The Clay Teacher Blog

Cindy-Lou, Cindy-Lee and more videos.

February 1, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, clay, community, Coutts, customers, friends, fun, life, marketing, neighbours, new life, pottery, retirement, selling, small town, The Clay Teacher, video, walking, workCindy Clarke

Coutts AB is a village of about 250 people. Last week a customer wanted to mail me a cheque to pay for a bowl and she asked for my address. I sent her the address, but what I didn’t tell her was that she could just send it to ” Pottery Cindy, Coutts AB” and I would get it. There are only two Cindy’s living in Coutts. I am Cindy-Lee and the other is Cindy-Lou. We are both friends with the lady in the Post Office and Tracey, the post office lady, would know which one is Pottery Cindy. If for some reason Cindy-Lou got mail for Cindy-Lee, she would walk over to my house and give it me. There are only about 15 streets and avenues in total in Coutts, so walking all the way across town to deliver a letter is not a problem. Being new town, everyone knows where the new people live.

We have been busy in the studio making pots and making videos. Here are the next two episodes in the saga of Studio Life in Coutts.

Winter has returned. Last week we were out walking in our shirtsleeves and this morning I woke to -18C with a nasty wind. Dang….. I am looking forward to spring. I am hoping for a cloudy start to the day tomorrow and that little smelly groundhog does not see his shadow. Fingers crossed! No more winter.

Until next time.

AKA Mrs. Clay

I’ve been shot.

January 24, 2015Art and Motivation, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, Coutts Public Library, customers, friends, fun, neighbours, pottery, retirement, small town, The Clay Teacher, video, workCindy Clarke

Jim posted the first few videos we shot and I have let a few days slip by and I a few videos behind. Here are episodes 5 and 6. Please keep in mind, I am much taller, slimmer and younger than I am in real life.

For more information about the library, here is a link. We have episode 7 waiting in the wings. I will post that soon with pictures of the gnomes the kids made Friday afternoon.

Until next time.

AKA Mrs. Clay

No clay and time to play.

January 11, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, clay, community, Coutts, customers, fun, motivation, new life, pottery, retirement, sculpture, small town, The Clay Teacher, workCindy Clarke

Last week we had planned a clay run to Medicine Hat, but the weather was so miserable we stayed home. It has been around minus 20 with a lot of wind making it a good time to stay home. I have pots I should be making, but I am almost out of clay, so I took some time to play.

Face Vase profile.

His eyes still need a little work.

I will rip his eyebrows off in the morning, I don’t like them. I will give him his pupils and add a bit more “meat” to the area. It is good to see a picture of what you are doing and get a different perspective. I don’t like his eyes, but I think the changes will help. I enjoyed playing with his face and it doesn’t matter, at this point, if I like his eyes or not. I like playing with them. It was a nice day of working with face while talking to my daughter on the phone.

Friday was the first day back for the kids class. We had a good turnout and they made some Arctic Scenes. They did a wonderful job, even the little ones. I thought we might as well celebrate the winter as we certainly have been having our share.

One little boy thought that if a few extras on the piece were nice, more had to be better. We are still working on, less is more.

I got the few pots trimmed that I made last week,

But then I had to clean all over again.

Tuesday we are planning the clay run. We have to drive to Medicine Hat, about 2 hours away. We will make it pay trip with a Costco shop, a stop at Super Store and a few more stops. After a couple of stores, I am more than ready to head back home. The longer we live in this small town, the more I prefer it to the city, even a small city like Medicine Hat or Lethbridge.

Until next time,

AKA Mrs. Clay

Ugly new glaze and no seniors walking, except us.

January 6, 2015Art and Motivation, Glazes, Life in a small town., New Year, News, Pottery, Resolutions, Studio Life, Throwingart, clay, community, Coutts, friends, fun, glaze, Glazing, life, neighbours, pottery, retirement, Seniors, walkingCindy Clarke

Jim and I have been am trying to get more people using the school. Here in Coutts, there is this wonderful old school that is no longer a public school but an Arts and Rec Centre. It houses my studio, the local library, a massage therapist, and a storage/ practice room for the local country/ rock band. There is some use of the facilities, but for the most part, it is underutilized. Monday was to be the start of the Senior’s Walk. The school has a gym and weight room that are almost always empty. Since I am at the school and in my studio weekdays, I opened the doors to the local seniors. The idea was to get people out of the house and have a safe and warm place to get a little exercise. However Mother Nature had plans of her own.

Minus 20 Celsius and 70 Kilometer winds is not a good way to start the week, or to get seniors, or anyone else for that matter, out of the their house. The school was quiet this morning, so I cranked the music and cleaned the studio. She looks good, a great way to start the New Year. Clean and tidy. It won’t last, but ….. so

Looking at the wheel in a very tidy studio. — The studio after a morning of cleaning.

Another look at the tidy studio. — Looking the other way.

I should have had before pictures to go with the after shots, but trust me, it was an unorganized mess. I had the ladies clay classes with a Christmas party and then the kids class and party. There were orders to get out, a couple of little trade shows and the Galleria in Calgary. Last year, when I was done, I walked out and shut the door. It was on its way to Hell in a hand cart, but it got refused at the door for being too messy.

Last year I was playing with what I thought was to be a new blue glaze, but it’s not what I had hoped for. I plan on working on some new glazes later this month, but I have never really liked experimenting with glazes. We will see how it goes and how much I get done. My next blue has to be better than this syrupy sweet, baby powder blue. The test looked interesting.

Small light blue bowl. — Little blue test bowl.

But as it got onto larger pieces, it reminded me of eating chocolate. The first little taste is good, but once it gets big, it is just too much. Candy Blue will not be seen again.

Yucky powder blue platter with bland splash. — Yucky blue platter with bland washed out iron splash.

A table of an assortment of wet pots. — First pots in 2015.

It felt good to back at work today and in such a tidy work space. I use a blend of two clays, and I have to pug to blend all the clay I use. Before the Christmas break, I pugged a couple of bags or so, and today I threw what was mixed. When I ran out of clay, I had the option of pugging more, or walking laps in the school. Jim came down and we walked in the school. Fourteen times around, the inside, is one mile, a bit boring and a lot safer than walking outside on the ice.

Until next time.

AKA Mrs. Clay

Wow, next year already!

January 4, 2015Christmas, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., News, Resolutions, Studio LifeChristmas, Christmas dinner, Coutts, friends, fun, life, neighbours, new life, New Year, New Year's Eve, Resolution, retirement, small town, The Clay Teacher, workCindy Clarke

Another year bites the dust and we are in the first week of 2015. Where does time go? When my daughter was about 3, I said that , and she told me “behind the clouds”. I never understood what that meant. My son, being a pilot, should be able to get me some time back…… Jim and I have gone through a number of changes in the past year and I look forward to more in 2015. I often got melancholy on New Year’s Eve, sad to see one year go and other start. Not this year “Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades“. New Year’s Eve was a good one. We went to visits friends for a while. Friends we didn’t know this time last year. Then back home for midnight.

Every year at this time, a lot of people start making New Year resolutions. Next year I will be thinner, eat less, exercise more, and so one. They all talk about change and the changes they want to make in their lives. The changes I want to make are the same ones I have wanted for years, all the ones I listed above. I have “battled the bulge” my entire life. Living here is different than most places. People accept you for who you are. It doesn’t matter what you look like. There are of people all sizes and they accept me, themselves and everyone else, for who they are. If I want to loose any weight, it is only for me. The only Coutone’s opinion that should matter. This year I plan to be healthier. I feel much better when I eat properly and exercise. Healthy food and exercise, it is not as easy as it sounds.

The holidays are over. We ate, drank, stayed up late and watched way too much TV. Spent time with family and friends. It was a great holiday and a good break, but it is time to get to work.

I wish everyone all the best in 2015. May it be a year of health and happiness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Until next time.

AKA Mrs. Clay

After the fall.

December 27, 2014Christmas, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., NewsChristmas, Christmas dinner, Christmas show, Christmas Tree, community, Coutts, fall, friends, fun, hospital, ice, kids, neighbours, new life, Pot Luck Dinner, retirement, slip, walkingCindy Clarke

My son John flying back from Calgary AB.

Christmas Eve Day was quiet and lazy. My son John drove down the day before and we were just sitting around the house. He brought his dog Harvey, and Harvey was getting a little bored. I decided to take take the dog out for a walk. We were going over to the neighbours later that evening, and a tired dog is better alone than a bored one. Jim came along. We like to walk and before the weather had turned cold we were walking about an hour a day. The streets were snowy and icy, but we were careful, or so we thought. We had been walking for a few blocks, and all of a sudden Jim’s feet went strait out from under him. He tensed and arched his back and landed on the back of his head on the road. His head, when it hit, made a horrible cracking noise, he let out a breathy groan through clinched teeth, and rolled into the fetal position. Now I don’t have a lot of medical training, but I thought this can’t be good.

He got up after a few moments and said he could walk home…. Yeah right……We didn’t take a phone with us, as we were just going for a short walk. I could have phoned John to come and get us. We went to a friends house just across the street from where Jim fell to call John to pick us up. I have only speed dialed John for the last few years, and in the excitement, I couldn’t remember his number. Lori, the friend, said she would give us a ride. I got in the back or her SUV with the dog, and Jim was to get in the passenger seat, but he just stood at the back bumper, not moving. I got out and helped him into the car. We drove the few blocks to home. He got out and waited outside by the door for John to come out and take us to the hospital. We went to the hospital, and as we drove, he couldn’t remember the fall. He didn’t remember going to Lori’s, the ride with her, or getting in John’s car. As we drove, he didn’t remember the fall or talking about it a minuet before. As I said, I don’t have a lot of medical training, but I thought this can’t be good.

When we got to town and turned to get to the hospital, he knew where he was and the memories started recording again. He had lost about half an hour of memories. It was like the recorder stopped. The doctor checked him out and Jim is fine. He has a nasty bump on his head, a very sore neck and his body feels like he was bounced it off the pavement, but he is okay. He was wearing his Buffalo Joe hat .He is not as scary as he looks in the hat and unlike the boy, he isn’t a pilot, he just likes the hat. I think the leather around his head saved him from it being much worse. His naked head on the frozen pavement would not have fared as well. We went to the neighbours for Christmas Eve, but we didn’t stay late.

We had a quiet Christmas and Jim stayed comfortable in his jammie pants. Boxing Day was laid back, and John went home that afternoon to his life in Edmonton.

The fall happened so fast. One minute we are walking and talking about Christmas, the next minute we are on the way to emergency. Jim will be fine, sore for a while, but fine. The fall made it very clear how fragile our life is, how quickly things can change. For Christmas, the gift I got, was to keep my new life and the people I love, in it. How could I ask for more?

Group hug Christmas 2012 — The family Christmas 2012

Until next time.

AKA Mrs. Clay

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of ………Christmas….???

December 22, 2014Christmas, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., NewsChristmas, Christmas dinner, Christmas Tree, clay, community, Coutts, friends, fun, life, Light up, neighbours, new life, Pot Luck Dinner, pottery, retirement, small town, Snow, The Clay Teacher, workCindy Clarke

Christmas time, and the livin’ is easy the snow is dumpin’ and the drifts are high …….

This is the first year since for…..ever….. I am ready for Christmas. The house is clean, well as clean as it is gonna get. The baking is done, again, as done as I am going to be. I’m just waiting for Christmas. Oh don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, it just feels weird. This time of year is usually so crazy busy. Last year we were working on the house here and overwhelmed by the size of the job. We had to drive back 600 K to Edmonton on the 23rd, 450 K to Grande Prairie on the 24th. Then back to Edmonton Christmas Day to finish packing up the house to move out by year end. The years before we were working right up to Christmas and then I had all the prep to do. The kid or kids were home. This year is so nice.

We celebrated Christmas this past week with the community here in Coutts. We went to the seniors Christmas party, a pot luck and gift exchange. That was a HOOT.

We had a fun gift exchange of Rob Your Neighbour. On you turn, you can take a new gift from the table, or if you like someone else’s gift, you can take theirs. It was a lot of laughs. We almost had to take home an old and re-gifted box of very smelly men’s stuff, but at the last moment, some one surprising took it. The box of chocolates Jim ended up with was much better.

Next we had the ladies Clay Class party. We had some food , drinks and another fun gift exchange. The girls made some wonderful pieces for their first time working with clay.

Ladies at the Christmas party. — Some of the girls.

Kelly's Mouse House Door. — Kelly’s Mouse House Door.

Friday we had the kids clay class party, but we didn’t get any pictures. We had 13 kids after their last day at school, just before the ski-doo party. We fed them some sugar, supplied the with all kids of paints and for some reason, we got busy and forgot to take pictures. It wasn’t until they had left in a flurry of parents, hugs and goodbyes, that we looked at the mess in the studio and thought ….. shudda taken some pics. Next thought was just leave the mess and close the door. It will be there next year. We did just that.

My son arrives tomorrow for a few days of doing nothing and taking the entire time to finish. We plan to visit the neighbours for Christmas Eve and then just us three for Christmas and Boxing Day. We will eat, drink and binge watch Netflix for a few days and then he goes back to Edmonton Saturday or Sunday.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best of the season. I hope you all have a very happy, healthy, wealthy and wise New Year.

Relax and enjoy!

Until next time,

AKA Mrs. Clay

50/50 a few times.

December 15, 2014Christmas, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., NewsChristmas, Christmas baking, Christmas dinner, Christmas Tree, community, Coutts, friends, fun, life, marketing, neighbours, new life, play, Pot Luck Dinner, retirement, small town, Snow, Sweetgrass HillsCindy Clarke

Last week we went to the Christmas party and had a hoot. I got dressed up, but not take my picture and post, it dressed up. We went with the neighbours and it was the first time in years, that we went out with another couple. We had one of the best catered turkey dinners I have had. The caterer forgot the stuffing in the oven until it was almost over, but it was very good. She felt terrible, but those who got stuffing said it was great. They have a 50/50 draw every year at the dinner, but they decided that 50 percent of the pot was too much for one person, so they have 50/ 25/ 25, they call it 50/ 50 a few times.

Senior's Supper in Milk River. — Senior’s Supper in Milk River.

Friday we drove to Shelby MT, about 30 minutes from here, to get our first Bountiful Basket. It is a co-op that we joined and every week you get a basket filled with veggies and fruit. It will be about half and half, but you never know what you will get. It was more for the adventure than the food. It was fun. We did a little shopping, had some greasy fried chicken, picked up some internet orders and came home with a box full of healthy. One of the online orders was our new rug. Our present to us this year, is under the tree, the new rug.

New rug and our Christmas Tree. — New rug under the tree.

Going through the border can sometimes be a challenge. We go through the border more times in a week, than others do in a life time. We get to know some of the officers and they know us. Last Friday it took over an hour to get through, the computers went down. When we finally got to the window, Jim made a comment to the officer about it being one of those days. The fellow said he was there for 8 hours, if we went through fast or slow it made no difference to him. It was one of the those days for us. Then he shared a true story from when he had first started. He told his boss that he had really messed up. The boss asked if he killed the traveler? As long as the guy is not dead, the boss could fix it.

Christmas deer in our yard. — Baby wants Mom to play in the snow.

Friday it was 14 C ( 55 F ) and the grass had a green tinge to it. Winter hit hard Saturday and the world is white again.

Snow on the Sweetgrass Hills.

Today is Christmas baking day. I feel the domestic side of me lurking in the shadows of our new house. I will bake, clean and get ready for Christmas. We have two more Pot Lucks to attend this week and our son is coming next week.

As we settle into the new life, it feels more and more lucky that we landed here. It is like 50/50 a few times and we won them all.

AKA Mrs. Clay