FULL CIRCLE

I have just had a brief affair with my old love, oil painting. As much as I love color, it detracts from what I am saying with form so I am back to thinking in earth tones again. That doesn't mean that a little bit of color won't show up. I think it enhances the piece if kept in the background. You probably aren't even aware of it unless you look closely... as in this recent piece.

The other reason to leave oil paint behind is a concern for my health. It's like bad love...toxic.

FINDING THE PAINTER

I  started painting pieces that I had resigned to the garden for one reason or the other. At first my attempts were too garish. The color was exciting, but it overwhelmed the piece. Then I did some undercoating and I experimented with a different approach to the paint application. I found what I was looking for. Color that excites but still allows the form of the sculpture to read.  

LOOKING BACK

I was reviewing my slides this past week and had the overwhelming desire to see my figurative work "in the flesh". So I pulled out some of the canvases and set them around my old painting studio upstairs. I thought I had left these works behind me, but I feel the need to try to bring it full circle by painting on my sculptures. I will choose something from my cast-off pile and give it a try.

CERAMICS ANNUAL

It was a very special event for me. A huge room full of wonderfully diverse clay sculpture ( and wonderfully diverse sculptors) For the space of 3 days, we shared our work with each other and the thousands who came to view the show. On the last day we were running around like high-school seniors getting each other to sign our copy of the catalogue. If you would like to see photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/23344094@N05/sets/72157624827884151/?page=6  

GETTING READY

I have been deciding which work will be show at the Ceramics Annual . My largest just came out of the kiln yesterday and the others are being fussed over, photos sent for the, catalog, pedestals painted, etc, etc. My everlasting thanks to John Toki at Leslie's Ceramics who has volunteered to transport pedestals. I barely have room for all the sculptures in my vehicle. All my pretty girls want to go to the ball and the coach will be full.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

To date, I have not been very successful making big pieces. Anything taller than 27 inches must be sculpted in two pieces that will fire separately and then stack. The engineering is tricky...and I have to make it up as I go along. 

I have big two pieces on my table right now and they challenge me to use everything I have learned. If I fail, the clay will be recycled and I will consider the time well spent because (as I have heard quoted) your failures teach you more than your successes. But there is a still small voice inside me that says "please let it work".

PALO ALTO SHOW

This past weekend was the annual Palo Alto Clay and Glass show. Thank you to all who visited me.

 The work of finishing the new pieces, building foam lined boxes for transport, and finally setting up the booth payed off for me when I saw my biggest and best on display. I liked watching people as they moved past my booth. My work has no neutral observers. It's either completely off their radar (they are looking for that perfect casserole dish) or it stops them dead in their tracks. The emotional quality I have worked so hard to foster seems to grab and hold the viewer.