Raku You

Raku is my favorite type of ceramics work. The typical raku pottery you see often isn't to my taste -- it gets kitchy. But the rustic, unpredictable surfaces that can be achieved using the raku firing technique are truly unique and wonderful. The image at right is a Raku tile/plaque I made several years ago. Wikipedia defines the term thusly:

Raku is a form of Japanese pottery characterized by low firing temperatures (resulting in a fairly porous body), lead glazes, and the removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot. In the traditional Japanese firing process, the pot is removed from the hot kiln and put directly into water or allowed to cool in the open air. Raku is considered the traditional method for creating bowls for the Japanese tea ceremony. Raku tea bowls are hand-made from earthenware, each with a unique shape and style. Raku techniques have been adopted and modified by contemporary potters worldwide.

I signed up for the class thinking I'd make some fun new jewelry. And perhaps I will. But tonight the inspiration simply isn't there. In fact, I pretty much don't feel like going at all. But I missed class last week due to my vacation, so I can't, in good conscience, skip it a second week. The idea of making more "stuff" with which to clutter my apartment makes me shudder ... but I'm an artist, and that's what artists do, isn't it??

So off I go to class, mildly against my will, to see what might get created by these hands that just climbed a mountain.

Catching up

I swore I wouldn't let my blog postings lapse as they have been. Not because my deluded mind thinks I actually have fans ... but more just because this is a great place for me to unload my thoughts so my brain doesn't get too heavy carrying them around.

Anyway, here's a short recap of a few things that stood out over this past week, in no particular order:

1. I found out that Charlie dies BEFORE watching the finale of Lost. Bummer. But it's the price one pays for making other commitments on the night of a great TV show!

2. It felt especially great to throw pots this week. I made a bunch of stuff, mostly gifts for specific people, but also a mug and pitcher for myself. Hopefully they'll all turn out.

3. Because of the above, along with some other recent purchases, I have about a third of my Christmas shopping done already! What a nerd I am.

4. I can now say I'm a veteran of the Collingswood May Fair. Wow, it's a big event for our little town! Lots of booths (selling mostly junk), lots of food (some GREAT, some bad), lots of people (the people watching is unparalleled), and lots of fancy cars (everything from souped up dune buggies to vintage VW bugs to Ford Falcons and Caddys). Such fun to walk around with my neighborhood peeps too! I'm a true local.

5. Franklin Mills. Wow. I had somehow never been there until the other night. I didn't buy much, but the reason for going wasn't about me. My friend Alison needed a new wardrobe, and boy did she get it! So fun to see a friend try on clothes I picked out for her. Very gratifying. And she looks terrific in everything she bought.

6. The air conditioners in my place are officially on. The heat and humidity this morning got to me, and I broke down. The unit in my new apartment is loud, but it cranks. Yay! Of course, I say that now, but let's see how my next PSE&G bill looks.

Latest wares

I glazed a whole bunch of stuff in my clay class last week, so hopefully it all got fired and I'll be bringing it home tonight. Watch for photos on my flickr set called my clay work.

In the meantime, though, I took advantage of having kilns at my disposal to fire some beads I made a few years ago. I've been wearing them on leather cord off and on all week, but this morning the inspiration struck me out of the blue to make earrings (pictured). I love them! Much more to come... and watch my flickr photo set called my jewelry. So fun to have fresh inspiration.

Saying so here might kick my rear to do it, so I'll proclaim now that I will soon start an account on etsy.com for purchasing my wares. Stay tuned!

It's not just mud

I could go on and on about my relationship with clay -- from the first piece I ever made in grade school (a clown face paperweight), to learning the art of throwing, to the beadmaking class I taught in Maine that caused me to collapse of exhaustion, to making production tiles for 4 straight years. It's been a long and winding road, much of which has been rife with enormous self-imposed pressure to make great stuff of importance and greatness (whatever that means).

I've tried over the the years to take pottery classes at local art centers just for fun, but would inevitably get bogged down by my own expectations for what could be accomplished.

All of that has changed, thank goodness! I'm currently enrolled in a class called "Creative Tableware" at the Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, NJ, taught by David Gamber. After only 3 sessions, it has already been a revelation.

For once in my life, the clay studio is actually an escape from the pressure instead of being a different type of pressure. I'm making cups, bowls, beads, bells and anything else my heart desires ... with absolutely no pressure. It's wonderful! The day's anxieties melt away and my head clears for a few hours. I come home refreshed and relaxed.

I'm accomplishing a whole lot more than just making pots. More on this in the days and weeks to come...