Mr. Simple.

Joe (but he's naked!)

And the Sad Sack.

 

These are just a small sample of my paper dolls. They're coming with me to the new house. Tomorrow we sign on the dotted lines and buy our first (maybe only?) house. It's swell and I'm happy.

Have a good one,

Rachael

Me and my paper dolls have been busy with the constantinterruptions of a day job, some school, and a head cold. The next week is promising, though. We'll buy our first house this week. It's big, comfortable, hardwood floors and leded glass, a room of windows off the bedroom, good space to garden in, room to grow and a nice neighborhood. I'm going to paint in the attic, my husband wants to brew beer in the basement. It's perfect and in a couple of days we sign a bunch of papers, sell our souls to the bank and they give us some keys. We're excited.

Amid my cold this week, I got obsessed again by clay. I'd blow my nose a billion times and then pick up a copy of Ceramics Monthly. I dragged my sniffly self in to work on Tuesday mostly so I could stick around for my clay class where my only goal was to throw a closed form and then cut it open so I could have a vessel and lid. Folks who teach ceramics effortlessly throw perfect forms. I throw lumpy messes that center one minute and falter the next. In the same sort of way that I couldn't breathe right all week, couldn't formthoughts too well, made plenty of tactical errors...I couldn't (or simply didn't) get the clay to behave. I opened too early and I moved my elbow away from my body too much.

But no, I don't think I'll be putting a wheel in my basement, I'm just excited to have a basement. And yep, we're hoping it's a fireproof house.

See ya.
take care,
Rachael

Gray Sundays are perfect for cooking (chili and spaghetti squash and cookies) and moving stuff around (as close as I get to cleaning) and reading and looking up old things online.

a very old bowl and another one

a very old doll

an old ape vase

Lapita pottery
I'm still making scraps of paper into dolls, inching closer to our new house, preparing for nesting and trying not to get too run down from busy work. Learning, growing, looking, thinking, nothing to be sorry about, much to be thankful for.
take care,
Rachael

My old friend's great project with her old friend is at my favorite museum in Upstate New York (and alma mater), tomorrow! With more warning I could have shouted louder but for some reason I looked and so, I highly encourage my dad and my sister in law's sister and all Uticans (or anybody close) to check it out tomorrow...But if you can't be there (like me, I hafta work), check out the website and keep track of Renee and Tiffany's tough girl projects....

have fun,
Rachael

We took a daytrip down to the people's republic of Ithaca to deliver my Art Bar paintings and enjoy the Ithaca area Art Trail. It's a damn good idea to have artists studios open in a geographic area and that it is happening in good old far-flung, pretty and pretty rural, upstate New York is a treat.

We didn't get to too many of these, but we did stop in at Alex's Cold Springs Pottery to see the bowls, mugs, plates and whatnots he throws (while standing up). His 8 year old daughter glazes the work and his wife is part of the bizness too but I forgot to ask if she throws pots, glazes, fires, brews glazes, markets, or does whatever else has to be done with a family run production pottery. I am on a bit of a tear lately when I see the stuff at the Pottery Barns (which I've been told was full of artist made pottery in the good old days before it got branded by the ex-art historians like this success story) but know that potter's have to shlep their stuff around. A handmade mixing bowl costs the same as a mixing bowl at Target, but which do you buy when you have to give a gift? It's easier and easier to find working artists work (not just at the art and craft fairs but at the shops and at open studio things like Art Trail) so please, I implore you as I think of how skinny the ceramics teachers I have are, buy art from artists. Fill your home with good pots.

With new fire, I will head back to the potter's wheel this week but that's if I can put the paper dolls down. Busy week ahead so I promise to make my best efforts to blogitize but...

Ah, yes, and the Bellrays were in town last night. Sounded good, felt like rock-n-roll church. I miss me some Woggles.

Take care troublemakers,
Rachael