Competition

I keep Kitty on a leash

Silly Seagull

This silly seagull was at my workplace this summer - she decided to make her nest in a parking lot, next to the entrance of the office building. I don't think she realized what she was getting into at the time.. there were people going in and out of the office constantly and I'm sure she felt threatened. Some of the guys were nice enough to make this wooden shelter for her. Unfortunately I don't think any of her eggs hatched :'(

My Specialty is Roofing

hahaha

Clay Trout Tray?

I made this clay Rainbow Trout for a friend. It's supposed to be a dish/tray of sorts.. although may have been better off as a wall-hanger. 

I tried all sorts of objects to prop it up accordingly, in an attempt to maintain the 'tray' shape while drying: jewelry gift boxes, spoons, toothbrush cases, wooden ladle, the list goes on. I think this was the hardest part.. in the process, one of the fins broke. I had to reattach it with more clay.  It worked, but barely.

I used the Oven Craft type clay, as I don't have access to a kiln. I've used it before and it works well for my purposes. When it was finished baking I painted it with watered down acrylic paint so the terra cotta color would show through (complete with silver wash for a fishy sheen). After painting, i put a coat of clear glaze on top. I used the shiny kind as I thought it might look more like real ceramic glaze... but I was wrong. In the future I will use the pearl finish glaze. The circular globs on the underside are intended to help prop the fish up into it's tray shape once solidified and displayed (again, the most complicated part). 

Some day I will try my hand at more abstract clay shapes.

Pet Faceoff

These are my pets, Kitty & Snake.

Kitty is a 6 year old tabby cat, and Snake is an ~8 year old Corn Snake.

I've loved reptiles (and all other creatures) since I was a child. When I realized it was possible to have a pet snake that required very little equipment and special care I jumped on the idea. I got him when he was 3 years old and have had him for 5. Many snakes live for 20 years! He's a pretty timid snake and likes to hide in boxes.

I've had Kitty since she was 8 weeks old. She normally prefers to be the only cat on the premises and has a history of jealousy. She is great with humans though and very affectionate. She is primarily an indoor cat but loves exploring the outdoors and eating grass as often as possible. She could also probably stand to lose a pound or two.

First Post

Hi,
this is my first post.