Farm Life Meets Pottery

Today marks the start of week 3 of farm life for me. My first two weeks have provided many amazing experiences, from cliff jumping to yoga to private islands to photography. Yes, all of this from a farm! Not only am I here at Better Farm as an artist resident, I also attended a couple workshops, and participate in what I refer to as “farm life,” which includes chores around the house, helping to feed the masses, and soaking in the simplicity of a life removed from the clamor of the city.

As a full-time teacher, I’m trying to make the most of my time here to focus on another love of my life, pottery. I brought with me a propane-fueled raku kiln, which was converted from electric. And what a find this kiln was! Only $25 at a yard sale…always keep an eye out for old kilns, which can easily be restored with new parts or converted for raku. The beast still needs some work, but I am very excited to experiment with the mysterious world of raku, as it produces some of the most stunning glaze effects I’ve found.

 
I work on my pottery in an old barn at the farm. I’ve found the open air and quiet surroundings allow for an atmosphere of mind wandering that serves me well. I have been hand-building all my pieces because I didn’t bring my newly purchased wheel. Hand building takes significantly longer than just throwing a piece on the wheel, but I enjoy making sculptural creatures of various sorts, and slab building more functional pieces.

I took pictures of all my greenware after my first experience attempting to fire my kiln. As I struggled to get the propane to oxygen ratio right, I occasionally heard some loud popping going on inside. I hoped it was just some debris igniting. After the wind blew out my flame, and I determined some major modifications were needed to fire properly, I gave up. When I opened the lid I was very disappointed to learn that the popping noise was, in fact, some of my work shattering to pieces. Fortunately anything I spent significant time on was safe. I know what errors I made, so even though the first firing attempt was a failure, I learned a lot from the experience.

I was very happy to find that there is a pottery studio only about a mile down the street, Dragonfly Pottery. I went to visit with Ann Donovan, a local art teacher and potter, who seems very knowledgeable about all aspects of pottery after 18 years of experience. I will be spending some time at her studio, using her wheels, kilns, clay and tools, as well as learning more about mixing glazes.

I look forward to seeing where my mind and hands wander, and what creations result. Soon I’ll also share more about the amazing workshop experiences I’ve had here at Better Farm.

Intern Files: End of week seven

By Joe Pintaudi

I have learned a great amount of respect for people who labor for what they bring to the table every day. It is easy to go to the store and buy something that I may eat or may throw away, but to toil away in the dirt and bring something out of the ground while trying to put back something that will help this process continue for as long as there is someone to continue the cycle.

I am getting ready to end what has been an amazing experience and a great summer; and really, in many ways, everything about coming here has been surprising. I will leave with pride in knowing that what I did will help to feed the people in this small community of mixed ideas and views. I have been surprised at how welcome the people here at the Farm and in the town of Redwood have been. All summer long we have been guided by the experience of others who want to see this succeed. Their experience has been helpful to ours, and what we have learned from them as well as on our own will someday be passed on to others who want to try and make things Better.

Originally posted at Joe's Blog.

Intern Files: Week seven

By

Joe Pintaudi

At the beginning of this week, there is more productivity in the garden. We are starting to see some

zucchini

coming in and the

peppers

are doing pretty well. Our

onions

appear to be pretty big on the surface and the same can be said about the

carrots

.

Yesterday I made an

organic pesticide

and used it on some of the greens. It’s a pretty simple mixture. I used three jalapeno peppers, one clove of garlic, a small amount of dish soap, and about four cups of water.

After putting all of these ingredients in a container, I used a hand-held blender to mix everything really well. After the mix sat for about two hours, I used a strainer to separate the liquid from the solids and placed the liquid into a pump sprayer and added about a gallon of water.

This is a pretty simple and organic way to keep insects from eating your garden before you can. According to the advice I found online, it should be sprayed couple of days and after it rains.  Also remember to use a clean sprayer.  I washed the one I found out three times before I used it just to make sure that no unwanted chemicals got into the mix.

Originally published at

Joe's Blog.

Within the Mystery: Better Farm holds yoga workshop

Better Farm from July 9-11 hosted "Within the Mystery," a weekend-long yoga retreat led by Los Angeles-based Danielle Marie Gutshall of The Conscious Canopy.

With students from as far as York, Penn., and Brooklyn, N.Y., the fresh air and quiet loft space of Better Farm's barn were welcomed reliefs from the everyday buzz of city and suburban life.

"I really liked the outdoor space and the people," one yoga student wrote. "It was beautiful here and a great place to relax and reflect," said another.

"Within the Mystery" combined a spectrum of events to bring students deeper within their selves. Those in attendance practiced a blend of yoga (Kripalu meets Kundalini), breathwork, guided relaxation, and a taste of shamanic journeying.

Photos from the workshop after the jump!

Danielle Marie Gutshall is an interdisciplinary artist, yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and childbirth specialist.  She currently resides in Los Angeles ,where she guides new families as a birth and postpartum doula and a Birthing from Within Mentor.  She is also passionate about nature, shamanism, storytelling, ritual and archetypes, and where they meet and merge. She has studied with mentors such as Hank Wesselman, Jill Kuykendall, Pam England, Susun Weed, Saul David Raye, Gurmukh Khalsa, and Guru Singh.  For more information check out www.theconsciouscanopy.net.

All photos by Emily McCombs

Intern Files: End of week six

By Joe Pintaudi

Since my last post things have slowed down a bit, mainly due to what I think was a mild case of heat exhaustion and dehydration. I had no energy for about a day and a half.  It was a warm week here, and I think I just lost track and didn't drink enough water.

I did manage to get out and help clean out the loose hay in the top of the barn.  There was a yoga instructor who came up for the weekend to teach a workshop, and they needed the space.  Turns out that with all that hay off the floor it could be a pretty functional room for larger gatherings in the future.

We tried to make use of the hay. Some was used for ground cover in the garden: It helps keep the weeds down between the rows, and provides a more solid surface to walk on after a rain.

The weather is nice again.  After the rain on Friday, the temperature decreased.  Today was a relaxing day, and I am feeling much better. I even went out for a long swim, which I feel good about now—but about half way through I was really thinking it was a bad idea.

There is something really great about the water here that I can’t really find the words to describe.  My advice would be to just come here and experience it for yourself.

Originally posted on Joe's Blog.

Intern Files: Week six

By Joe Pintaudi

It's warmed up in the last few days. Actually, it has been quite hot.

I realize it is not as hot as Phoenix, but with the humidity I think this heat may be worse.  I find solace in that, according to the locals, the heat is above normal and usually there are only a few days during the summer during which it is this uncomfortable.

After a good holiday weekend, things have gotten back to normal around Better Farm. The garden continues to grow, and we've been able to harvest and eat some of the produce. It is a rewarding feeling to know that you are consuming something that your hands helped create.

We have started to notice that there are little black and red bugs that we think are eating some of our plants.  Although we have not lost any plants to this, I would like to find a natural way to keep these guys from continuing to eat what we hope to eat or sell in the near future.


I do not really know how governments can help or hinder the sustainable cause. I suppose in some countries (mainly Europe) the issue has been at the forefront of development.  This does not seem to be the case in the United States. It seems like things have gained a bit of momentum in the last 10 years; but where there is a great amount of talk, there seems to be very little action.  Privately it can be helpful to people looking to receive subsidies for alternative energy systems—but that is only helpful to those who can afford to cover the remainder of the cost. What about the rest of the population, still relying mainly of fossil fuels to meet energy demands?

Sometimes doing the right thing gets lost in political deals and public opinions.  Because of constant power shifts, I think the government will be slow to act on providing people with answers and solutions in this area. I think the people will slowly have to realize that they have the power to change things and it will begin on a small scale without significant help from the powers that be.

Originally published at Joe's Blog.

Residency Files: Better Farm reflections

By Colleen Blackard

Just concluded my residency at Better Farm!  Click here to see some of the work I created during my stay.  The  work I created was a reflection on my time at the farm.

I was greatly influenced by the tranquil landscape, the night sky, the trips out on the many lakes in the region, and the people I met along the way.  It was an incredibly enriching experience.


Originally published at Colleen's blog, Artistically Inspired.

July 4th Weekend in the Thousand Islands Region

The biggest weekend all summer by far in the Thousand Islands region is July 4th. With fireworks in Clayton, Alexandria Bay, and several surrounding towns; and endless recreational activities on the St. Lawrence River and lakes in and around Redwood, it's a block of days packed with fun and high-seas adventure.

Even at its busiest, the Thousand Islands maintain a relaxed atmosphere (no Jersey Shore traffic or crowded beaches of Cape Cod, thankyouverymuch). We had perfect weather this year, and got to enjoy all the area has to offer—from cruising the lakes and river, to dining along Canada's shores, to gorgeous fireworks displays against a backdrop of trees and open water.

Photos by Carina Molnar

Better Farm Holds First Art Opening

Better Farm on July 3 hosted an art opening for the education center's first artist-in-residence, Colleen Blackard.

Colleen stayed at the farm throughout June to work on a series of pieces dealing in galaxy and landscape drawings.

More photos after the jump!

See more of Colleen's work here.

Celebrating the Work of Better Farm's first Artist-in-Residence, Colleen Blackard

Intern Files: Week Five

By Joe Pintaudi

Students going into a job search who look specifically for work geared toward sustainable problems will discover that these positions are nearly impossible to find.

There are many companies and organizations that have begun to understand that securing a future in their markets may include ensuring the preservation of a future world for generations to come.  Although these companies are leading the way, they seem to be few and far between on a global scale. There don't seem to be any jobs looking for a sustainability expert.

This may turn out to be the case for a long time; but that doesn't mean the jobs aren't out there. It's up to the soon-to-be graduates to be creative and find ways to incorporate sustainable thinking into industries that otherwise wouldn't think of creating a position or department for this area of study.

There are many opportunities out in the world that GIOS students are more than qualified to fill.  They may not be completely related to every piece of information that we've learned, but we will all bring a necessary knowledge to any table we are invited to. Finding jobs that relate to sustainability is going to be a challenge. Graduates must be creative in their job searches in order to best use the education they have been given in order to create the most change.

In other news… Things here at Better Farm have been going smoothly. Again, the last few days have been pretty wet. The plants continue to come up well, and I hope to get some weeding done in the next few days. The week started somewhat hot and muggy, but the sky changes so fast here and before I knew it rain clouds had moved in again. As I write this it feels pretty cold outside and the yard is still pretty soaked.

Monday afternoon was great. After a long day of general yard maintenance (mostly weed-eating around the house and barn), the house decided to go for a swim to cool off. So we headed to Millsite Lake, which is two miles down the road. The water is clean and clear and was the perfect temperature.  The cliff there is about 25 to 30 feet and provides not only a beautiful view overlooking the lake, but a nice place to jump into the cool water.

Today we got two more chickens.  I believe they are 2 or 3 months old. We introduced them to Henrietta (our first chicken), and so far they seem to be getting along fine—but I think they are going to need a bigger coop.

Originally published at Joe's Blog.

DIY Soap

Whether you're tired of spending top-dollar on expensive, organic soaps—or just don't know what to do with all those bar nubs lying around the tubs and showers of your home, soap-making is a pretty easy and extremely rewarding project.

There are a few different ways to go about the soap-making process. For Better Farm's first foray into this experiment, we went with the "melt and pour" method. This involves buying a huge block of glycerin soap from a local craft shop, melting it down, and pouring it into molds with the essential oils, herbs, and yummy additives of your choosing. Our intern Ali Carter headed straight to Better Farm's herb and flower gardens for inspiration; clipping sage, rose petals, and dill. She also cut up some lemon peel and found ginger, sesame seeds, oatmeal, coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the kitchen. Add in some local honey and essential oils, and we had enough ingredients to make three different kinds of soap.

Ali went ahead and cut the mammoth block of glycerin into smaller, more manageable pieces, and threw them into her spliced together double-boiler setup.

Once the glycerin was melted down, she poured it into molds (ice cube trays!) and added some choice ingredients. She also put some rope into the mold so her soaps would have handles. The molds were put into the fridge until the glycerin hardened up. Ali then broke the soaps free from their molds, and voila! An afternoon of soap-making yielded dozens of little bars with which the masses can keep clean.

Intern Files: End of week four comes with rain

By Joe Pintaudi

This is the end of Week Four.  It’s a little sad that I will be leaving this place to go back to a sea of pavement which emits heat long into the night; preventing any relief from the day's heat. I am looking forward to taking what I have learned here and applying it at home. As of two weeks ago, there is a large empty backyard waiting to be planted.

The wet weather has been great for the plants, and everything is looking good—although I am worried about some of the smaller tomato plants that were flooded after the downpour on Thursday afternoon.  All the rain did fill the barrel that I use to water the garden. I do not think there will be a need to use it for a few days.

Also, we started spreading manure in the garden.  There isn’t much that needs to be said about the fun of that, but it’s good for the soil and in turn its good for the plants.

Originally posted at Joe's Blog.