Mixed Marriage

I went for a nice walk at White’s Pond and the idea of mixed marriage came to mind when I saw these two varieties of trees embracing one another and living their lives in seeming harmony. Not going to say what the other two trees suggested to me. Let your own imagination go to work.

I inherited a bunch of hard porcelain from my friend Jane Thelwell. I thought I’d mix it 3 parts stoneware with 1 part porcelain and do a kinda mixed marriage. My buddy Frank Tucker of Tucker’s Pottery Supply says he custom mixes his ProStone (stoneware) with his Porcelain

in a 50/50 blend for a customer in Georgia and the clay flashes beautifully. So I’m doing more of a half and half blend.  I then thought I’d put porcelain handles on my mixed marriage stoneware. White domination didn’t work for me. The porcelain was too hard and didn’t make for nice handles. I think it was a lesson on culture and religion. I belong to the stoneware culture and I don’t hold to any particular religion as far as clay goes and so I will celebrate that.   I am celebrating the mix of two bodies ( a white one and a curry coloured one) Some consider a single iron spot in porcelain as a sin of the highest order. I see it as a beauty mark!

Going to go to the Dollar Store and get some balloons for my Pottery Open Sign and give the Open House another try this weekend. I’m here working anyways so if someone drops by I can offer some eats and pour a glass of wine or cider. If I’m here, I’m here. If I’m not here, I’m not here.

 I got lonely working alone today so I invited Dan, John and Dennis over for a handle making session. I had Dennis ringing in my ears- Tony puts handles on handles! Sooooooo I did a Finnegan/ Bauman and put some thumb rests on.  They are going to have to reach up their hitch hiking thumbs for my lugs! I’m not designed to do the same thing time after time. I do love to work with clay. I almost wrote play with clay but I don’t ever do that. This is a serious love of clay. It is not play!

Pascal said: "If you do not love too much, you do not love enough."