My painting table, spring flowers and Pearl met a tiger!

Hello everyone. It is so nice to finish all my work before dark on a Friday! I have glazed and loaded the kiln full, and even had a tidy up of my studio space! Ah, lovely!

The last three days, I have concentrated on glazing and painting bisque-fired figures. This has somehow made me hungry for high calorie food. I am a bit concerned if I am going to be a piglet at this rate!

I have three tables for my ceramics. One is for making, another is for painting bisques; they are in my studio. The third one is for packing  in my office.

My painting table has had these ones. A view of my painting table - yesterday.

Rolling heads!

The hair of this boy might become blotchy because I didn't mix enough colour at one go. I was making the colour under artificial light at night, so I couldn't tell the nuance of the shades. I guess he would need at least a second firing.

They will be in my Etsy shop, if they come out fine. 

This is how the heads were held.

This afternoon, I started loading the kiln.

The lower shelf

The top shelf

I hope they will come out fine. The kiln will be opened on Sunday morning.

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In our garden, there are so many flowers at this moment. I can finally enjoy them this weekend. We will put the garden furniture out.

Oriental poppies -very early!

Lily-flowered tulips. 

Our eating cherry have lots of flowers! But birds will have most fruits! :D

This afternoon, I took Pearl the whippet for an ordinary walk around four blocks. At the farthest end, we were chased by a tom cat! Pearl became bonkers, and started barking at him. The cat made himself large by arching and putting all fur spread, and chased us! I ran away as I dragged Pearl who was ready to fight. Then when I looked back, the cat was behind us, still chasing us! And when I hurriedly crossed the road, he came to the closest corner of the other side, and did a wee! I picked up Pearl and held her as if she were a child (heavy and cumbersome with those long legs) and whispered her 'Don't make a mistake. That's not a cat, it is a tiger!' 

Bluebells near us

 Have a great weekend!

A sunny weekend, at last.

Hello everyone. Today Mike has gone back to work after 10 days leave. Suddenly I got inspiration for my essay, and I made progress by leap and bound, well, I have exaggerated. It was more like a hop and step! Yesterday I spent four hours wrapping and packing our ceramics made for a wonderful lady in U.S.. I packed six bowls in one box, and one sushi platter in another. The platter was easy. But not bowls. I had spent a long time to figure out how best I could wrap bowls with special protection at the rims. I really use all my brain to pack! Today we have posted them as well as one of my dog sculptures, which is for a lovely lady in UK. Luckily rain stopped when we went to the post office. I felt lucky all day! I hope all arrive safely. Now all I can do is just pray.

This is the sushi platter. It is the largest porcelain platter I have ever made. It is 32.5 cm long. I was worried it might warp, but no, it didn't. I was so pleased with the result, I am thinking to make one for my Etsy shop, and one for ourselves during summer. Believe me sushi taste much better on Japanese plate, and even better if it has a rabbit on it!

Porcelain sushi platter

I have been steadily working on my essay. I wrote introduction and definition and almost finished conclusion. Now I have to fill in between them. 6,000 words are not long, so I have to think what can be included and what not. Luckily my day work has been quiet. Once I finish the essay, piles of financial documents are waiting for me. They would be my bed time reading, I guess.

Over the weekend, we had marvelous weather; warm and bright. A rare combination here in UK. We took our dogs to long walks. When I think about something walking helps me. Walking stimulates my brain. But I found when we were four of us, that is Mike, I and our two girls, there is nothing pensive about. Still fun!

Campus. Full of buttercups

Hot! 

Hot!

In the garden, we have had sparrow chicks fledged from our nest box, one immediately got trapped in our veg patch (we rescued her). Blackbird chicks are getting bigger. Now they can fly! But they mainly stay in our garden. We keep watchful eyes on them. They bring us such joy!
  

A blackbird chick with a short tail

 

A tiny sparrow chick

Also flowers! Cammasia had setback this year, only one has flowered. Yellow climbing roses are in full bloom right now. Flowers make us feel happy.

Cammasia

Climbing roses

Bank holiday weekend

Hello everyone. We have had a busy and lovely three-day weekend. Mike kept himself busy with throwing, and I also made one large sushi plate. We are working for a lovely lady in the U.S.. After making the plate, I started an experiment with an idea I have brooded.  I made a wall hanging with high reliefs.

Red riding hood and a wolf

Initially I was going to make a large wolf alone, but added the little girl. This was not intended to be fired, but after my spending about 7 hours, it might get fired after all.

Between throwing, Mike was attending the garden. Throwing causes back pain, so it is a good idea to do something else for a break

 

Mike's veg seedlings.

 Pumpkin is hopefully looking up the fork pushed into the soil. She is wondering if somebody is going to cultivate her land so that she could find some delicious grubs.

Is somebody there?

Of course, Mike came and did some weeding for her.

Where are my grubs?

Hurry up!

I came out to put the laundry (dog beds!) in, but couldn't help joining these two. So I started looking for Cave art in the place Mike dug. I looked at several flint stones, but there wasn't any, probably because there is no cave around here!

Lilly flowered tulips opened. 

Left one is has a virus. 

Flowers in the garden look fabulous. Spring has sprung. Warm and bright. We are so delighted. I thought we will not have spring this year.

The cherry blossom in the garden.

Once I had taken photos, I went back to pack my orders; I will go to the main post office by bus tomorrow. Topaz, the post office dog, would be left behind.

Topaz pretends to be dead. : )

After dinner, we popped out to the library of the University of Kent. I got more books on primitive art. They look interesting!

 

    

First crocus, 'Out of Sorts III' and artisan bread

Hello everyone. How are you? Today I saw our early flowering crocus, Prince Klaus, opened! They are so early and so pretty! I walked to the studio with spring in my footstep!

Prince Klaus

Prince Klaus

Our last class for this year finished last Wednesday evening. My day work has been quite light. So I have been doing ceramics, mainly glazing and finishing, a lot lately. I have had productive yet relaxing time in the studio. This combination is rare. 'Out of sorts III' was fired. I wanted to layer colours. So I sent her for a second firing. She would be more colourful and dramatic!

Out of sorts II is ready for the second firing.

Out of sorts III, side

While I was busy doing ceramics in the studio last Saturday, Mike walked to the High street and bought two loaves of bread from his favorite bread maker, Wild Bread.  The baker, James specializes in artisan sourdough. It takes 72 hours to rise. It is delicious with soft cheese. We can't recommend his bread enough! His wife comes once a month to Canterbury artisan market to sell, so Mike buys two each time. He found that they do a weekly delivery, so we will ask for it from next year, if they can deliver in Canterbury. 

Country bread from Wild Bread