Pickle Winners!

Yay! The Bread and Butter pickles won Second Place at the MD State Fair! I'm shocked. I didn't win anything for the jams, which is fine; but the Bread and Butter Pickle category is usually pretty stiff competition. I didn't expect to place in that category, let alone second place. Pretty cool. I have to write to my grandmother and tell her that. It's basically her recipe, with some added spice modifications. I have to admit, I was feeling pretty smug.

I love the State Fair. I love to see all the hard work that goes into stuff... the people who sit there all summer trying to grow the perfect eggplant or gourd. They just take such pride in it, and it's nice to see. I didn't see any micro tomatoes there this year, which made me wonder if I should enter them next year. Hmmm.

I have more sculpture and mosaic pictures to put up, I just haven't gotten to it yet. I did some more work on the fish last night; I am finding this one to be really challenging. Going along, you establish a pattern and a direction for the rows of tile. But especially with a cut out form like the fish, you start to run into problems with how those rows come together while still working with the overall form. Do the rows run straight across, or follow the outside edge? It gets harder as you get to the end because it all has to come together and you have less and less space. All of a sudden, the way you have been working on it for weeks doesn't make sense. I think this wouldn't happen if I was using a rectangular board; then it's just a grid in rows across. Anyway, I will sort it out, I'm sure.

I am thinking about taking Hand Built Tableware this fall at Clayworks. My teacher from Botanical Sculpture is teaching it, and it looks like fun. I just have to see if I can afford it. I'd like to take the open studio option, but I'm afraid I don't have the discipline to get myself there to work on anything if I don't have a specific class to show up for. I had a hard enough time getting there any time outside of class this summer. I'd like to make some big forms to build mosaics on; just hand build them and bisque fire them. I have been contemplating the idea of a 4' yellow mosaic cat for the front yard.

I guess I'm just rambling now. Probably because I'm bored at work.