clay: sgraffito

Sgraffito = a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color, and in this case, white slip and underglaze layered over Smooth Red clay.              I spent Tuesday afternoon, painting white slip on four leatherhard mugs I had made on Saturday and added yellow and pink underglaze over the white slip of the two larger mugs. I also underglazed a sea mug with marine blue and medium blue. And then carved an orchid and a mandala on two of the mugs. I didn't have it in me to carve two more mugs. And so home for dinner.

I'm thinking of taking a how-to-write-a-cookbook class along with a course in iPhoneagraphy at Stanford. Could I put my poke bowl rotation into it? What would be my cookbook's theme?

The next day I carved. And played with mark making on ceramics.

 

And one large mug to go.

I enjoyed and am pleased by the carving of the sunflower, but I really need to find a better carving tool.

And finally lunch. I love a goat cheese and beet and walnut salad except when it's tossed in with kale greens. Other than the other savory and sweet viands, my salad tasted like grass. I should have massaged the champagne viniagrette more into the kale.

Today at lunch, I enjoyed a delicious deviled egg salad sandwich compliments of the lunch ladies at the cafeteria. Then a boring afternoon of managing kids in the library and a faculty meeting. And then back to my happy place of slapping mud into a mug and a vase.

 

I found texture mats that I love and can't wait to see these two vessels glazed in Coyote's gun metal green. Once home I cooked an easy dinner of handmade ravioli and leftover vegetables.

 

While Patrick baked his chocolate chip cookies, I watched my gardening and cooking shows and perused these recipes for tomorrow's birthday meal. My neighbor, Cecilia volunteered me to make bahn mi sandwiches for Nancy. Sigh. My neighbor, Helen complains that her home becomes the default place to host gatherings in inclement weather, but Cecilia and I likewise are the default cooks for these parties. I told Patrick that for my birthday, I don't want a party because I know I'll end up cooking the meal.

 

But I dutifully sliced daikon and carrots on the mandolin, salted the vegetables, and then steeped them in sugar and vinegar and water. And placed the pork belly, meat side down in a marinade of soy, chile and five spice while scoring and rubbing lime and salting the fatty skin.

Tomorrow I'll be slicing more vegetables--cucumber, jalapenos, cilantro--and roasting the pork belly. Fingers crossed that the pork won't be salty.