inspiration

As an art student learning about materials and techniques it didn't take long before I knew there would be a lifetime of practice  but...the bottom line for me was the question of where do ideas come from? What inspires a series? What do I draw?  I pursued this question relentlessly...still do.  (my masters thesis was titled "Artists and their images") As a teacher it seemed critical to pose open ended questions to set off an avalanche of thought...or at least a few snowflakes that would nudge the process. Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel is an amazing resource I have relied on for 30 years...these illustrations from the l800's...are totally coil pots!

I love clay's ability to showcase surface...most days the element of texture is at the top of the elements of design for me.  This book is full of beautiful examples of repetition, interesting shapes etc.  As these 3 pots begin to dry I open the book again.

Swirls

"The shoulders we stand on"

..."We are creative heirs standing on the shoulders of Giants. We cannot help but reference and renew their ideas in our own work. These distinctive inspirations become the touchstones of our best original efforts.

These muses are not always specific or singular. Your inspiration might lie in the simple forms of an anonymous ancient potter. Perhaps you’ve been seduced from afar by the work of legendary potters. A teacher may have given you a unique point of view, personal guidance or new set of skills."

These words are part of the descriptors for the 2011 NCECA show in Tampa sponsored by the Potters Council.
Almost everyday I work on a coil pot I think about the first teacher who taught me about coil pots...Herb Schumacher...the possibilities furthered in both skill and idea by Carlene Schumacher.  Today...because I will finish these two pots I work with advice they gave me 30 years ago.  The base is narrow (sometimes I go too far with this part) because it gives the pot a pedestal to be lifted with light.  The coils should be clean but not to the degree of removing the careful fingerprints that appear as I build...they are part of the surface.  The shape is basically out, up and back in...controlled with flair and maybe a surprise.  Coil pots are my favorite method of working with clay...the series that seems to have no end of inspirations ...I thank my teachers for giving me the skills to turn the ideas into a tangible form.  

These two started with the snow storm idea..wind blowing sharp swirls...

some finale's take a little longer

finale's or frosting?

I always enjoy the top of the coil pots...I start out with an idea about the shape I would like to head towards...there always seems to be a little variation in where it heads as I begin to build and then...the finale.  It's something I have to play with a bit till it seems to be "done."  This is where someone needs to walk into the studio and say..."a little more" or "just right"...as well as bringing a plate of cookies and milk!

These two pieces are a continuation of a series of coil pots playing with the same texture which is made with a pasta strainer.  

Grateful

The best of friends posed the question of "unhappiness." I've spent a bit of time thinking about the term..which seems less discriminating then how I feel.
I look to the time in the middle of the night when I wake and what worries me...at the center...is the health of someone I love.
It is an undercurrent.
By coincidence...if there is such a thing..another great friend said that her yoga instructor...in order to set the mood...told the group that you cannot be unhappy and grateful at the same time.
Hmmm...no matter what my flurries of emotion are...I am grateful.
My friend...the new grandmother said that she had watched her granddaughter all day and realized that the entire agenda for the day was...play.  We tried to remember when we felt the child-pure-thrill of starting the day...
When I worked with young people I often told them that you know what makes you happy...sends you to that place of joy/play.  No matter what preoccupies me when I pull up the chair to the work table and open the bag of clay everything slips away.  I love to work with clay.  I love to open the glaze kiln...always.  I love to read...and of course the list goes on and on...and circles back to "grateful."
One of the projects I worked on with my students was the message bowl...maybe a prayer bowl.  I haven't worked the idea up for myself with the level of ethereal...it is a prayer bowl after all...finesse that I wanted.  It seems like the right time to work with bowls..."a bowl...in which to receive what he needed for the nourishment of life physically, emotionally, and spiritually."

Arvada Center Holiday Fine Arts Market