spirits. When I finally sat down to catch up on my blog reading and starting reeling all this information in I was just in disbelief and unexplicably sad. It's always been a strange circumstance to me, to realize that while you were baking a cake, or dancing or making love or laughing, that someone somewhere that had a presence in your life was dying. I have not really had to absorb the deaths of many in my life at all, and most who have gone, it was their time more or less. I miss my grandparents, and wish I had spent more time with them while they were here, but I understand death is part of life, and it was time for them, and I am not afraid of death when it comes for me.

My uncle Ronnie died too young. He wasn't terribly older than I am now and I wasn't particularly close with him. I found him entertaining as an uncle the once or twice a year I might see him. He was a fabulous pianist, irreverant, and I just liked him. When he died my reaction completely caught me by surprise. I was devastated. I cried for days, never knowing when it would hit me, and still imagine to this day that he is watching over me when I am trying hard in my car to learn to sing (against natures desire) He once asked me if I "had the music in me" and I try to think that maybe I do a little, and not waste it entirely as I imagine that he is looking on, even though I will never express it even close to as well as he did.

I had a relationship of mutual dislike with my ex-husbands father. He just wasn't very nice to me and I guess I never took the time to sit down with him and ask him why and tell him I wish it could be better. When he died I sobbed. I sobbed for a man I almost despised and left a letter in his coffin telling him how I wish things could have been better.

My reaction to Alan's death also caught me by surprise. I cried for the death of someone I did not know. I have no idea who Alan was except what I saw about him on his blog. What I saw was someone who seemed to have a great sense of humor ("Paul if this looks right to you stand up!") and was very generous sharing his techniques with us. I asked him a question once about how he made cut handled bowls and a couple of days later there was an extensive demo on his site showing how. And lastly I am regretful because of something simple I wanted to say to him, and now I never can.

He once posted a photo of a white vase that I fell in love with and asked him about. He explained that the other side had some brushwork on it and so might not be what I was looking for, and posted a photo to show me. It was lovely, but he was right, not exactly what I had in my mind. I politely wrote back thank you but, etc. . . Perhaps it is just my over analysing things as I am prone to do, but I have always worried that I might have offended or hurt his feelings by rejecting that vase, and I kept meaning to send him a note saying something about it. I'm sure that many reading this are going to rightly believe that he was completely fine about it and not offended at all, and you are probably right. It's just that now that opportunity is gone. Something I kept meaning to do, can never be done now. Just another of those moments when you realize all you might have is today and that's it.

So last night I wrote a note to someone about something that has been on my mind and in my heart for years. I felt compelled to write it, and decided I was not going to let the moment go by. I don't know what the result will be, but I think the results of not sharing my thoughts and hopes with him is worse than any anger he might feel by my doing so. I want to believe that I might somehow change his heart a little, and as a result, someone else's life with that letter. Maybe it's presumptuous of me to think I have that power, but if people I really don't know can affect my life, than hopefully I can affect his.

very sad

I suppose like everyone else right now, I am in shock at learning about Alan's death. It strange how the death of someone you have never met can so impact you. I can't say much, because I don't know him enough to be so presumptuous, but it's very,very sad. I can't believe I will never read another post from him again, or view another of his beautiful photos that made me long to visit his homeland. I am so, so sorry for those who knew him well, and his family and close friends.

Oh special day

So after my pity party yesterday I decided to throw big for a while. I worked on a few platter/bowls. The sides of the first two collapsed resulting in them being much smaller than intended, and also inspiring a trip to the hardware store this morning to look for a heat gun or larger torch. I managed to save the third full size, which is still on my wheel. They range in diameter from 14", 16", and 19".

When I throw large I use these plaster bats which elevate the surface above my splashpan and slop goes flying everywhere. Daisy was standing nearby watching me work and I look over and this is what she looked like. She was obviously in the line of fire, but I didn't hear her protesting. She had it all over the back of her neck as well. She looked pretty funny.


Well, I have some fantastic news I think I will share. This morning, after rubbing the sleepies from my eyes (better than yesterdays tears) I received an mail from my father Dennis. He thought that maybe I could use a Peter Pugger? Can I ever! I've been eyeballing this baby for years! I am beyond excited about this for reasons I don't have to explain to any potters out there. These large bowls were all made from reclaim clay and it was torturous wedging it as it was too hard, and I spent a great deal of time spraying water on it, and wedging forever trying to get all the air out. My reclaim is almost porous it is so full of air, and I am going to get a vacuuming mixer/pugger, so now, my reclaim will be de-aired and those two huge buckets of dry clay, and the third I've started, will finally get recycled as I have no reason to put it off now. And when I start making my own clay this will just be fantastic to have. So a good start to my day. If all goes well, assuming they are in stock he might ship it to me on Friday. Thank you so much Dad!