As we creep along trying to make sense of our current, ongoing situations so many things are unknown. The world is trying to return to a level of familiarity–a bit more work for people, some small, safe gatherings, and more opportunities to support our local businesses with some curbside shopping. But some things are unchanging–traveling is still hard. Both my parents are older and live far away. I would love to go visit them soon, but it just feels too risky both for them and for me. However, it does seem like the right time to[…]
It’s all about virtual
When almost all of the upcoming art shows got canceled or postponed or went virtual, I felt a kind of freedom. There was nothing to be applying for or promoting–there was nothing coming up. I didn’t have any should’s, so I could just make! It’s been so fun and freeing, kind of like being a kid, I’ve just been playing, experimenting and following my curiosity. But now, I hear Mom calling, it’s time to go home and there are in fact, a few things coming up that need attention. The Contemporary Clay show at the Western[…]
In Gratitude
I hope this finds you all well and staying safe in this new, stressful and uncertain time. This newsletter was going to be on throwing as a continuation of the previous one on handbuilding, but so much has changed since then. I wanted to just reach out to everybody instead. I know we’re all in this together, but of course everybody has their own things to deal with. Some have school age kids that are now distance-learning from home, some have been furloughed and don’t know about the future of work, and everyone is worried–about going[…]
Hand Building
I love hand building. It has to be the most basic and most ancient way to work with clay. It’s satisfying and instinctual and it can be done by anyone, anywhere. Pick up a lump of sticky mud and form it into a bowl or figure and it transforms into a way to hold water or remember your ancestors. While it is ancient, but it’s not simple or necessarily easy. There are plenty of techniques used in hand building that have to be mastered in order to achieve the effect you want. One of the things[…]
Strip It Down
To get from a lump of clay to a finished work is a long and multi-stepped journey. Each material used and every step in the process can be tweaked. This can lead me to endless experimentation–and possible confusion. It’s been shown that more choices don’t make us happier and more satisfied with our decisions. Putting limits on what we explore in our art at any one time makes sense. So, what are your parameters? Do you strip it down, limiting your options and looking deeper into your choices? Or do you tackle all the areas that[…]
Place, Land and Earth
I think I might have fallen out of love with my town of Fairfax. It’s been feeling busy, noisy, and I live a little too close to my neighbors. Having walked to and from work for the past 14 years, I have a level of intimate familiarity with my neighborhood and the changes that occur through the year. Even though I’m attuned to my area, I have this longing for a piece of land that I know so well that it’s become a part of me. A place where I know the smells of the different[…]
Change? Change!
As this year is wrapping up, I’m already feeling changes on the horizon for the new year. Good, positive changes that you will see here as they happen. One area I’ve been concentrating on is my African Vessels Series. I’ve recently finished a new group of the digging stick/awl forms where I’ve expanded my focus from the direct depiction of these shapes to concentrate more on the surfaces. I’ve begun to incorporate other African sources into the decoration of them. You’ll see references to regional plant and animal life, scarification, and indigenous art along with patinas[…]
Balancing
To Do: write newsletter finish Coral pot laundry banking update resume contact Tilly about take down -Tricia update website Every day is a balancing act. All of us are constantly prioritizing and re-evaluating the things we need to get done. Some things take precedence, some have been on the list for awhile, and some we don’t even write on the list. Although occasionally, when the list is dense, I’ll write a few easy things on it just to cross them off and feel like I’ve[…]