The Harvest

In an effort to create balance in my life I try not to work in the studio on Saturday's.  I'm there the rest of the week teaching and working, so for the benefit of my family I have agreed to be at home both physically and mentally (those of you who are passionate about your work know what I mean). This doesn't always work.  I seem to find myself going to gallery's, art fairs, or friends shops, on the weekends more than not, but my husband helps me know when it's family time.  Hunting is family time, I don't remember my mom ever buying meat from the store growing up.  We harvested our meat in the fall and lived off the protein rich meat throughout the winter.  Bringing home a rated buck is still a thrill but I wouldn't consider myself a "trophy hunter" we hunt so we have enough meat to make it through the winter.  If we don't need the meat we don't put in for the hunt.  If we can't find a healthy mature animal, we don't take the shot.  If we can't make the shot, we won't take it.  We were taught never to leave a wounded animal in the forest.  Most of the time our "hunts" turn into little more than great horse rides as a family, time spent together laughing and reminiscing without interruption is invaluable to my family.   As an adult I value the health benefits of the natural meat, as well as the responsibility we have as hunters and citizens of the earth to protect and maintain a healthy heard.   As a hunter I value the lesson's my Dad instilled in me throughout our family time growing up.  Although Marshall and I have no children of our own we look forward to shairing these lessons with our own children some day. 

 

Magic is the favorite of all the grand kids.  His tail touches the ground and his bangs are.... well you can see for yourself.  I wonder sometimes how he finds his way back down the mountain.  He's surprisingly sure footed.  

Huge Leaf Motif

I've received many questions about my leaf platters, so let me tell you a little ditty about them.  They are platters approximately 24-30 inches across.  They are thrown from one piece of clay on the potters wheel and have an impression from one large leaf; yes, only one.
They were quite the adventure to make.  I do not love leafs in pottery most of the time. I think it looks unoriginal and many times like the potter didn't know what else to do, so they threw a leaf on it.  That  being said, I have had several requests for pottery with a leaf motif.  I'm not against this conceptually in fact quite the opposite.  I've been waiting for the right inspiration to come to me so that I could create something of this nature and still show my expression as an artist.
Here's how it began. . .  This last July I was on a horse ride with my dad and sister up south-fork canyon when I saw these HUGE leafs due to the moisture we have had in Utah this year.  The giant leaves were everywhere,  I began to wonder if I could throw a platter big enough that I could get the whole leaf's impression into it (these leaves really were that big).  So I jumped off my horse in a thicket of stinging nettle up to my armpit and started gathering leaves.  I'm pretty sure it looked like I was out of my mind.  The stock of these plants was about 3/4 to 1/2 inch thick and by the time we got back to the trailer literally 15 minutes later they had wilted completely and were no good. I was so bummed.  I had finally found a way in which I could incorporated the leafs and still maintain my integral artistry.  But, never one to accept defeat, we planned to go on another horse ride within the week.  Sure enough, we found a field of the same huge leafs just below Provo peak. Utah has had a big water and spring run off the last couple of years, combine that with the lack of wildfires and it was like being in another world, there was so much undergrowth and greenery.  After seeking out and gathering the largest leafs we could find, my family and I flew down the mountain in an attempt to get to water before the leafs wilted again.  I held the leafs in a bottle of water on my lap all the way home and immediately stored them in a refrigerator.  (Thanks mom, for allowing these giant leafs to monopolize your fridge.)
What a roller coster ride! In the end there were three successful attempts, but only two made it out of the kiln.   I can only make them once a year for a two week time period and at a 50% success rate, but they are absolutely worth the work.
I am a summer girl, but this makes the winter wait impossible.  I am excited to try this technique again next year.

Still warm in the kiln!

Remember that clay shrinks approximately 20% throughout the working process. In other words these were 20% bigger.  Think about how awesome that is.