Having money means having the ability to spend it. Having the ability to spend money means having the ability to acquire goods or services. Are we all together here? Within a closed system (that is, there is no more or less money), when an individual or collective has more money, that individual or collective is able to acquire more goods or services. To put it more simply and a way that is much easier to misconstrue, having more money means being able to buy more.
In the field of medicine, having more money means being able to do more research, produce more medication, and maintain and staff expensive equipment. Sports medicine is a perfect example. Because so many people are eager to see a player back in the game, most parties involved are willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to make that happen. Kevin Everett may not be back on the football field, but he can walk.
Let’s not worry about whether prices are reasonable—money has gone into medicine to such a degree that people can *expect to* recover from severe injuries and illnesses. Many diseases that used to be as life altering as common, like polio, are considered third world. Most Americans who get influenza take some time off work, eat some soup, and move on with their lives as if nothing happened. Infant mortality is less than a third of what it was 50 years ago. As a society, we have shown with our dollars that medical technology is worth paying for.
We would not have these advancements if we didn’t have the money to put toward their development. You want lower premiums, lower copays, and more coverage—a bigger slice of every pie, as it were. The questions are who will pay for these miracles of modern medicine, and who gets to have them.
I’ll be your example, because in most respects I’m of a demographic that a lot of people like. I am a 28 year-old woman. I’m married, and we have a 10 month-old infant. I “work from home” as an artist. I don’t make a lot of money, but I love what I do. My husband has been employed in a skilled trade at the same employer for the past seven years. One of his benefits is health insurance. Like most families who are insured through an employer, we pay only a portion of our premium.
My husband and daughter are healthy enough that they only need regular check-ups. Our insurance plan covers all but $20 for these routine visits.
I have brain damage caused by a series of transient ischemic attacks and possibly a full stroke. These neurological events, as they are called, were caused by a lack of oxygen and possibly a blood clot. I had a 14mm hole in my heart (a patent foramen ovale) that we didn’t know about until significant damage had already been done. The diagnosis for the collection of symptoms I have, including a resting tremor and aphasia, is Parkinsonism.
The –ism is important; my condition is not degenerative. It is, however, chronic, and so it can’t be cured and won’t go away on its own.
Miracles of modern medicine have provided treatments that make people like me able to function almost normally. One medication is the reason I am able to function. Without it, the communication between my brain and body happens slowly enough that several minutes pass before I am able to react to things that I see or hear. I’ve been on it for several years except during my pregnancy and intermittently since February.
My insurance company won’t cover it any more.
UnitedHealth has a bright-line policy against the medication specifically, actually. It was the reason cited for not covering the drug in the first place and the only reason the appeal failed.
Over the course of a year, we pay about $1,000 more on our premium than this one pill per day costs. The retail value of all of my medications is close to $20,000 per year. That number does not include appointments, tests, and other treatments.
I’m young, too. It’s not unreasonable for a mother who had a child before she was thirty to hope to live long enough to see that child graduate from high school. Over the next 18 years, assuming no change in price or dose, my current medication cocktail will cost $355,762.80. Within a matter of a thousand dollars, that money could buy an apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City or a 2,560 square foot home near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles-- and you can get a 30-year mortgage for those.
If the insurance company pays it, other people who are insured contribute. If the government pays, then really the taxpayers are the ones paying. If the responsibility is on me to pay, I will bankrupt myself and anyone else who would like to keep me on the anti-epileptic for one more month. So who pays?
Do I deserve it?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
a lot!
hm. Clearly a post that should have happened did not. How have I not written about my Kickstarter project?
The plan is a series of 13 porcelain nesting bowls. Each bowl will be decorated in such a way that it illustrates 13 levels of life: the atom, cell, organ, organism, family, community, population, habitat, biome, planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe. I plan to display the project for the 2012 ArtPrize competition.
Yes, I am working to raise money so that I can upgrade my kiln. I'm not asking anyone to give me money for nothing, though. The "from the atom up" project is something I wouldn't otherwise do-- I certainly would not have the means to do otherwise-- and hopefully I will bring value to the lives of people who support me by exhibiting the work. I'm also giving out good "rewards," and so people who support me will get an actual product. the prices on these products aren't much different than what I would charge just to have them at my table at Eastern Market.
Speaking of Eastern Market-- there are only three Tuesdays left! Unlike Saturdays, where it is hard to move, Tuesdays are very laid back. Most of the vendors sell prepared foods and baked goods. The artisans are between Sheds 2 and 3 for your pleasure. Come see me! Lucia and I will be there each of the next three upcoming Tuesdays.
I have buttons! Fifty of the sixty most fabulous buttons from this load are going to the Phat Fiber box. More details to come on that part.
I still haven't 100% sorted out how to sell buttons on my website.
This is a custom work I have in process. It is a wedding bowl for some people that I love very much.
I want to make custom work for you! I can do names, dates, pictures, and all kinds of fun glazes. I do cups, mugs, bowls, plates, wine bottle chillers, jewelry bowls, yarn holder bobbin bowls, buttons, beads, magnets, and many other things. The biggest challenge I've faced yet in terms of custom work-- and the piece I am most proud of-- was a 1 gallon dutch oven. People who have custom-made pieces tend to say very nice things to me about them.
email me at shine@thedelicion.com for more information.
Super awesome:
I am now selling Ally's yarn. It is beautiful yarn hand-spun by a beautiful woman that I love very much.
In Summary:
1. please consider backing my Kickstarter project.
2 Eastern Market Tuesdays love you.
3. BUTTONS!
4. Now is a good time to place custom orders for the holiday season.
5. Ally's yarn is awesome.
Happy Tuesday!
The plan is a series of 13 porcelain nesting bowls. Each bowl will be decorated in such a way that it illustrates 13 levels of life: the atom, cell, organ, organism, family, community, population, habitat, biome, planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe. I plan to display the project for the 2012 ArtPrize competition.
Yes, I am working to raise money so that I can upgrade my kiln. I'm not asking anyone to give me money for nothing, though. The "from the atom up" project is something I wouldn't otherwise do-- I certainly would not have the means to do otherwise-- and hopefully I will bring value to the lives of people who support me by exhibiting the work. I'm also giving out good "rewards," and so people who support me will get an actual product. the prices on these products aren't much different than what I would charge just to have them at my table at Eastern Market.
Speaking of Eastern Market-- there are only three Tuesdays left! Unlike Saturdays, where it is hard to move, Tuesdays are very laid back. Most of the vendors sell prepared foods and baked goods. The artisans are between Sheds 2 and 3 for your pleasure. Come see me! Lucia and I will be there each of the next three upcoming Tuesdays.
I have buttons! Fifty of the sixty most fabulous buttons from this load are going to the Phat Fiber box. More details to come on that part.
I still haven't 100% sorted out how to sell buttons on my website.
This is a custom work I have in process. It is a wedding bowl for some people that I love very much.
I want to make custom work for you! I can do names, dates, pictures, and all kinds of fun glazes. I do cups, mugs, bowls, plates, wine bottle chillers, jewelry bowls, yarn holder bobbin bowls, buttons, beads, magnets, and many other things. The biggest challenge I've faced yet in terms of custom work-- and the piece I am most proud of-- was a 1 gallon dutch oven. People who have custom-made pieces tend to say very nice things to me about them.
email me at shine@thedelicion.com for more information.
Super awesome:
I am now selling Ally's yarn. It is beautiful yarn hand-spun by a beautiful woman that I love very much.
In Summary:
1. please consider backing my Kickstarter project.
2 Eastern Market Tuesdays love you.
3. BUTTONS!
4. Now is a good time to place custom orders for the holiday season.
5. Ally's yarn is awesome.
Happy Tuesday!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
who's got the button?
I do!
I used about fifty pounds of clay making buttons and magnets recently, and I just unloaded my kiln a couple of hours ago. I still haven't entirely figured out how to sell such unique items on my website without having to photograph and list each one individually. NONETHELESS! An upcoming beloved Phat Fiber box will be loaded with my buttons.
I decided to sort my stuff by color.
Very neat thing:
As soon as the USPS delivers it, I will be selling Ally's yarn at market and possibly also on the website. She gave me a 41 yard sample that will be a part of my sock yarn blanket. This sample was out on my table, and a yarn-store employee wanted to buy it. she said, "this is good stuff."
I agree.
Spending so much of my time making things that people will want to buy is... well, it's that: it's spending my time making things that people will want to buy. I love being able to spend my days in my studio and with my daughter. she is awesome. see exhibit A.
(exhibit A)
I would like to do more than production pottery. I want to get some more use out of those 0/5 brushes. I have a project in mind that has been brewing for quite some time. Actually, my plan was to do it for the first year of ArtPrize. Life doesn't always care for plans, does it? Over the past few years, I've been able to nurture the idea and, more importantly, improve my skills.
Because this project won't fit neatly under my 10'x10' canopy tent-- especially its price tag-- I'm looking to raise money up-front. I've submitted the basics of the project to the Kickstarter people. I will probably do the project regardless of whether I'm able to raise money through Kickstarter, but it will be all the more fabulous if I am properly funded. Importantly, I would like to upgrade my kiln. Yes, Kickastarter people, I do intend to spend some project money on a kiln upgrade.
In the meantime, I have hundreds of buttons to glaze. I have a new glaze, frit for my steel grey shino, and aftosa's black wax resist. Next week I will have two glaze firings. On Saturday, September 10, I will have more stuff than will fit on my table and it will be AWESOME.
In summary:
1. Phat Fiber is going to get Full of Delicion! very soon.
2 I'm experimenting with new layouts for my product at market.
3. The product line will soon expand to include Ally's delicious yarn.
4. I want to do a project that doesn't have to be an easy impulse-purchase.
5. Lucia is awesome.
I used about fifty pounds of clay making buttons and magnets recently, and I just unloaded my kiln a couple of hours ago. I still haven't entirely figured out how to sell such unique items on my website without having to photograph and list each one individually. NONETHELESS! An upcoming beloved Phat Fiber box will be loaded with my buttons.
I decided to sort my stuff by color.
Very neat thing:
As soon as the USPS delivers it, I will be selling Ally's yarn at market and possibly also on the website. She gave me a 41 yard sample that will be a part of my sock yarn blanket. This sample was out on my table, and a yarn-store employee wanted to buy it. she said, "this is good stuff."
I agree.
Spending so much of my time making things that people will want to buy is... well, it's that: it's spending my time making things that people will want to buy. I love being able to spend my days in my studio and with my daughter. she is awesome. see exhibit A.
(exhibit A)
I would like to do more than production pottery. I want to get some more use out of those 0/5 brushes. I have a project in mind that has been brewing for quite some time. Actually, my plan was to do it for the first year of ArtPrize. Life doesn't always care for plans, does it? Over the past few years, I've been able to nurture the idea and, more importantly, improve my skills.
Because this project won't fit neatly under my 10'x10' canopy tent-- especially its price tag-- I'm looking to raise money up-front. I've submitted the basics of the project to the Kickstarter people. I will probably do the project regardless of whether I'm able to raise money through Kickstarter, but it will be all the more fabulous if I am properly funded. Importantly, I would like to upgrade my kiln. Yes, Kickastarter people, I do intend to spend some project money on a kiln upgrade.
In the meantime, I have hundreds of buttons to glaze. I have a new glaze, frit for my steel grey shino, and aftosa's black wax resist. Next week I will have two glaze firings. On Saturday, September 10, I will have more stuff than will fit on my table and it will be AWESOME.
In summary:
1. Phat Fiber is going to get Full of Delicion! very soon.
2 I'm experimenting with new layouts for my product at market.
3. The product line will soon expand to include Ally's delicious yarn.
4. I want to do a project that doesn't have to be an easy impulse-purchase.
5. Lucia is awesome.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Presumptions in Detriot
I didn’t accidentally misspell it as DetRiot. I was speaking to the particular type of lawlessness in which I take part: urban farming. I was not speaking to race wars. I did not mean it as a token of survival for those on ruin tours. And no, I did not just make a mistake. Guh.
Eastern Market is now open on Tuesdays. I’m there most weeks. Give me your cash money so I may continue my oh-so-worthwhile endeavors.
Recently, while browsing my booth, a woman explained to me that she is an artist, too. Except, unlike me, she is a real artist because she only does it when it comes to her. I love this formula: I am a real [job title] because I only [primary job function] when [I really want to].
For the sake of argument, I’ll gladly grant that the whole Eastern Market thing is me having gone crafter.
I’ve been filling the blanks with various titles and functions, and I’ve decided that the only other one who could get away with saying it is a student. A person can be a real student and only study when she feels the need.
I used to be a real taxi driver, and I picked up fairs even when I was not deeply inspired. I used to be a lender, and I reviewed loans regardless of whether I was particularly moved. Somehow, though, I am not a real artist when I get up at 4am to start my kiln.
When people say stuff like this, I am grateful for the parkinsonian delay in my response. My brain fires off a million responses but my face and mouth do nothing.
Speaking of the Parkinsonism: I’ve been capable of transporting what is in my mind out into reality fairly successfully lately. If you really want to get into it, check out some of the research on creative and emotive skills of people who have aphasia. If not, just take my word that the process from pattern to product involves a great deal of modification. I have a new AMAZING granola recipe. I am also knitting an octopus inspired by the blabla knit toys. I plan to make as many of these toys as I can and sell them for way expensive.
Bad news, though! I scratched my cornea. The experience is less awesome than traipsing about the Badlands nude. Because my vision is already so compromised, I thought I had relinquished a great deal of dependence. As it turns out, large print and text to audio do nothing when it comes to the glint of light coming through the window at the top of the staircase. The light from my husband’s computer screen was more than I could really handle.
I’ve had to take a break from pretty much everything, but I’m still on track in terms of firing.
As I’ve written before, my kiln is getting too small. It is three cubic feet. I am doing a cycle of bisque and glaze firing every four weeks. Having the product turnover is nice, but the inability to fire more than one large piece per batch is downright obnoxious. I am currently in search of a larger kiln. My husband and I are evaluating whether it would make sense to erect an outbuilding. I’m looking in to kickstarter projects.
I have a cute picture of Lucia that I will post soon. She is awesome.
In summary:
1. Starting on August 5th, you can buy magnets that have Detroit spelled correctly.
2 Detroit Eastern Market is now open on Tuesdays from 11am until 4pm.
3. This whole pretend-artist gig is a racket.
4. I make awesome granola and knit goodies.
5. I am human and have needs. One of those needs is money.
Eastern Market is now open on Tuesdays. I’m there most weeks. Give me your cash money so I may continue my oh-so-worthwhile endeavors.
Recently, while browsing my booth, a woman explained to me that she is an artist, too. Except, unlike me, she is a real artist because she only does it when it comes to her. I love this formula: I am a real [job title] because I only [primary job function] when [I really want to].
For the sake of argument, I’ll gladly grant that the whole Eastern Market thing is me having gone crafter.
I’ve been filling the blanks with various titles and functions, and I’ve decided that the only other one who could get away with saying it is a student. A person can be a real student and only study when she feels the need.
I used to be a real taxi driver, and I picked up fairs even when I was not deeply inspired. I used to be a lender, and I reviewed loans regardless of whether I was particularly moved. Somehow, though, I am not a real artist when I get up at 4am to start my kiln.
When people say stuff like this, I am grateful for the parkinsonian delay in my response. My brain fires off a million responses but my face and mouth do nothing.
Speaking of the Parkinsonism: I’ve been capable of transporting what is in my mind out into reality fairly successfully lately. If you really want to get into it, check out some of the research on creative and emotive skills of people who have aphasia. If not, just take my word that the process from pattern to product involves a great deal of modification. I have a new AMAZING granola recipe. I am also knitting an octopus inspired by the blabla knit toys. I plan to make as many of these toys as I can and sell them for way expensive.
Bad news, though! I scratched my cornea. The experience is less awesome than traipsing about the Badlands nude. Because my vision is already so compromised, I thought I had relinquished a great deal of dependence. As it turns out, large print and text to audio do nothing when it comes to the glint of light coming through the window at the top of the staircase. The light from my husband’s computer screen was more than I could really handle.
I’ve had to take a break from pretty much everything, but I’m still on track in terms of firing.
As I’ve written before, my kiln is getting too small. It is three cubic feet. I am doing a cycle of bisque and glaze firing every four weeks. Having the product turnover is nice, but the inability to fire more than one large piece per batch is downright obnoxious. I am currently in search of a larger kiln. My husband and I are evaluating whether it would make sense to erect an outbuilding. I’m looking in to kickstarter projects.
I have a cute picture of Lucia that I will post soon. She is awesome.
In summary:
1. Starting on August 5th, you can buy magnets that have Detroit spelled correctly.
2 Detroit Eastern Market is now open on Tuesdays from 11am until 4pm.
3. This whole pretend-artist gig is a racket.
4. I make awesome granola and knit goodies.
5. I am human and have needs. One of those needs is money.
yes, I am granola
I’m sure those of you who are gluten-free have heard of Carol Fenster’s “1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes.” People seem to love this book, even though the meals themselves are often gluten-free anyway. More annoyingly, when a recipe calls for a gluten-laden ingredient, such a Worchester sauce, she blithely calls for a gluten-free version of the ingredient.
Aside from my discontent with the book in general, there are some good starting points. This granola recipe is altered enough that I wouldn’t have to give Dr. Fenster any credit at all anyway. However, like I said, her recipe was my springboard.
Dry ingredients
3 cups rolled oats (the gluten-free kind)
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup raw sunflower hearts
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ teaspoon salt
X cups of dried fruit, nuts, etc
Total cups of dry ingredients, T = 6 + X *
Liquid ingredients for each T/3
½ cup honey
¼ very hot water
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons loose-leaf hibiscus tea (yes, I know it is not currently liquid)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300ยบ F. If you are slow like me, it is okay to wait until the very end to turn on the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients until the honey dissolves and the hibiscus begins to steep.
Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and mix it into a colloid mixture. Pour the mixture of mixtures into a thin layer onto the baking sheets. This is the time when I usually turn on the oven.
Bake the mixture for 15 minutes and then stir. Repeat this until the granola is as brown as you would like it.
You can freeze or refrigerate this. I suggest freezing part so that you don’t eat it all in one sitting.
* For example, if you do not add anything further, double the liquid ingredients. If you add a cup each of almonds, dried blueberries, and tiny pretzels, triple the liquid ingredients.
Granola is one of my favorite foods. It is also one of the most treacherous in terms of allergens. Make your own and decide what should go in it.
Aside from my discontent with the book in general, there are some good starting points. This granola recipe is altered enough that I wouldn’t have to give Dr. Fenster any credit at all anyway. However, like I said, her recipe was my springboard.
Dry ingredients
3 cups rolled oats (the gluten-free kind)
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup raw sunflower hearts
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ teaspoon salt
X cups of dried fruit, nuts, etc
Total cups of dry ingredients, T = 6 + X *
Liquid ingredients for each T/3
½ cup honey
¼ very hot water
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons loose-leaf hibiscus tea (yes, I know it is not currently liquid)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300ยบ F. If you are slow like me, it is okay to wait until the very end to turn on the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients until the honey dissolves and the hibiscus begins to steep.
Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and mix it into a colloid mixture. Pour the mixture of mixtures into a thin layer onto the baking sheets. This is the time when I usually turn on the oven.
Bake the mixture for 15 minutes and then stir. Repeat this until the granola is as brown as you would like it.
You can freeze or refrigerate this. I suggest freezing part so that you don’t eat it all in one sitting.
* For example, if you do not add anything further, double the liquid ingredients. If you add a cup each of almonds, dried blueberries, and tiny pretzels, triple the liquid ingredients.
Granola is one of my favorite foods. It is also one of the most treacherous in terms of allergens. Make your own and decide what should go in it.
Friday, June 24, 2011
More Faster Better
My daughter is asleep next to me. She doesn't like to sleep during the day. She wants to be a part of everything that's going on. Her swing is in my studio, and this past week she's spent a lot of time there supervising my work. On the days when she absolutely needed to be held, I worked while wearing her in a Moby wrap.
A glaze fire is currently in process-- the batch that was bisque fired on Monday. Mostly the glaze-work is dip-and-pour, otherwise I never would be able to work so quickly. Both this most recent bisque and this glaze load did not fit into the kiln; each time a few pieces were left out. In this batch are six mugs, three bobbin bowls, and two regular bowls as well as a boatload of buttons and magnets.
The buttons and magnets are new additions, as are the earrings. I love the buttons, by the by. They are perfect for knitters and crocheters (as opposed to crotchetiers, spell-check) who want a unique accent. I'm trying to expand my price-range for Eastern Market; both of the former sell for $3 each or two for $5, whereas the latter sells for $5 or free with a bowl or mug. These items are not yet available on the website.
On the high end, I am more aggressively marketing custom work. I have done pieces for weddings, a graduation, and band art. The pieces can be as intricate as desired and as big as twelve inches in diameter. To start work on an order, I require a fifty percent deposit. Please contact me with the information you would like to use and I will give you a quote.
I am also changing clays. I had been using Amaco's White Stoneware #38. At the beginning of this year, the clay body was poorly mixed and significantly deflocculated. After returning an unusable batch, I gave up and used it as a base to recycle my old clay. Near the end, I was adding a great deal of borax. I decided that I may as well work with kaolin and just switch to porcelain. Porcelain was what I worked with primarily while in college.
Enter local clay arts supplier Rovin Ceramics! If you work with clay and are in southeast Michigan, check them out.
In the next few weeks, I will be making a full new set of test tiles. Also, Eastern Market's Artisan Village, which is where I sell, will move. I'm not entirely sure of details, but I do know that we will not be just outside Shed 5 while it is under construction.
In summary:
1. Newish cheapish stuff is available at Eastern Market.
2 New awesome stuff will be available next week both at the market and on-line.
3. You should place an order for custom work.
4. My kiln is getting to small to keep up with me.
5. Lucia is awesome.
A glaze fire is currently in process-- the batch that was bisque fired on Monday. Mostly the glaze-work is dip-and-pour, otherwise I never would be able to work so quickly. Both this most recent bisque and this glaze load did not fit into the kiln; each time a few pieces were left out. In this batch are six mugs, three bobbin bowls, and two regular bowls as well as a boatload of buttons and magnets.
The buttons and magnets are new additions, as are the earrings. I love the buttons, by the by. They are perfect for knitters and crocheters (as opposed to crotchetiers, spell-check) who want a unique accent. I'm trying to expand my price-range for Eastern Market; both of the former sell for $3 each or two for $5, whereas the latter sells for $5 or free with a bowl or mug. These items are not yet available on the website.
On the high end, I am more aggressively marketing custom work. I have done pieces for weddings, a graduation, and band art. The pieces can be as intricate as desired and as big as twelve inches in diameter. To start work on an order, I require a fifty percent deposit. Please contact me with the information you would like to use and I will give you a quote.
I am also changing clays. I had been using Amaco's White Stoneware #38. At the beginning of this year, the clay body was poorly mixed and significantly deflocculated. After returning an unusable batch, I gave up and used it as a base to recycle my old clay. Near the end, I was adding a great deal of borax. I decided that I may as well work with kaolin and just switch to porcelain. Porcelain was what I worked with primarily while in college.
Enter local clay arts supplier Rovin Ceramics! If you work with clay and are in southeast Michigan, check them out.
In the next few weeks, I will be making a full new set of test tiles. Also, Eastern Market's Artisan Village, which is where I sell, will move. I'm not entirely sure of details, but I do know that we will not be just outside Shed 5 while it is under construction.
In summary:
1. Newish cheapish stuff is available at Eastern Market.
2 New awesome stuff will be available next week both at the market and on-line.
3. You should place an order for custom work.
4. My kiln is getting to small to keep up with me.
5. Lucia is awesome.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Grumpy?
The only time I don’t like being a vendor at Eastern Market is between 4am and 6am on Saturday mornings. Artisan Village is back, and The Delicion is an enthusiastic participant. The topple popple, who oversees all work done in my studio, supervised this weekend.
I love the sign that reads, “No grumpy people.” I love watching people carry out flowers I had never seen before. I love the produce and freshly baked bread that my husband collects while wandering. I love the little old ladies dressed to the nines. I love the musicians—good and bad! I love the insanity, like when the man we call Shower Cap Guy shouts about not having enough bubble gum. I love the shiny, well-maintained old cars parading about. I love the vehicles that have plywood parts, windows made by cutting a hole in the sheet metal, wheels that don’t move or have a bit too much of a wobble, or make a sound that probably should stop once the engine has been turned off. I love observing the politics of navigating the parking lot from the outside. I also like guessing which niche of Christianity will be proselytizing for the day. Yesterday, we got Harold Camping.
Some of the stuff I make feels a bit slutty; I’m gluing magnets to test tiles so that people can buy something inexpensive. Yep. That’s the biggest disadvantage to being a ceramist who sells at farmers markets.
I have been having issues with my clay recently. I have used Amaco’s white stoneware almost exclusively for a matter of years now. I did have a stint with Rovin’s low-grog stoneware, but it wasn’t low-enough-grog. Amaco sells this particular clay pugged and de-aired, in two 25-pound bags per box. That is, the clay is ready to use. I generally buy 100 to 150 pounds at a time quite regularly.
In January, I bought a batch that was completely deflocculated. It wasn’t clay. Working with it was like working with some kind of quicksand Jello. I hate blaming my tools, and so I was determined to make it work. So what if it won’t hold its form? So what if it doesn’t dry? HOW DOES CENTERING AND WEDGING CREATE AIR BUBBLES?!
I took it back and exchanged it for another batch. It’s clay, but it is still lacking flocculants. In order to get the clay workable, I added old dry clay. I cut the blocks in to little pieces and let the pieces dry a bit. I wedged and wedged and wedged and mixed and wedged. I was, essentially, using this new ready-to-use clay to reclaim and extend the old clay from failed pieces. I was grumpy.
My current experiment is borax. Anhydrous borax is a flocculent, and the laundry booster might just work. The small amount of clay I’ve tried it with has oxidized quite a bit, but I’m not convinced that’s it’s a good enough reason to stop doing it.
Experiments!
If you know anything about the Amaco white stoneware situation, I would love to hear it.
In the meantime, I’ll see you at the market!
I love the sign that reads, “No grumpy people.” I love watching people carry out flowers I had never seen before. I love the produce and freshly baked bread that my husband collects while wandering. I love the little old ladies dressed to the nines. I love the musicians—good and bad! I love the insanity, like when the man we call Shower Cap Guy shouts about not having enough bubble gum. I love the shiny, well-maintained old cars parading about. I love the vehicles that have plywood parts, windows made by cutting a hole in the sheet metal, wheels that don’t move or have a bit too much of a wobble, or make a sound that probably should stop once the engine has been turned off. I love observing the politics of navigating the parking lot from the outside. I also like guessing which niche of Christianity will be proselytizing for the day. Yesterday, we got Harold Camping.
Some of the stuff I make feels a bit slutty; I’m gluing magnets to test tiles so that people can buy something inexpensive. Yep. That’s the biggest disadvantage to being a ceramist who sells at farmers markets.
I have been having issues with my clay recently. I have used Amaco’s white stoneware almost exclusively for a matter of years now. I did have a stint with Rovin’s low-grog stoneware, but it wasn’t low-enough-grog. Amaco sells this particular clay pugged and de-aired, in two 25-pound bags per box. That is, the clay is ready to use. I generally buy 100 to 150 pounds at a time quite regularly.
In January, I bought a batch that was completely deflocculated. It wasn’t clay. Working with it was like working with some kind of quicksand Jello. I hate blaming my tools, and so I was determined to make it work. So what if it won’t hold its form? So what if it doesn’t dry? HOW DOES CENTERING AND WEDGING CREATE AIR BUBBLES?!
I took it back and exchanged it for another batch. It’s clay, but it is still lacking flocculants. In order to get the clay workable, I added old dry clay. I cut the blocks in to little pieces and let the pieces dry a bit. I wedged and wedged and wedged and mixed and wedged. I was, essentially, using this new ready-to-use clay to reclaim and extend the old clay from failed pieces. I was grumpy.
My current experiment is borax. Anhydrous borax is a flocculent, and the laundry booster might just work. The small amount of clay I’ve tried it with has oxidized quite a bit, but I’m not convinced that’s it’s a good enough reason to stop doing it.
Experiments!
If you know anything about the Amaco white stoneware situation, I would love to hear it.
In the meantime, I’ll see you at the market!
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