The Big Red Mess

I've been sitting on a box of Klamath Red Clay for a while now. I bought it because of the name. Silly, I know. My Dad was born in Klamath Falls, OR and it made me think of him, so I bought it. I've been using Klamath White as well but recently switched over to a clay called Sea Mix. I'm happier with it as it's not so groggy.

I buy my clay from Seattle Pottery Supply and the many of the names of their clay bodies are names of areas in the NW - Vashon Buff, Klamath Red, Sea Mix (their version of the common B Mix clay I assume), etc... It got me to thinking about where the clay comes from. I remember digging in the ground as a kid and finding a lot of red earthy clay when we dug deep enough - it stained our hands and clothes which was such fun. Probably not so much fun for my Mom as she had to launder all of our clothing with the red messy stains. You never think about those things as a kid. Laundry - that's on my radar too much these days. I just never stops. I think that is one of the reasons I love to create things out of clay. It's effort and energy that is put into something that doesn't get undone. That's not always the case in my "other job."

I do love the fact that the clay comes from the Earth. It's amazing the colors that Mother Earth produces. I loved the smell of this clay. It was so "earthy" and reminded me of playing in Woodmansee Creek as a kid. I love smells that evoke memories like that.

I am anxious to see how this Klamath Red fires up. It was really easy to throw with. I banged out 20 mugs this afternoon. It was really soft and easy to work with - even after sitting in the garage for over a year.

The kids popped in and exclaimed how "dirty" I looked with my hands covered in this bright colored clay. It truly was a Big Red Mess!