I have finally come up with a rendition of tapioca pudding that is close to the one at Winter Ridge, although mine has a stronger coconut flavor and not as much chai spice. Mmmmm.

In ceramics class today, a successful ceramic artist, Gina Freuen, did a demonstration. It was really interesting to watch her work, but after 2-3 hours I thought I was going to go mad if I didn't get up out of my chair and move around and do something. My mind doesn't shut up and I have to constantly pull it back to the task at hand. So for the second half of the demo, I went into the back room and made...an ugly fish. It looks like a sculpin crossed with a catfish. I feel ugly right now, and making something ugly and feeling sympathetic toward it as it's creator was cathartic somehow. I felt 100% better by the time I was done, and because evryone else was watching the demo, I had the room I was in all to myself.

I know it was a waste not to watch the whole thing, but I just couldn't do it. It was interesting, but...yeah. Just couldn't.

I used a different approach on this fish. Instead of laying more or less flat and in profile, its head is turned full face towards the viewer. this necessitated making the head separately rather than as an extension of the body, but it also made for much cleaner, smoother head seams, and the fish is looking right at you. It also gives the fish more movement, more flex, especially since the tail is propped so that it curves down and then out. It has a big gaping mouth, popping eyes, whiskers/tentacles protruding from its lower lip and above its eyes, and sculpin like fins. Oh no!!!! I forgot to add fish scale texture! Dang! It will be a miracle if this thing comes through the bisque and glaze firings intact with all the small delicate tentacles and fins. If it does....I will have to post a picture of it here.