TV Test Card

The cats have been helping me with the accounts.... how exhausting for them!

If I had an old fashioned television test card to put up on my blog, I would do so! It would be a sign that this blog is still active, but the blog owner is too busy to post at the moment! It is true that I am too busy. I have three or four urgent deadlines that are all demanding attention at the same time. These include such things as getting new work done for an exhibition that opens next weekend (two firings to go!!), wading through the annual accounts in time for the IRD deadline, writing something for a magazine, and the list goes on and on.

Of course there are lots of things I would like to talk about..., but most will have to wait, or be forgotten. So this will be mostly pictures.

Here is a crystal glazed pot that I made recently.

Here is a close up of the crystals. These are so much like ice patterns, and they make me think of how interesting our world is and our way of measuring and understanding it. Water would have these patterns form at 0 degrees Centigrade, the glaze that I use forms these "ice" patterns at more than 1100 degrees C! I guess that 1100 Centigrade must be near the glaze's freezing point.

If you look carefully at this photo, you will see the reflection of a cat on the right hand side!

This makes me think about how human centered our way of looking at the world is. 0 Centigrade is the freezing point of water, something that we see and experience in our everyday world. It feels cold to us, but not too uncomfortable. What sort of creature would live in a world where freezing was measured at 1100 degrees C!!

Whilst I am grappling with science and pondering our human sized viewpoint, Ginger is doing an advanced study into the theory of flight. He realizes that his first attempts at flight will be primitive, so he has reasoned that establishing some altitude before actually trying to get airborne, may well give him some time on the way down to sort out the finer details of how to generate lift, overcome drag, and achieve some measure of lateral control.

Following this are some photos that I took recently at our beach. I was captivated by the texture and colour of wet and dry sand in the winter light.

Fossil waves! Lines left by the lapping of the last high tide.





Notice the wonderful blue light in the shadows, this was not a trick of the camera, but was actually there.


Sorry this is rather short, but I must go and get busy again! Kind Thoughts!

Comments

Linda Starr said…
Great photos, and amazing patterns the waves make.
Peter said…
Nice to hear from you Linda. I keep hoping that I will find a way of incorporating the patterns that I see into my work, but... it is something that is taking time to sort out. Glad you liked the photos.
Hannah said…
Hi Peter, thanks for the comments on my blog. Hope the deadlines aren't wooshing past too quickly.
Love the cat on the beam picture and the beach ones. There are some fabulous textures at beaches. take care
cookingwithgas said…
your pictures say a lot!
And tell ginger that the way to learn to fly is to throw yourelf at the earth and miss.
Best on all you have going on and hope to read you soon!
Angie said…
I really enjoyed your blog today ...a little of several things. Love your water photos ...often I take hundreds when down on the beach yet use very few ...its fun just seeing what one captures.
Those crystals are wonderful ... I love the blue ...seems to feel right as does the white you showed previously.
Last but not least ...the cats ...they have been so busy with life ... poor tuckered out kittys...ahhhhhhh. As for Ginger ... that photo made me smile ...we have a couple who think they can defy gravity.
ang design said…
gorgeous crystal work peter, and the beach pics look chilly and cool!! cant believe the smile on gingers face!!
Dad said…
That wasn't a smile Ang: Ginger was contemplating freezing at 1100C, smart cat that he is. (He even knows what side his paws are buttered on)
Pat - Arkansas said…
Greetings from 100 degree (F) Arkansas. I could use a wee bit of your cooler weather right now.

The crystals are beautiful, the wave patterns are amazing, the cats are ... cats! Your capture of a cat face reflected in the glaze is definitely "a keeper."

Wishing you much success at your ex
hibition.
jim said…
hi peter, i know that feeling about being too busy to blog. nice crystals as always and that second cat picture is hilarious.
Peter said…
Dear All,
Thank you so much for your comments, they made me laugh, which is just what we need! I will tell Ginger to "throw himself at the earth and miss", a wonderful line that! I am currently "kiln sitting". The kiln is just past the peak of a firing as I write, and I am waiting for it to cool down to 1100 Centigrade, then I will begin the holding part of the firing where the crystals have a chance to grow.
Armelle said…
Wonderful blue crystal and blue light lines in the shadows. Ginger is so amazing !!!
I was away for a few days, and enjoy to be a tourist in my country. Now, I have to go back to the clay.
Best wishes to all
Christine said…
Too busy to blog, that is a familiar feeling. I always enjoy your blog even if I AM bad at leaving comments regularly, that is a 'too busy' thing too. Loved the watery rippely photos. And what can I say about those cats!
Peter said…
Hi Armelle and Christine, lovely to hear from you both.

Armelle, it is very nice to be a "tourist" at home sometimes. If I take my camera with me to Dunedin (40 km away) I can feel like a tourist there, and it helps me to see it with "fresh eyes" and enjoy the place more.

Christine, I too am often a "silent" reader of blogs, usually I just can't organize my thoughts enough to comment, but enjoy seeing what everyone is up to.

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