It's been a distracting summer this year. My daughter has twelve weeks off from school, only two of them will be spent at camp. Needless to say, more than two hours in the studio every day is rare. The other distraction is my new garden, which is going strong. When the produce is ripe, you've got to jump into action. With twenty raised beds and nineteen fruit trees, I've had my hands full!
My brain, however, is longing and aching to spend time in the studio to catch up on all these ideas in my sketchbook around the landgrabbing series. My clay class is over and now I'm waiting for the call to pick up my glazed and fired pieces from the studio. Hopefully they turned out and I can share some of them with you soon. Trust me, they're elementary! But you have to start somewhere. Three years ago I didn't even know how to sew and I learned that medium in no time! In the meantime, I have other ideas flowing around the series. Here is one image I came across that I just can't get out of my mind. It was taken in China.
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| Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China |
I'm on the hunt for broken plates for the new series. I see lots of talk about broken plates on the internet, how you can find them on ebay. But every time I search, I come up empty handed. But seriously, if I could just get my hands on all of these, I'd be the happiest gal alive!
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| Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China |
I have a friend who plans to give me a box full next week to supplement my trips to local thrift stores. But I need a stash that looks like these.
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| Image by Jennifer Ling Datchuk taken in China |
I wonder how many restaurants break plates every week? Any ideas on where to look would be wonderful! I feel like there's some obvious solution that I'm missing. If anyone can enlighten me, I would be thrilled!
12 comments:
Hi Kathryn, I've been meaning to comment long before now. I've loved following your quilt series and am looking forward to you finding plates to create something wonderful with. :)
Well, I hate to state the obvious, but you can buy piles of cheap plates and break them yourself.
It looks like you're having such a good time in the garden and with your produce. It's a very satisfying endeavor even though it steals studio time.
Perhaps there is a plate decorator in the area where you live (I guess that most of the production is done in China now) who can have piles of broken ware. Or maybe Ikea has broken ware as well?
Post a WANTED ad on your local Freecycle.
I had no idea your garden was so big! What all are you canning? I think there is something so satisfying about canning. And then to have grown it yourself must be extra exciting. About those plates...I can't wait to see what you are up to...and your ceramics!
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Ikea and freecycle, hadn't thought of those but I bet there will be something at both! Yes, gardening is such a fun distraction at least! @Lari, I'm canning everything, tomatoes, peaches, green beans, you name it. I would love to have a full pantry for the winter. We'll see if it happens!
First off let me say that I am uber-impressed at the size of your garden as well as your canning... I wish I had that dedication! (The sun, weeds and bugs do me in every year and by mid-summer I am already waving my white flag in surrender.) (Hangs head in shame.)
As for the plates... you would think it would be easier, wouldn't you? I guess they just get tossed in the trash... what a shame. If I stumble upon a pile of broken dishes in my flea market hunts I will let you know!
I, too, am smitten by the photo of those plates. Nature's reclamation. One of my favorite themes ever. Good luck on your hunt.
Broken plates....for me it's a title of a new work :-)
Hi Kathryn--Don't underestimate how quickly a stash of plates can grow from thrift shops and friends once the word is out. Also, potters have lots of rejects.
anne
Hi Kathryn--further to my suggestion this morning about checking out potters who may have lots of breakages and discards--perhaps check out restaurant supply stores. I do have to say though that in accumulating my supply of mosaic-worthy plates--much of the joy has been in the hunt (although landgrabbing does seem like an urgent message--perhaps you are in a hurry??)
cheers,
anne parker
Thanks, Anne! Yes, you are so right. I am now the proud owner of five boxes of broken dishes! The word is out!
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