The little owl works through the night - just like so many artists we know! It's a good time to get things done, whether it be capturing those pesky mice or creating a work of art. The only interruptions are the voices calling quietly in the night....
I'm not exactly sure what I mean with this recently finished mask: chalk it up to my own frailties and insecurities. Hiding seems to be the central theme behind my work (at least as I see it) and I've spent a lot of time interpreting this theme in as many ways as possible. And, I'm not finished yet...
Currently, I feel as if I'm on auto pilot - plugging away in the studio and "Birdgirl" is emerging wishing for an out. I definitely have "got the urge for going" and I'll have to let it go...... (for now)
shed just in time for the last show and it's a fairly accurate representation of my state of mind for the past month or two. The Winter and Spring (as some of you may have guessed) were a difficult period for me, but Summer brought a new and improved outlook. And so, "Surfacing" was born. I have imagined myself emerging from the deep - fully clothed and swimming cap intact - hopeful and yet pensive and wondering: What next?.......
other piece from my "Shigaraki" period. Looking back, I see that all of the masks I made there represent some form of change or movement and this one is a perfect example. Even now, in my raku frenzy, I'm still working with stoneware and stretching its limits as far as I can. The big challenge now is to fire it to near vitrification (for strength) and then use low fire treatments and a final raku firing. Some ceramists have told me that this couldn't be done - but, where there's a will.......
e thinking about today's: it seemed like a natural follow-up. I do find myself thinking of things in a thematic way these days, most likely in an attempt to organise my mental closet. In any case, as Alice says: life is "curiouser and curiouser" and I've decided to give up trying to figure out what the meaning is. Seems to me we should just get on with enjoying the ride.....
...what the Doormouse said! Some of you will remember this as the reverberating last words from a favorite old song (circa 1968, The Jefferson Airplane on Surrealistic Pillow - for those of you scratching your heads). It's one of those stanzas that will play back many times in my head, and it did just that recently. Time to bring out this mask for another look and a reminder that nourishing the mind is as important as nourishing the body!
ks that I'm working photoshop magic on are becoming more interesting to me than the originals. I'm not quite sure what this means, but I think that it's going to have a real effect on my glazing and finishing techniques! It is quite difficult to get away from the safety of the tried and true and take a leap into unknown territory but, speaking as an artist, these leaps are inevitable and necessary for growth......
a "brainstorm" would look? Well, for me it's one possibility - and my work is all about possibilities and what ifs. In my quest to personify ideas, the results are sometimes a bit strange and even a little foreboding. I do enjoy hinting at (or poking fun at) some of life's mysteries.
hings really does matter: it can make the difference between feeling good or bad, ascending or descending, too much or not enough and on and on and on. When I look around and see my life as half full, there is hope. In those darker moments, when I see it as half empty, I question my very existence. At this point, the choice becomes clear: half full is enough...
gain and I thought I'd post a couple of tests from this week. Tests are about all I've been doing lately, but next week I must get serious about starting some full size pieces. 
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iration as something that is always there, hovering just outside of consciousness. All that I need to do to reach it is to relax and let it settle in place. For, isn't it everywhere? And if it is (as I believe it is), then one must only have a receptive mind to find it. Then, of course, what we do with that which is always there is another story - and one that I will need to address very soon....
es with a face either emerging or blending in with a tree. I use the tree as a symbol for many things, including growth, hiding, vulnerability, strength and solidity. Here it is meant as a metaphor suggesting emergence - or shedding the exterior force that holds one back..jpg)
to "Which Came First?" (shown a few days ago) and it too poses a question. Once we're here, then what??? So many choices, so many directions are possible - but what happens when you arrive at a crossroad? I'm asking these questions now because it's where I find myself and I'm puzzling through a load of options. I love making and sharing the masks, but it feels as if I'm working inside a vacuum: I've been sucked up and everything is whirling around inside. It must be time to empty the bag, but I'm not quite sure how to do that.
