What is the daily life of an artist like? I bet you think it’s glamorous and wonderful. Well, it is pretty wonderful. Almost every day I get to wake up and look forward to bringing beauty into the world. A little at a time, I am adding to the positive side of this world’s happiness balance sheet.

Yesterday, I had the most exciting kiln opening. Here’s a pic of the little darlings looking up at me when I opened the kiln.

I’ve been making these ceramic birdies for a few years now. It took me a while to get exactly the look I wanted and now I enjoy making them every time! First, I start with a glob of clay and form the little body. Then, I add the head and wings and scoop out the inside. Once they are almost finished, I add the beaks and then the eyes. I look at their little faces and turn their heads till they give me exactly the expression I believe belongs to that perfect little birdie being. Once I feel the birdie looking back at me, I know I’m finished sculpting.

The next step is passive. I have to let them dry. Oh, patience… Anyway, living in California a good part of the year I can put them outside and they dry in just about a day! It get’s quite hot in Northern California and it’s perfect for drying clay birdies. In the winter, I just have to wait.

Lately, I’ve been playing with my birdies. I really love the simple ones and feel they are are just perfect. But, as with everything else, playing with them is half the fun. You’ll notice that the black and white couple, the penguins, and the colorful pairs are more fun than the simpler ones. So, with that in mind, I decided that a couple of these were just too boring. So, I’m reglazing the red ones and the blue ones by the penguins.

Here’s what they look like right now.

Before they go back into the kiln, they’ll get speckles and pretty colors. I’ll publish that kiln opening when it happens.

So, that’s what this artist’s days are like. Fun kiln openings, reglazing and playing with art. Ok, there’s laundry, cleaning, planning for Christmas, and feeding the dogs. But, that’s everyone’s life. Here I’d like to share a little of the magic that I am determined to never take for granted!