I ordered a Fitbit tracker from Amazon and got it yesterday. I set up this afternoon so now I can keep track of how far I walk, how many calories I eat, and how many times I wake up during the night! Amazing how this little plastic thing will do all that.
Fitbit even gives you flowers!
This morning was clay class day. Two of my students didn’t come, one was in California visiting her daughter and the other had pressing things to do. Shirley and I had the Casita to ourselves and glazed bisque ware. She glazed some wind chimes she made and I glazed a couple of platters and mirror frames. It always takes more time to pick just the right color for our projects.
Shirley made her first planter today and it turned out well. It’s drying and will be ready to fire in a week or so. I have two masks that I’m working on. One is a Yaqui mask that I’m using underglazes on so that after the bisque firing, all I have to do is use clear glaze on it. The other is a cat mask that I’m still carving on so I’m keeping it wrapped until I can get to it. I had to stop working on both masks for awhile so that I could glaze the projects I had bisqued. My next firing is a glaze one and I almost have enough projects to fill the kiln.
A Yaqui mask I made a couple of years ago.
Painting the glaze on projects is enjoyable but I prefer working with the clay. It’s more creative for me and I love the feel of the clay. However, opening the kiln after a glaze firing is exciting – just like opening Christmas presents. I never know how a glaze is going to turn out – hopefully just as I planned but sometimes better and sometimes a disappointment. I like the surprise element of firing glazes.
I tell my students, we play with the clay for fun and relaxation. It’s the process, not the product so that when something breaks in the kiln or if it doesn’t turn out the way we wanted it, we’re not too upset. We enjoyed the process and getting a product is a bonus!
Elena's Musings 