Lusting for Floors

On Diana's blog, one black bird, this week she asked - "What is your inspiration?" This is such a great question - simple but it really made me think. At first I thought..... ummm, ugh ...nature....yeah ...talk about dumb but then I really started thinking...it's PATTERN - the more the better. The other night I was watching my usual 10 o'clock embarrassing TV program, House Hunters on HGTV. House Hunters shows a home buyer selecting between 3 choices...usually the houses are pretty bad - tract homes in a suburb of Dallas but once in a while they really have some good places to choose from. Recently they went to a town in the Yucatan - Merida and there I was DAZZLED by the choices. The houses are old historic colonials with thick plaster walls, gorgeous high beamed ceilings and the thing I was most amazed about - the floors - tiled in every imaginable pattern, every room different and in every color and motif conceivable. GOD they were beautiful - so beautiful that I immediately wanted to move there. I have been driving everybody crazy - trying to convince my husband and friends, anyone who will listen, that we have to move there SOON. This is particularitly funny because though I have traveled many places in this world I have not gone to Mexico (other than the boarder towns of Tijuana and Ticate...not really Mexico I am told). Hopefuly just looking at these beautiful floors and buildings will be enough to satisfy my lusting. If not, you might be seeing a new posts from the Yucatan. For now (this week at any rate) my inspiration is the pattern tiles on the floors of the old houses of Merida. So what are your inspirations?

Back with a vengence

Sometimes I just can't get it right. I managed to break a big vase today before it even made it into the bisque kiln. I slightly bumped the delicate handle sending it flying but was able to "fix" it only to have the perfectly balanced base come off when I gently lowered it into the kiln....UGH. I hate the sound that greenwear makes when I am trying to be so careful but it GENTLY hits something with the tiniest bit of force. It makes the quietest, dull pop...I can't hear it but I can feel it. I know then all the work that went into making that piece is TOAST! I think I'm going to have to start praying to more than the kiln god if I want to have any pieces for the ACGA show.

Aloha

Back from a wonderful week on Anahola Beach in Kauai. We were surrounded by our whole family - daughters, husband, boyfriend, son, girlfriend and grandbabies and lots of friends helping us celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. The beach was absolutly incredible - lots of action for the boggie boarders and a "bath tub" for me where I could bob up and down, play with the fishes and not have to worry about those pesky waves. What a wuss I am but I do LOVE the water,the sun and the sand!

Now time to shake off that sand and hit the studio. No work is finished....so much to complete before my first ACGA show. I will be glazing and firing like a crazy lady for the next 3 weeks. Please help me pray to the kiln gods for good luck.

Mermaid Marshmellow Crap!

Friday night at the movies - John and I saw the WORST film I've seen in a long time...Waitress. I HATED IT! Are we supposed it feel compassion for the "pie bakin", spinless waitress who acts like a beaten dog to appease her abusive, controlling husband? Who then has a torrid affair with her married, controlling doctor that's fueled by the magic of her "Peachy Keen Tart" and her famous "Mermaid Marshmellow Pie". Are we suppose to just think her two waitress girl friends are just the cutest cartoon things? I don't know who comes off worse in this picture - the nasty, self centered men or the stupid, squeaky voiced women. Are we not supposed to feel just the slightest bit of nausea when she starts cookin up one of her gooey pies and starts singing the sappiest song "her mama used to sing when she baked pies"... "baking it up with a heart in the middle"...UGH! UGH! UGH! Hear me gagging. The whole thing made my skin crawl. All I could think was that this is the George Bush twisted 2007 version of 1950's values. This film won an award at Sundance - "the darling of the festival". What am I not getting? It sure made me not want to eat pie for a long, long time.

We also saw Paris, Je T'aime this week...LOVED that film.