Brand new ruins

 The first photos of finished work are usually taken on top of the washing machine. The kiln is near it, and it's a great place to set warm work while I figure out where it goes next.

Here are the first of the ruins. Back when we lived in the UK, we would sometime go for walks through National Trust properties. There was one to the east of us that was acres upon acres of woods and trails, and somewhere in there was a derelict stone building. Too small for what I would consider a house, shelter that had ceased to be shelter because the roof was missing, a few people could still crowd in there to get out of the wind. Whether walls of crumbling stone could still protect would depend on what the dangers were.

   It also got me thinking about the effort we put into things. Sometimes beautiful or valuable things, but without maintenance, without nurturing, it all goes away. Whether it's a career, friendships and loved ones, a country, a home, a reputation, it needs to be looked after to be useful.

I put fireplaces or shines in a few of the ruins, so I also made them some little dishes and cups to abandon as well.


Over on the work bench, new herds are beginning to gather. I'm doing Silicon Valley Open Studios in May, and I need a few more herds than i have. They're fun to make, but very (very) time consuming.

I paint each spot of underglaze twice, bisque, and paint them all again before glazing and re-firing to cone 10. And yes, they're freehand.

There are also some new sheep herds in progress, but they are a photo for another day.