So This Is 60!

I couldn’t have had a nicer birthday!  My God, I’m a fortunate man.  Started last week with my Pottery People and my co-celebrator Joan, then a lovely upstairs supper later that week with Pete and Solveig and today with Mona (who flew in yesterday) with a lovely breakfast at Brockton Villa, beach walk at Torrey Pines, Rubios for supper and “Emelia Perez” on Netflix to end a perfect day.  I’m so lucky and so, so grateful!

12 Day Streak

Omg…I’ve either done glass, painting or pottery for the last 12 days in a row.   It was awesome.  I’m pooped.  Unless I ecoprint tomorrow, my streak ends today.   So much to learn!  (I slept for 16 hours that night!)

Staycation Within A Vacation

My incredible good fortune continues!  Celeste’s friend Barbara has a casita at her house in Fallbrook, just down the road from Celeste’s, that she has offered to me to stay in for the weekend to cut back on my driving times.  It is an amazing place, perfect for my weekend “away”.   Then when I brought Patrice home this evening, they invited me in for supper where Jim had made Korean tacos and this delicious cinnamon tea.  The weather was beautiful today, so clear.  The snow covered mountains in the distance were so clear and looked so near.  The air smelled so fresh.  The coyotes and the frogs are really singing!  I pinch myself on the regular every day here.  Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky me!

After glass class this morning, I had the whole rest of the day “off”.  It was glorious.  I’m not complaining but I have been busy doing something “arty” every day for the past 9 days (with 2 more to go on my streak), so it was so nice to just drive for 5 minutes and be home.   Barbara’s property is amazing.  We had a really nice visit this morning.  She’s a lovely lady.  It was nice to just chill and organize a few things and just relax.  So, so grateful!

Adventures In Art #14-Soda Kiln Firing Weekend Workshop With Kevin Kowalski-Placentia, California

Today, I picked up Patrice in Fallbrook and we drove to the unfortunately named city of Placentia to do a soda kiln firing workshop with Kevin Kowalski.  Omg!  It was so great.  There was only one other guy in the class and we did it at Kevin’s home studio.  We took bisqueware and then used glazes or flashing slip on the pieces.  (We glazed, he sprayed on the flashing slip).   Then we glued 3 pieces of wadding on the bottom of each piece and then he loaded the kiln.   He will fire it tomorrow for 12 hours and then Monday we will go back and unload, grind, photograph and admire our work.   I’m so excited to see the results.   What a cool process.

Bisqued greenware, ready to go!

Flashing slip examples

Glazes

Our masterpieces, ready for kiln loading

Loaded and ready to fire

Pick up day was just as exciting as glazing day!   Patrice and I drove back up today to help unload the kiln after Kevin fired them all day yesterday.  Amazing results all round!  We then ground down the glaze from the bottom of some pieces and then took picture of them before leaving.   It was a great weekend!