New porcelain

I was not in the studio much over the weekend. I had a wedding to attend and was staying at the bride's house overnight on Friday to help set up her back yard on Saturday before the wedding. So Sunday was my only day to get muddy. I picked up a box of the new Polar Ice that is still the first formulation that does not throw well. (the new and improved batch will be coming soon). Regardless, I was able to throw a few bowls of a reasonable size. The biggest is shown above and measures about 14.5 inches in diameter. It got a bit wonky when I accidentally stopped the wheel just a little too fast and it was jerked out of round. I managed to "correct" it so that at least visually, it does not appear to bad. The others were of varying sizes ad I attempted to trim a couple after they had stiffened up a bit. This clay is deceiving in that when you think it is dry, it is NOT. I will be letting the remainder dry very slowly and will try not to get too impatient and attempt any more trimming until they are just right. I was supposed to move back into my condo this week, but that did not happen. They were installing carpet in the common hallways and stairs and that took up 3 whole days. The kitchens for all 4 units are supposed to be going in this week starting today, so I really really hope that next week will be the week. My fingers are crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.

I want to eat your hand....

This picture captures just how much Lucy would love to chew my hand off at the wrist. And this next one, I'm not sure exactly. Is she looking for lost treasure in the couch cushions or just shy? Maybe someone lost some bacon down there(doubtful).

In non dog news, I have been given a semi firm date of July 3rd to move back into my condo....sigh In pottery news, come on out next Sunday to the Moe Shelley Craft Market in the Bamboo Lounge, next to the Drum & Monkey Public House. It starts at noon and goes until 5.

I know that the saying says that there is no rest for the wicked, but I think it's backwards. It should say that the wicked get to nap. Lucy (aka Lucifer) seems to be able to get some zzzz's. I on the other hand, don't seem to be able to get any rest. I am dealing with condo stuff, condo board stuff, work stuff, pottery stuff, no end to the stuff I am trying to juggle. I was calcining alberta slip yesterday so that I could mix up a large batch of our new glaze "purple rain". It is really just Plainsman clay's GA6-C rutile blue, but purple rain sounds better. I mixed in the calcined AB slip a bit hot, as I needed to get it done before I left for the day, but that shouldn't cause an issue (i hope ;) ) Oh ya, I am going to be in a sale on June 22nd from noon to 5pm at the Bamboo Lounge, next to the Drum an Monkey Pub. It is a family friendly event and all are encouraged to come and check it out. There will be a wide variety of art and craft there to satisfy your every need. So ya, busy busy right now, the condo is still in reno mode. I am not sure when I will be moving back, but the appliances are arriving on Wednesday...The furniture too, but I might change that to next week if I can. It was supposed to be done this week, so hopefully next week... fingers crossed.

Floors and doors

The early morning progress meeting went well and things are moving along. The hardwood floors are all in and the doors are mostly all hung or at least in the space waiting to be hung. Bathtub is next (today) and then tile starts tomorrow. Cabinets are still a bit of a jumble and I have yet to pick the cabinet door fronts and counter top laminate. Not sure if I will be in by the 11th, but I am hoping it will be that week... The Fairview Pottery sale was this past Saturday and although there were only 9 of us in the sale this time, I think our individual sale numbers were good. The turn out for the spring sale is always a bit on the slow side compared to the Christmas sale, but with less participants, we don't have to spread the dollars as thinly. After the expenses were accounted for, it looks like I cleared more than double what I did at the last Christmas sale. That kind of tells you how much that last sale sucked (I blame the polar vortex). Every time I think I have this pottery selling thing figured out, the game changes, the people change, the market changes, mugs become either the hot new craze or you can't give them away because everyone wants goblets or have stopped drinking liquids or something silly like that.

There be drywall!

WOO HOO!!! Apparently they are hanging drywall and working on the radiant heating in my condo and the other 3 units that were damaged/gutted during the flood last year. All inspections have passed and now they can go full steam ahead with drywall, cabinets, fittings and fixtures etc. It also looks like I will be able to review and sign off on the kitchen cabinet layout, counter colour choice, paint, etc by the end of the week or the beginning of next week. The cabinets will take 3 weeks once they begin the construction, the patio doors and windows are on order and are 4 weeks out. Once I get the layout for the kitchen, I will be out buying appliances.
In non condo repair news, I managed to take a couple of bins of pots down to Galleria on Saturday. It has been a while since I was last able to get down there to re stock, so hopefully these new pieces are well received, as they are a bit different than my usual work. Now I need to glaze the backlog of bisque that is staring me in the face every time I go to the studio (maybe this week?). I have many large bowls and platters to glaze, but the kiln will only accommodate a few at a time, so I will have to fire a few loads to get it all done.
The weather in Calgary has been brutally cold for a very, very long time (-35 and lower with the wind chill). We are normally blessed with the warm Chinook winds during the winter, but not this year. We had a few early on, but they have been nearly absent since December, and those that we have had were too short and did not have much of a warming effect. That being said, it is now March and the fortune tellers meteorologists say that it will be +9 on Saturday (I’m not holding my breath). It has been so cold lately that it is even making the glazing more painful for the students at the studio than normal. Glazing can be hard at the best of times, what with the unknown end results, but when it is this cold, it becomes physically painful. We mix our glazes by hand and those buckets are sitting on the cold concrete. It is like bathing in ice water.

I will survive...

I might be a bit crazy when this is all over though.

I met with the buildings insurance adjustor yesterday. The good news is that they will restore everything to original conditions (how it was when the condo was first converted). The bad news is that this could take up to 6 months before I will be back in my little home. I am torturing myself right now by searching paint colours, furniture and appliances on line. With an entire rainbow to choose from, how do I narrow it down?!
This is the view of my "kitchen" right now. Everything looks so much smaller with no walls to define the space. I keep saying to myself  " how did I ever fit a Queen sized bed here?"