Mugs and American Craft Magazine

My friend in Etsy emailed me about the article in the American Craft Magazine.  I had no idea what she was talking about at first. I googled "the American Craft Magazine", and with my surprise, a picture of my mugs and the article.  I got the magazine in a mail later, and here there was.  Editor’s chief of the American Craft Magazine, who bought my mug in the Etsy last year wrote great article in the current issue of the American Craft Magazine.  Here is a link.

Fallout

I found this sign in my building.



Well, 20 days past after the earthquake in Japan. My families and friends are all right.  It was very hard to separate myself even being in US. I was glued to the Japanese television through the internet.  It was great to get that kind of feeds, which was not imaginable 5 years ago. The Skype has been  great  as seeing the face made so much easier to understand the magnitude of the event.

I was particularly interested in getting the information of the nuclear plants since the day 1, that was main concerns directly to Tokyo.  I have been following the news conference by  Tokyo Electric.  The last couple days, it is getting very obvious that they have no idea what is going on as they have no working tool to monitor, and the radiation is getting too server to bring the people into the critical area for stabilizing the reactor, (fixing the cooling system, which was damaged by the tsunami), or fly a helicopter over the reactor building.  The last line of the defenses (three layer of containment vessel) are breached, and leaking the radioactive materials in air, sea and underground. Only things they can now is to pump the water into the reactor to maintain the current temperature and pressure from raising higher, therefore not explode , and cool the reactor core gradually for next several months(?) to stabilize temperature, while leaking these pumped water as the circulation system is not working.  Very bad, indeed.  Complete lack of preparedness for the worst case scenario.  In the case of  the BP’s gulf oil spill, they worked several angles to solve the leak at the time, and they at least showed that they knew  what’s going on.  I did not see that kinds of approach here.  Last 20 days, they put everything to one resource,  hit a bump, then think something .  During the news conference, some reporter pointed out this is a repeat of the Imperial (military)  Headquarter announcement.  During the world ware II, every news started, the Imperial (military)  Headquarter announced today, that we are wining everywhere, even  after the  Hiroshima, meaning they lied to the teeth.  I just cannot believe this level of company operates  the nuclear plants. There are 55 of them in Japan.

Well...

11 days past the earthquake in Japan.  My family and friends are safe.  I was very hard for me to watching TV, and talking to my family.  They are in Tokyo, so they had no direct damage, but got a large earthquake and following lots of aftershocks, which they have never experienced before.  Now, the radiation scare starts to set-in. My parent lives near many foreign embassies, and are customs to see many foreign people. They told me most of foreign people are gone home, and the supermarket specializing the foreign goods are vacant.  I hope quick recovery.

I had very good firing over the weekend. A bowl in one of the saggar with a tight cover got too much reduction.  I will put a gap at the lid at the next firing.



Teapot 5-7 are fired.

[caption id="attachment_1440" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Teapot 5 fired"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1441" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Teapot 6 fired"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1442" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Teapot 7 fired"][/caption]

Teapot 10 & 11

Snow is melting quickly.   I still feel stiff, but am going to be all right.

There teapot are made this week.  Try different shapes.

[caption id="attachment_1434" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Teapot 10"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1435" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Teapot 11"][/caption]

I hit a deer today.

It was like a deer falling from the sky.  I was driving a kind of business road around noon, the deer landed on the front hood of the van, and moved toward the windshield and flew away.  I saw her flew about 50 feet through the rear view mirror.  I have a stiff neck right no, but think I am ok.  I was extremely lucky, but the poor deer was not.  If I was driving a bit faster, she probably went through the windshield and landed on me.  The person driving behind me told me that  I had no chance to avoid.  He was hoping the deer run faster than the car.  I have had a near miss several times in the past, and saw a deer hitting other cars before. I never thought to hit the deer middle of the day.  I am still shaky, have an image of her moving toward me.  It is not good feeling. The van is in the shop.  I know that the front hood is beyond repair and the bumper has a split.  I do not know the extent of the damage inside the hood yet.  Yea, this is my 50th birthday, I will never forget.

Flux

This is a piece I made for the show.

Teapot 1 & 4 fired

After a blast of the snow last Friday, things calmed down, and fired the kiln on Wednesday.  I gave up the bottom two shelves due to oxidation and placed the unglazed ware there last firing. When I was loading this week, I thought using this as a saggar (flip over and used as a cover) to see.  It turned out the ware inside the saggar got reduction while other pieces around was oxidized. Funny thing.  I did not put anything to help reduction inside the saggar.  This needs further testing.



Teapot 1 and 4 are fired.  I like both.  Come out good.

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Teapot 1 fired"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1422" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Teapot 4 fired"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1423" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Teapot 9"][/caption]

Flux: Thaw opens tomorrow at 5pm at the Hungerford building.  You will pleasantly surprise .  It is great show with wide arrays of media.