The holidays are such a nice time to reconnect with people we know. This is a picture of me with my friend, Ed, taken at a recent gathering.
Ed is 100 years old. I first met him about twenty five years ago and he didn't look much different then.
He likes making art; his red wine; and connecting with people. Losing his wife was a difficult change." It's hard living alone", he shared. Yet he keeps on and enjoys the beautiful red rock country he calls home.
Is it our surroundings that make us age well? This place I live in has clean air and water and blue skies. It is a great boon to creativity. Human beings are tough. Our genes have an effect. If we manage to outwit all those devious health" challenges", is there a sheer joy of living that makes us go on?
The month of January is almost upon us. It is a new year for the world, but also when I started my life journey here on this lovely planet called earth. I want to pay special attention to this art of growing older with grace.It is perhaps my ultimate creation.
Any thoughts to share?
Here is a piece I did for a Christmas past,and since it is that time of year, I thought it would be a good thought to resurrect. It reads as follows:
" Somehow, not only at Christmas,but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you."
The poet John Greenleaf Whitttier wrote this poem over one hundred years ago.
It' is not a new thought. Also known as " you get what you give" is another way I have heard it, or " give unto others..." I liked the poetry form, and it was a reminder to me to hold onto this belief which certainly makes a lot of sense. I am learning that people do pick up on our feelings, and we can influence their moods by our delivery. Isn't it nicer to be around people who are happy, rather than expressing negativity? Yes, it is.
Being the traditionalist that I am not, I created a tie dye cloth background for my holiday cheer. My technique was to write in the Italic style of calligraphy on pieces of paper, which I then inserted into the fabric, and glued down. I like the feeling that the words are floating on the canvas.
The original is a rather large piece of about 24 by 36 inches, from which I also created prints and cards. Perhaps this is just a positive way to reach more people with our art.
Here I am with a poem I wrote about my two artistic passions, ceramics and calligraphy. I was in a workshop focused on creating a new alphabet, and then using it. Yes, I know most of the historical styles, but it is fun to invent a new one occasionally.Being able to take my pen and manipulate it with each letter enabled me to create a consistent pattern, which is called an alphabet. I believe that is where many fonts used on your computer came from. A creative artist with pen and ink is playing with a purpose.
I have been combining my two skills lately, using the clay as a canvas on which to letter.Some of my previous blogs have shared this process.
There is something about the magic of letters, how they are shaped; the medium in which they are created; the ability to have others share our thoughts. I am actually writing about the art of communication, aren't I?
We want, no we need, to share our thoughts, our ideas with others. Art expands the borders of how we perceive and express our thoughts. The list of " shoulds " can go out the window. Sometimes we are able to connect with our viewer. They are willing to pay the artist to have this creation in their space, to enjoy this fresh perspective.That is a nice connection for both parties.
Here is my latest ceramic creation entitled " Holiday Horsehair". It is currently in the show at the Sedona Arts Center, where it also adorns the invitation.
It is a rather large pot, measuring about fourteen inches in height. I also made the red beads that I used for adornment. Red berries on a winter landscape came to my mind as I was decorating the tall vessel.
This is a burnished, wheel thrown piece, which is fired in the kiln to make it strong. The surface is smooth, and soft to the touch. It goes back in the kiln, and while it is still very hot, I bring it out and use the individual horse hairs to create the random pattern. There is essentially no glaze, so it is decorative rather than functional.
The light color is the white porcelain clay with which I throw.That creates the background for the elements of design provided by the sizzle of the horsehair on the hot surface. There is a long tradition of using this technique among native potters.
I am happy with the results. My desire to create something special for this holiday season is met. Enjoy.
I have been busy in my studio creating calligraphy cards.This message seems appropriate, since we just completed celebrating Thanksgiving here in my town of Sedona, Arizona.
This is a holiday that is celebrated in the US and Canada. A poorly documented history credits its start to a celebration by the pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1621. However a celebration of the harvest is an old custom in the old world, thus a natural way to give thanks in our country. Remember, we were an agricultural nation for a very long time. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a joint resolution with Congress, setting aside the fourth Thursday of November as the holiday of Thanksgiving.
I was raised to write a note of thanks after receiving a gift, or a kindness from someone. Looking back I want to thank my mother for creating this habit.Now I am lucky enough to make my card from start to finish.
When I have completed my original artwork, I print them onto card stock. I add the watercolors to enhance my message. There is always a very serendipitous quality to my designs. I have learned that less is more.Watercolor is tricky. Once you make the mark, it is there to stay. As I paint each card, I do think of how grateful I am for all the good things and people in my life. We live in a complicated world. It is nice to stop and give thanks occasionally.
I just returned from an inspiring trip to our 50th state of Hawaii. Here I am on the beach in Oahu, with Diamond Head in the background.
I was celebrating someone's birthday, but just being there is a celebration of life. I live in a beautiful part of America, but I used to be a California beach girl, and sometimes I miss my ocean. Hawaii is sweet because the water is fairly warm, and there are pretty fishes to look at with my goggles. I do like my animals. They are often part of my ceramics, as are handmade flowers.
I remember as a young girl when Hawaii became a state in 1959. It seemed so far away and exotic. It was first populated by the Polynesians some 1,550 years ago. Since 1778, when voyager Captain Cook named them the Sandwich Islands, Hawaii has long been a center of trade. The rich volcanic soil and warm climates made it profitable for growing sugar cane and pineapple.
The last reigning Queen Lili'uokalni, lost her kingdom in 1998, to the United States. The new Territory of Hawaii had Sanford Dole as the first governor. Pineapple anyone?
Today, agriculture has given way to houses. Honolulu is
a big city, with great public transportation as well as numerous homeless people in those lovely parks. Many Japanese and Australian tourists who love the shopping come to Hawaii.There are a few wandering artist types from Sedona as well.
Here I am in my ceramics studio in Sedona, Arizona. This is a lovely raku jar I have just completed. Really, I am no longer working on it,it is ready to sell.This is both the artist and her studio cleaned up for the photo.
However, I am in my place of creation, in the chair I always sit on, and the table I have worked at for the past 25 years, using my well worn tools. In the background are my supplies, and the shelves containing porcelain green ware that is waiting to be put in the kiln.Green ware refers to clay that is simply dried , and would crumble in a minute if not handled carefully. Once it is bisque fired, there is some strength to it. Then it can receive a glaze, and after the second, higher temperature firing, it is complete. The raku process has only a primitive second firing, so it is more decorative in nature.
This is one of my smallest studios in my creative career, but it is very efficient. I knew I had to fit in my work table, which is about four feet square. I rescued it from the Sedona dump many years ago. I call it my lucky table.In fact that wall in the studio was designed to fit that surface. I guess there are some superstitions in my mind. But remember, I do know the mysterious kiln gods do have power to make a good firing.
Hope you enjoyed the mini tour of my studio!
