Aaron Britton blogging

Exit Stage left

2011-10-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have moved my blog to here, http://asbrittonphoto.tumblr.com/
for the future. The reason being it is much easier for me to blog my photos and am receiving a lot more visits from people there.

So come take a look at my new photo blog.

Aaron Britton

Trip down to Jackson, WY

2011-08-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a while since my last post. Summer just keeps me busy.

Down in Yellowstone park I love taking pictures of the trees that have been burnt by the hot springs. The tones that occur are just amazing and fun to photograph.

Once I start doing ceramics again I will be trying to copy this into my work.

Trip down to Jackson, WY through Yellowstone and Teton Park part 2

2011-07-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

Once you get into the geyser basin part of Yellowstone park you are able to walk out on elevated boardwalks over the many different hot springs, geysers, mud pots, etc.

I always find myself drawn to the trees that have been burnt by the geothermal events. The transitions from an almost bone type color to deep brown blacks. Very intriguing.

This photo is of a tree stumps that have been mostly bleached out.

Trip down to Jackson, WY through Yellowstone and Teton Park part 1

2011-07-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

My wife and I drove on down to Jackson, WY a few weeks ago. Had a great time and immensely enjoyed both Yellowstone and Teton Parks. Just amazing.

Well I grabbed a few photos along the way.

This first part is from Yellowstone park not far from the city of West Yellowstone. I pulled off into the viewing area because I thought I saw a moose. But, that just turned out to be a log in the grass.

All was for not because across the Madison River was a skeleton of a Bison. Pretty cool.

Bitter Root 2

2011-06-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

Here is the other bitter root we purchased over the weekend. This one has more of a yellow/orange cast to it.If you want to find out more about bitter roots go here or here

The Bitter root

2011-06-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

My wife and I got over to the nursery yesterday. While browsing we came across some bitter roots. This is the Montana state flower. I very pretty small plant with rather large blooms. I thought it looks similar to a blood root.

So we purchased a couple, one that is blooming now and another that is about to bloom. I had to take some photos of them.

Alley photo

2011-05-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was walking around the town of Billings last month and went down this alley. Grabbed this photo.

Snow Patterns part 3

2011-04-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a softer texture. It is so interesting how this changes day to day. Now to figure out how to get these types of patterns and textures into my metal and ceramic work.

Snow Patterns part 2

2011-04-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Again here is another photo of patterns in the snow. Different from the first post but still containing pattern and texture.

Snow Patterns part 1

2011-04-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Throughout the winter here in Montana my eye has been drawn to the different patterns the snow will make. I have been slowly trying to document this. Here is the first of a few photos picturing varying patterns.

What I would like to do in the future is find a way to take these patterns and apply them to my art work.

Still Getting snow with some sun

2011-04-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still getting snowstorms blowing through town here. But the sun then comes out and melts it all again. Where upon another storm blows in.

The first photo is a closeup of the snow during sunrise.

The second photo is in our neighborhood from Sunday, once the snow had all melted. It was just a gorgeous day. The wife and I had to go on out and soak up the rays.

Cheers Mate!

2011-04-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

AAaaahhh a good dark beer. Cheers everybody.

If only I was in Denmark right now drinking this. Photo of me from last year in Roskilde, Denmark, picture was taken by my wife.

More Blacksmithing Work Part 4

2011-04-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

My Fireplace set. I still need to get the broom/fire sweep finished.

More Blacksmithing work part 3

2011-04-21T05:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some other new items, my ginko leaf hooks. These were inspired from my trip to Japan.

More Blacksmithing work part 3

2011-04-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, long time no blog post. Sorry about that, I have just been busy with a new full time job while a coworker is on maturnity leave.

So, I am sneaking in this post this morning. I new item I have just started to do, a dragon fly. This is my second prototype of the dragon fly. It is made to actually stick in the ground in a garden. I made 4 more for Christmas presents and am starting to refine the design a little more. I have 4 more in the works, but these are going to be paper weights, with legs and all. Once I finalize those up I will post them too.

More Blacksmithing work part 2

2011-03-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Another candelabra. This one I also made in California probably around 2001 or 2002.

More Blacksmithing work part 1

2011-03-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Candelabra from a while back. I forged this one up when I was at the California State fair with my friend Mike Carson in the Blacksmith Booth. Those were some good times. Hammering away in 100 degree weather.

Let's see some Blacksmithing work

2011-03-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

All right enough of the ceramics for now. Now I am going to start showing some of my Blacksmithing work. This is a 3 paneled folding screen I did a wile back.

Portfolio Photography Soda Fire 3

2011-03-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

A soda fired mug. This one actually has two different glazes on the inside. That s where the spots on the inside are coming from.

Portfolio Photography Soda Fire 2

2011-03-06T14:20:00.001-08:00

Here is a pitcher I made from two separate clays again. There is a white glaze on the interior and just the soda from the soda fire on the exterior.

Portfolio Photography Soda Fire 1

2011-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

A soda fired mug with flashing slip on the outside.

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 6

2011-02-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

Three cups with the cherry blossom shino. Again I received some great carbon trapping in the gas fire (which was the same firing as the other cherry blossom shino pieces.)

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 5

2011-02-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Back when I made these saucers I was watching an anime by the name of Mushi-Mushi. They kept drinking tea from saucers like this. So I decided to make some, well not just some but A LOT of them. This is just a few that when through the firing process.

My wife uses them for water color and sumi now.

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 4

2011-02-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here was the first large bowl I threw on the wheel. Not very good but it has something about it so I keep it around and use it for large salads.

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 3

2011-02-24T15:30:00.001-08:00

A bowl I did with the cherry blossom shino glaze. Again I got some good carbon trapping in the glaze.

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 2

2011-02-22T15:08:00.001-08:00

My water pitcher. I combined different glazes in layers to produce the look of water.

Portfolio Photography Gas fired pieces 1

2011-02-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

Here is another of my cooking pots (with a lid that is made to become the bowl to eat from). This one was fired with a shino glaze (cherry blossom I believe the name was). The bowls received some great carbon trapping during the gas firing.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 11

2011-02-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

A bowl and a two cups. These have the DeNile glaze on the inside.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 10

2011-02-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls, Bowls, Bowls (aahh now that Spam song is stuck in my head).

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 9

2011-02-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

A couple more swirl cups. These have a clear glaze on the inside and rim with just the raw porcelain clay on the outside.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 8

2011-02-15T09:09:00.001-08:00

I like drinking out of this cup. It fits well in my hand and with the curve does not want to slip out of it. Though on the swirl, I needed to add a little bit more mason stain to get the blue more vibrant.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 7

2011-02-14T14:08:00.001-08:00

A pair of cups. I put the glaze DeNile inside. I like how this glaze gets a good crackle sometimes.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 6

2011-02-13T08:54:00.001-08:00

My gin and tonic cups. I want to play with this shape some more.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 5

2011-02-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

Three small swirl bowls. They work great for ice cream or yogurt. Just enough but not to much.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 4

2011-02-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

A picture of my pitcher. I had fun making this swirl pitcher. It is done in two parts. I throw the base and the the spout and attach them along with the handle later.

This one almost got away from me (the bottom was just about to collapse down upon itself). But I stopped in time and let it dry to stabilize itself.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 3

2011-02-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

My swirl cups.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 2

2011-02-08T16:38:00.001-08:00

The Blue and White leaf bowl. Leafs where made with techniques I use in blacksmithing. This bowl is about 18" in diameter. The concept still needs work.

Portfolio Photography Porcelain Swirl 1

2011-02-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of porcelain mugs I threw. To get the blue swirl I mixed the same porcelain clay with a blue mason stain. I then wedge the separate colors and cut them into sections. I combine those sections, white-blue-white-blue-white. I then throw the clay.

A good clean trim reveals the distinct lines of each color.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 10

2011-02-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

One of my nicer cups I made with the Cassius Basaltic clay. On the inside is a porcelain slip with a clear glaze ontop.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 9

2011-02-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a big bowl I did. It has a porcelain slip with PB liner glaze ontop.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 8

2011-02-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

With this cup I used a white slip on the inside of the Cassius Basaltic clay. After bisqueing I put a clear glaze on top of the slip. This worked out very well. No cratering of the glaze or slip but I still got a very nice off white color on the inside.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 7

2011-02-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a small bowl I did out of the Cassius Basaltic Clay.

The liner glaze is a PB (Plastic Bitrox) Liner. This glaze works very well with this clay because the PB Liner is able to be fired with a range of cone 4 to cone 14. So if the cassius Basaltic clay still has gasses to be released, even after a longer bisque period, the PB Liner stays in a liquid / molten state for a longer time, giving the gasses from the clay time to escape without creating cratering in the glazing.

The PB Liner recipe with Percentage by Weight:
Colemanite 50%
Plastic Bitrox 50%
Zircopax 10%

To fill a 5 gallon bucket only 3 quarters full you would use
Colemanite 3000 grams
Plastic Bitrox 3000 grams
Zircopax 600 grams

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 6

2011-01-31T09:04:00.001-08:00

My Cassius Basaltic mug.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 5

2011-01-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

Six cups. These cups all have a white slip I made on the interior of the cup with a clear glaze ontop of the slip.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 4

2011-01-29T21:50:00.001-08:00

Three cups.

Some things to keep in mind when using this clay.

1. When it starts to dry (before the leather hard state) just leave it alone. Do not add a slip at this time, the clay will obsorb the moisture from the slip and just fall apart. If you try to manipulate it, even by just a little amount the clay will crack.

2. When applying slip to the clay don't put it on to thick and put on the slip before it is leahter hard.

3. When bisqueing the clay, I would take it to Cone 04 and hold it at the temperature for at least 60 minutes for the gasses in the clay to offgas. Then once you go to do your final firing do it in an oxidation fire and only up to a max of cone 5. Otherwise the clay will start to bloat.

4. For a general all purpose glaze I would use my friends liner glaze (I will try and get the recipe from my friend Jamie Kirkpatrick) This glaze is great for a wide range or temperatures. Because of this the glaze stays in a molten (liquid state) from a low temperature. This lets any excess offgassing from the clays to get through and not cause any "moon" cratering in the glaze.

This is the glaze that was used on the inside of the cups above. I just left the outside of the cups with no finish, it is just the clay body itself.

I have another ceramic artist friend, Matt Allison, who uses the Cassius Basaltic clay as well. He will use a water downed version of a clear glaze as a finish on his pieces. But this is only after doing the long bisque as described above.

Also, from my research I have found that this clay after firing is food safe. There seems to be no manganese in the clay. But there are other black clays out there that have manganese in them, so be careful.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 3

2011-01-28T07:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a small leaf bowl. This design still needs work. What I was trying to do with this piece is take some of my blacksmithing knowledge and apply it to clay. So all of these ceramic leaves have been forged out with a small hammer as I would with steel.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 2

2011-01-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

One of my cooking clay pots with a lid that then becomes a bowl to eat from. I want to do some more of these.

Portfolio Photography Cassius Basaltic Clay 1

2011-01-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

Just recently I started using this Cassius Basaltic Clay. And I love it. How dark it can get reminds me a lot of steel. But it is hard to find a glaze to work well with the clay. The clay has a lot of gasses that come off of it when fired. And it has to be fired in an oxidizing fire, usually in an electric kiln.

Here is a bowl with a jagged edge. I am surprised that the jagged lip survived through firing.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 8

2011-01-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

My sagar fired candle holder. One thing I learned while photographing this piece is wax get everywhere. You really need to dust/clean up the matte before shooting stuff once wax or crumbly items are involved. Otherwise you are going to spend a lot of time in photoshop cleaning up dust and wax bits.

I had fun when I blew out the candles. I will have to play with smoke in some later photo shoots.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 7

2011-01-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here is another candle holder. This one holds 3 little votive candles. When creating these I was trying out some ideas. Actually something I have wanted to do with metal. I still need to play with this design some more.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 6

2011-01-23T14:03:00.001-08:00

Here is a candle holder. I was playing with a shape and how it transforms in the 3 dimensions. This was just one of many experiments.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 5

2011-01-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

5 cups of Sagaaaar. Sorry couldn't resist. Here 5 different sagar fired little cups I did. I still think the middle one is the best.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 5

2011-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

A tiny cup with some good markings. I love how the sagar fired pieces vary dramatically on all sides.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 4

2011-01-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

Another container with a lid, but this one is larger.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 3

2011-01-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

My two containers with lids. I had fun making these. You can see from the black lines where I wrapped some bronze wire around the vessel before firing them.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 2

2011-01-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

My sagar fired cup. Had some decent marking generated.

Portfolio Photography Sagar fire pieces 1

2011-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Another double post day. Life got busy yesterday and I forgot to post to my blog again.

Now I am going to be starting with some of my sagar fired work. Sagar fire is where you smooth/polish the pieces before firing. You then take those ceramic items and place them in a bigger container that can be sealed off. That container is filled with combustible items (ie sawdust, seaweed, salt, horse hair, banana peals, etc.). You can wrap the ceramic pieces with different items as well (ie, copper, brass, bronze, steel wire or mesh, etc.) These sealed containers are then placed in a gas kiln and fired just hot enough to combust the sawdust,etc so that is smokes. These creates the different patterns on the ceramic pieces.

This is a taller container where I played with the handle. I actually had other pieces inside this container as well. Think container within a container within another container.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 14

2011-01-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

A couple of wood fired cups. These are made from two clays thrown together to give the swirl effect.

Portfolio Photography Wood Fire Pieces 13

2011-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

I completely ran out of time to post a blog yesterday. So I will be posting two today.

Here is the first, a wood fired mug that got hammered pretty good with ash. This is because of its location near the front of the kiln. You can see how the flames from the wood fire were wrapping around the mug. The left side of the mug was facing the flames and you can see the transition from the more matte crusty glazing to the blue reflective glazing.

Portfolio Photography Wood Fire Pieces 12

2011-01-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

Soup anyone? These are a couple of soup bowl mugs. They came out a little dry in a couple of places because of their location near the back of the train kiln.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 11

2011-01-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Three bowls wood fired made of two types of clay thrown together (the two clays create the swirl effect). I had fun photographing these bowls. Here are just two of the better shots I took.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 10

2011-01-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a set of five sake or shot glasses. I use them for both personally. They all received a good degree of flashing and wood ash.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 9

2011-01-09T06:32:00.001-08:00

Sake on my mind. You would think after posting all of these sake sets I would at least be drinking some. But first you have to get some. I will have to do that the next time I am at the store.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 8

2011-01-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

I have a few more sake sets to post, all from the same wood fire. I enjoy this shape and the way it feels in your hand as you pour sake. I will have to do a few more.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 7

2011-01-07T16:31:00.001-08:00

You thought the sake sets were over with but think again. Here is another wood fired sake set. For its placement in the kiln, further towards the back, it got a good amount of wood ash.

Just to recap, all of these most recent posts are artwork done by me and photographed by me (with my new lights, 3 Paul C. Buff Einsteins).

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 6

2011-01-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a small wood fire pitcher. This piece received some nice flashing and good ash on the opposite side (photo below).

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 5

2011-01-05T17:09:00.001-08:00

One last sake set that was right up in the front spot of the kiln and got hammered with ash.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 4

2011-01-04T09:07:00.001-08:00

The third sake set, also wood fired near the middle of the kiln. I am also showing a detail shot of three sake cups. There is a glaze for the inside of the cups and sake bottle but the outside is all from the wood ash.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 3

2011-01-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Another Sake set that has been wood fired. This set was about in the middle of the kiln. It received some flashing and ash. The body is thrown from two types of clay and that is what the spiral effect is coming from.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 2

2011-01-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

A sake set that was wood fired 2 years ago. These were about in the middle of the train kiln, a little towards the front. They both got some very good wood ash on them.

It is amazing how different the wood ash glazing effect can happen in a kiln. As I post more photos you will see that difference.

Portfolio Photography Wood fire pieces 1

2011-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

There at the last week of December 2010, I used my new studio lights to capture all of my ceramic and some of my metal work. Through the month of January I will be posting a photo of each piece photographed.

I will start the new year off with some of my wood fire ceramic pieces. This is one of my tea bowls that was up front near the fire box and got hammered by the wood ash.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

It was nice knowing you 2010 but I welcome 2011. There is a lot to look forward too and to strive for.

2010 saw the most blog posts yet for me. But I see more for 2011.

We said bye bye to Seattle in 2010 and moved to Bozeman, MT. I am looking forward to spending a new year here and plan on doing some fly fishing.

Hopefully I will see myself in grad school in fall of 2011. And seeing myself pursuing my art further.

I hope everybody out there has a great New Year! And we will see how I do with my new year resolutions.

The last bit of snow of the year in the picture above.

Portfolio Photography 2

2010-12-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

To continue my portfolio here is my metal dragon fly. The first two photos are of the finished product while the third photo is my first prototype.

The final dragon fly has flattened wings and a little detail on the body. Just enough but not to much.

I have now made a few of these and plan on making some more.

Portfolio Photography 1

2010-12-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well I finally broke down and purchased some studio lights. Which are helping me photograph my wife's and my own art pieces. Over the past 3 days I have been photography non-stop in the garage to get these photos done. Now I have the task of going through all of the photos.

Here is a sample of some of my latest metal work. A pair of ginko leaf hooks along with a detail shot of the ginko leaf. These hooks were inspired from my trip to Japan.

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-25T11:01:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everybody from lovely and sunny Bozeman, Montana.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

2010-11-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everybody from Bozeman, MT. Fresh Pumpkin Pies for us!!

September Fox

2010-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

I was able to make the men's fishing trip this year back in September. It is where the extended family of the male persuasion get together in a few cabins, fish, eat, imbibe and have an all together great time.We will usually see some wildlife during this trip and I wasn't disappointed this year. I got a few great shots of a friendly fox in great shape.

The new neighborhood

2010-11-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of our new neighborhood. Just to give you a comparison to the first snow photos. I took it at sunrise just outside of our front door a couple of days before Halloween.

Second Day of the First Snow

2010-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well it didn't stop snowing all of yesterday or last night, it was even snowing this morning until about 8:00 am. After doing a little bit of snow shoveling I went out and walked around the yard and neighborhood. Here are a few photos from my exploration.

The first is one of my dragon flies I made back in may and have just placed in the backyard. I can't believe how much snow has piled up on top of it.

The rest are of the neighborhood I am living in now.

Our First Snow

2010-11-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

We are having our first snow of the winter here in Bozeman. Which also happens to be our first snow in Montana. Both Jenn and I are excited about it.

I even got outside and took a couple quick snaps or our neighborhood.

In the evening I was out and about on Montana State University's campus and grabbed a couple more photos to celebrate the first snow fall.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

I know it is a day late but Happy Halloween anyways. My wife and I finally got some trick or treaters. I think it has been about 20 years since I have given candy away on Halloween. And that not because I didn't want to, it was because no one ever came to our door. It is great to live in an area again where kids can get dressed up and go get some candy.

A walk in a Park

2010-10-29T08:41:00.001-07:00

After moving to a Bozeman, MT we have had the quickest ever visitor. Our friend Linda from Athens, GA got to visit us back in July. It was great to see someone form Athens again and we had a good time.On one of the days we got to go on a hike to Hyalite lake. It was a very pretty hike where we were able to see a couple of waterfalls, get out into nature and stretch our legs.

During the hike I was able to capture a few descent photos. I can't wait to explore more of this region through the different seasons.

Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part III

2010-08-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well the fun ended with a "Sold" as the last ceramic piece was auctioned off. This happened as the sun went down and the moon started to peek over the mountains. Which gave me a great opportunity to shoot a couple twilight photos of the Archie Bray Foundation.

Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part II

2010-08-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

While at the Archie Bray Foundation auction I was able to get a few decent shots of people interaction. Be it of the crowd, musicians, or residents.

Documenting an event is always fun to do and as you take more photos you see even more photos to take. All you have to do is get beyond the shyness (at least for me I do) of taking photos of people.

Enjoy!

Archie Bray Foundation 2010 summer auction Part I

2010-08-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since my last post, but a lot has been happening. I have moved to a new city, Bozeman, Montana. Moving sure does take it out of you, and getting to know your surroundings is a great way to take a break from the unpacking and to have some fun.

One of these breaks was to go to the Archie Bray Foundation summer auction in Helena, MT. My wife and I had a wonderful time being able to see the facilities, interact with the residents, see some great ceramic art, become an expert at the slingshot again and watch a fun auction to raise money for the foundation.

If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping by.

These are a few photos of the facilities, mostly of the historic and art structures. In the next post I will have photos of the events.

4 years and another World Cup is over

2010-07-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

AAahhh viva Espana!! A month of my life spent watching the World cup, but this is the only time I will plant myself in front of a tv (or in my case the computer streaming or the bar) and watch Sports, 3 games a day for a month solid. Pure awesomeness and this World Cup did not disappoint. South Africa, thanks for a great world cup.

Now I have to be patient and wait another 4 years for world cup to come around again. Hopefully it will time well spent for team USA to get ready.

Now back to photography.

Shiny Hammers

2010-05-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

I just received these two shiny hammers from Brent Bailey. I had to take some photos of them before I used them (which I will do tonight). These two hammers are
A 3 lb modified hammer

A 3.5 lb Abrazo hammer

They have a great feel and man do they look cool. After tonight I will be able to tell you how they work for me.

Oh Seattle what a harsh mistress you can be

2010-05-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

Oh Seattle go ahead and let the sun shine on down, so that the mass of budding plants can spew the billions upon billions of pollen into the air. Which I will breath in and be hit with the worst allergy attack yet this year.

I soooo want to go out and enjoy the sun but the invisible exhale of plants has knocked me on my butt.

Here could be one culprit. Though I know it isn't.

More Spring color

2010-05-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

Here is some more spring color, which I felt the need to post because it is grey and wet outside again. The pink Dogwoods are blooming spectacularly this year.

Spring Color

2010-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Spring color is in full bloom here in Seattle. Especially in the Magnolia area, where I live. Walking around the neighborhood with the camera I am assaulted by vibrant colors. Which is great to see after this gray winter. This photo shows a range of the colors available currently.

Holy Giant Urinals Batman!

2010-04-26T18:14:00.001-07:00

So you've drunk a few beers and it's time to make some room for a couple of more. You can see where the restrooms are and so you go on over and walk in. Where upon you are overwhelmed by this huge urinal. And I mean huge. The top of the automatic sensor is taller then me, so let's say it is at six feet high (approximately 2 meters). The urinal itself is one big piece of ceramic, I would say 32" wide by about 4 feet 10 inches high and about 18" deep.

Luckily I had my camera with me and took a quick photo. It is so fun to just be surprised by items like this, just when you think you have seen all the urinals there are, pow you come across this one. You can find this one at the Irish Pub in Seattle in Magnolia off of Dravus.

Are Baby Carriages EVIL!!

2010-04-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well some of the shops in Copenhagen, Denmark think so. I ran across this sign in quite a few place in Copenhagen. Usually you would see this no baby carriages sign with a no bike sign. Seems the Danish dislike the Baby Carriages more then skateboards, because I didn't see a no skateboarding sign anywhere. Where as here in America no skateboarding signs are a dime a dozen. And I have never seen a no baby carriages sign here in America. I love finding theses little idiosyncrasies in different cultures.

How to knot your tie?

2010-04-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

So you're walking along, late for a dinner where you need to be dressed to the nines and you still haven't tied your tie. In your flustered state you can't remember how to tie it, doh, what to do. Well if you are lucky enough to be in Reykjavik, Iceland you can stop at this alley entrance for instructions. Now this is a cool sign / wall art. As well as being helpful.

No Dumping . . . Whatever

2010-04-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes while walking around you notice / come across the strangest signs. Take this one for example "Dump No Material Whatever". You can stop and think about it for a moment and come to the conclusion that you are not to dump anything here. But if you read through it quickly and look at how the text is placed you can read it as "Dump No Material . .mmm . . ahh . . Whatever". Meaning I am trying to stop you from dumping anything here but oh whatever do what you want because I truly don't care. Just Saying.

Ice Bar in Iceland

2010-04-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Back in February I was able to go to Reykjavik, Iceland for the weekend. My wife and I had a great time and hope to get back there in the future for a much longer stay.
While there I was able to get some fun photos. Here are a couple from the Ice Bar. It is more of a novelty place to go to, but you just have to go do it once. Just remember you have to pay to go in where upon you get a parka to wear and a free shot of Jeager Meister ( the drink frozen in the big ice blocks).

Pabst mural in Fremont

2010-04-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Everytime I walk by this mural in Fremont near Rain City Video all I can think is:
This is what the world looks like after consuming to much Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

Though I don't have this type of experience, especially from drinking to much PBR, it is what I imagine.

The Iron Horseshoe

2010-04-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

I was going through my archive of photos, which just grows and grows, when I came across a horseshoe picture I forgot to publish in my Horseshoe series.

I don't know of anyone else who makes this shoe. But, my friend Mike Carson, a Blacksmith in Woodland, CA, forges a lot of historical items. This shoe made from a rail road spike was traditionally used by Railroad Companies to Shoe their Iron Horses.

What with the change in technology for trains and railways these Iron Horses have been forgotten. I wonder if anyone out there still has raises this breed?

Seattle in Neon: Hale's Brewery

2010-03-09T16:48:00.001-08:00

Aahh, Hale's Brewery & Pub a great place to get a beer and a hamburger. They also have a pretty straight forward neon sign. You can find Hale's in Fremont.

Seattle in Neon: Neon

2010-03-01T20:37:00.001-08:00

Here is an old neon sign that is still acting as a sign, hah. You can find it over in Fremont/Ballard on Leary Way Northwest just after Hales as you are driving east.

Seattle in Neon: Red Mill Burger

2010-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

I just in time to post one more blog before the end of February. You would think it would still be winter here in Seattle, but as you can see by the light sky in this Red Mill Burger neon sign, it is spring. Weird weather.

Enjoy your burgers under a cool neon sign, at this Interbay location on Dravus.