This week in Clayworld...

 This past week I built a new animal tree.  I made it all white.  It looks pretty classy the way it is, but it is going to be all gold everything.  I put in my order for new lusters, which was pretty expensive.  I am getting more gold, mother of pearl, turquoise, and purple.  I fired this kiln to 04.  The tree turned out pretty nice.  I was a little nervous that the low fire animals might melt again, but it worked out just fine.  I clear glazed a lot of dogs and little animals I had from a long time ago.  Several will be getting lustered.  I really hope the shipment gets here in plenty of time to fire an 018 before the show. 
I have been thinking about some things.  Brian seems pretty intent upon me doing bigger, more free form stacks of animals, which I was totally getting down with.  But, the work I have been making is very site specific and is being made specifically for my installation.  I do not think that a bigger, asymmetrical stack of animals will fit into the room.  The whole reason for the shape I am currently doing is to mimic the fruit tree, which adorned the tables of many a 1970's household.  I think the fruit tree is being overlooked, and the idea is morphing into a different concept.  I will say, I do like the idea, and it is something that I will not discount, but I do not think it fits in with my little granny kitsch room installation I am building.  A little old lady would not put an asymmetrical, free flowing stack of upside down animals on her mantle.  She would want a perfect stack of right-side-up cute little animal tree.  The homage to the fruit tree is getting lost, and I think it needs to be brought back into sight.  I do like the ideas of bigger, weirder stacks, but not for this installation.  I do not think it makes sense with what I am doing.

 Here are just some more shots in the kiln, pre-fire.

 I also made some more lil babes.

 I am really happy with the way our luster kiln came out.  The gold dressed little boy is just the right amount of creepy precious.  And, the duck, well, he speaks for himself.

 I am going to refire a few of these pieces because I think I may have put the glaze a tad too thin in some spots.  And the pink glaze I put on a couple looks horrible, so I am hoping more clear might help it out a little.

 Here is the finished tree and some of the other pieces from that kiln.  A few of the dogs and bunnies will get some gold.

Today I bought an awesome "pedestal" for my installation.  It is an old record cabinet with claw feet.  With some TLC it is going to be pretty nice.
I have been doing some juggling between school, art, work, life, looking through thrift stores for perfect additions to my installation, and working my ass off for art history.  I have been feeling the burn.  This is the first time I have felt so burnt out that I am actually done with school and ready to get the hell out.  I have been running on E in many aspects of my life right now.  But, I am pretty excited about my plans for the show.  It is costing some money, but as Tiffany once told me, "It costs a lot of money to make good art."  That is true.  I hope I have time to finish everything I want to get done.  Welp, I need to study for my Japan art history test.  I am about sick of looking at Japanese words. Haha.