Richard Scott Blog - 20th April 2024

Last Sunday I forgot to post a few pics of us around the house due to the fact that I generally post the blog around 1pm-ish. So here goes.

Angelina morning pic. Here I am making myself an espresso in the cup she brought me back from her trip to Austria last year.

My New hobby; making ice cream. I use dairy free products. Joanne says I should start a business they are so good.

Joanne prepping her famous roast vegetables.

Four bean chilly soup with home garden spinach and panko crumbed brinjal chips. 

Monday was a tough day for me. I was torn between doing some admin and meetings and trip planning vs. going into do some clay work. 
I opted for the latter. It was hard as the cases keep cracking, so I booked it down to more of a learning curve than producing product.  I am still happy I chose clay. 

Monday afternoon roof maintenance. It’s that time of the year when we fix the roof before the Cape winter rain storms lash out. 

Tuesday morning Joanne dropped me off at Starbucks, around the corner from Mervyn Gers, as I had a weekly meeting with Angelique. It was a UK/Germany/Belgium strategy meeting to get Angelique onboard and up to speed.

I got to know the ladies serving us coffee as they were wondering why I was ordering my coffee in paper take-away cups. I have a plan to turn them into a work of art and then hang it on the one wooden wall.

Then it was off to Mervyn for a good long day working on my vases.

I was learning more lessons about the importance of taking it slow while building up the vases. Yet another vase had cracked beyond repair. I discovered that I was leaving the clay out in the open tingling while working on it. As you build up over a few days, the clay dries. And you need to keep your work covered, no matter what, so that it dries slowly.

I finished up around 5.30pm and headed home with an Uber as Joanne was birthday shopping with Chad till late.

We both got home exhausted. It’s been a while since I stood all day working.

I am beginning to like my new routine. Wake up, drive into Cape Town with Joanne, stop at STARBUCKS for a coffee and then head to Mervyn to work on my ceramics. I have a plan to create a Richard Scott STARBUCKS artwork with all the USED take away STARBUCKS paper coffee cups. I will get in comms with the GM and chat about a co-lab.

The coffee is actually quite good. I read up that STARBUCKS source their coffee from Costa Rica. They even have their own farm. 

I am super proud of my creations. There is still a long way to go, but boy am I enjoying the journey. 

Defying the laws of clay.

Believe it or not, only one of the four pieces on the background made it to Friday. Three of them cracked. I did manage to find the problem and it happens to be the same problem you have experienced many times in life. “Haste makes Waste” coupled with inexperience, can lead to disaster. Nonetheless, I have adjusted the ship and will revert. 

Making clay-glue. Mix clay and vinegar into what they call “slip” (creamy like paste) and use it like a glue. Bingo.

My hands are starting to feel the wraith of clay. It reminds me of the time I built my house, and I helped Donald wash the cement into the face brick wall in Richie’s room. I did it in true “South African ” workmanship style with no protective gear and the next day my fingers were raw from the line eating my flesh. That said, Joanne got me a protective barrier cream and I am off to get gloves as per her suggestion.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, Starbucks coffee, clay, home late, early to bed.

It was however the day I decided to forget all about the other vases I have done and focus solely on completing one new vase in one day. It seemed to work.

Vase 5 in the making. I used a flat base that I cut out of a 12mm slab and then used the same

Thursday was nice. I added the top layer and then just worked the piece slowly, all day long. Prodding, shaving off clay, shaping and oh so ever slowly making sure all the joins were strong and neat.

Here I just added the top layer. It’s a bit wonky, but that all gets sorted out and flattered when it dries enough to turn it over.

Friday was Easter Friday and, like you guys, was a holiday. I woke up at 4am planning my day and doing emails, blog, banking and wordle all from the luxury of the bed.

Joanne woke up and we chatted about our trip to England, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland . It’s a bit of business and pleasure. Always exciting to travel and plan and book stuff.

We got up and did a late road run. It was already 10.30am and the sun was already poking it’s hot head out at 25 degrees, so it was a tough run.

Joanne made us a yummy snack-y breakfast and we were off to a good start to the day.

Joanne potted around the house while I did the black lines on 7 candy girl pieces on canvas. They are all “circular” pieces. I. E. The works I create by painting over old works from 2002-2006. 
I get a huge kick when I do this.

By then it was lunchtime, and we chilled and caught up on the couch.

Joanne read her new book "The Five Types of Wealth" by Sahil Bloom, a gift she got for her birthday. I caught up on the travel checklist. 
Then it was time to try relax and enjoy the next few days off. 

Friday I was making more nut milk ice-creams. This time I decided to try coconut yogurt as the base as opposed to coconut cream. 
I will report back.

I spotted these used stencils in Studio. I’ll get them framed up this week. 

Pigment’s all lined up ready to create beautiful bright acrylic paint.

The cherry  tomatoes plants in the garden are producing so many tomatoes that were making all sorts out of them. 
Joanne fancied  some bruschetta.

Roasted Cherry tomatoes ready for our bruschetta lunch. Nomm Nomm.

Saturday we had another lie in bed late for a change. It’s been a long week.

We did do a Joanne and Richard, which was potting about the house, as one does on a Saturday, before the kids come over.

This was all after our beach run. I convinced Joanne to do beach, as it was already mid-morning and a road run at 11am in the heat is a bit tough,

The kids all came over and caught up and then scurried off into their little study holes to do what they have set out to do for 4+ years at university.

I also managed to tick off a small TO -DO list I WhatsApp-ed myself that morning at 4am, when I woke up.

Olive Swinger, Impasto and Acrylic on Canvas. 2022.

Look at this beautiful work. It is definitely one of my top 10 favourite works of all time. I originally painted it in 2022, which is not that long ago, but she had been crying out for candy stripes for ages. Every time I walked past this piece, when it was Magenta, I took a moment to stop and look and wonder what was needed, BINGO - Candy stripes.

Saturday afternoon was chill on the couch and read a book and catch up with the kids, as and when they popped up out of the study burrow.

We made a delicious potatoe bake using white sauce made from nut milk and the kids scoffed it. 
Joanne and I took a nice long walk around Melkbos to keep the fitness levels up, but more importantly I wanted to walk off all the Easter bunny chocolates. 😬

We huddled in for the night with a fire and a 2002 movie with Angelina Jolie in that neither of us had seen before. Strange enough we went to bed at 11pm as the kids had friends over and beds were moved and good conversations could be heard though the house.

Happy Easter 🐣 Sunday.

I’m up again at 5am with the blog bug and to check in on the Crypto market. It seems Donald has quietened down a bit which has steadied the market slightly.

Nonetheless, time to get up and put on the ROCKET coffee machine. 

I was messing about taking screenshots of the Time-lapse video’s I took this week. I was enjoying the blurry photos that result from  Time-lapse photography, that I thought I would share a few.

Here I am sealing the lid, or in this case, the side of the vase,

Mixing some slip.

Cleaning the inside of Vase 4.

Sponging  the outside to smooth out the small indents made from the mats when the clay is rolled flat on the press.

Carving out imperfections to smooth out the surface.

The piece is hard enough to move around, but to soft to withstand being manhandled.

Thanks for reading and watching. I trust you enjoyed it.

Until next week

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