Studio Clean Up and Milestones
Studio Clean Up
I went into the studio yesterday to work, only I couldn’t find anything I needed including tools, boards, rulers etc. This was a clear sign that my studio space needed to be thoroughly cleaned. I made good progress and hated to stop, but stop I had to in order to make it to my last kid’s clay class of the school year. I loved teaching it – but I am looking forward to more time to make my own work this summer without the extra demands of teaching. Plus, the last 2 kiln loads resulted in exploded pots despite my best efforts of pre-heating the kiln and firing slowly.
The kids always took news of exploded pots stoically, like a badge of honor. Funny thing is, there was one kid in class who always purposely tried to construct his work so that his would explode. When we made rattles, he made a rattle shaped and designed like a grenade. Ironically, it was always the other kid’s work that exploded – not his.
I’m not exactly done teaching for the summer. I’ll be teaching 3 week long kid’s workshops at the Art Student’s League of Denver and 1 kid’s workshop at Anderson Ranch Arts Center this summer – but all 4 will take place at their studios so I won’t be hauling things back and forth to mine.
Many of you know that I don’t have running water in my humble garagio. I need to show my handy father in law photos of the Cink! Not having running water is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it forces me to conserve and a curse because well, running water would make clean up so much easier.
As I started cleaning up my space yesterday, there was no water in my “sink”. My sink is basically a large rubber tub and when the clay sludge gets close to the top of the water line, it’s time to start fresh. I spied an empty bag of dog chow and had an aha moment. The bags are water proof and this one even came with a zipper at the top. I emptied the sludge into the bag and put it outside where I hope it will dry in the next week so that I can dispose of it.
If you’re a clay person who has no running water, what do you do with your sludge? I do recycle my clay – but this stuff is all residue from cleaning up, glazing, sanding and contains both low, mid and high fire ingredients.
Milestones
On Monday, my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that it’s been that long. I met him in high school in Stuttgart, Germany where both of our fathers were stationed at the time. We got married when I was 23 in 1989. In a sense, we have sort of grown up together which is a cool thing. There’s not a lot I don’t know about him.
On April 28th, I missed my blog’s 2 year anniversary. How did that happen? Last year, I celebrated in grand style and did a giveaway. There’s always next year! I’ve enjoyed blogging tremendously over the past 2 years. It’s become a part of my routine to both write posts and to read other people’s blogs. I love how the network of blogs allows for the possibility of new connections and interests by simply clicking on another’s links. What did I do before I discovered blogs? Well, I had more time for one – but I wouldn’t trade more time in exchange for giving up blogging. I enjoy it.
That’s all for this morning,
~Cynthia
P.S. I have exciting news about a possible new gallery – stay tuned…
Undaunted
May 21, 2008 at 10:14 am //
Firstly – Congratulations for your wedding anniversary! The fact that you’re still celebrating them shows something!
Hehehe, if your father in law could make you a Cink that would really be something!
I agree with you – I wouldn’t give up blogging for all the tea in China (the fact that I don’t like tea has nothing to do with it!)
Paula Manning-Lewis
May 21, 2008 at 11:14 am //
19 years! Funny how time flies by! 1989, wow! How did that get to be so long ago?!
I totally agree with you on the blogging. My husband and I watched a show on PBS last night (I think it was Frontline), about the first generation of kids to grow up on the internet. Interesting show. I’ve only been online for around 10 years now and I can’t imagine living without it. I’ve made some great friends, been exposed to some wonderful art, sold lots of art, what more can I say?!
janvangogh
May 21, 2008 at 1:10 pm //
Happy Anniversary. Ours was yesterday.
Your father in law is probably the kind who likes a challenge. I bet he can come up with something.
Anne W
May 21, 2008 at 1:12 pm //
Part of what’s fun about reading and commenting on your blog is you usually comment in response and spend time reading and commenting on other peoples’ blogs (like mine). Its so nice to have some reciprocation and actually nice to know that people actually spend time reading what you take time to write.
Congrats on both your anniversaries
I don’t have running water *in* my studio either. Yes I actually have a separate and fully equipped structure, but I do most of my glazing and whatnot outside so I use a garden hose and buckets. Since I am out in the country I don’t have a lot of garbage reclaim/slip/sludge. The good slip and reclaim gets reprocessed; the garbage reclaim I have lately has gone to fill (dont laugh) armadillo holes out back.
Would love to see your father in law’s rendition of the Cink. You might check CLayart for clay trap references. I think you can rig something with a 5 gallon bucket.
Anne W
May 21, 2008 at 1:15 pm //
uh sorry… i don’t have a lot of garbage sludge because i live in the country, i don’t have a lot because I just rinse brushes and clean buckets off with a hose and it just runs off.
I need coffee
starkspots
May 21, 2008 at 6:27 pm //
Congrats on the anniversaries! Running water in the studio would just be wonderful! I am guilty of using the hose outside–not the most ecologically friendly, but I haven’t figured anything out yet. I try to dispose of large quantities of glaze by letting them harden, but small amounts tend to get hosed off.
judi tavill
May 21, 2008 at 7:49 pm //
my 14th was tonight… i was 25… paralell lives cynthia… maybe not paralell… but you get the point!
Cynthia
May 22, 2008 at 6:35 am //
I don’t really drink tea, either undaunted. An occasional iced tea or green tea is about it for me.
We didn’t get our first home computer until 1998 Paula! My husband had to show me how to turn it on, lol.
Happy belated anniversary to you, Janet! He does like a challenge…
Thanks Anne – I think that’s the part of blogging that makes it interesting is developing little conversations with others around the globe. If the conversation becomes one sided, I stop commenting/visiting on a regular basis. I suppose my disposal system might be different if I lived in a rural area.
Hey Ben – My hard glaze does end up in the municipal dump – but I figure it’s going back to the earth. It’s a tough thing to work out in my opinion.
Congratulations Judi! May was a popular month for weddings…
Linda
May 22, 2008 at 6:56 am //
Congratulations to both of you. Our anniversary is June 2 and it will be 23 years for us. Can’t believe how time flies.
We had one of those Cinks at the last workshop I took. It consists of two 5 gallon buckets with screw down lids, a small pump that pumps the water back and forth and one of the buckets has a kind of plastic cloth screen sieve inside it to collect all the clay and other particles and after about a week or so you empty the water outside and clean out the sieve. Worked pretty good as far as I could see. Had a nice deep sink too. I was surprised to see how expensive that sink costs – wow – perhaps the stainless is the thing that costs so much. The only thing I could see would be a problem is using this Cink when it is cold weather and the water being too cold – there is probably a way to get around that too. Your father-in-law will probably come up with something great, perhaps he could go into business supplying us all with his creations !!
I have irrigation water I use to wash everything up outside – I’m in the country too – and I pour the excess down gopher holes – doesn’t faze them a bit. Bending over to clean up is a pain though – a Cink would be much better on the back. I am hoping my next place will have a different set up where I don’t have to move things from place to place – a more dedicated studio – hopefully this dream will come true one of these days.
the lone beader
May 22, 2008 at 8:13 am //
Can’t wait to hear about the gallery!
janvangogh
May 22, 2008 at 1:41 pm //
Hope you werent affected by the tornadoes I am hearing about in Denver. Stay safe.
Cynthia
May 22, 2008 at 4:11 pm //
Linda – Mile Hi Ceramics has a Cink on display. I wish it were hooked up so you could see how it works. It’s a little too expensive for me to justify buying. Maybe one day
I need to follow up now LB – I’ll let you know if and when it firms up.
Hey Janet – the tornadoes that hit were north of Denver 50 miles or so – but it’s been blustery all day long and threatening to thunderstorm. I guess we’re still under a watch though till 8 tonight.
Jean Levert Hood
May 23, 2008 at 6:26 am //
Cynthia, sounds like you have a full summer planned!
I love it, that the kids took the exploding pots like a badge of honor. They are true potters!
Many more anniversaries to you!!
andrea
May 24, 2008 at 2:36 pm //
Congrats on your milestones! I missed my blog’s second year anniversary, too, and often forget my wedding anniversaries (except last year because it was 20). It sounds like you’ve benefitted a lot from documenting your growth as an artist. Do you ever wonder if you’ll be doing this as a doddering old lady? Me, too.