WATER

My mind and therefor, the direction of my clay work has been about water lately. I'm told it is the element of change. Water in it's positive state is fluid and moving. It is time for me to move...to flow. I am moving to Los Angeles in the near future. How that will affect my work, I do not know, but I AM moving.

NEW CLAY

I will be teaching a workshop at Quyle Clay in Murphy's (California's gold country) and to facilitate this Pamela Quyle formulated a paper clay for me to take for a trial spin before teaching the class. Once I got past the "new" feel of it, I fell in love. It's made from a base of their Sierra Gold clay so the base color is warm gold when fired. I used my usual stains and oxides and WOW...I love the effect. I can't wait to do more. The workshop for this month (July) is full, but Pam would love to hear from you and if there is enough interest, I will do another date before the end of summer. www.quylekilns.com

CONTEXT

A famous artist once said that it is the job of any artist to control the context in which their art is seen. I have been given the opportunity to have my "Trees In Winter" series seen together as a group with great light (and great company) The 8 from ACGA show will be up till May 25th at the DAC...see info at right.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

I wanted to make another wall-hung piece, but I didn't spend much time thinking about it. I just started with a torso, which went fine. NOW...what is the piece saying? I have arms, hands, a face (or two) and I couldn't continue because I had no focus. In the end, I ripped off the arms and finished the piece as simply as I could because I loved the torso and wanted to save it.  This teaches me to not jump into the clay before fully visualizing the piece.

COLOR

Once again I found myself looking for, hungry for ...color. I was possessed. I painted a new piece in bright red underglaze before working in my usual iron oxides. She so bright and and so satisfying to look at, but I don't know if it's a trend. For right now, I will consider it my answer to the winter doldrums.

TREES

After making eight in this series, I think I'm done. (two are awaiting firing and not pictured here) For most of the past few months, it was impossible for me to do anything else and now my mind has moved on. I think it was part of exploring my roots in the Sacramento River Delta. I was writing down family history during this same period of time.  Now, every time I touch one of these pieces, I am reminded of foggy days and the tall silent trees of my childhood.

INSTALLATION VIEW

My photographer (Dana Davis) works hard to get just the right light on my pieces, but sometimes the way it looks in a show is all the more powerful, more real, somehow. Last night four of my works were a part of a show that opened at Quicksilver Mine Co. in Forestville. the evening light was coming in low and I got this shot of WHITE BIRD caught in the natural light of a winter sundown.

READY FOR OUR CLOSE-UP

 I have been working on a series..I'm up to #8 and not finished with it yet. These are the first fruits ready to go to the photographer for their beauty shot. My series revolves around how trees in winter lose their leaves and reveal their true shape. I love the one that is bent over, but I have had no luck in the past getting it to read in a photo...maybe this time.