From Skilled Hands

This crooked river called Cuyahoga has long been the inspiration for writers, artists and dreamers.  It’s a River of Dreams, I think.

I’ve been working on some new pieces. I find that the more I let go and relax, the more the work flows through me—from the heart through the hands.

I love working with porcelain clay. I love its purity of color and texture; I love the way it challenges me—they way it manifests my energy of the moment. Here are some small tiles that I’ve just completed, and a large piece in progress.

A couple of weeks ago, I had posted some small tiles in process here. Those pieces have been glazed and fired.

These small pieces, that measure about 4.5″ x 4.5″, give me the opportunity to experiment with different carving and glazing combinations and techniques. I like the intimacy of working on a small scale, and the challenge of creating dimension on a flat surface.

Today I continued working on the bigger triptychs. I’ll post more images as they are available.

I continued to work on the triptych yesterday. Saturday is a busy day in the Village of Peninsula, and there was a steady stream of visitors in and out of the studio. People are interested, and it is wonderful to share the process. It is, however, impossible to work without distraction. Being quiet and attentive to the process is a challenge.

How do you maintain your focus?

We’ve both been working hard in the studio. Steve was trimming cups and putting on handles:

I was working on these small tiles, and a larger triptych:

I’ll continue working on the triptych tomorrow and see how it evolves. There is something magical about the process. When I am quiet and attentive, the clay lets me know what I need to do.

Nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the home of Happy Days Lodge.

Deriving it’s name from Happy Days Are Here Again, the theme song of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal platform, the lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938-1939. It started as a camp for the Akron Board of Education and the lodge was a dormitory.

Happy Days was built from local materials: wormy chestnut from American Chestnut trees killed by the early 19th century blight, and sandstone quarried from nearby quarries.

Happy Days is a beautiful place, in a wonderful setting. It is the location for a variety of interesting programs including concerts, discussions and hikes. If you’re ever in our neck of the woods, stop on by. And remember to bring your camera.

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My Town Monday is brought to you by Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin. Wander over there and check out the links. You’ll have the opportunity to see how other folks see their worlds. Pretty cool.

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

One World One Heart

I’ve written about our being connected and that living on Planet Earth, we really do live in the same town. We breathe the same air, look at the same moon and stars.

One World One Heart is an opportunity for people to share. Last year, Lisa Swifka, the originator of this event wrote:

The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way.

For me, it is another manifestation of the power of this medium. It is a way that we can embrace our humanity, and share it freely. It is interesting to me that it is the high tech that is providing the high touch in this high tech world. We have already demonstrated the Power of One in so many ways. This is another way for us to connect and to know that We Are One.

On Thursday, February 12, I will be doing another one of my high tech drawings—this one will probably be high tech die to the number of comments. I will be giving these to those whose names I draw. All items are crafted from fine porcelain clays, one at a time, by hand.

There will be at least 3 names drawn, and I will select which piece will be sent. The Touchstones may be given as a group or I may select some for several people.

Post a comment on this post by the deadline of 10:00 p.m.EST on February 11, and I will enter your name in the drawing. Please make sure that to add your email address when you post your comment so that I have a way to reach you .

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My Town Monday is another way to see that we all live in the same town. Travis Erwin, the man behind the curtain, is putting things back together after a devastating house fire. Chris, over at e-Cuniform scratchings, and Junosmom at Lifetime Learning are minding the store and posting links to blogs all over this fine planet. Take a look. You’ll learn a lot and have fun, too.
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And if you are so inclined, please visit Cups Of Kindness.
76 artists donated over 150 pieces of artwork. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork benefits the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank. To date, we have purchased 21,000 nutritious meals.

I like making fans. The form of a fan is complete unto itself, and yet it is part of a circle.
Kind of like being a human. Here are some porcelain tiles that I have made. The designs are carved in porcelain clays and fired to about 1700 degrees F. Then colors are inlaid into the carved areas, the excess is removed and the glaze is applied. The piece is then fired to about 2200 Degrees F. Sometimes the pieces require multiple firings so that they are ready to be framed. This process makes the layers of glaze, which are actually fused glass, sing.

The rich earthiness of the brown glaze and the harvest tones of the fan suggested a quiet Earth to me.

This glaze reminded me of the color of the sky at night, that inky blue that is like velvet.

Even though the blue is bright, the piece has a quiet nature.

These tiles are available for purchase here.

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