When I was growing up as a child in NC, my mother's parents lived "in the country" where my mother was born and raised. In Rowan county we have red clay, red dust, and red foot prints tracked into the house. It was what we knew. Didn't everyone have red dirt? We always had a wonderful garden and supplied the family with a plentiful harvest of vegetables for eating fresh or canning for delicious cold weather meals.
After a substantial rain, the red dirt at the edge of my grandfather's driveway developed a slick coat of red clay which, when dried by the sun, cracked, creating enticing thin red clay tiles. Fascinated by these exciting creations of nature I would squat by the driveway for hours playing and building with the mud tiles. What fun!
Today, instead of red clay mud and tiles, I have art products to use for my creations such as paints, mediums, and texture products as well as techniques for mixing, blending, glazing, and mingling. And again, I am a child squatting by the driveway at my grandfather's house, fascinated by my creations, this time with a wealth of products, surfaces, and paints. It's as much fun as mud pies!
