tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114604523528254972.post4954368158257008971..comments2024-01-22T22:50:33.881-05:00Comments on Raven's Caw: Walking Your Art... or something like thatRaven's Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10029825722137314764noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114604523528254972.post-86011431280288935842007-07-16T17:13:00.000-04:002007-07-16T17:13:00.000-04:00I think I'd enjoy an Earthship studio too (perhaps...I think I'd enjoy an Earthship studio too (perhaps it's just the photo and that oh-so-cool architecture, I'm not sure. Lol).<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I've been thinking about whether there could be other materials that could be used to make pc too. I know that soy is being used for some plastics... but soy isn't much better than corn. Wouldn't it be great if we could make pc and other polymer plastics from human waste? Lol. That would be real justice. ;)Raven's Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10029825722137314764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114604523528254972.post-24289341840866387642007-07-16T14:56:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:56:00.000-04:00My solar experiment was high in the Rockies while ...My solar experiment was high in the Rockies while I was on vacation, and I didn't take any pics (d'oh!). I know this is hard to believe, but since I've been home in Arizona, I haven't been able to get the cooker up to curing temps! I'm trying to figure out whether it's because of a slightly different setup or being under 5000 feet more atmosphere.<BR/><BR/>But this got me thinking about other ways to reduce my clay habit's impact. On a small scale, a wind-powered tumbler for polishing might be feasible, but I soooo want to build an <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship" REL="nofollow">Earthship</A> studio/office/guest house, with solar electricity, rainwater harvesting, and a composting toilet.<BR/><BR/>And I wonder if they'll eventually make PC from the new bio-polymers made from corn oil? Corn's not exactly an environmentally friendly crop, but maybe they can come up with ways to make it from any vegetable oil, like biodeisel. At least they're not talking about growing corn in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. ;>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114604523528254972.post-52873909945028832672007-07-15T21:08:00.000-04:002007-07-15T21:08:00.000-04:00Oh Sheri! You make me feel much better. I have to ...Oh Sheri! You make me feel much better. I have to agree that there are other mediums that can be much more toxic in the waste stream - think of the words "cadmium yellow" or "cobalt blue", just to name two. But polymer clay's evil side is in the making, mostly. <BR/><BR/>I love your idea of baking in a solar oven!! That is sharp! I'd love to put a photo of it on my blog and/or website. Would you mind sending me a pic of it in action? I have a photo of my solar studio on my ravensclay.com site - so in some ways I'm baking in a "solar oven" too. Hee hee!<BR/><BR/>I visited your site, btw, and I LOVE your birds!!! They're just terrific! And the list of books your work is in is quite impressive. You go girl!!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the pep talk, my dear. But I shall continue to try and find ways to soften my impact - at the very least to offset my Muse's addiction. Lol! Cheers!Raven's Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10029825722137314764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114604523528254972.post-62730796569544840502007-07-15T17:25:00.000-04:002007-07-15T17:25:00.000-04:00I'm still a "practicing" environmentalist, I can r...I'm still a "practicing" environmentalist, I can relate to your ambivalence. It irks me that my muse isn't into natural materials, recycling, etc., but it loves the vivid and subtle colors that are possible with polymer clay. <BR/><BR/>One big plus is that working in polymer clay involves very little waste. I'd be surprised if more than 0.1% of the clay I handle ends up in a landfill or wastewater plant. When I think of the millions of weekend artists using solvents and pigments that are hazards to both health and the environment, and ponder how much of that waste goes down the drain or into landfills to leach into ground water, I figure my medium isn't so bad. <BR/><BR/>It also has a pretty small environmental footprint compared to earth-based clay, which involves mining plus relatively huge amounts of energy in the firing process. Nevertheless, I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint by going solar. I baked my last batch of projects in a cheap solar cooker, the kind they distribute in Third World countries, and they came out great.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com