"El Pescado " Platter

People often  ask me, "which of your arts do you love more, your ceramics or your calligraphy?" Truthfully, I am equally passionate about both of these media.When I can combine the two, it is the ultimate for me. 

Here is a platter entitled    "El Pescado". 

This was an inspiration of the owner of Adelante, a gallery located  in Carefree, AZ. She carries my brightly colored cat plates. There is lots of Mexican folk art there. Speaking some Spanish, I like using  it on my artwork! The literal translation is " the cat wants,or desires, the fish.

This is piece made of porcelain, measures about fourteen inches across, and is functional as well as as decorative. Using a smooth white clay gives me a great surface on which to write.I find a brush to be the best tool when writing on clay. The  style is basically Italic. My tool is a very fine, sable  brush. It is more  flexible than the straight edge of metal  pen, which gives it a softer edge. The  color is  cobalt. It comes out a strong, dark  blue that pleases me, and reminds me of the deeper water when looking far out in the ocean. Where else to  find your pescado?

Jerome on Clay

I am  excited about this latest ceramic platter I created. The piece is entitled "Jerome". It  is currently in a  show happening right now in that very same town.
 A large ceramic platter, about fourteen inches in diameter, it can be hung or put on the table, since it does have  a foot to stand on! As you can see, it is not perfectly round. I like the altered shape to make it stand out a bit, not unlike it namesake.
As a calligrapher of many years, it is always fun for me to use my lettering in a new genre. Here is the perfect canvas of clay, brightly decorated in low fire glazes. I chose the bright shiny colors because I wanted to make it  whimsical and fit in with my folk art series.As a kiln fired piece, it will stand the test of time. 
There are always technical difficulties when doing something you have never tried before. Many years ago I remember a  well known calligraphy teacher telling me" Remember, practice creates practice. Do your best every time..." I took those words to heart. I do not usually try a preview piece. I envision in my head where I am going, then let my hands do their work. 
How great when the finished piece  pleases me even more than the image with which I  started.That is my definition of success.

Small Turquoise bowl

Here is a small turquoise bowl that just came out of my  kiln.It fits so perfectly in my hand it almost feels  like a miniature. Yet it  is totally functional. In fact this is the size I start out my day with, containing some yogurt or fruit.
 It started out bigger than this, by almost 18% . There is quite a lot of shrinkage when firing ceramics. The first thing that goes is the moisture  within the clay body itself. I like the smooth white texture and results of  a porcelain clay body. Hopefully it is Very dry when I start the kiln, or it can blow up or crack. That doesn't happen too much to me now, but it can and it has. This hot dry climate of Arizona is a real boon to clay artists. Things dry quickly and well.
 With the first firing there doesn't seem to be such a decrease in volume. The second firing is to a much hotter temperature, and  that is when the size changes. It seems so big when I make it, then it gets down to its true size. It is then very strong with the clay inside and a glaze to make it really waterproof and decorated. 
I guess that is like a lot of things in life. Something starts out very grand, and ends up more in proportion. If it is a good thing , we feel happy. If the story isn't what we anticipated, than it is not so much fun. I have the same thing each time I open my kiln. The art and  surprise  in both life and art.   

Throwing on the Wheel

                                               Well, I am at it again, throwing on the wheel.I set myself a goal of a certain amount of items to make, and I am not going to make it.Why?  I am running out of clay for one thing. The second reason is  my body energy  is crying out for a break. 
There is such a thing as a " production potter". They sit at the wheel and throw an item in a few  pulls, as rapidly as possible,  and it is finished. Often paid by the unit, motion is money. Alas, I am not one of those creatures. I do like to be succinct in my motions.However, for me, it is about the details and  the nuances. The lip of vessel is an example. How does it relate to the vessel as a whole? Can it be simpler, or more dramatic? 
 I have been working on mugs again. Here is a picture of some finished creations, with a little bit of Sedona red rocks in the background. My studio is here among the red rocks. However when I throw, I keep my back to the beauty and my vision on the wheel.
There is a lot of the physical action in using the potter's wheel. It is actually the body that keeps the arms and hands centered. You push forward with all of you. This is why beginners find their hands wobbling and unable to  center the clay. The  forward motion comes from the core, not just the hands.
The other important factor is the spirit. Am I centered when I sit  at the wheel? I can do it now matter what my mood due to  years of experience. However, when the body and spirit are in harmony, now there is my joy 

Creating Beauty

This is the finished creation  using my alphabet named  Victory. There was a focus in the workshop.We were to   use  our  made up letters to write our own epitaph, our last words. My came out in poem form. The words are as follows:
                                              Creating beauty                                
                         Clay moving in my hands,
                                ceramics emerging.
                         Letters written in ancient patterns -
                                 calligraphy.
                          Paid to practice,
                                 following my inner muse.
                          Loving many, loved by you.
                                 Happiness.   
I loved  using the patterns of the black ink on the white page. Why make an opening line go straight? I like a bit of wave in my life. I guess I am assuming that those who read my epitaph are dear to me, and perhaps I to them.
 It is interesting to me what we all do leave behind. Certainly my creations, both in pen and ink as well as ceramics, will long outlast the mortal me. I like it that I can invent art forms that often  seem very beautiful to me and  others. I makes me feel, well, happy!

Inventing an Alphabet

Yesterday I attended a workshop taught by a lovely artist and calligrapher from New York, Jeanne Poland. The theme was to write out your own epithet using an alphabet you created.
 That wasn't a problem for me. A while ago, I had invented this alphabet you see.  I called  it Victory.There it was, nestled on a page in my portfolio, just waiting for me to use. This really made me analyze just what is involved when starting from scratch.
 In calligraphy, the capital letters are called the Upper case. A decision must be made as to  whether there will be  ascenders, the parts of the letters going above the line, or descenders, those strokes below the lines. This Victory alphabet  has only capitals. This is not historically unique. Look at the Uncial style from the 3rd century. It has that Celtic look you would recognize .
I set about to use  my own invention. I chose  a large, automatic pen with its  flexible nib. This  is really  a manipulated hand. I start out on the full edge, and then twist and come off onto the side edge  of my pen. This gives  that variation I want. I am actually using  the same strokes in different sequences, depending on the perimeters of each letter. An alphabet is really about patterns and rhythms. I think the Victory will always have a certain individuality. 
More to come... 

Words of Siddhartha on Clay

                                                                           Here is my latest creation   uniting  my dual arts of  ceramics and  calligraphy. I love to use the clean white porcelain as the " canvas" to my cobalt blue brush lettering. It is entitled "The Mind", and these are words that speak to me.What goes on in our heads can be  a powerful force in our lives.What we dwell on does often take on a life of its own. I like reading inspirational words that make me look inward. I hope other people might find a connection to my presentation. 
This quote is  attributed to a famous spiritual leader, Siddhartha Gautama,who lived a very long time ago in Nepal. Raised in wealth as the son of a king, he left that world to become a monk. Sitting under the bohdi tree, he was  searching for the answers to the problem of suffering to come.Finally came understanding and he became the Buddha, which means " he who is awake." 
What you think is important. What you see can start this process. Comments?