The Tiny Room

Did this demo piece for when I worked at the pottery studio I was apprenticing for. I was in charge of designing and teaching kids, so this was a kids project.

I didn't glaze it because when kids see colors they lose focus. They color glazed their's but I left mine unglazed so the sculpture was more focused.

The kids were way so creative, the project was make a bookend of your bedroom, and everything in it, including your pets.

I made this one so they could get an idea of scaling their project. It was truly fun! Mine was totally fictitious of course, I am the teacher. I put chocolate cookies on the lamp table and a glass. I also put a dog and a cat on the bed. I really love sculpting too, it really lets your creative juices flow.

The children I used to teach were Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. I mean they truly turned out some wonderful bedrooms. One boy even put his pet turtle in the fish tank that was on his dresser. This pottery was reduction fired to cone 12. Another boy said, finally I have a work of Art to display at my home, all my sisters art work is on the fridge, I have nothing, "But I do now"! lol lol :) They returned for another class and made other sculptures, I asked them if they wanted to try the wheel, they said, "Nah, we like doing this"! Works for me.....

Funny stuff for a gloomy day! :(

Did this gouache painting for Carrie, she wanted a gloomy, haunted castle. Well, here it is, it's "Elinore Castle" in Scotland.

The weather has been doing a real number on my psyche, whew, talk about depressing. Every time we get ready to go somewhere fun, here comes the rain.

Even the dogs are way so gloomy, and depressed. They look out the window, and sigh. Well, hope the summer weather will start to appear.

Our yard, and surroundings resemble the grounds on the Castle painting. At least we have not had any snow since the whopping snow storm. So here are some funny quotes, it helped brighten my day, hope it does yours:

If you're not familiar with the work of Steven Wright, he's the famous erudite scientist who once said: "I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates." Here are some of his gems: 1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. 2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back. 3 - Half the people you know are below average. 4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. 5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. 6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good. 7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 8 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain. 9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand. 10 - The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ...... but she left me before we met. 12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark? 13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink? 14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. 15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. 16 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. 18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. 19 - I intend to live forever.... so far, so good. 20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? 21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. 22 - What happens if you get scared half to death twice? 23 - My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder." 24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name? 25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. 26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. 27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. 28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread 29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. 30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. 31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up. 32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it. 33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film. 34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. And the all time favorite - 35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

Of course they are aliens!

Over thirty years of owning Pugs. Another saga in my life. I am not sure if everyone knows this but Pugs are truly ETs of the most wonderful kind. Only true Pug owners know this. It was not by coincidence that it was the dog chosen in "Men in Black", Frank the Alien. There is no other dog on the planet that is like a Pug in personality. You know I love all dogs, but Pugs, well you have to adore them and respect their alien ways.

You are their servants, at their beckoning call, to serve them with their needs why they look at you like Mr. Spock looked at Captain Kirk all the time, What an idiot these humans are"!

In the above photo is the Sire of our first Pug "Trump", to the left, to the right is his Father "Theodore". This photo was in the Purina Dog Chow Calendar. So let me explain our first experience when taking home a Pug.

We arrived at the breeder recommended to us from the Illinois Chapter of the AKC. Anyway this woman Fern was the head of the Illinois Great Lakes Pug Club. She came highly recommended for our daughter Carrie's first Pug. Carrie wanted to show her Pug so therefore we had to get a show quality Pug. The above Pugs were in the Westminster Dog Show.

This woman was a serious, serious, Pug breeder. Her house was Pug everything, fabulous Paintings of Pug Portraits on every wall, Pug carpeting, Pug dish-ware, Pug canisters, Pug toilette paper holders, Pug everything. Her Pugs were spectacular, spotless, and the house was perfect, and in order. She then took us on a tour of her house, and low and behold we were taken into the sacred chambers of awards. A whole room, top to bottom of trophies, ribbons, Sterling Silver trays, bowls, amazing.

Then on to the breeding of her Pugs. Volumes of documents, with Pugs of all kinds. She explained all the rules of purchasing one of her pups and what she expected from you. We explained how Carrie wanted to show her Pug, she smiled ear to ear and said, "That is just what I wanted to hear". She explained that if you purchase one of her Pugs it's name had to begin with a "T", all her Pugs had a "T" name. Trump, Theodore, Travis, Tody, Tipper, Timmy, and on and on.

So Carrie fell in love with her puppy pick and named him "Ti Ching"! Perfect Fern said. She then proceeded to sign papers, collect money, and gave us a huge bag full of new toys, bedding, prepared food for the pup, on and on. I said, "My gosh, people are not cared about this much"! lol lol :)

Well, Ti was perfect in every-way. Carrie started to show him and won every-time. This woman knew her stuff when it came to breeding. We then proceeded to acquire another Pug, "Tristan", and then another Pug "Thurston" from this woman. It was the only breed we ever owned all those years. In the area we were known as "The Pug People"! lol lol :)

Pugs are highly intelligent, oh so wonderful, and easily make themselves at home, and in your hearts. Unless you have been loved and accepted by a Pug, and owned by a Pug you will never understand what we are saying.

PUGS ROCK, PUGS RULE, AND THANK GOD THEY LANDED ON THIS PLANET!

I will be posting a photo album on FB in tribute to the best time of our lives, owning Pugs.