Stormy Days...

(click on photos for larger image)

It's hard to be quiet about horses that turn out so well. These two Stormys, sneak peeks shown above, were finished in the last few months. The pinto was finished, actually, this morning. Still warm out of the kiln. I've really be stretching my technique on the Stormy mold, trying things that will enhance the color (as long as I can pull it off successfully) because Stormy challenges, and brings out the best in a painter. Whether resin or ceramic, Stormwatch throws down the gauntlet and tells you to GO FOR IT!!

There's another bisque Stormy sitting on the shelf, ready to go, and it will be a lot of fun to see him come to life as well.

Joanie

Dancing with Physics

Tango... it's a dance. A fast-paced, precise and unrelenting dance. South American in origin, the genre fuels the intensity of Latin American dance and culture.

Tango... it's a sculpture by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig, a delightful Spanish stallion strutting his stuff in a balanced, intense yet relaxed pose.

When Tango was introduced into the Marcher Ware line, he was the third horse that Marcher Ware tackled. The first batch of pieces were cast by Mark Farmer of Alchemy Studios, and shipped to Pour Horse for glazing. A few sets of three were made... one for Sarah, one for Mark, and one for me. (You know, like parceling out Halloween candy... ) I honestly don't remember how many were made... three sets? Four? Five? No more than five, but I think that there were fewer than than. In other words, fewer than twenty total pieces. (Maybe someone will be kind and email me with a list, I'm too tired to look in back records...) When Mark headed off to some new, unknown horizon, I was left with one bisque sitting here. Unsure what to do with him, he has been sitting here ever since.

So when it became apparent that Melissa Gaulding needed our help, I immediately thought about the Tango. What better ending for Marcher Ware, what better use for a unique bisque, than to give Mel what she needs? Sarah and I donated the bisque, and I headed off to the barn to paint and glaze him.

His hooves had already been painted and fired, so a cleaning fire (to remove the dust) happened first, to the relatively low temperature of cone 010. (that would be about 1600 degrees... it sure will burn off dirt) Then the first layer of dappling was applied. At this point, the horse is white with colored hooves, and I sprayed a very thin layer of a dark brown underglaze over strategic areas to be dappled. Then a few areas of an underglaze that has more reddish tones, just like the horse that I was basing him on. Dapples were done with a typewriter eraser pencil, and the dust from dappling was removed with either a Q-tip or a soft brush, depending upon the type of dapple and location. He went into a bisque fire for the first layer to set, about 1900 degrees F. Several more layers of dappling were added, augmenting the first layer and enhancing and deepening some of the dapples. Obscuring others, as well. This technique, while very labor intensive, sets the dapples into the color and gives them a softness that can't be beat. Finally, his palomino golden over color. Yes, the palomino is sprayed *over* his already set dappling, totally obscuring it. This is the part that takes nerves and faith. By applying the palomino body color over the top of the dapples, the dapples become a natural looking part of the coat. However, too much color and the dapples disappear! That brings us to the pictures...



Why is he wet? See, on his hoof, the water drop? See the wet drops on the ground? After he was fired, I checked my work by running him quickly under the faucet and looking at how his dapples show through. Not a perfect way, but a simple way, to see how he will look when the glaze brings his colors to life. His eye is unpainted, and none of the details are done yet.

So here is where the story gets interesting. These horses, as all ceramic castings, are hollow. So there is air inside of the casting. We poke a little air hole into the casting when it is drying, so that the air can come out when it heats up in the kiln. When the Tango was pulled out of the bisque firing just before this photo was taken, I had dreamed the previous night that the horse had no air hole. Just a quick dream, nothing interesting... just the fact that he had no air hole. Sure enough, I checked him when the kiln was cool enough to touch him, and THERE WAS NO AIR HOLE. Whoever cleaned the bisque at Alchemy had forgotten to punch him one!

That's a problem.. a big scary problem. When the air inside gets hot, it builds up pressure. With no escape, the pressure is held inside of the horse body. With an earthenware casting, that air will slowly escape through pores in the clay. (Remember, earthenware is porous) It won't (probably) blow up. It won't take glaze well, however. The glaze will form craters and be very unpleasant and bumpy, because the escaping air pushes the softened glaze away from the thousands of little pores where it is escaping.

In a bone china, the clay is not porous. Once it has been fired to maturity, it is impermeable to air or water. So, with no place to escape, the pressure builds.. and builds.. and builds.

He had already been through several bisque firings. Either that was proof that he could hold the pressure, or he did have a tiny hole somewhere that I couldn't see, or he was going to blow up one of these times. What to do? What to do??!!

When I wet him down, I tried to see whether there were any tiny bubbles forming in the water layer. Nope. So I dried him with a blow dryer. One spot... one little spot.. on his rump stayed wet for a little longer than the rest. It was wet from the inside, it was holding water in the body cavity. I couldn't see the hole, but it had to be there. Otherwise there would be no reason for that spot to stay wet. But would it be big enough to mess up the glaze?

I 'candled' him, in case there was still water inside of his body, which would be even more pressurized than air. He fired for an hour at about 500 degrees, then cooled.

His details got painted.. eyes, leg chestnuts, etc... and he was sprayed with glaze. Then, into the fire for a last time, which is about 1800 degrees F. Checked him when the kiln shut off about midnight... I could still see an intact horse silhouette against the glowing orange kiln bricks.

Today, he came out of the fire just fine. No flaws on the glaze, no explosion. His pictures were taken while he was still reassuringly warm.

Now he is up at auction, at My Auction Barn, 100% to Melly. He has more of a story than most pieces do... one of the more unusual journeys that a casting has taken, here at Pour Horse.

Joanie

Flying Heart Fundraiser

There's so darn much for sale, including FIVE DAYS AT POUR HORSE for glazing or moldmaking, that it's just easier to give you all the link:

www.flyingheart.org

GO AND SPEND $$ FOR MELLY!

Joanie

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

There are some people in the world who give with their hearts... who brighten the cloudy days, and soothe the angry words. Who reach out and nurture. People who we can't help but love, people who make a difference.

Yet they do have their own problems, and when they ask for help, you know that they really need it. It's amazing to see how many people are coming together to help our dearest friend Melissa Gaulding.

Mel's husband has cancer, and it is crucial that they are able to pay the medical bills, to keep the care coming. When she let us know that she is desperate enough to sell her beloved collection, gathered over years, in order to pay for what Herman needs, the options were clear....

There will be a series of auctions, sales, and fund raisers for people to participate in, which will be hosted on this website:

http://www.rhiannondesign.com/Melly/

It is quickly and beautifully being put together by Heather Malone-Bogle, and there will be updates frequently, so bookmark it and keep going back. Please note: don't... I repeat DON'T... use the word 'donation' or anything like that, because paypal will shut down her account if they see it. We aren't running a scam, but they don't know that, and we can't risk causing her problems. Check it twice before you submit your payment, and thank you for your help!

There is already one auction up, for a gorgeous Ferseyn painted by the uber-talented Karen Gerhardt, you can see it here:

http://myauctionbarn.com/auction_details.php?auction_id=138643

ALL of the funds will go to Melly, and Auction Barn is waiving the auction fees! Everyone wants Melly to have the most that we can give her.

I will be working on a horse, as well.... Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig and I own the last bisque Tango, and we have decided to donate it. I will glaze him and put him up as soon as possible on Auction Barn. 100% to Melly, of course. Other people have already pledged or donated, see the list of donors on the website, and watch it grow as our help for Melly grows!

Several of us will also be glazing tiles that have been sculpted, pressed, and fired by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig. Those tiles will be available as soon as they can be finished.

When we give with our hearts, we find purpose beyond our everyday existence. We find strength and resolve. Please help however you can. Every little bit makes a difference. For Mel.

I walked until my pants fell down... and then I walked some more

There's no denying that sitting around cleaning greenware, glazing and firing, are sedentary pursuits. Add in a love of good food, and the recipe for weight gain is complete. I've never been one to exercise, either... I prefer intellectual exercise, not physical. As I have told my Grandmother, when we drive along the coast on the way to her hair appointment... looking out at the vast array of people jogging, walking, strolling, stretching and biking along the boardwalk... "I love exercise, I could sit and watch it all day".

However, the dogs have a different idea. They love exercise... they crave it. A good long walk, a quick run, a wrestle and tumble...they glory in their young muscles, in the cool weather, and in the joy of being a spoiled dog. Life is good, for the dogs. So, they have gotten me into the habit of walking them every morning. Somehow, it has become a custom with us, we hitch up to the bike, they pull Casper and I to the park, we then put their leashes on and walk for a full hour. Casper keeps up pretty well, since the pups have already done five or six blocks of vigorous exercise and have the edge taken off. In total, we walk for between one and a half and two hours every morning. Unless it rains. Which it probably won't do again until October.

So much physical movement has begun to show the logical result... I am losing a little weight. Not too much... not enough to be in one of those annoying internet "before-and-after" pictures. But, a little. My pants fall down now. Going to need a new size soon. Yesterday, tired of having to hitch them up every few steps, I did what any reasonably female would do... I used a bungee cord for a belt. Worked like a charm. Maybe a trip to Target to get a real belt is in order?

So I posted this picture in part to show what I looked like a month ago, so that in another month or two I can post again and show some progress. Oh, and my "Yorkshire Terrier" hair is now dyed a very pleasant and natural brown. My great-Grandmother was completely white haired when she was thirty... I started greying in my 30's and now have a quite frosty head. When it's fully white, I will glory in it, but for now, the grey does not compliment. So, with a good hairdresser who has an excellent eye for color (she's like you, Lesli, but does her magic with people hair..) I look much better than shown below. I'm in my fiftieth year of existence on this Earth, and I am trying a little harder to take care of my health and looks. Guess it had to happen eventually!

The Carlsbad Iditarod

When you have three energetic little dogs, how do you keep them exercised? First you take a three-wheeled bike... a couple of harnesses... some ingenuity... and voila!




If you lived here, you would see us going by every morning, early, before it gets too hot. We either go to the field, or the park. Then we all get unhitched, put on our regular leashes, and we take a long walk. Back again to the bike, get hitched up, and we trot back home for bones!

Bread Baking

Happy New Year everyone!
What did you get for Christmas? I was lucky to get some new cooking equipment, so that in 2010 I can prepare more meals at home, and we will eat healthier but tastier food. I usually cook at home, but have to go to the store every few days to stock up on food that is appealing. Veggies, meat, and bread don't keep for very long. Now I am going to try to change that, with my new FoodSaver (that's for a different post) and with a book that I hope will really help.



I read Clayart, a usenet kind of email list for potters, and the subject turned to bread. Strangely, potters and bread seem to have an affinity. Bread and clay have many of the same attributes, and potters seem to like to eat well. Someone brought up a book that they really use, that has a recipe for bread that can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks, and only takes five minutes a day to prepare for baking. You don't have to do it every day, either, as you do with sourdough starters. The bread will sit until you are ready to bake! Well, I thought and thought, and decided that I wanted to get the book and try it.

I won't give away the recipe here, because the authors of the book deserve to make sales for their effort. The book is well worth the price, and you can follow along and see if my efforts end up making something that you would also like to be able to make. But the idea is that a very wet dough keeps well in the refrigerator, and actually develops nuance as it sits. Then, whatever portion is desired can be removed, allowed to sit for 40 minutes, and then baked.

The recipe was simple: all-purpose unbleached flour, instant yeast, warm water, and salt. That's it. I had a lot of bread flour, but not as much all-purpose since Allison did some baking here over Christmas, so I used half bread flour and half all-purpose. The bread flour has a higher protein content and might be a little tougher in the baked product. I deducted a little flour when making the recipe, as they said to do if using bread flour. I might have deducted too much....



Anyway, the KitchenAid was an invaluable tool for mixing. Have I TOLD you how much I love my KitchenAid? It gets a workout around here! Almost daily. It's my most beloved kitchen appliance. (Granted, the competition is small, because I have an ancient toaster, a crock pot, and a rice cooker... the microwave doesn't count, that's for the guys) If the KitchenAid were human, I would give it a raise, or maybe I would adopt it like a child. Any way you look at it, the stand mixer does more than its share, and the cookies were a breeze this year! But I digress.

Back to the bread!
You mix up the dough, by putting the yeast and salt in the water and then adding the flour, all at once. When it's fairly well mixed (it took about four minutes) then you put it into a container that will allow it to double, and set it out on the counter for a few hours. Two hours did the trick, but the book says that more or less is all right too. Finally, into the fridge it goes. I divided the dough between a Corning Ware casserole deep dish, and a big measuring cup/bowl. Covered them each with Saran and sure enough, next morning they were both doubled.

I ran out to the Carlsbad Outlet Mall and caught some after Christmas sales, buying an oven thermometer and a baking stone. Those were the bare essentials, everything else I either had, or could improvise. I'd been wanting an oven thermometer, suspecting that my oven runs hot, and sure enough it does, but only about five degrees. The baking stone is interesting, it's like a big flat piece of light terra cotta clay. It is porous, so it absorbs the moisture from the baked goods and gives a crisp, crunchy crust. It was only about twenty bucks.

So here is one container of the bread dough, ready to start baking:



It's quite soft and sticky, not like the usual bread dough. The book warns that it will be soft, and you just have to get an eye for adjusting it! So I sprinkle cornmeal on top of a cookie sheet with no sides (because I didn't want to buy a pizza peel, that flat wooden board with a handle that they form pizza on and then slide it off onto the pizza stone).



I pull up and cut off about as much dough as a size of a grapefruit, and then with floured hands it gets pulled and stretched down each side, like you are pulling it from the top and tucking it underneath. Turning and pulling, turning and pulling. The dough is still very sticky and doesn't want to stay in a ball. I begin to think that it's a little too soft, but will fight the instinct to add flour. Try it this way first, then adjust in future loaves. Here is the dough, resting...



Forty minutes later, the oven is preheated, the stone is preheated, the oven is about right,



and....

the dough is looking like a cross between a frisbee and a pita.

Yikes!



Determined not to give up, I slog ahead... dusting it with flour and then cutting a crisscross pattern on top. But the dough is so soft, it doesn't cut, it just sort of... oozes. Well, maybe it will taste good anyway.



Maybe? Like Nan bread or something? Hmmmmm.....

So I open the oven, put in a pan with about a cup of water in it, then sprinkle the stone with cornmeal. Which immediately smokes a little and smells like popcorn. Not bad, at least it doesn't catch fire and burn my arm hairs off! I grab the cookie sheet with the dough on it, and try to slide it onto the stone. It's supposed to just sort of skid off, intact. Nope. Standing in front of the hot oven, with the smoking cornmeal, I try to slide it off, but end up rolling it over on itself as it .... sllllluuuuurrrrrpppppps off and onto the stone.

Apparently it WAS too soft. Way too soft. Well, nothing to be done now except plan for the next encounter.

Here is the cookie sheet with the skid marks:



It's been about twenty minutes, let's take a peek....



Hey, it's rising! Aside from the odd shape, and the surface covered with cornmeal, it's not half bad! This just might work! (with a little adjustment, wait till you see what I try next!)

It's then that I notice that the light streaming through the window has a distinct bluish tint. I clean my glasses, but the blue remains. It's the smoke from the cornmeal! I TOLD you it was smoking! So hey, it's a lovely day, open the window... and see the little birdies in the garden, eating from the feeders:





The bread is done, or at least I think it is, so I pull it out....



It's kinda cute, in a lumpy sort of way. I've grown attached to this first effort. Think I'll call it Fred.



When I asked hubby if he wanted a piece of "Fred and butter" he was a little hesitant, but he shouldn't have been... Fred tasted about like he looked. A little bland, and not very confident. I think that the dough needs a little more salt, maybe. Also, a couple of days in the fridge to get a little 'nuance'....

EDIT, later- Making another batch, I realized that the recipe didn't need more salt, I needed a brain implant. TABLESPOON, teaspoon, TABLESPOON, teaspoon (face plant) Just send me to remedial reading class, please.

Joanie