A Dog's Life, Chapter Two-"Quoth the Raven"

 
Living in the desert gives us a pretty clear view of many species of birds, large and small. As our house is very close to open desert, we have the opportunity to see varieties which ordinarily stay away from populated areas, and we can also observe the distinctions which our dogs make between birds of prey and birds that are prey.
 One evening some years ago, we heard our big dog barking quite furiously in the back yard, but found it curious that our little terrier was not.  Of the two, the big dog was generally the quiet one and so we hurried to the back, a bit concerned. At first, her barking seemed to be indiscriminate but after looking around
awhile, we finally realized that she was aiming her protests up towards the rooftop. There sat a very large Great Horned owl.
 The terrier was uncharacteristically silent, sheltered underneath the big dog as though pretending she couldn't be seen. This is a dog who usually behaves as though she were 100 pounds, standing up to any other neighborhood dog, regardless of it's size. How does a domesticated animal with no prior exposure to such a bird know that it is a danger? A rattlesnake's rattle is clearly an alarm, but how did she know that this particular creature was to be avoided? Can an animal sense intent?
  The big dog is fascinated by ravens. On our walks we will occasionally see one sitting atop a light pole, cackling and clicking away, and she will stare up at it intently. No barking, no raised hackles, but there is a definite curiosity.  Last week we were relaxing in front of the t.v. with the dogs on the floor at our feet, watching a program about the Tower of London. The story turned to the ravens which are kept at the Tower, and suddenly, the big dog's head lifted from her sleep, ears forward. She watched the birds on the screen through the entire segment, as if she were listening to the narrator's words. Afterward, she became quite excited when  I imitated the raven's call....
  Roadrunners are fairly large birds, and she will respond with similar interest if we happen to see one on our walks, although she seems to be conflicted as to whether or not she should chase it. As a largely ground-dwelling bird, I would think she'd want to, although she has never been too interested in the flocks of quail which scatter across our path. I guess rabbits and squirrels smell much more promising! The ravens, though......I can imagine her dreaming about them. If she were an artist, she would most assuredly paint them!
 

Playing With Fire Part 3

Black, White, Silver and Gold leaf

Amethyst, Red, Yellow and Bronze Transparent

Here are more enameling samples that I have done in the last couple of weeks. I didn't care too much for the selection of transparent colors on this first one...It looked better with just the black and white with metal leaf! The red color once again looks pink. I'll have to try that color on bare copper next.

Silver leaf over White

Sky Blue and Mauve over top

This is an attempt at using cloisonne wires...The wires were a little too short, I think. The white enamel bubbled up through the leaf and the transparent colors enough to obscure some of the detail.

Black over Bare Copper

Silver Leaf added

Wet-Packed Blue over Cloisonne

 This was an experiment with a soldered-together piece. I used eutectic solder to apply the second set of wings, and after counter enameling the back it appeared that the solder flowed beyond the intended solder joint (meaning that it could have affected the color of any enamels  fired over it if it had been in a visible spot).
I proceeded with the usual black base color, then a layer of silver leaf. I then fired on cloisonne wire, although this time the height was too much to be so close to the edges of the piece. Live and learn.....
Next, I applied transparent blues over the top. The photo at left shows a wet-packing technique, in which a small amount of water is added to the enamel powder and applied to the surface with a paintbrush, rather like clumps of wet sand. You can see that the color of the enamel powder is vastly different from its' fired state, which is why a lot of experimenting is needed. Hard to know exactly what a color will look like from one application to the next. The iridescent effect on the dragonfly is more or less as I expected, just not very refined.

After firing

Clear over Copper

Silver and Gold Leaf before firing

After firing

 I have to apologize for the jumble of photos...I can't seem to control where they are placed on the screen. Clicking and dragging them around only seems to work occasionally ( and I don't have the patience to figure out why ).
This last piece has copper cloisonne wire instead of silver. I have since added some red ( a different red from the other samples) and purple, but didn't like the way it looked enough to even show it to anyone! I prefer the initial clear over copper, as the cloisonne lines create enough busy-ness that adding other colors just makes it look cluttered.
So, that is what I have been up to this last month, besides practicing for my audition. Took my cello to the repair shop and had the fingerboard planed and a bow re-haired. New strings are next on the list, when I have the $200 to spend!
There's always something....................................

A Dog's Life

Dogs are a big part of my life, and always have been. I relate to animals much better than to people, probably because there is no ego to deal with.
The daily walks taken with our companions are always enjoyed, particularly because we live just blocks from open desert. We explore a dry arroyo over and over, each season bringing new things to investigate. Big tree roots uncovered by the last monsoon rains, a new batch of baby hawks, and occasionally a rattlesnake hiding in the shade (we stay out of the arroyo during their migration periods, to avoid any confrontations).
When winter brings a little moisture, the colorful fallen leaves and grasses are sometimes artfully outlined with frost. No big deal when you live in a colder climate, but for us it is a rare experience.
Even the simplest things like a pile of coyote poo generate fascination. In the scatological realm however, nothing beats  fresh horse manure! The first time we encountered some, I nearly fell over laughing as both dogs gleefully dropped and rolled in it. They proceeded to try and eat it as well, as they find the fragrance to be somewhere near ambrosia. However similar we are to animals, our sense of smell has very different ideas. 
Our younger dog has a very strong predatory instinct, which was discovered after the first of many dirt-surfing incidents (being knocked over and dragged face-first through rocks and cacti in pursuit of a jackrabbit). Despite being quite obedient around the house, her penchant for chasing anything that moves necessitated help from the Dog Whisperer. We have since achieved greater control over our walks, much to our relief.
Still, she remains adept at keeping our neighborhood pigeon population under control. Our home is the tallest house in the area, and as such attracts the birds during nesting season. Unfortunately for the fledglings nearest our backyard, she keeps a sharp eye on them. I had to laugh at her keen interest in even the shadows of pigeons, as a kabuki presentation of a pair building a nest caught her eye through the back door of the house one day.
She is also much more aware of her surroundings than I would have given her credit for. As our home is continually under construction, the interior landscape changes a bit from month to month. There was a space into which the dogs had not been allowed for some time, until subfloors were laid and walls were in place. When they were finally allowed in, our pup  entered with a look of awe on her face, as she slowly eyed the new structures. She looked the walls up and down, moving from one side of the room to the other, seemingly to piece together what had transpired here in her absence. She appeared as a visitor to a grand museum, studying the contents thoughtfully. Never in my life have I witnessed such attention to static objects by an animal. Perhaps, in a former life she was an architect.................  

Playing With Fire: Part Two

I just finished another sample enamel firing, this one a little more elaborate than the last. I made sure to use a heavier copper (22 gauge), and cleaned it properly between each layer. I started by counter enameling the back, then applying a layer of clear flux on top.
Two sections, one white and one black were fired on next. Then, I applied a binder, pieces of silver foil and a scattering of gold leaf.
After firing the foils down, I added four transparent colors...Three different greens and a sky blue, covering most of the surface.
The result is much more interesting than the last samples I tried, and more encouraging! The piece had some cracking after the last firing, but I am certain it had to do with moving the piece to a cool spot too quickly. I can simply re-fire to patch the crack (was going to add a layer of clear on top, anyway). I am impressed with myself today!

Black and White over Clear

Fine Silver Foil and 23 kt Gold Leaf before firing

Silver and Gold Leaf after firing

Green and Blue Transparent Enamels over top

On The Rocks

Rainbow Obsidian

    So, I have been attempting to reorganize my workspace in an effort to get more done (HA!), and realized how much space was being occupied by piles of rock and miscellaneous lapidary equipment.
   I have a rather nice selection of rock, as you can see from this small sampling of photos. I had every intention of cutting them up into designer cabochons to use in my most unique line of jewelry, and aside from not liking all of the cleanup involved in post-cutting operations, I did enjoy the process of grinding and shaping and polishing.
                                      I did come to figure out that the lack of sufficient permanent workspace makes a big difference in my willingness to do something... My slab saw cabinet (with the 14 inch diamond blade) is tucked under a tarp in the backyard at the moment, in a rather bad place to be able to access. The little rock saw and grinder unit is stacked on top of it, and while much more portable, is a bit of a pain to have to drag out into the driveway when I might get the urge to get dirty. Can't do it in the backyard, which would risk getting the dogs all oily (and dog hair in my cutting oil). The polishing process involves yet other pieces of equipment which need setting up in a place where my silver stock won't get greasy or scratched with polishing grit, meaning the driveway, again.....
   If everything I wanted to utilize were already set up and ready to go, I would most likely use it.
   As it stands now, I am planning to trade most of my rocks to a couple of lapidaries for their labor in cutting a few nice pieces out of what I give to them. It will be sad to see all the pretty rocks go, but now I will have a place for my enameling stuff (which is continually being moved around in circles, since I've not had anyplace to permanently put it).
   The enameling supplies are considerably easier to
work with, and while there is some cleanup involved,

Imperial Jaspers

Chrysocolla, Turquoise and Amazonite

 it's not greasy and doesn't tear up your fingernails (not that I have much for fingernails to begin with, being a cellist).

Montana Agates

Charoite

 Speaking of enameling, I finally have a sad little trio of samples to post.....

Enamel On Copper

The big square was the layering experiment, and the small ones have only one layer front and back. I scribed a design into the copper on the small ones to see how transparent the colors would turn out, although as thin as the metal was I am thinking I may have over-fired the lot. Had some cracking as soon as the big piece began to cool too, probably from warping. I will try again with larger, heavier gauges of copper next.
   On the big square, I counter-enameled the back, fired one layer of clear on the front and then did a strip of black across the middle. After firing down a few flakes of 23kt gold leaf on one side, I then did strips of transparent colors over the clear and the black.  
   Amethyst, Cobalt Blue and Red were the three transparent colors, and only the red didn't turn out as I had expected. It looks pink instead. Don't know if that was from over-firing, or if I just have to apply a couple more layers to get a truer red. The same red on one of the little squares (over bare copper) looks more red but less transparent. Ahhh, well! Experimentation will apparently take some time. Onwards........................