Planter

Worked for almost 6 hours in the studio yesterday. I am still having my ass handed to me by porcelain. It's so great when it's fired and at leather hard, it can be incised with designs so easily, but it can be so finicky on the wheel. I realize that there are other porcelains that might be easier to throw with, but I've got to use what I already have.

5 1/2 hours of studio time and I used a little more than 75 lbs of clay. I'm trying to get up to speed with Isaac Button, who would use a ton of clay per day. Yes, a ton - literally. He was making identical pots too. I still have a long way to go before that happens.

One of my goals this term is to throw big, > 25 lbs. The pot below is my first attempt. It's a bag of dark brown clay. Lots of sand and pretty stiff. I pulled the walls alright except for about two thirds of the way up. I always seem to get a thin spot just below the lip. When I cut this in half, sure enough, there it was, quarter of an inch all the way up except for three inches below the lip. I tried a couple more times with similar results. I'm not sure what to do with the form once I get it into a cylinder. I wonder if I shouldn't leave it a bit thicker.

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Porcelain, life-flight, Obama and America

Leisa and I picked up some porcelain at Georgies yesterday. I took 50 lbs of it to the studio today to give it a go. I made 24 oz balls out of a bag(25lbs) and began throwing. After almost 45 minutes, I had 7 poorly thrown cylinders, and 13 lbs of failed attempts. It turns out porcelain doesn't like to be manhandled. I wedged the 13 lbs back into airless shape and let it rest for a bit before revisiting. In the meantime, Kowkie gave a pretty good demo on spouts and showed me how she works with porcelain. She has a much more cooperative and deliberate approach. She reminded me that a predetermined course of action goes a long way with porcelain. It's so soft that when you change your mind about something mid pot, you've got your work cut out.

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We're working on applying for a variance for Leisa. That means she might be able to attend David Douglas High instead of Marshall. She's excited at the prospect of attending there. She's interested in Ceramics, which makes me happy. DDHS has a really great program.

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My Mom was life-flighted to Seattle on Monday. She is now undergoing treatment for her cancer. I hate cancer. Not as much as she hates it, but a lot. 

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The inaugeration yesterday blew my mind. I listened to President Obama and was overwhelmed with hope and joy. I realize that it is a very tough time, and that this uphill battle in America cannot be an easy obstacle for the country, but I really feel like if anybody can inspire us to take the necessary steps, it is him. With that in mind, I signed up for the Worst Day Of The Year Ride. It's a simple indirect thing. I feel like encouraging and supporting a charity that advocates for alternative transportation options is a small way of contributing to the country's well being. A lot of people are struggling in this country. I'm not rich and I certainly don't have my shit together in many ways, but I do have a bit of time and with that in mind, I'm looking for ways to help. If you have anything in mind, holla. 

I spent some time in the garage last night working on the wheel. I had about 20 lbs of Grolleg, which is a clay body that can be a bit of a pain to work with. It is soft and supple, but it doesn't want to stand up to much work. It also doesn't particulary like water, so it was a bit frustrating and pretty exciting to work with it for the first time. Generally, Grolleg based porcelains contain a lot of Iron due to the addition of dirty plasticizers, like Bentonite. One resource suggests using Kaolin based Porcelains, but I don't know if it matters that much for me goofing around in my garage. The aspect I'm excited about with the G based, is that it is supposed to have a wonderful translucent quality when thrown thin and fired. I don't have a kiln or access to one right now, but when I do get to fire something, I'll post some pics.

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I picked up my cymbals from Diane's house yesterday along with my snare and bass drum pedal. I'm going to try to fit it all in my big bag, so that I don't have to check a bag in addition to my guitar, the thought of which is making me very nervous. I leave in two days. I'm excited to play in and visit New York City again. I'd like to have the opportunity more often, but wouldn't we all? Since all of my luggage space is full of musical equipment, I'm taking only two pair of underwear and socks. I'm only staying for two days. . .

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It's raining in Portland, imagine that.