Thursday, June 11, 2009

Creating Ceramic Crosses


My latest project is underway! In the last week, I've created TWENTY ceramic crosses from hand rolled slabs of white stoneware clay. First I used a template to cut them into the same shape. Then as they began to dry out, I stamped each of them with one of my hand carved ceramic stamps. I used different stamps for each one, so I now have 20 original design ideas!

Twelve of them are already bone dry (which means they are ready to go into the kiln), but the remaining eight have a day or so left till before I can load them for their first (bisque)firing. And the twelve little ponies have been waiting patiently for temperature to start rising...(kind of like I've been waiting patiently for the warmer summer temperatures here in the midwest!!)



Within the week, they should all be glazed and ready to load into the kiln for their final firing! Which glazes will I use?
Turquoise...Chun Plum...Seaweed...or something else? Only time will tell!!















Hmmmmm....I can't wait to see the final results! I'll keep you updated! Thanks for visiting, and till next time...


Thursday, June 4, 2009

One of those days...

Hey Pony! What's up?



Hooray! Friends! Just what I needed!



Tigger! You're the best!



Another job well done! Time to rest for this kitty....



Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust

(and I'm grateful to my friends near and far, who have brought joy to my life!)

Monday, June 1, 2009

Honoring Your Memories

It's about time I posted some photos of my Chapter 5 Taking Flight project! Nikki and I finished our projects over a week ago (maybe even two weeks!), and I really want to post these before I move on to Chapter 6!

The theme for this project was "Honoring Your Memories." I definitely felt pulled toward some early memories from my family of origin. Not a whole bunch of happy memories, but they are memories to be honored, nonetheless. I know that all of my past experiences, positive and negative, have contributed to who I am today, and I'm feeling pretty good about how my life has "turned out" so far (AND I'm looking forward to all the future has in store :) Working on this project gave me plenty of opportunities to re-visit my past, and do a little more healing (always a good thing, even though it doesn't always feel so good!).

Back to the art...I'll start with this close up shot of my "blue bird of happiness." I love how this bird turned out! I made it from polymer clay, and finished it off with a few coats of golden acrylic paints. It symbolizes the happy times in my life - those in the past and those yet to come. The "1963" above the bird represents my birth, and the "2009" below represents the present. The bird is heading east towards the sunrise of a new day :)


Below is a shot of the entire project. The base is a 12 x 12 piece of plywood, covered with an assortment of scrapbook papers and ephemera (so many hidden messages in there...I should probably make some notes on the reverse so I remember why I put them there!)

The two photos on the top are of my mom's family (her Ma and Pa on the left, and a "Kodak moment" with some of her siblings on the right). The photos on the bottom are my family of origin. The one in the middle makes me laugh because it reminds me of all the matching outfits my mom used to make for my sister and I. She was quite the seamstress! (by the way, I'm the little sister).


I found the church photo in my Mom and Dad's old photo box. There was nothing written on the back, and both my folks have been dead for quite a while, so I can't ask them where the church is. But it is an adorable little church, and I knew just where it belonged in this project. I put the church in the center to remind me of the "bigger" family that I'm a part of, and to represent the importance of faith in my life.


I do like how this project turned out, and I learned a few more techniques along the way! I think I'll put a frame around this and hang it in my art room. It will be a good reminder of where I came from, who I came from, and how far I've come.

ps...if you know where this little church is, please tell me!!

Till next time...