Saturday, March 13, 2010

Looking Beyond


Looking beyond the past isn't always enough to change the past, even if I want to. I've traveled across the country several times before, and was always sure I'd chosen the right path. This time it's different. I'm torn between wanting a place with space around me and being physically able to take care of that space.

This sculpture started out as a tall building, but the piece decided to morph into something completely different. When this happens I have no control other than to make what comes forth. No matter that I have no idea how I am going to get the top portion to stand up till it stiffens enough to stand on it's own. Sometimes I just have to make what I have to make. I ended up using toilet paper rolls folded in threes to hold up the top portion and supported it with a rolled up dry washcloth set on shelf beside it at just the right height.

I was born in 1950 in the middle of the century, in the middle of the country, poised between two different eras. One is modern and the other more traditional. I'm also a Gemini with a definite dual personality. Therefore I can rationalize what I make into two different categories. Two, who am I kidding, not sure I can limit myself to just two, there's much more than two. There's modern, traditional, spiritual, architectural, functional, sculptural, and on and on.

I plan to explore this type of piece more. I'm hoping to achieve asymmetrical sculptural pieces in clay. The bottom portion is a leaning square vase shape and the top piece is flat and set into the vase which holds it up. How about you, what era do you see your work falling? Or what type of art/work do you like? Modern, traditional, etc.?

8 comments:

  1. I am keen for modern and austere designs. I also like pop art, more than I like to admit.

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  2. great questions that you ask of yourself and us! i love traditional, simple, forms. wood fired pots. raku. i have a love/hate relationship with shino... when she is good, she is very, very good... and when she is bad she is horrid! and i continue to glaze with shino even though it is harder to sell brown pots.
    i envy your travels... to hit the road and not be entirely sure where you will end up...
    be well.

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  4. Wow.. You're making me think. I love retro. Like 50's style in most everything. My pottery is still trying to find it's direction. At this point... as long as it's clay, I love it all.
    Cool post and Awesome vase.
    :) Cindy

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  5. Wow!! Very thoughtful, I love ahow your travels shows up in your work.

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  6. What a great post! I was totally fascinated by what we call your "quest" to find a right place on earth and at the same time by your another quest to mold clay into what you really want. As for ceramics and pottery,
    I love hagi-yaki(hagi ware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagi_ware), kutani-yaki (kutani ware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutani_ware) pretty much. I don't like Imari but love Nabeshima!! I love the pieces in the second picture on the side bar! They remind me of Hagi-yaki! I also like the pieces in the first picture!!

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  7. Hi May, thanks, I feel the same way as you but I'm admitting it now, Ha!

    Hi Michele, thanks, I've tried shino a few times with poor results, I hope to one day get some good results.

    Hi Cindy, thanks, as you can see I don't know which direction I am going in either, but like you as long as it's clay what does it matter.

    Hi Connie, thanks, I'm running out of room in here. Gary opened the closet door and couldn't believe his eyes.

    Hi Sapphire, thanks, once again I am learning from you I must read about each type of ceramics/pottery to learn more about them. I need a good reference book, it is all so much fun learning about ceramics which seems to have no end to it, which is a good thing.

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  8. i like the looks of the building that morphed. as far as what type of artwork do i like, i'd have to go first with... good. i was born not long after you and that's my excuse for the second... the artwork i like has to be something that physically occupies space and can be seen.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment