Latest Push

I make my cup of coffee, sit in my squicky office chair, read the blogosphere updates, and scan NPR's web page for the news. Then it's down to the studio to push towards getting my hands in the clay. Working with larger mounds of clay is still challenging for my hands, and when I go to wedge it I notice my form gets sloppy the bigger the mound of clay before is. Bringing it all to center takes a bit more focus, but the real challenge comes with pulling it to the right thickness and shaping the transition from bottle neck to body. This shoulder of the peice should be such an elegant shape, but mine often wobble or flair in hopefully attractive ways. It's a continual battle to teach myself how to create the fished pots I see in a lump of clay as uposed to the finished pot the lump of clay, at times, forces me to make. It's days like this that make me crave a daily routine focused on bettering my skills under the wing of some expert. A master to study under, or even a friend to explore the trials of unknowing with. When these quiet frustrations work their way into my days I often retreat from the studio into my english classes, or perhaps into my ever growing collection of Ceramics Monthly. That magazine is my life line to the seemingly limitless potential for creativity that rests in human hands and mud.

The work is startign to pile up. Will have to do a bisque firing soon.

I realize I've been absent for a few weeks now, and I do appologize for that. My days in school have been busy, and the studio hasn't recieved as much attention as it perhaps should have. Last week my energies were spent in attempting to take some really good photos of some of my more textured and rough vase forms to send in to an online international call for entries. No high hopes on that application, but I did my best, and will keep my fingers crossed. More to come in the very near future!