Liebe statt Luxus

http://claylab.blogspot.com/

2009-01-15T07:09:00.001-08:00

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

http://claylab.blogspot.com/

More Chili Bowls

2009-01-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-09T05:57:00.001-08:00

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...

2009-01-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T16:52:00.001-08:00

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

Chili Bowls for Charity

2009-01-06T12:12:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I started making Chili Bowls for our Ceramics Club's Charity event. I signed up for 10+ bowls - which seems like a small amount in comparison to others, who will make 100 or more! But it took me all of yesterday morning (9am - 1pm) to make 6 bowls. I tried to make them bold and bulky, but yet pretty enough to eat out of. I figured you need a "heavy" and rustic bowl for your [Vegetarian] Chili. Delicate porcelain bowls call more for Vegetable Soup, no?!

This morning I trimmed them, put slip on them (inside green, outside white) and decorated them. I will glaze them with transparent glaze all over.

My sexy green Chili Bowls:
(I love green! Even my bucket is green!)

Some decoration on the white slip:
(I only did one and stopped, because it didn't look sexy anymore!)

My favorite sexy green Chili Bowl:
(I might as well keep that one for my own vegetarian chili!)

White slip on the outside, and a nicely trimmed foot:

I used a metal pendant with a tree to "stamp" the bowls on all four sides:
(I will try to fill the tree with black slip or underglaze after bisque firing, for more detail)

My little Buddha face :)

Ceramics

2009-01-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

My first anniversary is coming up: 1 year of making ceramics!!! And I have always wondered, why we (as in my teachers, my fellow students, and I) call it "ceramics" and not "pottery"? I haven't dared to ask my teachers... yet!

To me, it just sounds more "handy" - and maybe that is even the wrong word. Maybe making "ceramics" is just different than doing "pottery". The word "pottery" reminds me of old world works, or even other crafts, such as knitting, crocheting, beading, etc. whereas "ceramics" is more like woodworking, glass blowing, etc. And I don't mean neither one in a bad or low way. I think it all has its place in the world and people like to do different things. Correct me if I'm wrong, please!

Looking both words up on Wikipedia, it seems to me though, that "pottery" is actually a better term for "making ceramics" ;) whereas the term "ceramics" includes much more than just making "pottery" out of clay. Ceramics seems to be more "artsy" maybe, whereas pottery seems to be more functional?

I'm still confused...

MONDAY can't come soon enough!

2008-12-31T07:59:00.001-08:00

The studio was closed for Christmas and New Year's and is re-opening again on MONDAY!!! I can't wait to get to work with CLAY again! This was torture - I almost didn't know what to do with myself!

Reflection

2008-12-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

Today my Yoga teacher asked me to think of one thing I appreciate most about 2008. After a few seconds I had the biggest smile on my face: I fell in love in 2008! That was the best thing for me in 2008. My husband is looking at me funny... "You fell in love in 2008? With whom??" "Not with whom!" I reply: "With WHAT!" Oh, and then he understood: I took my first ceramics class in January 2008 and was completely sucked in and IN LOVE...

;-)

If you have a chance to lay down flat on your back, spread your arms out and your legs, reflect on just one thing you took from 2008, take a couple of breaths and put a big smile on your face!

American Mug Facebook Application

2008-12-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

There is a new cool application for Facebook users out: American Mug created by Simon Levin. You can send mugs made by Christa Assad, Linda Christianson, Andy Shaw, Emily Murphy, and Simon Levin himself to all of your friends and family.

Liebe statt Luxus

2008-12-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Liebe statt Luxus = Love instead of Luxury

Introduction

2008-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Our vacation in Denver, CO and our visit to the Art Festival in Cherry Creek in the summer 2007 made me curious about working with clay. We saw a demonstration and I found it absolutely fascinating to form and shape clay and work it with your hands. I've never had ceramics in High school, nor did I ever have the opportunity to visit a studio before I finally started taking classes at our local College this Spring 2008.

Although I wasn't impressed with any of my works in my first class, I worked without any pressure and ambitions. This class was not to produce cute things, but for me to get a feel for it, for the clay, what is possible, what holds, what doesn't. It was perfectly fine to mess up and make mistakes. I sucked it all up like a sponge and couldn't get enough. Everything was clay and pottery and ceramics. Everything still is.

But this blog is not just about my ceramics. It's also about what rocks my world and how it influences me and my work. Since I wasn't out to make pretty things from the start, you'll see me improving over time, getting better techniques and better results. I'm taking my very first steps in ceramics.