i made just a small batch of teapots this year. the black clay was giving me many problems. also, i want to start painting and i need to finish up with the clay first ! . . . so many things to do – so little TIME !
this black spanish clay is much wetter than i remember, which is making it very difficult to work with and extra messy ! it’s also causing me just a bit of stress, as i need to finish working with the black clay before i open my bags of beautiful and pristine limoges porcelain . . . but we all know that you can not rush clay. this has been a big lesson in patience (something that i have very little of).
it’s good to be back together in france with my favorite black clay. although it is a little wet this year and hard to coil build with. have you ever tried coil building with mud ? not very fun and a very slow process. so in between the waiting i’ve been making spoons. a great small item and easy to carry back with me without (hopefully) breaking. i’m planning to make a multitude of them . . .
i was EXTREMELY honored for the little spread in the june/july/august issue of CERAMICS MONTHLY. if you want to know how i stumbled upon clay and a little bit about my work life, grab a copy ! it’s a pretty great issue.
p.s. tomorrow i am heading back to france for another residency !
right outside of my studio is an ENORMOUS fig tree. when i walked by it today, there was a little fig sitting on the ground right in front of me. i hadn’t noticed that the tree had started bearing fruit yet and when i looked up to search for more, there was not a single other fig on the tree. i couldn’t help but think that this was some sort of a good sign . . . here is what i discovered:
“The symbolic meanings of figs preceded those of the fig tree: figs connote abundance and initiation. Ancient Egyptian priests ate them at their consecration ceremonies, and the first desert hermits ate them, too. (Their nutritional value is also obvious.) The many seeds in the fig are supposed to signify unity and the universality of true understanding, knowledge, and sometimes faith.”
also that figs epitomize the MEDITERRANEAN, its climate, its food, its way of life . . . and guess who’s going to the mediterranean on monday ? MOI !
nothing beats a freshly laid egg. i love eggs. they are one of natures most perfect food. my friend + farmer just came for a visit bearing wonderful fresh produce and eggs. the brightness and creaminess of the yolk is almost overwhelming.
here is just one of my cups that will be in the great BIG CUP SHOW at fourth & clay.
it opens on may 4th, and the reception for it is on may 5th.
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