Picked up some remaining work from Drift yesterday and had a chat with Jennie the owner. She's very keen for more work before Christmas, I haven't enough hands or time. The markets return more money quickly which sets me up for supplies for the next year and I'm reluctant to give them up but it would be nice to make work for Drift and not have the pressure of the markets.
Jennie suggested whales, turtles etc, etc. I cringed but she said island themes just walk on out of the gallery and I know that from previous experience. So the old soul is up for sale again it seems, it's not as bad as that really but i don't like repeating myself. I am trying a couple of pieces to see how I feel.
I poured this T/C mould above too large for its original purpose so coated it with white slip and sgraffito-ed.....yes you guessed....it a whale. Above is the front and below the back. I do like sgraffito work it is very relaxing.
Then I started on one of the larger bowls of T/C that I had thrown, the clay is a lot more coarse so harder to sgraffito cleanly. The one below is underway but with the hot wind today it is drying out fast.
We'll have to wait and see if it turns out, don't like it yet unless I can make it less rough. Gazing over the sgraffito may fix that I hope. I plan to single fire the T/C to save cost and lower the price.
It looks like my following the nesting and future chicks of the curlew has hit a disheartening spot. I hadn't seen them around for a couple of days and upon exploring the park I found this sad sight below. I don't know if it's the male, female or juvenile. I have seen two curlews but they are back hiding in my neighbour's yard and not nesting.
After posting the image on Facebook on the Bush Stone Curlew page, Scott, the Phd student studying them said he thought it was hit by a car, but I find that hard to believe being so far from the road. I thought it may be the " %#¥%^"cats that are left to run wild next door.
We have peewees on a nest outside our gate in the camphor laurel. I knew they were there as one pooped on my head from the nest, yes I then looked up foolishly but didn't cop one in the eye luckily. The masked lapwings, or plovers as we know them, are nesting out in the open and screech with an ear splitting noise if you approach. By the look of the spurs on their wings I don't go too close. On a trip to Main Beach the other evening the beach is still littered with hundreds of shearwaters. The sight and the smell is dreadful. Flocks of bossy looking terns are congregating on the beach to rest and feed before heading south, I love the look of these birds and its interesting to observe their pecking order. I took lots of photos and will sift through them and post them later.
With some of my earnings from the Drift exhibition I splurged impulsively and bought myself a quilt from Drift. The quilts are made by Bangladesh women from antique saris, there were all sorts of colours and designs but this is the first one I looked at and the haphazard saris with patches and different saris on the reverse was instant attraction. I'm not usually a bright floral person but these quilts are so unselfconscious and obviously made in non factory surroundings that I just had to have one. Below is my quilt with a Fergus Stewart salt glazed bowl he made in Bendigo when I was there for the National Conference, it goes very well with the quilt don't you think.
Repair patches above. Below, on my bed.
