Kiln motor blows, kids' pottery, Bismarck art show and rabbits avoid the trap!

I can't believe we already needed to replace the blower motor on our kiln vent. It only lasted 3 years. The amount of rust and junk inside where the vent hose connects to the motor was crazy! I wonder if it is normal? I fire to cone 05 most of the time, with occasional firings to cone 5 and 6. I was shocked to find out that a new motor would be $85, plus the gas to drive 144 miles to pick it up and bring it home. When I told the guy I thought it would cost about $15- $20 he looked flabbergasted. I don't shop for motors very often...

Anyway, the kiln is full of really precious pottery - made by kids age 3-1/2 to 13 years. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Hopefully, nothing will come out cracked. I always tell the kids cracks are possible and to not fall in love with their pieces until the pots are out of the final firing.

I've made a lot of new pieces for the Bismarck (ND) Art Affair on the Capital Grounds next weekend. I hope the weather is great, not too hot because then the shoppers stay home and not too windy because then stuff gets dirty and blows over. I also hope the mosquitoes are under control - last year they were FEROCIOUS! Check out my new work - we'll get it posted to my shop (www.jackiesart.com) the middle of August.

We haven't trapped a single rabbit, despite my husband's best efforts. Someone in our neighborhood told us it is impossible to trap them in the summer because there is so much for them to eat that they aren't the least bit interested in the bait (even though it has been delicious spinach and peanut butter!) in the trap. Eric dug up 48 feet of zinnias that the rabbits chewed down to nothing. I miss the flowers that are usually so colorful by this time of year. Darn rabbits!

Visual Art, Pottery, Oil Painting, Virtual Visits, Google Street View

I got this info from my art teacher exchange site. This site has ideas and help for teachers in the visual art field. I thought it was really interesting and fun and am passing it along.

"Need some inspiration for your summer art and travels? Or are you having a
"staycation" this year? Here is an interesting site to rev you up:

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/ This is a network of artists who
virtually visit predetermined cities all over the world each month and paint
or draw from city views that appear on Google's Street View. They then post
their work on the blog. Interestingly, Google has given its okay for the
artists to use screen shots of the views and sell their work if Google is
credited in the labels or descriptions."

I went to the site to check it out and it's worth a look. I may use it with my students this year.

I'm working in my pottery studio today making 'garden guests' or 'patio pals'...I can't decide what to call them. They are little creatures like slugs and lady bugs and cats and puppies that hold terra cots pots. Which name do you like best?

How to catch a rabbit, new pottery design, other random thoughts

How to catch a rabbit? We don't know! Two nights in a row we have tried and each morning the trap was empty. Tonight will be the night, though! There are lots of hints on the internet, like wash the trap and get rid of any human smell and then handle it with gloved hands, use apples and peanut butter for bait - cut the pieces small and make a line of bait leading into the trap, and set it in the path where you know they run. We have your number, neighborhood rabbits!

I've been working on pottery for the garden this week - new designs that I will have for sale soon on my website and etsy and also at the Capitol Art Fair in Bismarck, ND the first weekend in August. The first of them are in the bisque kiln right now - hopefully, I've figured the size correctly and they will indeed hold flower pots after firing. I hate doing the math to figure out the shrinkage, so I always just guess...dumb, I know.

I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow preparing a lot of food for a family reunion we are having this weekend in honor of my dad's 80th birthday. He is still working every day, even though he is retired...taking care of property and other investments, doing the yard work and vacuuming since my mom can't manage that any longer. I hope I'm still as blessed when I'm 80!