Offering

My little Birdgirl would like to offer a twig for your nest. We all need building material and whether it's for a nest or something more substantial, it's the thought that counts (or so she tells me anyway)! This is another recent addition to my Etsy shop and for lack of another bigger piece to show, I've decided to share some of my glaze tests with you.

The size of the mask is 2 3/4" high by 2 3/8" wide and there is a tube affixed to the back for hanging as a pendant.

A Wing and a Prayer

This mask came to be 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.

I learned a lot during my residency (about clay AND about myself) and discovered that I thrive on uncertainties! Perhaps all that breath holding affected me.....

Night Owl print

I'm busy in the studio now - creating new works for the upcoming show (and to add to the blog!). In between the studio work and my "regular" life, there is still time to play. I did this pic last night....it's an alteration of a mask that I showed here in January. If you'd like to compare images, check out the original at:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VMpyXXCZJSs/SXZo-6LQBjI/AAAAAAAAADk/-uAERHCAVmM/s1600-h/Night+Owl+-+2.jpg

Now, I'm back out to check a kiln.....

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Here's a mask that I finished just in time for the show last weekend. I've always had flying dreams, but never quite enough of them to suit me: there is nothing quite like the feeling of elation at lift off or the idea that anything is possible. And that is why I gave the piece an expression of apprehension. I chose to depict it in that way to show that the dreamer knows she must awaken and is not quite ready for that to happen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all good things must end but there will be other nights and new dreams.....

Inspiration

I think of inspiration 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....

Waiting in the Wings

I recently found this idiomatic definition of the title: If someone is waiting in the wings, they are in the background, but nearby, ready to act on short notice. I feel, sometimes, like that is how I spend a lot of my life - ever waiting and ever ready.....but for what!? I wanted this mask to show a little of the apprehention and anxiety that this condition can create.

I hope someday to come out from behind the wings and use them to better purpose.....