http://claylab.blogspot.com/

Alright, I finally got it together and am using another Blog title for my ceramic's blog:

http://claylab.blogspot.com/

More Chili Bowls

While the first Chili Bowls I produced for the Charity Chili Bowl Event are in the bisque firing, I made some new ones. I forget how many exactly... But I think my total is now over 20! After today though, I doubt that I will make more. I am definitely NOT a production potter, but rather enjoy throwing stuff randomly and putting it together in some weird way. I also like to engrave my pieces, so I took this oportunity and decorated some of the chili bowls:

I engraved one of my favorite quotes on a set of 3 bowls:
(since the quote is very long, it took that many :)

“Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

By Nelson Mandela

Playlist

I put together a new "Ceramics" playlist for my iPod. I can now listen to that while throwing. Weirdly there is a lot of Glen Hansard and Cat Stevens in there... Must be something soothing and calming about those two :) Last night I sat in front of my wheel and messed up some of my pots, because I couldn't concentrate on my work. System Of A Down was yelling "WAKE UP!!" in my ear and I got so nervous that I pushed the pedal too far...

Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,

I don't think you trust, In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die, Die,

Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,

I don't think you trust, In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
In my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die

Father, Father, Father, Father,
Father/ Into your hands/I/commend my spirit,
Father, into your hands,

Why have you forsaken me, In your eyes forsaken me,
In your thoughts forsaken me, In your heart forsaken, me oh,

Trust in my self righteous suicide, I, cry, when angels deserve to die,
In my self righteous suicide, I, cry, when angels deserve to die.

Lyrics by: Tankian, Malakian
Music by: Malakian

Hering-Berlin

This weekend in Chicago I ate from very precious porcelain dishes, made by Hering-Berlin from Germany. Very simple, yet elegant and fine!

L2o
Laurent Gras
60614 Chicago
www.l2o.com

Snow, snow, go away...

Today I wanted to throw some more chili bowls, BUT it is snowing... oh no!! And the bowls I made yesterday are probably going to be too dry to trim by Tuesday. I didn't wrap them tightly and I doubt I'll make it to the College today (we have a rental car with summer tires, so, no way Jose!).

Sometimes having your own studio (preferably in your basement or garage!) is a nice thing indeed... forget about the post I wrote last night *giggle*!! Who needs inspiration from other people anyway?!

Funny...

It's funny sometimes! You look through all the bisque fired pieces on all of the shelfs and cannot find your own stuff... My teacher found a vase I made a couple of months ago; actually it's a vase I must have thrown in the beginning of the Fall semester (the criteria for this piece was taller than 8"). I didn't like it, but I glazed it anyway... I'll post pictures as soon as it has been fired (which can take a couple of weeks, since the semester doesn't start until the 20th and I doubt that anything will be fired before the first projects are ready). I dipped the whole thing in Copper Red and dipped the bottom half and the top rim in Shino. I hope the Copper Red will actually be Red; sometimes when the glaze sits too long and gets contaminated with all the other glazes, it comes out transparent.

That's what you get working in a big studio with so many people working around you. But I was just talking to somebody about this the other day and we agreed that we get so much inspiration watching other people work. I love their comments and commenting on their work, it would be sad to sit in a studio all by myself. Although I love the peace and quiete in the mornings, I also like the interaction that's going on!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.