HORSES???

Horses were a large part of my teenage and young adulthood. Their power and their grace amaze me.  I'm a romantic about horses. BUT, I never sculpt them because I think in Human terms and emotions. So...I'm surprised that this mini-series has come up for me. Perhaps I'm calling on my horse totem to access power for the road ahead.

COLOR

I have been working with porcelain surfaces lately and using brighter colors. This is a big step away from the iron oxide that has dominated my work thus far. These ladies are a sample of what I'm doing. I'm still feeling my way around this explosion of color...so, how much is too much?

FROM SKETCH TO FINAL OUTCOME

Earlier, I blogged about a sketch that intrigued me, but I had my doubts about pulling it off because of the complexity. It was a long process wherein I adapted some new skills,but it finally came to life. Today I had a photo taken and I'm very pleased with this new piece. It's exactly what I was thinking of when I did the sketches.

GOOD COMPANY

I am enjoying a new relationship with the Contemporary Fine Art Gallery in La Jolla. My work is side-by-side with some wonderful painters. The energies seem complimentary. I find myself in very good company.

MY SKETCHBOOK

I keep a sketchbook...sometimes more than one (so I always have one with me) I sketch out ideas that are so fleeting that I don't think much about them, but often they will flower into my next sculpture. (and sometimes it's the mental equivalent of taking out the garbage)
Sometimes I don't have any idea about how to make it happen in clay, but if the idea is important to me the sketch will recur again and again until I figure it out.
This sketch is a long ways outside what I would normally attempt, but it feels important so I will try.

LOOKING BACK

Like most of us in clay, my first studio was the classroom. (Thank you Laney College) When I finally got my very own kiln. (a big Scutt) I went wild for a time, making works that would fill up the firing space. Never mind that I didn't yet have the craft aspect under my control. I made some good-looking faulty pieces. They remain, my "special children" who can't go out into the world for fear of falling apart.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SLOW BISQUE

I can't emphasize enough the value of a slow bisque..especially for me because I use paperclay and slam things together in unorthodox ways. Alas, this wasn't fired by me, but I put her back together.
I can do that because it's paperclay) and I am crossing my fingers that she makes the final firing OK.