Mirabelle is part of the process

Can’t Resist the Urge

Jul 31 2014

I’m sorry but I can’t resist the overwhelming urge to post more kitten photos!  During our most recent photo shoot, look who wandered in.  In fact, right now, she is also destroying one of my old paintbrushes.

She has become an integral part of my painting process and often lounges on me or my work as I am painting.  My studio at the Potters Guild is very small and so I often take my bisqueware home to paint it in my home “studio”.  Yes, this means I pack up all of my pieces from the first kiln firing, take them down one flight of stairs at the Berkeley Potters Guild and drive them home (carefully and pray I used enough newspaper to pack my pieces).  Then, I climb three flights of stairs with load after load of boxes filled with cups, mugs, plates, bowls etc. and unpack them, wash them and paint them with underglazes.

At the end of this process, I once again pack everything up again in newspaper and boxes, go down three flights of stairs, drive from Oakland to Berkeley, climb up one flight of stairs to my studio where I wax the bottoms of each piece and dip them in clear glaze.

Okay, yes, this is complete, excessive and utter insanity and unbelievably labor intensive.  However, this means not only do I get to spend time with Mirabelle (and her new sister Olivia), sitting in my lap, but I get to hang out with Christopher (oh and watch copious amounts of Netflix on my Christopher supplied studio mini-entertaiment system).  So, yeah, who wouldn’t want to spend all day painting with my happy, loving family who quite clearly spoil me rotten with the added benefit of painting late into the midnight/1am territory.

Plus, in the back of my fevered brain of insanity, I think, well, it is alot of well needed exercise.