Clayton Hill Studio

Posted on November 24, 2015 by claytonhill

So, yeah … we tried it:

Cheeseburger soup – in the crockpot. Umm, with the Velveeta ‘cheese’ … Call it comfort food for our weekend’s hard work:

If you’re feeling hypotensive, it will surely bring your blood pressure up. I’m not saying I wouldn’t play with the recipe again (minus the Velveeta/salt-lick)… I like comfort food as much as the next full-figured gal, but – WOW was this crazy salty (and SO did NOT need the crumbled bacon garnish)!

Now to clean up this studio and plan for some SALAD menus …

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Posted on November 21, 2015 by claytonhill

Bad weather, good day …

We had a fairly impressive snowstorm today, the first of the season … during our show. That was kind of a bummer, and made for a chillier than usual green house. But, we still had a good day at Arts & Greens 2015. Here’s our booth:

We also brought Gus with us. He was a hit, and such a good boy! I think we tuckered him out with all of the excitement. Here’s a quick pic of him napping on my lap, staying warm:

I’ll be bringing a few ‘fresh-from-the-kiln’ pieces, so come on out and see us at Bogie Lake Greenhouse tomorrow …

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Posted on November 20, 2015 by claytonhill

With Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap …

Yep, we’re loaded and ready to go. So, sure – I’ve got two kilns running with ‘last minute’ glass … DH spent the day loading our trailer, checkin’ the tires and telling me to quit ‘making stuff’! (Umm … Never!!!) But, look at what we made!

So, later today, while we set up our home-away-from-home spot (kind of like camping) for the next 3 days … my kilns will be working. Right now, I’m moving these along for the next round and have this tile slumping … and … [Fingers crossed!]

Stop by and say ‘Hi!’ if you’re in the neighborhood this weekend …

Oh, and – don’t forget Granny! Winking smile

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Posted on November 18, 2015 by claytonhill

T-3 … still moving!

And feeling good. Just waiting for my coffin load to cool to the point of touching … (145 degrees right now). They didn’t all work out, but … I can work with this.

In the meantime, we have a handful of cabochons that I like; And, I love my Olafs:

I’ll slump the bowls tomorrow, and sandblast the yellow/black pieces from my last post for more ornaments and night lights (which are cooking in the production kiln now). Tonight, I am packaging up ornaments … Tick-tock – it’s all good!

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Posted on November 18, 2015 by claytonhill

Still prepping …

With 3 days to go before our show, I’m still playing with new ideas. I’ll get these in the kiln tonight, and should still have time to get everything slumped, packed and ready to roll. [Famous last words???] But, wow – I like them!

All three kilns running tonight (as I finally have the coffin kiln FULL). I love that!!! Winking smile Hope I get to finish these before the weekend … fingers crossed!

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Posted on November 14, 2015 by claytonhill

Tapestry

My first tapestry trial. A simple design, but I like it. So many ideas and colors to try. Time to see what the ‘kiln gods’ do with it. Oh, and go work in the ER …

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Posted on November 13, 2015 by claytonhill

I still have 7 days …

before our show. So, ya know, not panicking … I’m too busy making, making and playing! Will I get it all done? NOPE! It’s ok!

Here’s what we’ve got:

I’ve started a tapestry trial; My crackle bowl with color reactions; I made my own mylar stencils, as I was getting frustrated with powder wafers. (Had to run it through my plotter 5 times! But, I got it!!!) So now I have a few TMNT ornaments to fire …

And, DH has been playing, too. His take on embossed thinfire (he painted both sides!)and new torch cabs …

When I need a break, I work on a chain maille bracelet – niobium wire in a barrel weave pattern. No time to panic! Winking smile Next up – a bit of weekend ER nursing fun …

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Posted on November 9, 2015 by claytonhill

A quick experiment …

I learned a new technique on Sunday, so – I had to drop everything to give it a try. I painted enamel on glass separator (thinfire), embossed it, stuck it on a piece of painted clear glass (capped with clear) and fired that bugger. It definitely has some possibilities. (Pre-fire and fired.)

It did remind me that Glassline paint alone on clear glass isn’t beautiful with light coming through it (the green area). And, while the green is Glassline’s bubble paint … it doesn’t do the ‘bubble thing’ nearly as much as UGC’s bubble line …

We also tried the painted thinfire face up (paper punched fleur-de-lys), and just capped with glass (L=white, R=clear glass. It has some interesting possibilities too, as it retains some of the paint while the paper fires out … Hmmm …

And, lastly – we capped a punched out painted fleur-de-lis between clear and colored glass … I still have this large piece of painted thinfire to play with – but want to ruminate on some ideas first. Oh, and get ready for our show in T-12 days …

Back to work!

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Posted on November 7, 2015 by claytonhill

29 … and holding?

Happy Birthday to me! I’d say I had a great 17th anniversary of my 29th birthday, but …

It started out perfect. Playing in the studio with the Mongrels and Gustifer, working on bowls and ornaments, followed by a dinner with the family at our traditional restaurant. [My adult kids, BTW … all beautiful, healthy, smart … and so very different in personalities, interests and career paths. A true joy to sit back and ‘take in’ …] And that’s where the great day took a detour … I have food allergies, so I’m typically super cautious when I do choose to eat out. Well … not tonight. I didn’t bother to check and double check with the waiter and cook staff. Eight hours after dinner and I’m starting to feel human again …

So, I’m test driving ‘46 years of age’ now … back in my studio … at 3 am. Hmm, I like it.

I’ll leave with a quick pic of my ornaments waiting to fire. I had a request for a Pug ornament, so – my interpretation; reindeer fun; and a wedding couple. Next up, more grinder time minus any more food mishaps … and a few hours of ER nursing fun.

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Posted on November 4, 2015 by claytonhill

Frit play …

What once started as an ‘oops’ project is now being trialed intentionally … a bright peacock spoon rest:

And platters: Snowmen, Bon Appetite and Pumpkin Patch … yep, it’s a Creative Paradise (molds) kind of day. Fingers crossed that I set my program right!