Anniversary

 July 2nd, 2014

It's hard for me to believe,  but it's been one year since I started this blog and my studio. I thought that's as good a time as any to give you an update.

Before I jump in with any photos... I have to say that this will probably be a continuous work in progress. Not as major as in the beginning, but like any good design, there are always reworkings to be done as you use and experience the space.

I want to begin with a few images of some recent pots that I've created in the new space.
These are all fairly large, 15" to 32". I'll post them from shortest to tallest.

 

 

I added a greenhouse top to the to garden box. The doors all have removable hinges so we can take them off in the hottest part of the summer.

 

 

     

 

 

 

From a different angle. 

 

And another... I added more perrenials that were suited for shallow soil and 

rock gardens.

We adopted a few more chickens...

Including two Silverlaced Polish. We're pretty sure this one is a rooster, which means we'll have to

 find him a new home eventually. In the meantime, I call him Po-Boy... short for Polish boy.

I revamped the coop to accomodate smaller chicks and birds that get sick.. 

 

I cleaned it up and insulated it so that a good portion of it could be used 

by Jill for her garden shed. 

This is the view of the backyard taken from the North end. The chicken coop and yard are right behind me.  

 And this is the view from the south end... You can see the coop beyond the hammock.Stan is on the right enjoying the warm glow from the fire pit. Molly is to the left having just turned her nose up at Stan's stinky green toy. Stan loves that toy and secretly wishes Molly did too.

 A close up of the hammock... there's no better place for a nap in the late afternoon.

 I changed the fountain around a bit. It's hard to tell from this picture, 

but the water flows out of the clay jar and makes a nice, small waterfall.

 I hung a piece my father made on the studio wall. He didn't think it was art.

 

I disagree.

 

I built two new garden boxes on the side of the house for corn and squash

 Jill's wildflowers in the front yard.

And the Violas that were table decoration at the Viola Awards show the night she won hers. 

Cat mint around the maple tree in front.

Spaghetti and butternut squash in the wheel barrow.

An updated image of the pallet/trashcan screen I made last summer.

And finally... the last piece of major equipment I needed for my studio... 

a Walker mixer/pugmill!

 

These things are built to last and this one was in pristine condition. But the best part of all was meeting the former owner, Phil Bellomo... He's a multi-talented artist, writer, teacher and sweetheart of a guy with great stories to tell. He studied at Alfred State College of Ceramic Arts back when the greats were teaching: Daniel Rhodes, Robert Turner, Ted Randall... He told stories of imported clays and Teaching Assistants named Val Cushing and Ken Ferguson. It was a great visit. 

Thank you Phil. I hope we can visit again. I promise to put the Walker to good use! Here is a link to his site and blog! http://bellomodesigns.com/bio.html;  http://philipbellomoart.blogspot.com/  .

I hope everyone has a great 4th. It's been a great year. Thanks for looking!

As you can see from the last shot, I added some herbs and new plants to the

side of the studio. Here's a better picture of that.