Sunday 25 September 2011

"Best laid plans" and all that...

So what happened to this amazing idea I had of making 12 animals over 12 months? Umm... well, I haven't started it yet! I broke the panda into pieces to recycle the clay, put it in a large bowl with water, and then forgot about it. When I finally pulled the bag off to have a look, it looked like this: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPH MAY MAKE YOU VOMIT.


Eew! What do I do with that?? I mean, seriously, if I drain the nasty, slimy, brown water away, can I still use the clay? I think not. This is paper clay by the way, I've never had this happen with any other clay.

Clay isn't the only thing that got left this summer...


I know I should probably cut it down, but it looks so pretty growing on the inside of the house :)

So what exactly did I do all summer? Well, I don't really know. I've had to look through my photos to remind myself!

After my holiday, my family came to visit from Norway for 4 weeks. It feels so long ago now :(



I also went to a classic American car show this summer...



... I went to a party...



... I saw some owls...



... and occasionally took photos of pretty stuff...



... and that was pretty much my summer.

And then suddenly, yesterday, I had an urge...


It's not an animal, but it's clay! Six shot "glasses" and a bowl/vase/I haven't decided yet. For those who are non-clay people, the clay will shrink, so the shot glasses look extra big at the moment! Scott thinks they look really good, I just think they look... wonky! Why is everything I make always wonky?

3 comments:

leanne pizio said...

Hey Un D!!! Big wave from across the big pond!
Looks like you had a wonderful summer. so glad to see you back at work on clay.
About wonkiness.... I am going to make a bold statement......everything hand built is wonky...truly....because we move when we breathe, it is impossible for the human hand to create anything perfect.....doesn't that make you feel better? It always does it for me:)
Also, no one but you will notice the wonkiness.

Paper clay is weird stuff....
My friend used some that was old and had molded and it gave her a hand fungus that was hard to get rid of.....so throw that stuff out:)

Can't wait to see what you creat this fall.

Anonymous said...

Always put a bit of bleach in your reclaim buckets. Helps with the stink and the mold.

Undaunted said...

Helloooo Leanne! *waves back*

Thank you so much for your clay advice! Next question is where to throw it!! I'm sure I can find a little corner in the garden... I hope I don't end up killing all the wildlife!!

Ah, maybe it's a trick of the camera, but everyone else's work always looks perfect to me! My shot glasses are lopsided and they all seem to come out a different size even though I measure them! lol I'm trying to love the imperfections though :)

Thanks so much Leanne! It's great to be getting muddy again! :)

Hi Scott, thanks for the tip! Would you recommend that for all clay types or just paper clay? I'm sure it has something in it already (it dries my hands out more than other clays) but it didn't help did it?! :)