Short

Life is short, it should have plenty of sweet moments in it.  Here's a list of 10 things science says will make you happy.  Somehow they left pottery off the list, maybe it's number 11.

Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff

Meatless Monday - Green Cheese Enchiladas

Enchiladas are so versatile. You can make them in a wide variety of different ways. Here's a meat free, bean free version that is really tasty and different.

Ingredients:

1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons butter

2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained; or 3 serrano chilies finely chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 large garlic clove, minced

1-3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

ENCHILADAS:

2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

12 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute spinach until wilted. Drain and remove. In same pan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add cream and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Stir in chilies, green onions, cilantro, garlic, cumin and spinach. Remove from heat; cool slightly. If desired, transfer to a food processor; cover and process until pureed. We left it chunky.
• Preheat oven to 375ｰ. In a large bowl, combine cheeses; set aside 1 cup for topping. Add onion and cilantro to remaining cheese mixture; toss to combine. Place about 1/4 cup cheese-onion mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
• Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Green Cheese Enchiladas

Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff

Drying Pots

People always ask me how long it takes a pot to dry. Answer "too long if you're in a hurry or too fast if you can't get back to the piece quickly."

The real answer is still dependent on a lot of factors like how much water was used in making the piece, was the slip ribbed off of it or not, the humidity level in the studio, thickness of clay, etc.  Sometimes we can speed up the drying process by putting the pot in the hot sun or a dying cabinet but that can cause cracking.  Sometimes we want to slow down the drying process to help prevent cracking and warping, that's where a wet box or plastic are handy.

If a piece has many attachments or has been altered and has seams, or if it's a plate or a tile, it's often a good idea to let it dry slowly, thus evenly.  One way I've learned to do this is to lightly cover the piece in thin plastic like you'd get from a dry cleaner.  If possible you should unwrap the piece once or twice a day and turn over the plastic so the side that was nearest the clay faces out.  This side will have trapped some moisture so by flipping it you gently allow the piece to dry.

Mugs Drying

Quick drying, as I stated earlier, can cause cracking due to uneven drying.  Clay shrinks as it drys so if it drys very unevenly it can pull itself appart.  Nobody likes that.  Making the piece thin, using less water, and cleaning off any excess slip can help a pot dry quicker but even drying is still very important.  I like to place my pots on a wire shelf to dry, that way they get air from as many sides as possible.  However, I have found that I still sometimes have to place a light piece of plastic on a rim to prevent it from drying out much faster than the bottom of the pot.  When the wire shelves are full I simply stand the pots on their rims and let the foot get the most air.  Of course you need to wait until the rim is dry enough to support the pot, normally this is a little bit before it's dry enough to trim the foot.

No matter how you dry your clay, it's something that needs to be done with patience or the pot will break in the kiln and all your work will be for nothing.

Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff

Functional Decorative Pots

The Macon Arts Alliance sent the check and inventory sheet for the pieces that sold at Fired Works.  Like most people, I don't love creating inventory sheets but they are invaluable so I make them.  What I learned from looking at this one is that people bought more functional pots than decorative pots.  That was not a shocker.  People can justify buying functional art because it has a use besides being pretty and making us happy.  I honestly get a lot of joy out of the functional pieces that I have collected from other potters.

My decorative pieces are usually either horse hair or ferric decorated which means they look really pretty in your home, they may even be a conversation piece, but don't put liquid in them or you'll have a puddle because they are naked and low fired.  But I did make some lamps and lidded jars that were decorated with ferric or horse hair and these were popular items.

Horse Hair Lamp

So now I'm thinking about what other functional pieces I can make using these decorating styles.  What would you like to see?

Have you been to mudcolony this week?

Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff

Wordless Wednesday - Primitive Cut Off Wire?