A Good Day in the Studio

Some days, it works. Unloaded the kiln this a.m. - a new piece, sunflower quilt, came out fabulous.  A re-fired piece, the raven, will become a component in another quilt, and he looks magestic. And a very sad-looking manatee now is swimming (added water in this firing). I managed to get the kiln company on the phone, so am now trying (again!) to re-wire the oval kiln. Re-fired the coffin with a 3 piece triptych - lovely.

And it's a historic day - all 3 big kilns clicking along. I finally fixed the oval - I hate it when I have to slow down to fix something. The next thing is the blaster - what is it about piping, that you have to deal with every single pipe every single time? 

All in all, a fine day. 4 days until the show, and counting...!

Freezing?? In Florida??

I admit, when I moved back here from Maryland it wasn't all about sun & fun. Or fun in the sun. You get the picture. But I'm a lot happier sitting in shorts on my back porch on a sunny February afternoon than I am even *thinking* about using my tile saw when it's 32 degrees. Which would be fine, if it weren't for those talented Canadians (yes, Melanie and Les, this is you) who have actual evidence that they use their tile saw in the snow. Not a dusting, either.

I don't know how they do it. I want to curl up *inside* the kiln today and take a long nap. Maybe if I set the controller at 78....?

I hope this isn't just procrastination. There's some cool pieces - um, cooling - in the kiln now. Trying to re-wire the bathtub kiln. Have you ever seen a wiring diagram? They're - um - very diagrammy. And not the least bit useful. Guess who's calling tech support in the morning!

Finally, a glass blog

It's been a great month - resigned from job, told to stay home. Well, for me, that's the studio. And the kilns are humming! The best thing, to me, about being able to be in the studio every day is that it makes my brain work differently - I have an idea, refine it, and produce it. Now, those notebooks full of sketches are pieces of glass. 

I have wanted to make glass mobiles for a long time - years really - and am finally allowing myself to do just that. I have 2 versions out of the kiln, waiting for me to figure out the hanging and wiring. As soon as I figure out how to post a picture, I will. They're not what I'm aiming for, but I am trying very hard not to let the "perfect be the enemy of the good." That's always been a tough one for me - I want everything to be perfect, but there is always a process. I need to honor that process in myself.