Cookin' Cotta

This is just the top shelf -- there are four more below this one, packed with tiles!

I just turned on my big kiln, Big Al! He's firing the 300 Melly Tiles all in one go -- so keep your fingers crossed!

The tiles are stacked in piles of three, in order to get them all in there. You can stack greenware during the bisque fire since greenware won't stick to itself (unless it's prepared a certain way). You can't do this with a glaze fire because the glaze (glass) melts and fuses. This means Big Al will have another full load when I glaze all 100ish of the tiles I'm assigned, since the glaze fire can't have the tiles touching anything inside the kiln...which is a big space eater. I'm considering getting those tile racks or stacking tile holders in order to maximize space during a glaze fire.

Anyway, what struck me about this clay is the variation in color and feel -- look how dark some of those tiles are! Those dark ones also are a bit heavier. So we'll see what happens...oh Fates be kind!

"It's good to feel the rush of something nice coming on." ~ Mary Smart

Cookin' Cotta

Births A-Plenty

This is what 500 lbs of clay looks like in the trunk of a Mazda.

Big Al is scheduled to fire all 300 "Melly Tiles" on Sunday and hatch them out on Monday. Mom is going to help me pack them up and ship them off to all the anxiously waiting glazers, and then it's a free-for-all from there!

I'm so excited to see what all these creative minds do with them -- it'll be like The Mane Event!

The support for Melly and Herm has been inspiring and uplifting to me in ways I never expected. Gosh -- it just feels so good to know I'm part of a community effort to make a positive difference in their lives! Our society has become so fractured and anonymous nowadays, and here we can tap into our primeval need to be part of something good and personal. Almost tribal. I like it.

Along those lines, the Mourning Dove pair hatched their babies! The pink arrow is pointing to one of them (below). I didn't see them at first because they look just like the nest and they do not move. They're as still as stones. But Ham's sharp eye spotted the bitty beady eyes of one baby and then it all became wonderfully obvious.

Here's a close-up with my zoom lens. You can see a wee beady eye on the right, by the stick, with the head, breast and wing. They're about the size of tennis balls. They're so cute I could scream!

And of course -- our platy fish are having babies again! I spotted a tiny fry in the bottom rocks today. Our fancy male guppies fall madly in love with the female platys and I think it all goes downhill from there.

Plus, I'm getting close to releasing the first batch of Haffie sets, and I'm stoked to see how painters "dress" them in pigment! Speaking of which, I started painting a delightful Laf'n Bear Smittyn...

Here's a sneak peek of little Miss Smittyn! I'm not sure if my reference photo is of a silver or liver chestnut, but I guess I'll worry about that later. This is just a preliminary layer.

I needed something to do that I could walk away from when it came time to ship off the Melly tiles, so painting was it. The problem is that once I start sculpting, I fixate and there's only one short-term consequence to that: Procrastination with shipping those tiles. Not good. Now I really should be finishing the glazing on that Taboo, but well...this little lady was calling to me louder. Besides, I want all that terra cotta outta the ceramic studio before I touch white bisque!

But the big question now is: How long will it be 'till I finish both of them? Argh. I have piles of unfinished projects scattered all over. Dag gum. I need to work on generating the discipline to finish what I start! The inspiration of an idea demands the birth of the finished piece!

"There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Births A-Plenty

The More the Merrier!

Great news! Lynn Fraley, Kristina Lucas Francis and Kylee Demers have joined The Terra Cotta Tile Project! MAZAL TOV!

So here's a recap of all the glazing artists participating in this exciting project: Joanie Berkwitz, Kate Cabot, Donna Chaney, Jenn Danza, Kylee Deemers, Cheryl Farrens, Lynn Fraley, Kristina Lucas Francis, Karen Gerhardt, Lesli Kathman, Jen Kroll, Elaine Lindelef, Barb Ness, Margaret Olson, Marge Para, Addi Velasquez and, of course, moi-self.

Now dry my little tiles -- dry!

"Happiness is not so much in having or sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~ Norman MacEwan

The More the Merrier!

More Glazers on Board!

My goodness -- the support for Melly and Herm has been like a blessed bursting supernova! The logistical coordinators fielded over 500 emails yesterday alone! Thank you everyone for your help! The support has been so overwhelming that a new website is coming to accommodate! Woooot! Stay tuned!

And I'm happy to announce that Kate Cabot and Donna Chaney are now on board to glaze the special "Melly Tiles!" How cool is that? Thank you ladies so very much!

Read more about this tile project, and the ongoing fund-raising efforts on Lesli's two new blog posts here and here. Also Joanie's new post here. And Cheryl Farrens' blog post here.

"Only love can be divided endlessly and still not diminish." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

More Glazers on Board!

The B-52s and Baby Powder

My worker bee hive since yesterday. I've been listening to the entire collection of The B-52s on my iPod dock -- really really loud. I learned it takes 3.5 loops of their entire anthology to roll, cut and stamp 300 tiles. And since I use baby powder as a stamp release, I reek of the stuff. Happy and reeking.

Every once and awhile, the Universe gives us the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of a dear friend in dire need. When myself and others in our art community were alerted to the plight of Melissa Gaulding and her husband, Herman, we were compelled to act. They are dear people -- the kind you immediately adore, and feel you've known all your life even though you met them only two minutes ago. Thoughtful, intelligent, fun, witty, supportive and talented, they charm you instantly.

So what began as Heather Malone-Bogle's plaintive question of what could be done for them has now bloomed into a joyous, enthusiastic snowball of generosity from every corner of the industry. It's times like this that remind us what's important and what unites us, and so this effort has been a true celebration not only of Melly and Herman, but of what it means to be fortunate enough to have them as friends.

While many artists and collectors are donating exquisite pieces for the cause, I considered what I could do. So many of these pieces are expected to go for high-ticket amounts, and I pondered what could allow lots of folks to participate in this giving party, too...and it popped into my head: The stamped tiles! Of course!

So I set myself on a plan, now formally termed The Terracotta Tile Project! Fellow mudhen Marge Para suggested using terracotta clay to make them really distinctive, which was a stroke of genius. Thanks Marge! And since Melly's logo is a flying heart, I decided to create a little heart stamp to make an additional imprint into the clay, making these stamps doubly unique.

A bit of epoxy clay shaped into a heart stamp, wrapped in foil and rapidly cured in the oven allowed me to get to work immediately. While Melissa's logo has a winged heart, I thought it fitting the horse in the tile would "fly" the heart instead, neatly tucked in his chest. Lots of meaning fit for the occasion.

So since yesterday afternoon, I've been a Sarahsaurus Rex possessed, cranking out three hundred beautiful 3" terracotta tiles, which are now happily drying. The eight day countdown begins now! Once they're bisque fired, a slew of incredible glazing artists have volunteered to glaze many of them, and then sell them on Melly's behalf. Here's a list of the current glazers hungry to help: Karen Gerhardt, Barb Ness, Jen Kroll, Joan Berkwitz, Adalee Velasquez, Lesli Kathman, Cheryl Farrens, Marge Para, Jenn Danza, Elaine Lindelef, Margaret Olson, and of course myself. Stay tuned on their blogs or lists for updates regarding their tiles, and other fund-raising contributions. And stay tuned here for updates on new glazers jumping into the gleeful glazing fray!

Even Hubby got in on the action!

Here's a sneak peek at this special tile! The white bits are the baby powder, which will fire off.

Each participating artist gets to glaze and decorate their allotted tiles however they wish, making each of these tiles super special three times over! And not only that! Everyone who buys ones of these tiles is entered into a drawing for two more special items! HAZZAH! To learn more about The Terracotta Tile Project, and to stay updated on all fund-raising activities, bookmark the Flying Heart Fundraiser page. Things are developing very quickly, so revisit it often to keep up with the breaking news! Also, the selling process for these puppies is still being formulated, and this project will have its own page soon, so hang tight for more as it blossoms!

To learn more about the cause, visit Joan's blog post, Karen Gerhardt's blog post, and Lesli Kathman's blog posts here and here.

"All you need is love." ~ The Beatles

The B-52s and Baby Powder