Virtual Brush Box

Art of the outside world. Ceramigami is ceramics + origami. Instagram: morniingstarmud 23 Oct 2024, Artist’s website, Morningstar Mud, Betsy Morningstar.

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“Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals.” Wiki” Electrum. Did not turn up oodles of info due to companies with that name sucking up the search space.

Blackwork engraving is the use of large blocks of black in a design. Blackwork engraving is not related to blackwork embroidery except by name. The V&A: Blackwork prints: Part 1: Early blackwork prints, the development of a new technique and its uses. Bartlett-Rawlings 2013.

Process Notes

Interior pattern easy to see. No need for breakout diagrams.

Project Description [Colorwork Alphabet Introduction]

Previous Posts [Colorwork Alphabet]

Onwards!
Katherine

Behold a painted, valuable, antique sign.

It drives me batty.

The final E in the first SHOE is too large.

Let’s zoom in. Lines added for emphasis. An artistic case could be made for drawing a larger initial letter. That was not the situation here. Clearly, the sign painter was aiming for balanced letters. They missed.

I find it painful to look at.

I had a long conversation about this sign with a family member (waves hi!). The underlying arcs are smooth but not even. There is serif and sans serif on the same sign. The O on the bottom line is different than the O higher up. Although, the painter may not have had a choice in this due to spacing requirements.

Family member (waves hi again!) is not a person I see often (sad face). I could imagine them wondering, if I am so adamant about lettering, why don’t I do it for money?

Good question. I’ve thought about it. The answer is, I don’t have the eye.

Years ago, I had to design in-house ads at a newspaper. I drew up a lovely specimen. Flawless. I are such genius. Showed it to the art department.

Art Dude: Can I make a few adjustments?

Me, imagining minor tweaks: Sure.

Art Dude, hits a few keys, completely restructures the ad: How about this?

Me: Um. Yup. That’s what it should look like.

I can kibitz. I can have opinions. I cannot create. I lack the artistic sense for balance, simplicity, clarity, musicality. Call it what you will, I don’t have it. Nothing in my demonstrated abilities since then has changed my mind.

That’s okay.

One doesn’t always have to make $$ on a thing.

One doesn’t have to be pro level to enjoy a thing.

I will remain a happy amateur, ranting about lettering.

Wiki: Boot and Shoe Workers’ Union

Previous post in a similar vein, note the continuation of the discussion by the artist & others in the comments. [Just Because You Enjoy An Activity Doesn’t Mean You Want To Be Paid To Do It With Strangers]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “This bill also assumes that all fraud is committed by Medicaid recipients. That’s wrong. Most fraud comes from providers.” YLE: Medicaid cuts: The how and why, Jettlina, Jul 09, 2025.

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30x

1x

Calera AL
July 2025

Technical Notes

Phone camera.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside horse world. USEF: Equine Microchipping.

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Bubba
Stepping Stone Farm
July 2025

As close as I’m likely to get to riding a spiffy Saddlebred in the Rolex arena at the Lexington Junior Charity Horse Show.

Reagan giving a master class in how to make a statement coming into the show ring. Livestream by Richfield Video.

Barn is there with six horses, and I am at home livestreaming.

Why?

Because people & horses I know doing fancy things.

Because people & horses I know doing fancy things at Kentucky Horse Park.

Because I am living vicariously. Again.

Because blog content.

As of yesterday, everyone has gone once. Most have their second class today.

Helmet Watch

Helmet took 3rd in Class 11 – Walk & Trot Pleasure, Age 12 & under.

Hunter Country Pleasure juniors were 6 for 6 wearing helmets.

Update. Hunter CP adults were 1 for 13.

Previous Posts

2024 [It’s That Time of Year Again, Vicarious Lexington]

2023 [Watching and Wondering, Saddlebreds at Lexington]

2022 [A Full Dance Card]

2021 [Virtual Railbirding, Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show 2021, Guest Photo]

2020 [Happenings at the Horse Park, In Which I Live Virtually and Vicariously]

2019 [Dream Rides, Shows, mentioned]

2018 No post

2017 The last year at The Red Mile. [7 Ways To Dodge Nostalgia, photos]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Filled out my quarterly survey for the Johns Hopkins COVID Long Study. I have signed up for the repeating version. Looks like they will take single entries, “Participation includes a one-time, 20 minute survey.” ibid. I’m fine – which I am very happy about – but it makes the survey a long list of nope, none of the above, I’m good. I have to remind myself that every study needs control subjects. That’s me, a human baseline.

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Razzy
The Hunter Place
July 2025

Razzy was her usual stellar self.

Much quieter at a walk to start, yay. A semi-private lesson, as the first one was. She wasn’t alone in the ring? I was different? The phase of the moon was different? Dunno. Just happy to stroll around the ring.

Canter exercise was half-seat down the long side. A small part of me heard the call of cross-country. Razzy was not averse to a touch of zoomies.

Will I be posting an ears photo from every lesson, even though it is essential the same photo every time? At the moment, yes.

Razzy [Salute to a Schoolmaster], [In Which I Ride A Horse]

Bubba & Diego [SSF Ears]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Cleveland.com: Mysterious life form found on ship that docked in Cleveland, Krouse, Jul. 2025.

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Horses have returned to organized exercise in the morning.

We do a warm-up lap together. Then I hand one horse off to the groundwork dude. They lunge while other horse and I do two laps. Switch horses. Repeat.

I get my five laps. Each horse gets some walk and some work.

I use the term work loosely. They trot and maybe canter a few easy circles. They expend more calories galloping in for dinner.

Nevertheless, on the first day back to work, both horses had temper tantrums. The very idea!

Both of them had gotten over themselves by the next day.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Awkward conversation I couldn’t figure out how to have. There was demonstration held in my area. Them: If you cannot come to the main event, please gather in a local park and light candles or release balloons. Me: Um. Er. I support your cause. You deserve answers. Can it be done with more candle and less balloon? Can we protest for justice AND protect the planet? Sigh. I suspect my argument would not have been well received. This is not the time for that discussion.

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Pause.

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Milton eats his hay out of dedicated muck buckets. [Purple Muck Bucket]

Rodney used to eat out of a custom set up. [Rodney’s Dinner Table]

He now eats out of whatever hay bucket is available.

The custom table elevated Rodney’s dinner bucket, which was the point. However, he could and would tip it over on occasion if he got particularly forceful with his snoot. Plus, it was cumbersome to clean. I had to take it apart, drag the pieces out of stall, shove the big tub under the pass thru, and so on. I confess cleaning wasn’t getting done as often as I would have liked.

As a stop gap, we (the barn we) hung one of Milton’s hay buckets in a corner on a movable water bucket hook.

It was a brilliant fix.

The bucket is up high, so the eating surface is elevated.

The bucket is hung from one handle. The resulting slant means he doesn’t have to arch his neck to reach in. This was a problem with a previous set of on-the-fence feeders, which now live on as helmet holders.

The bucket is attached to the wall, so no tipping over. I’ve heard thumps as he swings it about.

Although attached, it is light and easy to move. This was the problem when we had a bucket tied to the wall. With the bucket on a hook, we simply toss the post-meal bucket into the aisle for Milton to check out.

There is less to check out. The base of the interior is rounded, so feed does not gather around the bottom the way it did in the feed pan. Clean plate club!

No dinner table.

Milton has several buckets, so there is always an empty bucket to hand.

Rodney seems happy with the new arrangement.

Onwards!
Katherine