Rain glorious rain

Here comes the rain! I think the most of the forecast storm won't be coming here but any drop is welcome.

Sad news all over the place, Marea Gazzard died yesterday, what a woman. Such an inspiration for me when I was young. I felt her work was ahead of its time, it was such a contrast to the traditional brown pots into a new world of design. She was greatly influenced by Cycladic Art and when I went to Athens I spent two days in the Cycladic Museum where she had also gone and I could see how it had influenced her work. She was such a role model for ceramicists, potters and particularly women in Australia.

Looking at the TACA Facebook page I read that Sandy Lockwood was burnt out with the dreadful fires in the Southern Highlands recently. The images break your heart. 

The coffee mug I bought from Sandy at  Gulgong, and it's little espresso mate below.

My best wishes go to her for a speedy recovery from such a heart breaking event.

I'm back on the island and making work thank goodness.

Six bowls today for my Brown Lake series. Not before I had a delicious breakfast in my Kim Aitken bowl, my favourite for breakfast, don't you just love summer fruit, the taste, and the look in a special bowl.

Kim also kindly gave me three of her teeny-tiny bottles which cheer me up whenever I look at them. Thanks Kim.

Dear Straddie, everything is beautiful. Even next year's catch seen below at the jetty.

Faces of China

Half a mojo is better than none

End of the day.

Today I started looking up university courses thinking my mojo might be there but no luck. So I got stuck into the shed and threw some bowls and mugs, ahh that feels better.

I had planned to make a series of work with the rock pools on Deadmans Beach in mind, so went to Pottery Supplies yesterday to buy some Feeneys BSW or whatever its called, as I had made some bowls and mugs and needed more clay. Of course they didn't carry that clay. I looked at their list of Feeneys clay and many were discontinued and those that weren't had to be ordered and delivery was weeks. For Pete's sake the clay comes from Ipswich, or used to, what's so hard about delivery from there?!! That's what you get with a monopoly. What's happened to the cost of bloody mud? I bought three blocks of clay and it cost a fortune. I will have to start sourcing my own clay I think. I know there is some here in Dunwich so will have to chase up that lead. Otherwise I will have to go up to the Clayshed on the Sunshine Coast where they have a wider range of clays and are much more helpful and eager to please and it's cheaper. Bit of a hike tho'.

Oops just remembered that I forgot to put slip inside the bowls and mugs so had better get back to the shed.

Thank goodness I remembered to slip while leather hard or I'd be even grouchier than I am already.

Geoff brought me this little bird bowl from under the weeping fig tree.

Last word on China

My wonderful time in China is fading into a dream, it had an incredible impact on me; the country; the people of China; the generosity of the ICMEA; the people at the conference who had a passion for clay and who were so welcoming. I still have so many stories to tell of the tour but the time has passed to do it justice so I will post photos and hope they remind me of the marvellous time.

Love this sign, just wait til they realise I ain't no specialist.

The smog, the smog.

A handy gadget found in my hotel room.

Showrooms with celadon

Copper reds

Ready for export

Mini terracotta warriors

Shards, shards and more shards

Pots too big to fit inside

Modern ceramics

Master kiln builder.

Master potters

Decorators

Ancient kilns in Cizhou

Horse puddler, or maybe man puddler if no animal available

Grand museums

Europeans showing the Chinese how to throw pots

Pottery factories

Mould makers

Glaze dipping

Traffic 

New cities shooting up overnight

Scaffolding for the new cities

Museum pieces

Ancient test tiles

Just love these jugs, my favourites

Musical with stage a at least a hundred metres wide.

All sorts of visual effects

Wherever we went was the paparazzi.

Dr I chi Hsu who organises the ICMEA a hero to me.