Progress in the studio and fun at home with new chameleon.

Hello everyone. Although I skipped going to the studio yesterday due to heat, I spend one to two hours there almost everyday. It was cooler today, so I felt more comfortable, and I was able to think.

I am doing the finishing on the big ears. He looks a bit distressed!

Big ears

Large 'Out of sorts' was bisque-fired. I will take time to add more colours on her.
 

Out of sorts - bisque

 Inside the head is as crazy as before!

Out of sorts 

In the garden, we are having bonanza with raspberries. Birds are eating them, but there are still plenty for everyone.

From the garden

I have just finished this boy. Yes, I have spent my evening making something at home. It seems mad to make something with clay after having spent three hours in the studio, but this is my relaxation! Meet this chunky little fellow. He has definitely something to say!

What?

Me?

 

Chameleon left Canterbury

Hello everyone. It has been a lovely weather here. The best part is low humidity. In Japan where I am from, summer is dreadfully humid and sticky. Even so, the house becomes too hot with windows closed for parrots and dogs, so I decided to stay at home in the afternoon.

In the morning, I popped in the studio to start the kiln, then went to post office to send the chameleon to a wonderful lady in Australia.

Smiley chameleon

 She came out of the kiln last Friday.

On Sunday I enameled her eyes and fired her again. 

She is flying to Australia.

Yesterday I also showered parrots. They love showers, and I used to shower them frequently until I became student. They enjoyed so much that I will shower them again next weekend. We also washed cage grates in the garden, as well.

Wet Beaper. He is good at whistling and mimicking microwave

Then we found more and more chores to do! I finally turned up the rims of my summer trousers I bought in March! I had thought there wouldn't be any occasion for them this year until recently. I don't like sewing much. I only do, when I have to. It took me about two hours to turn them up. Next time, I would buy narrower trousers! 

We had late lunch in the garden. We cooked tempura from vegetables from the garden. The most delicious one is runner beans, Succulent and tender. 

Runner beans

Fruits are ripening, too. Most cherries were eaten by wood pigeons, but we covered some branches. We should be able to harvest about 20.  

Our fist cherry

We have lots of raspberries. They are Pumpkin's favourite. She jumps from the ground and harvest some by herself. When she lands, there is heavy thud. It's funny! She is a heavy chicken!  ('How rude to call me a heavy chicken!')

Our first this year

Crocosmia is in buds

Lavender is in bloom.

Walk in the Blean woods and Mike's peas

Hello everyone. How was your weekend? We had a hot one! Yesterday morning, I popped in the studio with Mike. He moved the second chicken sculpture into a kiln for me. After tweaking the back, I became a bit cautious. After that I had stayed at home, and kept myself cool, but Mike was busy doing errands.

In the afternoon, we took our dogs to Blean woods. I thought it would be cooler. It was in the shade. I was looking for the beach tree. We couldn't find it. Next time, I will re-trail the route we took last November.

a rotten tree

'Not only my ears are long, but my tongue, too!'

Our garden is full of wild birds. Amelanchier has lots of ripe berries. It attracts various birds, such as black birds, green finches and wood pigeons. Fruit trees attract blue tits, a flock of longtail tits and so on. There are of course, regulars, like sparrows, dunnocks and robins. We saw more birds in the garden than in Blean woods yesterday.

Young Black bird

Garden flowers are also in bloom. Silver flowers stand out under the apple trees. 

 Mike's veg are doing very well, too. We have harvested our first peas yesterday.

I popped peas out of the pods. Pearl stayed with me,  just in case I might drop some. Yes, I did! She loves peas. They are very sweet!

Mike's peas

 Mike cooked pasta with peas, spring onion and pancetta. The recipe is from the River cafe book. He only cooks this dish when our peas are in season. This year, we grew spring onions, too. So both are in this dish! Very delicious and quick to cook!  It goes well with Australian white wine.

Mike's pasta with pancetta, peas, and spring onion

How to slim down overweight chicken

Hello everyone. Yesterday I tweaked my back when I carried my test piece chicken. I made it as a practice piece, so I didn't bother to make walls thin.  But then, when I unwrapped it yesterday, it looked appealing. So I decided to fire it, and when I moved it, my back gave a little cry. When I woke up this morning the twinge was still in my back. Then I thought something is wrong here. I should be able to lift my sculpture (about 70 cm high) without hurting my back. So first I did in the studio today was, scrape the surface to make it lighter!

Here is how I did it.

It was a bit too dry. This is only half dust! 

What a mess! When I asked for a kitchen size serrated knife to Jane, she gave me this garden saw!  It's a bit dangerous.

'Out of sorts - test' became like this. Now I can carry it without hurting my back

I also changed some feathers; two were removed and one changed directions.

Light weight version!

In the meantime, the real one was decorated. Using underglaze and vitreous glaze, I made some sgraffito.

Jazz feeling!

Good news! The chameleon was successfully fired. I will enamel-fire eyes and she will travel to Australia next Monday. I will show you once the enamel is done.

Schools in England closed for summer holiday today. Traffic on the way home was light. We have harvested runner beans. Mike cooked pasta with runner bean tomato, bacon and garlic sauce. Delicious! Beans taste much fresher from the garden. : )  More beans and peas to come. Courgettes are doing well, too! Aw, it's summer!

Chicken puzzle and the joy of making little ones

Hello everyone. I had a breakthrough on the chicken head in the studio today. After I cut off the head, I looked at it, and came up with this. What do you think?

In the making

 This is not finished yet. I will make a wing and add it tomorrow. Backside is even better!

I love the window!

Inside the head, I added this little chick. It is a mini-chicken, a kind of mini-me. : D

I came home to a find Mike cooked a lovely pasta with his own courgettes; I rang him when I was leaving the studio. He grows delicious vegetables every year. After a dinner with a glass of white wine, I usually go back to a day work (well, evening work), but today there wasn't much business news, so I went back to clay, after spending five hours in the studio!

   

This is our Pumpkin! So sweet! I made her for Mike's birthday. But she is so sweet that I might list on my shop! : D 

This is a sitting whippet in the making. I have been asked if there are any other postures of whippets from customers. I was thinking a couple of postures. One of them is this. Once the clay becomes firm tomorrow, I will sculpt it.

In the making

Oh, I forgot to tell you, but we, part-time first year students, are going to have a small exhibition as a part of the MA show in September. It was suddenly suggested and accepted last Saturday. I have already sold some of my recent works. So I will make several new ones this summer for the show.  Pity I postponed the reduction-firing to September. Never mind! I will come up with something good, I hope! : )