The Food Chain, Raku Sculpture

Raku fired mixed media sculpture.

Different points of view on the same event.

The bug shrieks, "Oh S***"! The frog croaks, "yumm"!

He was made from thrown stoneware, sculpted by hand and raku fired in my homemade raku kiln. He was fired to 2000 f. then removed hot from the kiln and reduced in a smoky atmosphere with old paper and leaves. This process results in a rich and varied glaze surface. He has all sorts of textures colors and crackly details. He is definitely an original. The legs are made of recycled steel and are welded to the base. The frog slips onto the legs without the use of glues or adhesives. The tongue is made from some old corrugated sheet metal that flew in on a passing tornado in the 90's. The surprised bug is made of fired stoneware, wire and window screen. 21" tall and 20" deep.

Two Raku Birds

Here are two Raku bird sculptures I just finished.
They stand about 16" high.
I sprayed them with Ferric Chloride while still hot.Their legs are welded steel rod.

Bird One

Bird Two

Garden Update.

The garden is enjoying these warmer days and particularly the warmer nights. Many things are up and growing and more have been planted and will be peeking through the soil in a few days.

The mixed Romaine Lettuce is due for the second thinning. It will make a nice salad with some chives, onions parsley and baby asparagus.

peeking through the chives.

Potatoes are doing nicely. We don't grow them for storage potatoes. We harvest them as New Potatoes when they are about the size of a hen's egg.

Tomatoes are caged

.

Strawberries are covered with bird netting.

.

Yummmm! lots of berries setting.

Pole beans are up . They will soon cover the fence. Sweet, hot, Banana and Bell peppers.

The herb garden. Sage, Tarragon, Cilantro, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley. more Chives and Rosemary. Dill is in the garden.

Squash. corn, bush beans, cantaloupe and honeydew melons are planted and should be up in the next few days. Eggplant and Okra and sugar snap peas are doing great also.

Piranha Man Raku Sculpture

I made the piranha several months ago. He has nails for teeth and dorsal fin. I couldn't find a proper display stand that i liked for him. Last week I had two closed shapes laying around the studio and decided to make them into a bust. As I worked on him it became clear that he should get together with the fish for a complete sculpture. Nails are inserted at the time of sculpting. He was Raku fired.

Olde Scrumpie Raku Jug

Olde Scrumpie The Cider Goblin..... I heard that my potter friends in the U.K were being unfairly taxed on their cider by a fella with the unlikely name of "Darling". I made Olde Scrumpie to help protect them from this grievous injustice. Scrumpie hides in the dark recesses of pubs and cider mills waiting for the tax man. When he shows up for his due Scrumpie leaps out of the shadows with a horrible roar. If his hideous face isn't enough to send the tax man running back to London, Scrumpie's sharp snagly teeth will take a big bite out of his backside. (At least a 10% bite)
After all, turn about is fair play!
Scrumpie was thrown on the potters wheel from stoneware clay and was sculpted by hand. After several layers of slips and stains were applied he was bisqued then glazed with a clear crackle raku glaze and fired . He has lots of color, texture and and crackly goodness .

A Fine Spring Morning

The birds are singing and the sky is a beautiful clear blue.

An old Wisteria has gone wild at the edge of the woods.

It covers everything for more than 100 feet.
It climbs to the tops of trees and rambles on the ground .

Art Demo at M.I.T

No, not "that" M.I.T, but... Murray state College in Tishomingo, Ok.
Or Murray In Tishomingo (M.I.T) as some of us refer to it. Each year about a dozen artists and craftpeople are invited to demonstrate our specialty. I took "Skorch", my sculptural Raku kiln, and worked on assembling a face jug . It was a windy but warm day and we enjoyed visiting with students, faculty, administration and each other. Thanks to my friend and art department head, Alan Burris for inviting us and thanks to Murray State for their hospitality.

Happy Easter

Getting older has it's rewards. For example, you can hide your own Easter eggs.

Hint: Hide 'em where you hide your car keys. You'll never find them there!

OH HECKYDURN!!.....

Oh Heckydurn!.... is not one of the epithets that erupted from my lips when a newly sculpted face jug leaped from the workbench and smacked the floor. I shouted the "F", "S", "H". "D", "S.O.B" words and all the other usuals. Then I went back and combined them all in sentences that made no sense but made me feel better.

He was to be "Man with a Goose Mask" and was made from leftover parts from other projects.
I don't know if he leaped to his demise from the embarrassment that having a goose for a nose would portend (Thats quite a honker you have there), or if the goose decided that it was spring and it needed to fly North and forgot that it had a man attached. Anyway, I wish he had not waited until I had completely finished sculpting him. Oh well, a little humble pie is needed from time to time.

The Goblin King By Candle Light

In progress: If you invite The Goblin King to one of your "Candlelight Suppers", this is what you'll see staring at you across the table.

I found an old Fairy Tale book that my Grandmother used to read to me when I was just a baby. It was quite different than the stories read to children these days. Not all the tales ended well but they all taught a lesson or moral. I decided to make a few Fairy Tale pieces for a change of pace.