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 as a result of my uncertainties about changes in my processes and materials. While at the Institute of Ceramic Studies in Shigaraki, Japan in 2003, I was truly at the mercy of the Fire Gods! Besides using a much higher firing clay, I also had to adjust my glazes to fit. As a result, I spent a lot of time holding my breath and crossing my fingers. It was during this period that "A Wing and a Prayer" was born.
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!
r altered photo today but I had a "change of heart" and decided to let this mask out for an airing. I created this piece a couple years ago - and I still have it. For some reason, the times I've shown the mask, it has gotten very little attention (even with the moving, changeable doors which everyone usually loves). Perhaps the message is just too obvious! Anyway, until she connects with the right home, I get to enjoy her in mine.....
t this fool is ready for anything! If one is willing or unable to prevent playing the fool, there must be some type of protection from the consequences. Here I've chosen armor as the device and it's nailed on good and tight so that this Fool can bumble along at will. Whether our protective coverings are real or metaphoric, they play an important role in shielding us from lifes' unpleasantries....
n a journey much like my own. I feel sometimes as if life is very much a free falling adventure with little to grab onto to slow the descent. And then too, a wind can come up and change my course - or a bird could capture and carry me away. So many possibilities and yet, so little control. I wonder if we're all free falling and colliding with each other as the winds play.....
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.
debut in November of 2005 and it's one of those pieces I still happen to have: probably because it's a mask that is just too personal for others to relate to. It's always interesting to me observing the public and how different masks attract different types of people. I never know which pieces will find their way into new homes or why they were chosen over others.........although, sometimes I'm given a bit more information than I would like!
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....jpg)
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.
he "Fool" this week - guess I'm in a foolish mood! Last week, I re-viewed the Kurosawa film "Ran". There's a wonderful fool in that picture: he's always at the King's side and often makes cutting, witty remarks that warrant him needing to be quick to dodge the whacks. A loveable and yet painfully honest fellow. That's how I like to think of my own inner fool - but without the whacks......jpg)
away" with this piece and had a bit of fun. No great message or deep meaning here, just a comment on how important it is to let oneself go sometimes. I'm guilty of being far too serious most of the time so, occasionally, I take off that mask and wear the more frivolous one. I grant myself permission because I know that balance is a good thing.....
mother was always telling me that I would "lose my head if it wasn't screwed on". I don't remember being especially prone to losing things.......perhaps she was warning me of what was to come! At this point in my life, losing and forgetting are daily tests - and I'm on my way to school naked and unprepared. Lightheaded is my version of keeping my head where it belongs, even if it is a bit emptier than it should be.....
and on this mask I went a little crazy! Autumn is my favorite season with leaves falling all around in a gentle hurricane: reminding me of cycles and renewal. The leaves make me think of falling angels touching us on the way down and softening the path ahead...
