Recycling 'Me ol' Rank Darlin''

                                   This week I have been working my way through my clay
                                   collection recycling and bringing it up to a usable consistency.
                                                         Below is just recycled commercial clay,
                                                 nice and predictable and comfortable to reclaim.....
                                          

                                   On the other hand.....
                                   You may recall in my previous blogs that I have named
                                   the clay that I collected along the Darling River in Wilcannia
                                   last year as 'Me ol' Rank Darlin' as its perfume could be described
                                   as essence of wild hog, feral cat and goat with an aroma that
                                   lingers on the body and fills the air like a rubbish tip on a hot day.
                                         

                                   This clay has the added unique personality of being full of burrs.
                                   After pushing a bucket full of slurry through a sieve during
                                   preparation I found that I was able to contemplate for some time
                                   on what special properties these burrs possess.

                                           Below are some that have been left behind in the sieve.


                                            
                                  

                                   The rest are now firmly lodged in my fingertips and are creating
                                   a unique throbbing sensation that only an outback burr can do.
                                   mmmmm................. BETTER BE NICE CLAY!!!!!!  :(

                                  I have been throwing and hand building raku and stone ware pieces
                                  as I slowly build up enough work to fire....

                             These 3, made last week, are now finished and on the drying shelf.



                                  As always life is very full and I just have to do what I can,
                                  when I can and I am happy about that.
                                  Fortunately it has been cold and wet here and work can be left
                                 for a couple of days at a time with out drying too much.

                                  Here is some work from this week....

                                 I am off this weekend to Melbourne with some fellow Mud Colony
                                 bloggers to check out a couple of other potters studio spaces
                                 and their recent works.
                                 Should be fun and filled with muddy talk :)