Transformations

This humble pot, made back in June 08 and posted here in its greenware form, is finally "finished." First it got cooked in Anthony Gordon's fast fire wood kiln and then in our salt kiln at the Benton Center. It picked up some nice color and ash from the Anthony's but was on the dry side. A splash of salt from our residual salt firing help bring it to life. It has a wonderful leathery surface with a little orange peel salt texture where the slip was wiped away.

What inspires us?

Oh to be able to get this kind of surface on a pottery piece. The richness of what we can see in nature--if we take the time to look--is just mind boggling. This marker was at the gate of a moist arboretum on Maui.

What gets us into the studio?

During a snowy December week I woke with this image in my brain after seeing myself make it in a dream, and so laid out some very thick slabs for it, figured out a way to put it together and support the weight of the walls with gravity wanting to flatten them. Over a couple of days let it dry and then carved and sponged this piece into shape. The term "compelling" actually was my mantra while I was making it. It felt like this piece needed to be made -- wanted me to caress it into shape.

I cannot deny its cradle-like shape and all the of the symbolic stuff that its creation implies. Art is the child I've chosen and this beautiful piece says it all. Whether it makes it through the finishing and firing, and whether or not I still love it as much in the end, it's too soon to say.

Happy New Year!

This piece is drying, and then I'll begin the process of layering underglazes on it for a multicolored sculpture.

Recently needed to write an artist statement about the "conceptual framework of my artmaking" and realized that all of these spiral forms have been about creating joyful works. Some are bold strong shapes, others are just plain fun. The spiral or twist provides a good contruction and glazing challenge for me and there are permutations galore. At least I haven't come to the end of this road yet.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing ... good thoughts go out to you from my studio to yours.

Hope to see you in 2009!

Week before Xmas

Completed this stacking sculpture for The Arts Centers' Chocolate Fantasy Auction that's in February.

There are always tricks with cooking larger pieces slowly enough to not blow them up...one of these pieces has a slight rattle from something that blew on the inside (luckily). The colors come from low fire underglazes fired at cone 6. I love the way they get stoney and saturated at the higher temps right before going glassy.

It'll be interesting to see if this gets bites at the oral auction. 59" Sculpture - $550-$600 special order.

15 Second Sculpture at SFMOMA

The challenge by artist Erwin Wurm was public participation to create a one-minute sculpture with props set out in a corner of SFMoma. I took the challenge in a 15 second version. Sticking my head in the wood refridgerator was much easier than the other two balancing acts (5 fruits with head, chest, and legs against a wall, or three brooms in a crucifixion pattern).

Can I add "Sculpture in SFMoma" to my resume? Ha!

Something a Little Larger

This piece took shape over the past couple of weeks. I started with a definite form in mind, but as it went up in my pinch/coil methods, it took on a life of its own and came out like this. This is about 4ft tall before the drying/firing shrinkage. Think it may be destined for woodfire but am already making a sister piece that will probably be fired with layers of underglazes high fired so they scinter a bit.