My plan was to try to update this blog weekly with some pictures and information about what I worked on in the studio. Here it is two weeks later and I'm just now getting to it. I'll explain.
I think I made a lot of pots...
12 soup mugs in dark clay. I plan to gaze these in Ryoko Cream. That combination always turns out really nice and has been popular with customers.
Next I started on a couple of canisters for a commission. 
The first attempt (right), got too wide, so I turned it into a planter. I needed to make some planters anyway. The one on the left is what I was trying to do.
Two canisters. Success!
FYI, the commission was just for a set of 2.
The "accidental" planters inspired me to make some planters on purpose. These are all either 4 pounds or 5 pounds. I plan to make some others in some different shapes too. Perhaps this week that can happen.
Next up, casseroles.
I meant for this to be a big bowl when I started. As you can tell, it is a failure as a bowl. It's a pretty cool casserole dish though.
This is also a pretty good sized casserole. The bottom was 5 pounds of clay and I believe that I used about 4 pounds for the lid. Lots of clay gets trimmed off when I shape the lid the next day.
Completed casserole with lid.
Since my first try at a big bowl this week ended up becoming a casserole, I tried again.
This is a 3 pound, a 4 pound, and a 5 pound bowl. My intention was to have three the same shape that might even nest, but that didn't work out. Anyone else noticing a trend?
Registration for 2021 Summer workshops at Penland School of Craft opened on Tuesday of this past week. As I was researching the instructor of the course that I thought I might be interested in, I found a YouTube video of her throwing pots and talking about how she thinks about her work. (It's Linda Christianson if you would like to look her up.) She starts each day in the studio making 4 mugs. She doesn't over think what she's doing, just gets 4 mugs done. Then she lines them up and looks at them and decides which one she likes best and why and which one she likes least and why. So I gave that a try this week.
Mugs and beer steins from the first couple of days.
Textured mugs from the third day.
Mugs with distinct turning rings on the fourth day.
It's a pretty good exercise. My efforts each day don't match exactly, but they aren't bad. And I was really relaxed when I made them. Relaxed is good. I don't do relaxed particularly well.
On the fifth day, I decided to do wine cups because I am completely out of wine cups and I'd already done 16 mugs this week. Four went well, so I did four more.
I neglected to take pictures of the wine chillers that I also made that I hope will go with these cups. I distinctly remember stopping and grabbing my phone to get a picture of the wine chillers. Must have gotten distracted. It happens. A lot.
The rest of the story of the past two weeks is all about our pets.
Our sweet Lady died on Monday morning.
She was 14 years old and had been very sick for a while. We don't think that she was ever in any pain, but it was hard to watch her get weaker every day. We take comfort in knowing that she isn't sick anymore, but our house is empty and sad without her. I have not been completely aware of what day of the week it is or exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing all week.
On Thursday, Dixie had her teeth cleaned. She had to have 4 teeth pulled and it was a couple of days before she was back to her happy self. As a result, she had to take a few days off "work" at the studio with me. You know the "work" where I take her for a walk in Uptown Shelby, she begs at RollOver Pets for treats from the bone bar, and then she sleeps the rest of the day in her kennel.
Just as I was beginning to think we had everything under control and feeling like I might be able to tolerate our new normal (with just one high maintenance pet to care for), I noticed Lucy acting really weird. Bless her little heart, she had probably been having issues for days and I just thought her behavior was her reaction to suddenly not having her dog with her anymore. We all grieve in different ways, you know. But last night and this morning I clued in to the symptoms of a possible kitty UTI. Off to the Urgent Vet in Belmont we go this morning. She's feeling better now, but we still don't know for sure what is causing her symptoms. An x-ray ruled out bladder stones, so that is good. However her symptoms could be stress induced or maybe an actual infection. Given her timid nature and the stress that she's surely been under due to Lady's extended illness and subsequent death, my money is on stress. Like some people get an upset stomach when they are stressed, some cats get an upset bladder when they are stressed. We will start her expensive new prescription cat food tonight and I will attempt to give her a pill. Send prayers and good thoughts my way.
Y'all, I've had enough! I'm due for something good to happen, right?
I'll end with this rare picture of Lucy and Lady together on the couch. Lady was not a fan of kitty snuggles, so this didn't happen very often.
Thanks for reading.
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