If I had a hammer!

I'd hammer in the morning. I'd hammer in the evening. I was a fan of Pete Seeger/ Woodie Guthrie having heard their music in my parents house. I think it was Peter, Paul and Mary that popularized this song of Pete's. It became the mantra of my pottery for decades. If something came out of the kiln and I didn't like it I would immediately take the hammmer to it. With age we sometimes get a wee bit wiser. From the last wood firing I had mostly a house of dogs. The pots were good but the glaze and surface were just ho-hum. At age 70 I figure there are only so many pots left in these hands so unlike in my youth I wanted to try and save them. I ordered 3 commercial 04 glazes from Tuckers- a green, a blue and a yeller. I did some designs on the bowls and fired them to 04 and they looked well- deserving of the hammer! After all the expense and time put into a wood firing I was reluctant to give up. So I painted the insides of the bowls with brush strokes of the green, blue and yellow 04 glazes. I then took a copper glaze that had dried out in the bucket. I smushed it with a rolling pin and applied to the insides of the bowls with a kitchen scene. I then put a good coating of wood ash over top with said kitchen screen. Bingo- the northern lights. The 04 green glaze must have copper in it as it came thru a beautiufl copper red in Cone 10 reduction. The 04 blue is blue and the yeller, I dunno. I think the yeller mostly went into La-la Land. When you are a hammer everything looks like a nail. I have three well used hammers. I think I'll hide them out of sight for awhile. The world needs more beauty and less land fill. I think I'm getting soft. It's a
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters All over this land

Comments

gz said…
They are intriguing...you could have an interesting path starting there!
Save the hammer..at least for now!
Anonymous said…
Scottish Dance groups in Canada

Is there a group near you?
Can 70 year old dogs learn new tricks?

http://www.scottishdance.net/groups/Canada.html

B.B.
Anonymous said…
SIMPLE SCOTTISH DANCES

https://www.rscds.org/learn/steps-techniques/simple-scottish-dances

I want to dance in:

https://www.rscds.org/branch-group-finder

https://www.rscds.org/branches-and-groups/london-canada

jig and jolley away!
Anonymous said…
Peter, Paul and Mary - If I Had A Hammer (1963 performance)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxWTDcP9Y5E

1960s Pete Seeger Performs 'If I Had a Hammer'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVyVqnlFTdA

Is it hammer time?
You gonna have a hammer party?
I've got a nice hammer that could put those pots out of their misery.
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smartcat said…
WOWZA! Third times the charm!
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Anonymous said…
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yoda

a reminder to commit oneself to something completely, win or lose.

You are the new glaze Yoda.

JB
Anonymous said…
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At last! A dating site that not only understands what it is to be over 50, but also celebrates this exciting chapter of our lives.

https://www.ourtime.com/
Anonymous said…
Gardiner Museum

https://www.youtube.com/user/gardinermuseum

The Gardiner Museum brings together people of all ages and communities through the shared values of creativity, wonder, and community that clay and ceramic traditions inspire.
wade said…
they look like keepers to me. I may try the rolling pin myself as I sometimes find my self looking for a hammer!!!
Anonymous said…
I always enjoy skeet shooting and target practice, a handy axe will also do!

Never get too attached to seconds.

T.N.T.
Anonymous said…
Murder your darlings!

Murder your darlings is a popular piece of advice.

The idea is to edit objectively and without sentiment.

VW.
Anonymous said…
William S. Burroughs: Show me the man who is both sober and happy, and I will show you the crinkled anus of a lying asshole.

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