Thursday, August 13, 2009

Random thoughts


I really like this photo. Gerry shot this when we were down at my mom's house. Makes me want to read Johnathon Livingston Seagull again, I loved that book. I'm starting to get into the summer is over, fall is coming mode. We went shopping for school supplies yesterday. I love doing that. And a storm is brewing out in the ocean, I also love hurricane season for some odd reason. (I know, you don't have to say anything, but I do love a good storm). I'm sitting here this morning collecting my to do list for the day. There is so much I want to do and can't quite get it sorted in my head. First, I am getting the raku down exactly where I want it, I have the glazes I want, I have the pots I want to make for those glazes, done. Except that I will come back from Penland with a whole new wish list, I'm sure. Second, I have a bag of Zella for ^10 that I am making these big bowls with. So, what to do about the glazing? I still haven't settled on a glaze I like that is consistent and user friendly. I also have several glazes that I want to try so I need to do some mixing and testing. For cone 10 I think I would like big bowls, mugs, and teapots. Those are the things I enjoy making the most. And last, I have a whole bunch of earthenware that I need to do something with and I have color in my head for that. But that means mixing up a bunch of slip and doing more tests with underglazes.I would also like big bowls and flower pots in earthenware and maybe cups of some sort. So, do I really want to have this many things going on? I am leaning towards leaving cone 10 for a bit and see if the Raku/Earthenware combo works best together. I'm just thinking about a table full of wares that make sense, instead of a table that looks like the potter needs to take Lithium or something. Do other people have this problem? How do you settle on just one thing and do it well, when there are so many things to love out there! I just need to figure out what works for me, but I'm not quite there yet, sigh......................So, Here is a nice poem for the day, have a good one!

Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden gleam --
Life what is it but a dream?

6 comments:

Laura Farrow said...

I say, do it all!!! Your work is still your work whether it's raku or earthenware or cone 10. It's all yours!!! Take the spiral intuitive path, not the logical linear one. -advice from someone who can't focus either, and don't want to... :-)

Tracey Broome said...

Well, I just love your wisdom Laura!!! My spiral intuitive is going to drive my family quite mad one day,especially logical linear Gerry, but they seem to deal with it :)
Maybe I should have Raku month, reduction month and earthenware month, just so I can pretend I am focused Ha!

Laura Farrow said...

why the hell not?!!

Christine--RHP said...

I imagine you'll find that each style will have it's own organic rhythm for you...you'll get into a raku groove, and then after a little bit you'll be craving making the high fire stuff and then you'll be in that phase for a month or two and your interests will naturally migrate around. Just trust what feels natural!

Judy Shreve said...

Tracey -- I have been all over the place & just recently 'found' something that interests me enough to focus. But all that scatter-brain time has really helped inform what I'm doing now.

It is all your body of work & it is all leading somewhere -- go with it! . . . and it's all pretty fabulous too!

The only downer with being scattered is somedays it's hard to know what direction to take -- so you just spin for a few hours --

Hollis Engley said...

Do it all, Tracey.