First, we filled some plastic storage bins with sand. Any large containers will work for this. Then we made indentations in the general shape of mushroom tops, inverted. Anouk placed glass gems and bottle tops in the sand for decoration.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Concrete garden mushroom project
Here is a fun project that would be fairly simple for anyone to do at home, and kids can help. This came from Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden by Sherri Warner Hunter, though the mushrooms in the book are far more finished looking than our first attempt. They are still cute.
First, we filled some plastic storage bins with sand. Any large containers will work for this. Then we made indentations in the general shape of mushroom tops, inverted. Anouk placed glass gems and bottle tops in the sand for decoration.
Next, we mixed up the concrete (one part cement, three parts sand, about one part water) and let Anouk put the concrete into the forms. *We mixed it too thick. It should have been pour-able. Now we know.
We pressed small pieces of rebar into the centers and allowed them to begin setting up while we made the stem forms out of tar paper. I'm sure there are other materials, but the book called for tar paper, and we had plenty of scrap from building projects. We made them into tubes, held together with duct tape, and placed them around the rebar. We then poured concrete into the tubes.
We were supposed to wait 12 hours, but they were ready to unwrap in about 6 (probably because the mix was too thick.) I had to fill in some gaps with grout, but they are pretty cute, and now they have a happy home in our shade garden.
First, we filled some plastic storage bins with sand. Any large containers will work for this. Then we made indentations in the general shape of mushroom tops, inverted. Anouk placed glass gems and bottle tops in the sand for decoration.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Carving Concrete
A couple of weekends ago, I headed to Seattle to attend a workshop taught by Elder G. Jones , an artist who carves wet concrete into beautiful garden art. His work is featured throughout my three books on making concrete forms, so it was an exciting opportunity for me. I have big ideas for making sculpture, incorporating trash, inlaying mosaic, and generally expanding my skills.
The workshop was great, and I was very happy with the pot that I carved.
So, for my first project at home, I decided to go with the most technically challenging possibility. Mike has been building a wood-fired pizza oven, and the exterior is unfinished. For my first trick, I wanted to enclose the hideous chimney assembly in carved concrete, which meant building a form around an existing structure on an uneven surface.
Above: the chimney before, and then right after I removed the form, made of aluminum sheeting. The towel hanging down in front was used to hold the concrete in at the base, but I had to carve it out of the partially cured block.
The form is removed when the concrete is firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to carve into. At this point, it feels like carving into a very stiff sand sculpture. You have to be very gentle, or it will come away in chunks. But, it quickly begins to harden, so from here, you just work steadily until it sets up completely, which is about 5-6 hours. (No breaks!)
I've been enamored by the phoenix image lately, and it seemed like a fitting symbol for the top of a wood-fired oven. The front is the body and head, and the wings wrap around, meeting in the back.
I know concrete doesn't really fit the "sustainable art" description, but really, on this level, it is pretty harmless compared to entire city blocks, overpasses, and campuses. My next step is to find local sandblasters who want to unload used sand, which comprises 3/4 of the mix. And, as I become more skilled, my plan is to create sculptures that have a core of plastic garbage; the bottle caps, adhesive tubes, and random packaging that I can't seem to keep out of my trash. This way, they will become part of a permanent, solid object that is functional and beautiful, instead of floating around in the ocean, slowly breaking down, being ingested by sea animals over and over and over for all of eternity.
Yes, I obsess about these things.
So, for my first project at home, I decided to go with the most technically challenging possibility. Mike has been building a wood-fired pizza oven, and the exterior is unfinished. For my first trick, I wanted to enclose the hideous chimney assembly in carved concrete, which meant building a form around an existing structure on an uneven surface.
The form is removed when the concrete is firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to carve into. At this point, it feels like carving into a very stiff sand sculpture. You have to be very gentle, or it will come away in chunks. But, it quickly begins to harden, so from here, you just work steadily until it sets up completely, which is about 5-6 hours. (No breaks!)
Yes, I obsess about these things.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Harvesting
I haven't been keeping up with this blog thing at all this summer because we are so very busy, it feels like a major indulgence. Right now, I can hear the goats bleating for breakfast, and the chickens and turkeys are still cooped. Mike is off to a training and Anouk is still fast asleep.
Because of our garden delays early in the summer, we are not getting nearly the harvest we had last year.
Thanks to my friend Shari, we have a few broccoli plants that are finally growing edible parts, and a ton of cabbage is going to be ready soon. Our daily meals now include chard, zucchini, cucumbers and salads. We have many freezer bags full of raspberries, and I'm starting to freeze veggies for winter. We are anxiously waiting for the green tomatoes to turn color, and it seems very late in the season. We will have many carrots this year, an inordinate amount of parsnips, and it even looks like we'll have some corn after all. The goats had munched the tops off in the spring, but they actually grew back and have cobs developing now. And we always grow many heirloom pumpkins.
Meanwhile, I am working in the studio as often as possible to finish a set of glass cabinet doors for a client. My work has involved submitting for calls for art and exhibits, trying to keep track of which pieces have been submitted to which shows, meaning I just have to hold onto them until I am accepted or rejected. Upcoming events include a show at Childhoods End in Olympia called 15 Ways with Light, an exhibit at the Washington Center for Performing Arts called 25 Feet of Art, the Sequim Glass Art Festival, and the Red Hot Party & Auction at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. All of that takes place in September. I can't even think about October yet.
Well, Anouk is up and I really need to feed her and the rest of the critters under my care.
Because of our garden delays early in the summer, we are not getting nearly the harvest we had last year.
Thanks to my friend Shari, we have a few broccoli plants that are finally growing edible parts, and a ton of cabbage is going to be ready soon. Our daily meals now include chard, zucchini, cucumbers and salads. We have many freezer bags full of raspberries, and I'm starting to freeze veggies for winter. We are anxiously waiting for the green tomatoes to turn color, and it seems very late in the season. We will have many carrots this year, an inordinate amount of parsnips, and it even looks like we'll have some corn after all. The goats had munched the tops off in the spring, but they actually grew back and have cobs developing now. And we always grow many heirloom pumpkins.
Meanwhile, I am working in the studio as often as possible to finish a set of glass cabinet doors for a client. My work has involved submitting for calls for art and exhibits, trying to keep track of which pieces have been submitted to which shows, meaning I just have to hold onto them until I am accepted or rejected. Upcoming events include a show at Childhoods End in Olympia called 15 Ways with Light, an exhibit at the Washington Center for Performing Arts called 25 Feet of Art, the Sequim Glass Art Festival, and the Red Hot Party & Auction at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. All of that takes place in September. I can't even think about October yet.
Well, Anouk is up and I really need to feed her and the rest of the critters under my care.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Garden blues
The peas tried to come up, but something has been eating them. For some reason, the beets just won't grow. Our weather has been unseasonably cold and rainy (payback for the mild winter and early spring, resulting in a major slug invasion), which might explain why so many of my seeded veggies are still little stumpy sprouts.
We have planted the greenhouse, and we should at least have lots of tomatoes and basil. They are doing well. But our broccoli hopes have dwindled each week as one after another animal has busted into the garden and eaten every last one of them. We thought we were safe when we constructed a chicken fortress, entirely enclosed by chicken wire (which will also allow us to stay out past dusk on occasion without fear of raccoon massacre.) But, the goats have pried fencing apart 3 times now, devastating anything remotely yummy.
We love our goats, but milking was abandoned years ago out of frustration. Now, they are pets that live in the barn. During the winter, I feed them in the morning and at night, but that is all. I can't keep up with vaccinations or hoof trimming, so I just feel guilty for being a bad goat mom. They are so sweet and affectionate, and, for the most part, they have a great life here, but I think they could do better than us. So, I'm considering finding them some greener pastures. It really is about time we did something to make our lives easier instead of harder. But, the yard will be so lonely without goats...
I plan to replant today for the 3rd time, but we'll have only a few broccoli plants, no corn at all, and the sunflowers and nasturtiums that usually line the edge of the garden will be missing.
The good news is that our broody chicken hatched a baby turkey, and it seems to be doing well. I have hopes that a few more of the eggs she is sitting on will hatch so that we take one small step toward breeding our own turkeys.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Recycling an inflatable mattress:
My daughter wanted to have a slumber party for her 7th birthday, so we had 3 girls over for the night. My plan was to blow up the inflatable mattress and have 2 girls in her loft bed with 2 on the floor underneath. The mattress is about 3 years old, and has been used quite a bit for camping trips, tent camping in the backyard, and sleepovers at the high school where my husband works (something the students get to do occasionally.)
I was disgusted to find, as I unpacked the mattress, that I must have failed to thoroughly dry it before packing it last time it was used, nearly a year ago. The soft surface was covered in a thick layer of mold! I used layers of blankets for the girls to sleep on and threw the mattress outside to deal with later.
On the next dry day, I used a bit of bleach (I know, I know) in a spray bottle to try to kill the mold, hoping to salvage the mattress. Then Mike reminded me that, the last couple of times we used the mattress, it deflated by morning. I was still thinking I could scrub the mold off and maybe patch a leak, just because I knew I couldn't bring myself to throw this huge amount of PVC into the trash.
Here's what I know about PVC: The manufacturing of the stuff creates dioxins, which are leaked into the environment. People who work in PVC factories frequently get throat and lung cancer from breathing the fumes. People who live in areas surrounding the factories have a much higher incidence of cancer, and PVC companies spend huge amounts of money making settlements in order to keep the information from making the news. There is no safe way to dispose of PVC. Burning it creates nasty toxins. If you just leave it in a landfill, it photo-degrades, releasing dioxins into the environment. The stuff is evil. And it is everywhere, because it is such a perfect material for things like air mattresses, raincoats, and shower curtains.
So, here I was, knowing all of this because I once watched a really great documentary called "Blue Vinyl", and with a queen-sized pile of moldy PVC serving as a new kind of home decor. What is an obsessive-compulsive recycler to do?
First, I began by cutting the seams of the mattress, along the sides. I found that there were flaps inside holding the top and bottom together so that, while inflated, it would maintain a mattressy shape. So, I cut these apart as well.
And, like other normal people, I saved each and every one of these clear flaps of pvc, because you never know when they might come in handy, right?
As it happens, one of my dogs has had some kind of stomach upset lately, and it has been pouring rain for days, and she therefore has opted to spew feces all over our covered back porch, which is the launching pad for the dog yard. This porch tends to be decorated with all sorts of flotsam, with the dogs spending so much time there, and I had just finished spraying it down once again before I stared on my mattress deconstruction project. As I cut the top surface away, I suddenly realized the practical purpose:
It is the perfect size for the porch, and will make future clean-ups much easier. I folded the bottom segment and stored it for now. I am thinking of using it as a booth floor at Cracked Pots, or a mat for my studio floor, or for putting down when I cut glass outside. The sides of the mattress were also cut out, in one long strip about a foot wide. I might use that to sew some handy waterproof totes.
I feel pretty triumphant for managing to keep this thing out of the waste stream....for now. Unfortunately, this material will not last forever, and will probably make its way to the garbage can, little by little, despite my best intentions. This is the problem with plastics. We can recycle and reuse, but they do eventually get thrown out. This is my second air mattress, and I will not buy another one. They are so useful, and my daughter is begging me to replace it, but there has to be a better way. We will be camping at the end of this month, and I really hate sleeping on the cold, lumpy ground. I would love suggestions for an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to create a somewhat soft bed. Feel free to send me ideas.
I was disgusted to find, as I unpacked the mattress, that I must have failed to thoroughly dry it before packing it last time it was used, nearly a year ago. The soft surface was covered in a thick layer of mold! I used layers of blankets for the girls to sleep on and threw the mattress outside to deal with later.
On the next dry day, I used a bit of bleach (I know, I know) in a spray bottle to try to kill the mold, hoping to salvage the mattress. Then Mike reminded me that, the last couple of times we used the mattress, it deflated by morning. I was still thinking I could scrub the mold off and maybe patch a leak, just because I knew I couldn't bring myself to throw this huge amount of PVC into the trash.
Here's what I know about PVC: The manufacturing of the stuff creates dioxins, which are leaked into the environment. People who work in PVC factories frequently get throat and lung cancer from breathing the fumes. People who live in areas surrounding the factories have a much higher incidence of cancer, and PVC companies spend huge amounts of money making settlements in order to keep the information from making the news. There is no safe way to dispose of PVC. Burning it creates nasty toxins. If you just leave it in a landfill, it photo-degrades, releasing dioxins into the environment. The stuff is evil. And it is everywhere, because it is such a perfect material for things like air mattresses, raincoats, and shower curtains.
So, here I was, knowing all of this because I once watched a really great documentary called "Blue Vinyl", and with a queen-sized pile of moldy PVC serving as a new kind of home decor. What is an obsessive-compulsive recycler to do?
As it happens, one of my dogs has had some kind of stomach upset lately, and it has been pouring rain for days, and she therefore has opted to spew feces all over our covered back porch, which is the launching pad for the dog yard. This porch tends to be decorated with all sorts of flotsam, with the dogs spending so much time there, and I had just finished spraying it down once again before I stared on my mattress deconstruction project. As I cut the top surface away, I suddenly realized the practical purpose:
I feel pretty triumphant for managing to keep this thing out of the waste stream....for now. Unfortunately, this material will not last forever, and will probably make its way to the garbage can, little by little, despite my best intentions. This is the problem with plastics. We can recycle and reuse, but they do eventually get thrown out. This is my second air mattress, and I will not buy another one. They are so useful, and my daughter is begging me to replace it, but there has to be a better way. We will be camping at the end of this month, and I really hate sleeping on the cold, lumpy ground. I would love suggestions for an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to create a somewhat soft bed. Feel free to send me ideas.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A very busy June...
I knew that I would be barely making the deadline, but a guy stopped by my place on May 5th to ask if I could squeeze in another project. He is part of a group that holds a race each year, and they will be cycling past my house on June 5th. Each year they hire a local artist to create 12 creative, funky awards to give the winners of the race. They have a tiny budget, and it was kind of insane to say yes, but I couldn't resist. Each day in the studio, I would warm up by making one 6" x 6" plaque, and I just finished grouting them yesterday. Each one is done onto scraps of wedi board given to me by my friend Frank, a top-notch tile installer, and I used all scrap glass and mirror.
This week, I'm preparing for a workshop I'll be teaching at Hexen Glass Studio (http://www.hexenglass.com). I will be teaching how to use mosaic in the garden, discussing bases and adhesives for exterior use (which translates to many architectural applications as well). Students will mosaic onto salvaged cement pieces, creating recycled garden ornaments.
On Monday the 7th, I'll be exhibiting at the Green Enterprise Conference near Elma.
Olympia Pediatrics is holding their open house on June 10th, celebrating their new clinic and the art that makes it stand apart from every other pediatric office in the area. I was privileged to coordinate with two other artists; muralist Heather Taylor-Zimmerman and textile artist Janice Arnold.
Then on the 18th, the Federal Way Senior Center will hold its celebration and unveiling of the new art on their site, which also has an amazing community garden and a food bank.
I'll be starting on a project for a private home next week; glass-on-glass mosaic cabinet doors that will feature irises and Western Tanagers, and will be lit from inside. In addition, I'll be working on inventory for July's Cracked Pots Recycled Garden Art sale. And I actually have several projects planned just for us, including our stair risers.
So, I don't just run the chicken infirmary, chase goats, harvest mushrooms, tend bees, weed, plant, clean and parent. I'm multi-dimensional!
Monday, May 31, 2010
More Poultry News
In the meantime, we had been raising a ton of starts in the greenhouse, and had a goal of getting them in the ground on Memorial Day Weekend. Mike did some final tilling and weeding, and we planted the greenhouse with tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and melons, with carrot seeds sprinkled throughout the tomatoes. Then we planted a lot of broccoli and cauliflower, because Anouk loves them and they freeze well, and we lined the garden with zucchini, sunflowers and nasturtiums. Then, we went to a party in Olympia.
What were we thinking? We came home to find all of the broccoli and cauliflower demolished, along with some of the other starts. Urrrgh! This discovery was followed by long talks about the fact that we are pretty overwhelmed, and not keeping up with everything. We should have secured the chicken yard and clipped wings before planting the garden. There is so much that needs to be done and the two of us can't manage it all. As always, we talked about packing it all in and moving to the suburbs.
But, we aren't giving up. Things get much easier when Mike is home for the summer. I'm trying to convince him that we can find ways to save money so that he doesn't have to work his after school program, which would give him an extra 3 hours at home every day.
Yesterday, he took Anouk to Seattle to help a friend set up his new chicken coop, and I decided to go to yet another party. I came home late, and closed up the coop, hoping the chickens had put themselves away as they do each night. At 3am, I heard the telltale gurgled screeching outside. My dog Lily and I ran out to investigate, but we couldn't find the chicken. I returned to the house, but heard it again. Again, we searched , until we finally found a bedraggled chicken in a corner of the goat yard, very much alive. I couldn't see her very well, but feathers were everywhere, so I knew she had been mauled. I moved her to the coop and went to bed. (Not to sleep. I can never fall back to sleep after running around outside in the middle of the night.)
This morning, I can see that she is in bad shape. She is moving around well, but is missing part of a wing, and a good deal of flesh from her back and underbelly. She has puncture wounds all over. My friend Paul would tell me to kill her and put her out of her misery, but my inclination is always to try to save animals. They can be remarkably tenacious. In a few minutes, I plan to put her into a separate area to protect her from the other chickens (and that damned turkey) and I hope she'll recover.
We will be completely enclosing the chickens this summer by creating a covered run. So much for free-range. The fact is, after 8 years, we have learned that free-ranging results in a lot of death and mangling by local wildlife.
In the meantime, we lost 3 turkey poults during the first week, until I added some antibiotics to their water. I also put sand in their feed to help move food through their craws. They stabilized quickly, and are healthy and growing fast. They are now living in an enclosed coop we use as wood storage and as a transition area for our young birds. Our two baby chickens are still living in the bathroom. They now fly in and out of their box, so I have to clean the floor periodically.
Our brooding chicken is incubating 5 turkey eggs. I plan to remove them as soon as they hatch because I don't trust the rooster, duck and Tom turkey with babies.
Life on the little farm is feeling a bit daunting at the moment. We need to create better systems and re-prioritize. The green house starts are already doubled in size, so if nothing else, we'll be eating tomatoes and cucumbers this year. Now I'm off to rehabilitate a chicken.
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