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!