My summer Saturdays

Summer Saturday:
I'm going to talk a bit about how I approach each Saturday.

Setting an alarm, after 8 years of retirement; this harkens back to the 5 days a week when I would startle awake and go to a business setting to perform for someone in exchange for "green energy" (money) which could purchase the things I needed and wanted.

Yep, just setting an alarm does give me lots of feelings.
Does it go off?  Seldom.
It causes all those feelings to make me sleep differently, with some anxiety as to when it will go off.  I usually wake up completely an hour before it is set, or at least 15 minutes before.  So it never gets to go off.

I only have to be at the market and set up the booth twice a month, because our co-op of five Mud Buddies allows us to sign up for 2 of us each Saturday to be "on duty."  I don't mind the setting up, arranging everyone's pretty wares around.

The Saturdays on which I work the Mud Buddies booth means we're ready for customers at 9 am, when the market opens.  But there's a side-effect which is most desirable.  I am in line early for my favorite croissant.  If there's asparagus for sale, I can get some.  And then I can just sit down in my folding chair for the next 3 hours, either in the sun or shade.  And I can meet people who are interested in pots.

Bette, Barbara, Cathy, Marsha and Pat - Mud Buddies

There are so many great curious people who love pottery, who know to pick up a mug and feel how the handle fits their hand, who look at the bottom to see how it was trimmed, who smile at decorations that please them.

I lied above, because I never get to just sit for three hours.  The getting-up for each customer is my main quad exercise.  Just do that for 3 hours sometime!  I also get to breathe wonderful fresh air.  And pollen.  It's inspirational, and usually I can breathe just fine.

I also get very cold or very hot, or rained upon on the rare wet Saturdays.  This week, Saturday is forecast to have a wet day, but I'm not working.  The two Mud Buddies who are working will decide whether to open our booth or not.  Of course I hope they will.  Many folks will be coming for croissants, for veggies, for meats and eggs, and tomato starts, for coffee or chai. And I hope they think of pottery as well as a reason for coming to the Tailgate Market of Black Mountain, NC.

Me? I'll be up at the time I usually get up, without the anxiety of the alarm.  And I'll go to the market to see how it's going, to encourage my friends, and see if any croissants are left. Then I go to the studio and make more pottery!

Nouveau Two

Still working out the kinks...but am hopeful that this little lidded jar/vase will have good results.  Remember the glazes are powdery looking, so the pink will turn bright red, and the pale turquoise should be a shiny turquoise when finished.

It's all a process.  Who said that?

An apartment with a green thumb

The catnip which my friend, Marina gave me, is hanging on my balcony, way out of reach of any attracted felines.

And an update on the pepper plant which held a dove's nest for a week or so, the plant is surviving and putting out flowers (top plant with pointy leaves.)  The pepper is an ornamental which my friend, Martha gave me several years ago.  It dies back a bit, then comes back again (when fertilized.)

I think some other birds have been scrounging from the nest, to build their own!

You probably don't remember when I was bemoaning about not being able to get my violet to bloom!  Well, it's the bloomingest violet I've ever had now!

I've been watering it very sparingly with water from the aquarium.  Now all my plants are getting that water also.

I wanted some purple petunias, and got just one out of the pack of 6 which is actually purple.  I guess that's ok.

The variegated petunia is doing well too.

The bigger pot is making this geranium much happier, but I'm still waiting for a bud to open on the new geranium with the pretty leaves.  Guess I'll have to do another post of plants in a week or two.

A bit Nouveau

Trying out a new motif...

The technique was described in my post yesterday.

Size is 4-1/2 inches wide by 6-1/4 inches high.

Clay is Highwater's Little Loafers, all fired to cone 6 electric.

It's a Process!

Glazing with tiny pointed bottles of glaze (Designer Liner from Mayco) or brushes of glaze (Stroke & Coat from Mayco) is all about process.

My home has great light (if a bit shaded green this time of year) for painting.

I'm trying some new designs, so roughed out the idea on the pot with a pen (a pencil would also do well.)

I quickly found that I couldn't pull the lines perfectly straight.  So the wiggle is incorporated into the design.  That's what makes it art!

 Painting three coats of Stroke and Coat is a pain, and I usually end up just doing 2 heavy ones.

Fortunately the liner shows through most of the Stroke N Coat glazes, I've found by experience.

Then I lightly brush on two thin coats of Matte Clear Glaze (also by Mayco).  If I get too much of the clear bunched up by any of the line work, I've found it can make it blur. (Sometimes this is a good thing.)

I pour some white satin glaze into the interior at the Black Mountain Clay Studio, and dip the top edge also in it.  Then as soon as it's dry I dip the edge just barely into Plum.  That will probably cause some drippy-ness along the top edge, which is planned.

Come back tomorrow to see the finished product.   It's all a process!

Gold all around

The long stemmed Flame Azaleas.

A peony is budding in front of a rose bush.

My tree sculptures in the gallery at the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League (Red House).

A painting from the past

 I was most taken by this picture inside the Hilliard home in Michigan, which just gives such a great glimpse into the lives of the occupants.  I may not know what the two tubes are leaning next to the piano, but my eye was caught by the painting above them.

The photo I'm working from is a photo of a page of a photo album, taken several decades ago. The one I'm interested in is the lower middle photo.

I don't think any of those people are related to my sons' father.

This painting is probably still in the family of my ex-husband.  It was hanging in the guest bedroom the first time I visited and met his parents.  I don't remember the story behind it.  Perhaps his mother painted it, or was the model, or one of her relatives.  It's done in lovely pastel colors, mainly blues and a bit of pink, if I remember correctly.  It reminded me of Whistler's work.  Probably because of a long gowned young woman holding a fan!



Sepia Saturday suggestion for this week is...HERE
I see some printing happening.



I wondered if I have any photos the prints I made in Art School? Not likely.
I do have a few in a box somewhere at the back of a closet...waiting till I get famous.  Right.

A pot is for plants

A big blue-ridge-mountains pot for the succulents next to my spirit house. I just thinned out the kalanchoe and the aloe.

One of the little off round planters with new basil transplanted. The plate is a seconds.

A new kind of geranium, with such pretty leaves, in another altered slab pot, with another seconds plate beneath it.

My gangly wintered-over geranium transplanted into a matte bronze green altered slab pot.

The wishing well has a baby basil...it may not have enough dirt, and it wasn't designed to hold a plant (so it may not stay there.)  Perhaps a succulent would do better.

A promising petunia in my friend Blair's pot.  Stand is a way I decided to have more height with plants.

The view out my door from the kitchen. My ever-lovin' gardenia which just keeps on surviving. (a plastic planter so I can carry it inside for the winter)

My little front porch welcomes any visitors.

Guess where? (and some new bowls)

second day to try...where are all my friends?

Who can guess where this was? (Note, Black Mountain people won't have much difficulty I think)

 A purple haze over blue for a cereal bowl with a Celtic Cross button on the side.

 The deeper and wider, medium size bowl in Bermuda green glaze.

What happened at the market

A big sigh of appreciation.

The Mud Buddies all were there this week.  We will only have 2 of our group there each week the rest of the summer, until just before Thanksgiving!

There were so many people who came to the first market this year!  It promises to be a big event in our little town, if this is any indication of the interest.

And yes, I got some of my favorites, some of which I've been missing, others that I've yearned for ever since I saw the list of what was going to be available!  Asparagus, locally and organically grown.  I ate it roasted for dinner Saturday night!  And I've got some lovely little herbs and flowers.  Transplanted them to my pots on Sunday afternoon.  I gobbled up the almond croissant about the time the market opened.  And drank the Dynamite coffee as well.

 Two rows of vendors made for a great selection.  Some of these vendors will only be there a week at a time, but many are there every week for 26-29 weeks.

The friends were out in abundance, and new ones were made as well.  We missed a few who have moved on to other towns and will not be getting their weekly food and hugs from us this year.



Items which I sold included:

Actually this one is still available, since my friend traded for the orange cat later in the week.