Palimpsest pit firing

Saturday night we fired the pit

with the Palimpsest sculpture in it.

There were a few other bits in there also

I think we may have put too much timber

in and around the big sculpture.

The fire burnt quite hot before we covered it up.

It smoked it's way through the night.
We feasted on home grown lamb and vegetables

MS, experiented with cooking in clay.
We had a few camp ovens as well.
Amy made soda bread which we cooked in a camp oven
All of this was accompanied by acoustic  music.
It was a fun night.

 We agreed to meet in the morning to reveal our pots
But the fire pit was still way too hot,
So we all decided to wait till the next morning.


Finally it was cool enough to uncover.
There was still some smoke and embers
But we could wait no longer.
I had my long tongs.

Amy remebered to document all her experiments.
I think we will all benefit from this.

Some pots had been fired to stoneware 

 and found their way into the pit.

It is early morning in the billabong

The light is already becoming harsh for photography

I made some oil lamps, ran out of time

for the decoration I had planned

But I think there will be more pit firings really soon

We had to use Sasha's cardigan to create enough shadow here

for this photo. I had expected more black.....

I think the reds will glow a bit with some wax polish.

 I will polish a few of these before I take some close ups.

Once it is polished and put in the gallery
on the black cloth that it was made on I am sure
It will look good.
This exercise has inspired the club members to make and fire more.

It is all about recreating the accident,
or manipulating the good bits.
We are set for a smokey future I think.

Palimpsest work in progress

Palimpsest work in progress.

The sculpture was formed last Sunday evening

About 10 participants turned up

to assist Sasha and Petri with their project.

The event was recorded and will be included in their 

short film, along with the interviews they

did during the weeks leading up to Sunday.

The urge to use my hands was overwhelming

but I was able to resist.

It was difficult sitting on a hardwood floor

and pushing the clay with feet.

It was interesting that some participants worked together

to achieve different textures and shapes.

Bob enjoyed it so much he organised 

for the students of the special school to make one too!

 They are sitting here getting the morning sun
I do hope I can bisque them before
the pit firing next Saturday night.
It is going to be a forest feast with some Slow Food people
One of the locals who worked with Petri and Sasha
on the lighting for their filming,
is an accomplished musician and I do believe he  is
bringing his banjo and a couple of musical friends
Live music in the Billabong
With a feast and a pit firing.
Sounds awesomely creative  and fun
The haredst part will be waiting until morning to
dig through the ash to find the little bits.

 Like these sheep.
I couldnt resist and have made some in red clay too.

 I am getting a bit obsessive making heaps of sheep.
I think I want to exhibit a flock of them.

I need to make more lambs.

This is a case of Art imitating life,

My life as a farmer and a potter.

And an exhibiting Artist.

Flower outlets Mildura

I am excited.

I am on a one month trial at a new outlet for my flowers

My experiment to hide the flowers from the wild rabbits has

worked but I will modify the concept next year

The view from my studio door into the garden.

Some students have been unable to 

resist the urge to pick them

I know the feeling as my seceteur hand gets

restless when I see beautiful flowers.

Stella and Luca have great respect for the flowers here.

Well trained!

Not so good down the back 

where the wild rabbits roam.

Anyway back to the lead story,
a new local outlet for the flowers

BP Buronga IGA

I delivered five  bunches on Monday.

Got a call on Wednesday to ask for some  more.
Robin was familliar with my flowers from my market stall
She has been a customer in the past.
Her enthusiasm is encouraging,
I hope it is an ongoing thing as I love to grow them
but I do have to sell them or there is little point
to all the hard work.
One of my other outlets has relegated the flowers
out of the cool room to the front door.
Interesting that I have sold more
from this position in just a week but the weather has only just
started to warm up.
I think she thinks my flowers will ripen her fruit and veg
when, after some research it is actually
the other way around.
Just to clarify
http://ethylenecontrol.com/floral-fact/

Helping international artists with their Palimsest sculpture.

I have been busy this week

helping some international artists with

their idea for Palimpsest, a sculpture biennale.

We have spent the week making clay from

local / indigenious clay

and some kaolin to help it all hold together.

The sculpture is going to be made by many people who are 

going to shape it with their feet?

as per the artists idea

There will be some technical difficulties that

I will have to solve as we go.

A pit firing will be the answer to the decorative finish

I hope to bisque fire first but will it fit in the kiln?

Will it make it back here from the gallery

where it is to be shaped tonight.

Seems that sculpture is now all about documenting 

the making experience.

Books of the future will have to be able to run

all these little films that are being created

for the sculpture exhibition

or they may never see the light of day...

films never see the light of day and must be viewed

in a darkend room.

  http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/3343733/exploring-art-of-healing-invitation-to-share-remedies/?cs=1511

Cut and paste this into your search engine

to read all about it from the local paper.

Maybe it will become a link,

maybe not?

Co-incidence or Irony?

I had a strange dream last night.

Turning up to a new job at a new school,

Late because I had accepted a lift from colleagues.

I could not work out the timetable, 

it was dingy dark and I had trouble seeing. 

(should have been the clue that I was dreaming)

One friendly face striding with confidence towards me

Steve Curran. 

I thought, glad to be working

 in an art department with him again! 

The bell had gone...I was desperate to get to class

If only I could work out where that was. 

I woke up thank goodness, before I was in trouble

for being late to class.

Today I went to the post office and collected my mail

A registered letter for me.

From F U

Which was B U when I started the course,

Two, or was that three years ago. 

It was BCAE when I was an Art student many years ago.

Here it is,
another teaching qualification.
My contract as a TAFE teacher expired the week after
I completed all the work for this one.