Here was my latest calligraphy job, creating name tags for a family dinner. Of course I had to fly 3,000 mile , carrying supplies, not having seen the tag itself.
My sister said red, so I packed up minimal supplies, hoping I had chosen correctly. I chose 2 small tubes of watercolor, hoping one hue would do the trick. The brighter red worked. The calligraphy pen had a 3.5 nib, another word for the point, which is a good size for small writing. I took a small cheap paintbrush to mix it. For a palette, I threw in a plastic yogurt top, knowing it would be left behind.
I like to write on a slant board. Better perspective on the letters, as well as easier on the neck. A couple of books under a Masonite and I was set.My preference is to write on a light box, with lines, to make sure I am accurate. Without those options, I was writing free form. Of course, 4o years of doing this, gives one a bit to fall back on.
The reality is, we can bring our skills to whatever life presents us, whether far or near.
My sister was happy; I observed some guests taking their name home with them; and I thought they turned out well myself.
Our creativity is always with us.
My sister surprised me with this lovely gift you see on the table before me. My family had gathered together for an event, which happened to be on my birthday weekend.
I was asked to come over to the table to see what was inside this lovely wrapping. I wished I had been the artist to have created this out of clay. Alas no, it was an entirely edible and delicious cake! Turquoise icing with a big white sugar ribbon.There was chocolate and raspberry, and white cake in layers. Boy did it taste good.
Art comes in many forms, and the mighty baker who made this had certainly taken the art of making a cake to a new level. Birthday cakes have been around a long time.This is the new cake. Alas, I had to get on a plane, and leave a bit of it with those who stayed behind. That's O.K. Art needs to be shared.
Just unloaded the last firing of the year, and out came these two small, blue bowls.
I love the look of this glaze. It is a warm blue, a shiny glaze, which the porcelain clay I use shows off at its best. This is different from the turquoise mat surface that I most often make. I feel I can fall into the mirrored surface of these bowls.
They are smallish is size, about six inches wide and three inches tall. I always like to add some distinctive decorative touches. Here are coils on the outside, and circles to add some distinction to the rounded edge. There is also the contrast of the rough iron oxide stain compared to the smooth, sensual inside. Everything here is totally lead free. As I always say about my ceramics , " it makes the food taste better".
My sister once said to me" you have a style, you always like to add something to your pots." I guess she is right. There is my blank slate just waiting for just a small intimate touch to make it mine.
The bowl is a lovely use of clay to my way of thinking. It is an ancient form. It can be a container and have a function, or simply the graceful circular form we can relate to. My goal has always been to take something we think we know all about, and make it special.
Here is a side of this Sedona artist you might not have known. I am learning to play ping pong, also known as table tennis. This picture was taken recently at the USA National Championship, held in Las Vegas.To enter you must belong to this organization, which I do not. I was there with a friend who loves the sport, and enters different events.
Open only to citizens of the United States, players compete in different events throughout the week, based on their skills and desire to play with people who cherish the sport as they do. Events are focused on which type of racquet used, as well as the player's rating. I am learning on a sandpaper paddle, shown in my hand. There is also hard bat, and the more popular called sponge.
Competing in these events earns the player a numerical standing. Events are based on these numbers,as well as the type of racquets played. There are a lot of hot shot kids, and northern California is a center for instruction. Since ping pong is taken very seriously as a sport in China, it isn't surprising there are many very proficient young Chinese Americans in this sport.
It is a different world. I am a novice, but watching the good ones hit is like a ballet. Also, as in the world of art, everyone is trying their best to win.This doesn't always happen, but how can you know unless you try?
Here I am making my latest book project, which I show in the picture below. Made of fabric, both cover and pages are rolled up into a scroll form when complete. Rolled books are a very ancient form of communication. We see examples in ancient tapestries and literature. Back then I am sure the pages were hand sewn.
Being in modern times, I used fusible lining and a hot iron. Always this is a learning process. I chose a thick denim, and transferred words of poetry right onto each "page" of material. I can see how this would be a fun vehicle for my original calligraphy.
The weight of the fabric made it hard for the denim to adhere. Using steam helped with the joining. I may go back and add a few stitches, for security's sake. This is still a work in progress for me.I guess it could hang up on a wall in its open form. There are so many paths to follow in this wonderful world of book arts.
Here I am in front of a case full of handmade books. I am pointing at those made by me. This display is currently at the Prescott Valley Library until Jan 6, 2015. A wonderful selection of various styles of hand bound books.Two of my books also have original calligraphy. That was really how I got into making books. Certain alphabets I learned were flourishing before there was even a printing press. So making the book seemed a natural extension of my art.
The library itself is an architectural innovation, which I liked seeing.Something provocative in the north country.
The art of made by hand books is alive and well in northern Arizona. A group of us meet every few months and have a workshop to create a specific type of book. The attendees are all experienced book artists. Each member takes turn being the teacher, and chooses the subject. Anyone who has ever done this knows how much one learns a from those we teach.
So I invite you to go and visit this display and enter the world of handmade books.
"Who Am I?" is the title of this mixed media piece, currently showing here in Sedona. This is the theme of the show itself, sponsored by the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition.
I am the artist, and I am the image in the mirror. What a provocative idea. To me, using a mirror reflects the varying aspects of asking that question. Don't we all change every day of our life? It can be going on inside, our feelings and emotions, as well as the outward reflection.
I have been mixing collage with my calligraphy for a while. I chose to use sepia tones in my photos, ripping the edges as I like to do. Can't have things too orderly. There are pictures of me from long ago both on the edge, and in the compartments on the front.
I am telling the story of where I came from; what I have done; experiences that make me the person I am today.There is even a compartment for ideas and comments from the viewer. Interactive art.
Incorporating my skills as a ceramic artist, I made the letters in various calligraphic styles out of clay. That is a big part of what I am about as well.
I like that each time I look at this piece, or you do, we will see the current image of "who I am?" right now.
