Martin Lives in My Refrigerator

  “Martin lives in my refrigerator”

Martin lives in my refrigerator. I don’t know how he does it. The idea of a grown man living in a perfectly functional refrigerator defies any notion of logic and common sense. He actually complains when I open the door to get a snack or prepare dinner. “Shut the door, you’re letting all the cold air out,” he yells. I’m intimidated by his forceful nature but eventually I got up the courage to ask him questions that had been nagging at me for weeks. “Isn’t it too cold in there? Aren’t you lonely in there with no one to talk to?” Martin just issues some unintelligible grunt, hands me a jar of pickles and slams the door closed.

I’d like to ask him about it being too dark in there as I’m sure the light goes off when the door closes but I’m afraid he’ll throw a brick of cheese or jar of mayonnaise at me. He’s got a strong arm and that could really hurt.

I know for sure that he can breathe okay because he’s always conscious and usually grumbling when I open the door. The big problem is the foul language and dirty looks he always directs at me. And yet…it seems so wrong. It is MY refrigerator and he’s not just a silly, immature teenager acting out in some inexplicable manner. Why did he choose MY fridge to inhabit? A squatter of kitchen appliances? It’s absurd and I don’t know how much longer I can take it.

It all seems so wrong and anti-social.  As far as I know, he has no other personal contact unless someone else is sneaking into my kitchen late at night. Does he have some nocturnal visitors? I don’t think so, but I haven’t the courage to ask him. No one to talk to, no social interaction. It’s definitely unhealthy and I know Martin’s missing the chance to watch his beloved Boston Red Sox. I don’t think he has cable in there.

Some new work at the gallery!

Here's some new work at Good Earth Pottery that I recently dropped off. I haven't put any Raku horsehair pots in this gallery before so it will be interesting to see if it sells. I went for fairly bright, colorful stains on this batch of wheelthrown forms. Maybe a few of these "guys" will catch the eyes of some holiday shoppers.

Really Cool Masks by Kim Murton

I was at the Lucia Douglas Gallery (in lovely Fairhaven) recently and fell in love with a wonderful display of small ceramic masks by Vancouver Washington artist Kim Murton. The masks are small and some nearly 3-D. Kim created very simple forms with simple, whimsical surface treatments  and the "surprised" mouth expressions were my favorites. I wasn't planning to buy anything but I ended up getting one anyway. I guess it's my Christmas present early......

The Man With a Thousand Buttons Plate

My latest plate!

Bird Mirror Frame

I finally completed a mirror frame for a custom order. The frame has ceramic, sgraffito decorated birds and wormy apples glued to the edges. Here's a step-by-step view (with a few steps left out).

 Here are the bone-dry porcelain figures with black slip left as detail.

...and here is the pine frame after it's rough cut, glued and drying in the clamps.

The frame shape is drawn out and waiting to be cut on the bandsaw.

Here's the final shape awaiting the sanding job.

Here I am routing the backside of the recently sanded frame. The routed area will allow for the mirror glass to sit securely.

Here's a close-up of the routed area. A little sanding will be needed here before I apply primer and final paint.

...and here's the bright orange frame as requested by the customer.

Here is the completed frame with creatures attached at the sides, clear glass buttons added to the front, mirror glass installed and a hanging device added to the back. That's a line in the ceiling that you see in the mirror.

A detail shot of the underglazed birds. Done!

Newest Home Project

Here are a few pictures of my latest home improvement project. I recently poured a concrete slab (with brick border) and built a brick and cedar enclosure to house our garbage can and recycle containers. What a great improvement to an unsightly spot at the side of our house. It's not entirely finished but today I installed two metal crow sculptures (I made them today!) to add a fun surprise in this partially hidden corner. I love my plasma cutter! Much nicer.

A New Batch of Mugs

Here's a bunch of mugs I recently made. My brother is going to sell them in the coffee shop at his church.

Fantastic Cardboard Sculptures by Ann Weber

I saw Ann Weber's work in the latest issue of American Craft and was amazed. She is able to create very impressive sculptures from such simple materials, mostly cardboard, staples and shellac. I love the surface quality and patterns she develops with the paper. Check out her website!                                                                           

http://annwebersculpture.com/html/sculpture.html

Bad Girl Mug

Are you a bad girl?

Raku Horsehair Pots

Here are four of my Raku pots that are decorated with the horsehair technique. If you're not familiar, the technique is as described here: The piece of pottery, which has previously been bisque fired, is loaded into the Raku kiln. At about 1400 °F it is removed from the kiln with long tongs and set upon a turntable. Quickly, and carefully, strands of horsehair are laid on the surface of the pot. They immediately "frizzle" and smoke. The burning hair leaves its mark permanently on the face of the pot. The smoke also leaves its mark giving the piece a smoke "blush". Once the desired pattern of burned hair is complete the pot is allowed to cool naturally. Afterward the ash residue is washed from the pot and when it is thoroughly dry it may be hand-colored and sealed with acrylic sealer.

Finally...some new work!

I have finally finished off a few new tiles for Good Earth Pottery. It's been a struggle as I had somehow mixed a bad batch of black slip. A glaze firing revealed thin and transparent coverage and as a result I had to throw out several pieces and start over. Here are a few pieces from the last firing. Zany birds and dogs are fun to create.

Our Stand!

Here's the little sales stand in front of our house. My wife, Jasmin, sells her amazing bouquets (for $5 each!) and I sell my pottery. These pots are mostly functional items that I create throughout the year and store up until the warm weather and flowers arrive before we "open up for business". There are flowers all over the place, literally growing up between the pots.

A New Trellis for the Garden!

Here's a new trellis I just welded up for the back yard. It's a gift for my wife, Jasmin, and she chose to place it on the east side of our property. A climbing plant of some sort will be creeping up the side in no time. I took a few pictures of the construction along the way...sort of a step-by-step look. Hope you like it.

Cartoons on Sticky Notes

 

http://www.savagechickens.com/

Spring has sprung!

Okay,okay,okay...I'm finally posting something...and not just anything. Tulips! Ahhhh...... Finally a hint of spring. We've had such a horrendously wet and cold winter/spring that a day like today is truly miraculous. Low sixties and sunny! Wow! As a result, I spent the day in the yard helping my lovely wife. I worked on uncovering the dahlias, carefully peeling back their protective layer of straw, edging some beds and mowing the lawn. Here are a few shots of tulips from the yard and a view of our new walkway to the backyard and studio.

Accordionist Plate

Who doesn't like accordion music?

Need a bricklayer?

Really amazing brick sculptures by Michael Morgan. He's featured
in the April/May 2011 issue of American Craft. Check it out!


http://michaelmorgan.net/

My Favorite Catcher, Walter Schang

                                    

Here's Walter Schang (Wally), a distant cousin, long since passed on to baseball heaven. I discovered his existence in junior high as I was reading a book on baseball stories. I noticed his name in a story that included

his well-known teammate, Babe Ruth. I asked my Grandmother about him and she mentioned that I did indeed have a distant cousin that played professional baseball. Years later, after writing to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, I received a nice package of photocopied newspaper clippings and photographs. The image above was one of the photo's as Walter is seen throwing as he models a fantastic old style catcher's mitt(during a practice/pre-game warm-up?). He is in a Philadelphia Athletics uniform here, but also played for the Yankees, Tigers, St. Louis Browns and Red Sox. He was a catcher who actually caught Babe Ruth when he pitched for the Red Sox (think 1918 World Series winners). He also was a member of two other world series winning teams, New York and Philly. His first season in the pros was 1913 and he retired after the 1931 season. Unfortunately, the "genetic flow" never reached me. I still love the game though. Play ball!

"Baseball: The Early Years"

With baseball season fast approaching, 

it's always a good thing to look back at 

the early days of the sport. Did you 

know that a baseball has 108 stitches?

Bird & Bug Tile

Who doesn't like birds and bugs? They're delicious!

Worm-Eater Vase

Protein is an important part of your diet!