One of the highlights of 2011 for me was conducting a Raku workshop at my studio in early December as part of the 2011 Dixon Studio Tour workshop series. Raku is a quick, dynamic firing technique that uses special glazes to create spontaneous bursts of color and crackle effects. Pieces are pulled from the kiln while they are still red-hot and placed in a chamber to encourage various results. Manipulating the atmosphere by reducing or oxidizing the chamber willl create various effects, and, watch out! Fireballs!

I woke up that morning to several inches of beautiful snow, swept the paths, made the coffee, and hoped the attendees would still be willing to make the drive through the canyon and up the arroyo to my studio. I was quite excited by the weather knowing that the contrast of cold and snow with the intense heat of the kiln would really add something special to the whole experience. The six arrived, four all the way from Albuquerque.

The workshop was designed so that even those with no clay experience whatsoever could take part. Normally, clay pieces are made and pre-fired without glaze decoration (the bisque firing). Then glazes are applied for a second firing, in this case the "raku" firing. For this workshop, participants could bring a bisque-fired pot of their own (go Lori!) or choose a pot I had already made and bisqued for them to glaze themselves. I showed everyone how to glaze their pots using the "dip and pour" technique and demonstrated how to decorate with wax resist. We loaded the kiln and fired it up.  While we waited for the kiln to reach temperature (1823 degrees F in just an hour!), we practiced using the tongs and choreographed our unloading sequence... who would pull which pots out of the kiln when, and who would place lids on the reduction cans. The cold didn't vex us (well, a slight acclimatization process for the gals from Spain), rather it was a real treat to huddle around the warmth of the kiln together knowing we each had an important role to play for a successful firing. And a successful firing it was! All went smoothly as planned... a terrific team with the right mix of care, enthusiasm and creative energy. And lovely pots to take home!

Visit www.miyapottery.com for information on raku and wheel-throwing lessons, or call to organize a raku party for a group of friends!

For a more detailed step-by-step explanation of the raku firing process, see my previous post, Raku Sisters.

If that isn't enough to get you excited, did you know that YOUR community winery, is getting national news? First with the USA Today article 

but now Great Grape TV is airing its Pilot episode featuring Vivác Winery! Cheers to all of you in this incredible community for helping support us.

www.GreatGrapeLifestyle.com

If you missed the news, Vivác is being Nationally recognized by USA Today! Check out the link below to read the review.

usatoday.com

 –Murder In The Red Barn, Tom Waits

I awoke last night to the sound of something tearing and the bang of something on a metal roof. I sat up in bed trying to identify the location and cause of the sound. Then I heard the chickens. Chickens are silent in the dark, unless they are nervous or panicked. This sounded like panic.

I got dressed as quickly as I could, and scrounged around for a flashlight, but in the minute it took me to get out to the coop, something had run off with at least one bird, and left feathers and body parts strewn about as if in a tornado zone. I wasn't sure if the killer was still in the coop or not, and I had no idea what I might be faced with if I went inside, so I circled around and tried to get as good a look at the inside of the coop before I went in.

Flamenca expert Susannah Clavileja Garrett will recite Lorca while dancing. She performs
widely in New Mexico &  studied with the famed Maria Benitez, (she is also granddaughter
of the famous Pat Garrett).

Guitarist El Niño David, stage name of David Briggs, studied flamenco in Spain & teaches
Spanish at UNM & CNM.

Guitarist & Flamenca are both from Santa Fe & have performed with Gary Brower at the
National Hispanic Cultural Center, Teatro Paraguas Studio Theater in Santa Fe, the
Sunflower Festival in Mountainair, the Church of Beethoven in Albuquerque, the Duende
Poetry Series in Placitas, NM & other venues. Flameca Cantileja recites Lorca while
dancing.

Poet Gary Brower is editor and publisher of The MalPais Review, New Mexico's premier 
literary magazine.

So Google reminds us that today would have been Alexander Calder's 113th birthday. Which reminds me of the good old days of commercial aviation. Remember when they served meals on a plane? Remember when "stewardesses" were friendly? Remember when it was common to dress nicely for air travel? Remember when you could go to the gate to meet your visiting grandparents? 

As a youngster, I had the great fortune to spend days at airports around the country (and even one 3 day stint at Gatwick in London). My father worked for Texas International Airlines, which later purchased Continental. During the heyday of Texas International, based in Houston, we spent a lot of time flying around for free, and a whole lot more time sitting in airports waiting for seats to become available, as we were flying standby (as in free). 

My parents dreaded the long delays, but my sister and I had a blast roaming unfettered through the concourses and terminals collecting anything that had a logo on it, spotting exotic aircraft and marveling at the vast sea of costumes and funny accents.

I had a closet full of airline timetables, ticket folders and baggage claim checks. Plastic swizzle sticks, buttons and wings. When I left home, most all of that stuff got trashed. However, I managed to save a few of those things from the good old days. Including a lithograph signed by Alexander Calder in 1976 as Dallas-based Branniff Airlines was celebrating the bicentennial with the famous artists help. I got this from a friend whose mother was a travel agent. It'd be worth maybe $100 bucks today if it was in good condition, but it's stained and the corners are full of pin holes from various placements on walls.

Flying these days is not nearly as fun as it used to be. I don't know if it's because I'm a grumpy adult now, or if it's because the fun isn't free anymore…

Happy Birthday, Alex.

Here are some more local shots from the hills in and around Dixon from the past few days.

and if that isn't enough, here's the Dixon Players Barbershop Quartet.

Thanks to all who came out (and came out again) for Hollys' Follies!