Full Circle Inspiration
Chandler Romeo's ceramic cityscape featured in "11.11.11" at Gallery Nord in San Antonio, TX. Photo Credit: Steve Bennett / SA
A funny thing happened late last fall during a field trip for a class I took called “Field Books”. For this class we kept a “field book“, or sketchbook as a tool to map, make notations, sketch, journal, and analyze a site over the period of a semester as a generative process to document and as a way to make an intelligent design leap that an aspiring landscape architect might utilize when beginning a new project. Artists, use a sketchbook regularly to keeps notes, and to test potential design ideas – and this is very much a similar creative process. Historically, a field book has been used by scientists, cartographers, and others to document notes and imagery of the flora, fauna, and physical landscape of areas visited which was used at a later time to further research.
I LOVED this class and imagine my surprise when the instructor took us to an artist’s – a ceramicist’s – studio no less, to check out her clay work. I was slightly nervous since I know quite a few people in the local clay community, and had actually been introduced to Chandler at Plinth Gallery by my friend and ceramic’s mentor, Mary Cay, last summer during their Colorado Clay show – which incidentally coincided with the Marvelous Mud show at the Denver Art Museum (you can read the review here). It was an incredibly exciting summer for clay enthusiasts last summer! But I digress….
Of course, she didn’t remember me – nor did I expect her to after a brief 10 second chat 6 months prior. At any rate, the purpose of the field trip was to look at Chandler’s ceramic landscape installations through an alternate lens and as a way to begin to “sketch” landscapes in 3D. I am enamored with her work and pine more than just a little for some clay to squish between my fingers. Luckily or perhaps wistfully, school leaves very little time to think about any extracurricular projects beyond school. The memory of the trip to her amazing studio, that she shares with her artist husband, has stayed with me through winter break and I am am beginning to start imagining when I can get back in my studio on a regular basis. With less than 4 months until graduation, I feel energized and ready craft a new creative career bridging art + landscape. I don’t know what it’s going to look like, but I’m ready.
*As a side note, I believe that Chandler’s ceramicscapes are handbuilt using slabs of clay, rigorously laid out using a map that she creates so that when an installation goes to a gallery, it can be installed as she originally envisioned.
Delayed
Bags-o-clay
I swung by the guild on Monday to clean. It is a bit cruel that I haven’t been taking advantage of the guild’s studio space, yet since we’re a co-op, I’m still required to clean about every 4 months or so. I know – who’s fault is that? No need to rub it in. Anyway…while I was there, another member was using the electric slab roller (what a luxury) to create slabs to take home where she is going to work at her leisure. She had quite the system in place, boards, plastic wrap, etc. etc. and it got me thinking about whether I might like to do the same. I love hand building, and have hand rolled my slabs in the past – something I actually enjoy doing. At any rate, I decided not to use the electric slab roller, but I did bring home yet another 25# bag of clay – this time a white ^10 stoneware called “Dover” which is now sitting unopened next to the bag of ^6 porcelain. I might as well start working at ^10 for some work since the guild has 2 large gas car kilns.
I do have a plan. It’s just taken me awhile to arrive at a course of action. Making a decision is probably my weakest skill – I tend to deliberate and then deliberate my deliberations before I can move forward. Once I make a decision, I rarely look back. So here’s my dilemma – I need a fairly unobtrusive, comfortable and convenient place to work. Last weekend, my husband asked me when I was finally going to open the clay I brought home a couple of weeks ago, and I mentioned using the laundry room in the basement as a quasi temporary/permanent space where I can leave work in progress out and to work during the winter months. It’s warm, has running water, has shelving, counter space and it’s not precious, so it won’t matter if I get clay on the floor/walls etc. I think I might even bring my wheel inside which is going to require a little extra muscle power.
The laundry room isn’t exactly ideal, but it’s a start. I had planned to get it all set up yesterday and then…I got a small job offer that I couldn’t refuse. I’m updating/adding content to a WordPress website this week. Who would have thought that by teaching myself how to use and customize WordPress for my website out of financial necessity a few years ago, that I could actually earn a little extra income on the side? So, clay is going to have to wait for the weekend. But, I had better not wait too long – my last semester of school starts on Tuesday.
Happy 2012!
Yay – it’s a new year! Like many other people, I welcome the new year as a time to take advantage of a semi-fresh start to make resolutions and to rekindle flames that may have dimmed a bit over the past year (or several).While one could argue that simply flipping the pages of a calendar from 2011 – 2012 is really part of the space time continuum – part of one long trajectory, it is still symbolic and clearly worthy of celebration by people all over the world every single new year. It is in this vein, that I celebrate 2012 & all of it’s glorious potentials and opportunities.
2012 is also the year I graduate with a MLA (masters of landscape architecture) degree – a path that also sprang from a new year’s resolution (2008) to finish something I had put aside years before. While graduating is a huge accomplishment for me and my family (who have suffered through the past 2.5 years of my harried presence), it has also been a great learning experience and one that I hope to apply to my dusty pottery career. Yep – I often joke that this MLA might just be the best MFA I ever earned! ;D
Seriously, I recently sat down with a wonderful friend of mine on the eve of 2012, and we mused on the state of the economy and how I might use my new credentials come May. I have some small landscape projects on the horizon, but nothing that constitutes a full time job, with benefits, and the promise of a gold watch upon retirement (and do I really want that?). More than anything, I really miss clay & the clay community. So, why can’t I do both? My friend asked me, “Don’t you think that this is part of the new economy?” Meaning multiple streams of income.
I wonder. In retrospect, I think this is what a lot of potters & all artists do really well. Multi-task – teach, make, sell, market, etc., etc. I know this leaves us feeling pulled & tugged in multiple directions, but would you do anything else? Would you settle for just any job for the sake of a job? I realize that my question might sound privileged – but I am going to have to invent myself since I’ve been unemployed & have been MIA in the pottery world for the past couple of years. In my case, if I really want a full time landscape architecture job, I could probably get one in Asia – it’s where a lot of $$ & construction is happening. In the US, it’s much, much tighter and competitive for a newly minted landscape designer – beggars can’t be choosy, as the saying goes.
So, I made a couple of resolutions towards stepping back into the clay world – while still completing my schooling and venturing into landscape architecture come graduation.
- I am going to reinvigorate my blog – this blog – it’s a great way for me to be involved with the clay community and to get my thoughts in order regardless of audience.
- I am going to set aside 1 day a week of working with clay in lieu of a landscape internship (I did one last summer-fall) in order to explore new ideas and to make some work for sale on Etsy - my shop is looking so forlorn right now.
- I am going to make work for the biannual Colorado Potters Guild Spring show in May and take advantage of the studio space – I have been giving the guild my monthly dues for studio upkeep & maintain the website as a volunteer without any benefit for the past couple of years.
- I am going to revisit all my favorite clay bloggers & find new ones to foster community + inspiration.
Meanwhile, I’m really becoming addicted to Pinterest – I’m going to have to curb this if I’m going to be a productive, multi-tasking aficionado.
xo,
Cynthia
Boys…
Nicolas Cage in Wild at Heart
I picked my daughter up at the bus stop today and we started talking about boys. Mainly about boys (or girls) that she may like someday. **awkward pause** I was on a mission, after all to go grocery shopping and find a new coffee maker for the one that had gone on the fritz before finishing my own homework.
“Okay,” I ask, “What are you looking for in a boy?” Daughter, “Well, I was telling K**** that her boyfriend would be smart, tall, a jock, & good-looking.”
Me, “My wish for you is that you find someone smart with a sense of humor, someone who is kind, who is also creative and open minded, someone who has a sense of social justice…someone who will will treat you with respect and love regardless of what he looks like on the outside.”
For some twisted reason and without waiting for a response, my mind snapped to the movie, Wild at Heart directed by David Lynch. I think I know what I want to be for Halloween…you know that scene where (mom) Diane Ladd gets all crazy and smears lipstick all over her face?
Fun stuff and parenting intertwined! Of course, I am only joking….or am I?
