18 March

One Old Mushroom!

While taking pictures of Mom's beautiful, Pacific Northwest Spring flowers, hidden among the budding Tulips was Mr. Toadstool! This old mushroom is about 30 years old. It was easy to calculate his age because I made him in my high school pottery class! He's about 6 inches tall and I think made from stoneware. What was interesting and a bit weird to me was the design of his face looks very similar to the new moon's face I'm making...  Along with the Crocus, Mini-Daffodils, Primrose and Tulips, Mom grows luscious Succulents. I love the creative containers she uses and all of her plants seem so happy. I wish the Alaska climate was a bit more hospitable so I could grow Succulents year round.

The Bird TLC fundraiser is this weekend. I read in the newspaper this morning that their famous "Cash-Crow" is named "Kodi," after Kodiak Island where he originally was from. Other fundraisers I'm contributing
artwork to this week are the Catholic Social Services Charity Ball and the Anchorage Concert Chorus. Donating to the CSS Charity Ball is easy for me to support because of the various programs CSS funds and operates, especially Clare house, which provides temporary emergency shelter for women and women with children. Though it may not always be financially convenient to write a contribution check, I can always make art for good causes.

It appears the bisque load of new "Woobie Souls" and other work fired successfully. I was surprised that the new Raku clay I used fired to a pinkish color. It started as a grayish ^04 clay with more grog in it than the Tile White I was also using. I took a quick picture after I opened the lid this morning, I'll unload the kiln and glaze today after I drop off the donations to CSS and Anchorage Concert Chorus. Among the "Woobie Souls" is a pinch style goblet that the youngest son made (inspired after too many Indiana Jones movies...) and the tile on the far right was made by the middle son and says "Love Life" -
I thought that was a good mantra to live by. 

4 comments:

ang design said...

hi cindy, just dropped by from patricia's lovely view in brazil to see stunning views in alaska, all from my desk in my office which is in full sunshine still a tad of summer here forecast 27C today, thanks for the great read..cheers ang

cindy shake said...

Hi Ang- thank you for the post. I read your blog regularly and enjoy seeing your images. "e-traveling" and seeing where other artists live and work are my favorite parts of blogging. Never thought I'd blog, but after seeing all that other artists have to show and share, I'm hooked -from up here in ALASKA!

Linda Starr said...

I love your mushroom - thirty years old that is so neat; I also love your son's mantra "Love Life", how great they are making things to put in the kiln too.

cindy shake said...

Hi Linda-thanks for the post. I had to re-do the math a couple of time because I couldn't believe it's been 30 years -ha! Isn't 50 the new 30 or 40, or something like that :o)

Yeah, I like the kids working in clay and creating, because it helps them feel involved since I work at home -and they appreciate how hard it is to do!