What’s Next?

 

Finishing things in the studio and around the house feels good, yet my mind races ahead to what’s next. The ongoing quest or question drives creation and maybe, drives me a little crazy? 

I wanted, and maybe needed, to do a relief sculpture of oak leaves. The face, like the others I’ve made, is a mystical goddess. With her eyes opening outward, a tribal like eyebrow and smiling lips, she feels to me like wisdom and love. 

So far I’ve made her the center of a sunflower, poppies, ginkgo leaves and now oak leaves. Am I celebrating the seasons as I would imagine she does? I don’t know. And that’s ok. 

That’s how art works for me, if I let myself listen without listening.  Be moved instead of moving. See without using my eyes, instead using my hands and heart. Act from my gut, my core, my intuition. 

The magic of making. 

I love to make things, so I’m always making things. That’s the good part. The ideas. The excitement of the beginning. The intense focus and joy of rolling and cutting and putting pieces in place one by one. I am always oblivious to the mess in the moment and while I delight in the idea, the process always takes much more time than I envision. 

That’s ok. Step by step the pieces come together. My only race is with my hands, the weather and time. Clay is a medium which needs cooler weather and humidity all within a certain window of time. Once it starts to dry out, the working window closes. Sometimes completely. Yes, there are ways to keep it moist and pick up where I left off but sometimes, life gets in the way.

Symbols of power. 

As a nation, we are fighting for our rights, our safety and our lives. So art seems a frivolous action. And yet, somewhere inside me feels it is a lifeline, our lifeline. Grounding to the earth, to the soul, to each other. It makes a connection that can’t be bought or paid or taken away. 

It is our common ground. It is a language beyond words. It is our souls reaching out for each other. Whispering in the night: “We are still here. We are all right. We are together.”

Oak trees and their leaves are symbols of strength, endurance, stability and longevity. Because they are big, powerful trees with a long life span, they also represent fertility and wisdom. Along with their acorns, they represent power, authority and victory. 

Perhaps I needed some Oak tree power this week, maybe you do too. 

Making and Baking

 

Today, I got to do two things I really love to do. Make a blueberry peach crisp and bake some clay. With the weather cloudy and cool with a slight breeze, it’s a perfect day to do both. Just the smell of the peaches and blueberries in the oven makes me smile. 

And it gives me something to create while I kiln sit. 

Firing clay. 

I realized today it’s been almost 6 months since I’ve fired up the kiln. It seems like a long time but when you’re working with clay, patience is a key element. Pushing or rushing clay means cracks and broken pieces. I’ll admit I’m not the most patient person in the world but waiting has its rewards with clay. 

Loading the kiln is always a puzzle to solve. Since I make such different pieces, fitting them into the kiln takes a while to figure out. But again, it’s worth it in the end. 

Peachy goodness. 

I love the delicious bounty of peaches and blueberries in the summer. Last weekend, my husband and I made the trek to the local Farmer’s market to buy peaches from our favorite local farm. And while they were not ripe yet, I knew in a few days they would be perfect for baking. 

I’m one of those bakers who never makes a recipe exactly the same each time. This time I used old fashioned rolled oats, not instant and added a little orange juice. I like to experiment with texture and flavors like I experiment with clay. But not at the same time, of course. 

Making and baking

New clay creations firing 

Fresh peaches and blueberries cooking

Adding color to new creatures

All creating delicious fun

Work and Play

I can’t believe this is the last day of July. Where did it go? I look back and see a blur of hot days where working in the studio, especially with clay is hard. With no air conditioning and dry weather, clay can be cranky. 

Ok, so can I if it’s too hot. In spite of it all, I’m surprised at what I did get done. And how much fun it is to share my studio with emerging artists. 

Meet my young visiting artists. 

Meyer is 8 years old and a very busy girl with gymnastics classes, horseback riding and many family vacations. Her summer is booked. But I was so happy to have her visit my studio 2 weeks in a row. Here she is doing watercolor painting which she loves. 

The newest visiting artist was Madden, age 18 months. This is his first visit to my studio. We see him every week, and we go to the park, play with toys and books. But he’s not been ready to make his mark in the studio until now. Here he is concentrating on his art. 

Playing with a new idea. 

I don’t know why I started making these new pieces. Just one day, I took out the clay and a tower appeared. I didn’t even know what to call them. Or what they would be used for. I showed them to my daughter and she immediately said, “It’s a fairy house.” 

So there you go. I’ve now made four fairy houses which are slowly getting a paint job. Will I make more? I have no idea. Just like I had no idea I would have a cast of weird animal characters appear in my studio. But, I think, maybe that’s what creating is all about. 

Rolling out clay. 

Not thinking or planning or designing.

Just putting my hands in it,

Letting it take shape

And letting it shape me. 

Blooming.

I look out my window and the whole world seems to be blooming. Bright red flowers cover my Camilla. Small pink blossoms scatter around the plum tree. Here and there daffodils I planted long ago add a pop of bright yellow. 

Inside, I’m working in my studio and recovering from health issues. I work a little slower but even so, new things are popping up. Like this silly, google-eyed bird. Where did he come from? I don’t know. Where will he go? Again, I don’t know. 

Experimenting. 

I used to have a schedule: throwing on Tuesday, handbuilding on Wednesday but that’s not happening now. I notice that I’m less interested in throwing functional pieces and more interested in handbuilding and sculptural pieces. 

Not sure why this is happening and that’s ok. I started out doing sculpture and learned to throw when I was gifted with a wheel. In the last 10 years, throwing has been the focus. But now, the focus has slowly shifted again. I have to say, I’m having fun with these quirky little figures that are popping up. 

Recovering. 

I’ve had health issues this year that I’ve never had before. I’ll admit, it’s been scary. Seeing different doctors every time is weird, too. But this week, I had my first virtual doctor visit and I have to say it was wonderful. The doctor truly listened to my concerns and offered support and solutions. I’m grateful. 

I see flowers blooming all around me

And it gives me hope

My body recovered and strong

New work crazy and colorful 

Everything moving and growing.  

August Already

 

A few months ago, I decided to take the summer off. So many things had changed that turned my life upside down. I needed time and space. I needed to let go of my old routine in order to figure out a new one.

At the beginning of all these unexpected life changes, I had a hard time. I wasn’t eating or sleeping or feeling very well. One of the biggest stresses was having my healthcare taken away with no warning. It pushed my anxiety through the roof. I had a hard time feeling safe to leave the house or spend time with friends. I had to learn to manage my anxiety by first accepting it and then working to find ways to ease it. 

I don’t know if I’m completely there yet, but I did find ways to help myself. I wrote about the three C’s: Clay, Crochet and Cleaning. These things plus a few others that help me are simple: walking in the park with my husband and darling Darby, reading books, cutting flowers and taking care of my grand babies. 

Walking. 

I’m very lucky to live close to a wonderful park filled with wildlife, green spaces, play spaces for children and adults. You might think that walking in the same park everyday would be boring but it’s not.

Everyday there’s something new to see: blackberries are out, young geese are learning to fly,  kids are laughing, Darby is sniffing and my grand baby is sleeping peacefully. 

Clay and Crochet. 

I found years ago that working with my hands was calming. Giving my body movement, gives my anxious mind a rest. The biggest plus, it’s fun too! 

So far, I’ve made crochet blankets in mint green, purple, pink, yellow, midnight blue and white. I’m working on a new one in peach. I love to crochet and am so glad my family loves their soft throws.

I’ve also been busy making new clay animals and fairies. I’ve done sculpture for decades, but right now, I needed something small and fun. These kitties, doggies, birds and fairies seem to be filling up my studio shelves. I’m hoping the hot weather will ease, so I can fire them soon. 

Beautiful Babies. 

I never thought I’d be one of ‘those’ grandmas. You know the ones who can’t stop bragging about their grandchildren. But, it’s official, I am. They call me ‘Gram’ after my Gram whom I loved dearly. My only hope is to pass on the love to the next generation. That said, here are some pics whether you want them or not. 

Anxiety is not a fun place to live. 

I knew it was up to me

To find my way out:

Walking, crocheting, playing with clay

And best of all, baby kisses and hugs.

Art and Ageism

 

The sun is shining. There’s a cool breeze keeping the day light and comfortable. It’s a perfect summer day, really, so why do I feel unsettled? Why am I looking up and around with a wondering, worried, wandering feeling?

Because my life has changed. So has yours, I’m sure. It happened to all of us over the last 4 years with covid and closures. Add a flooded house, reconstruction and then, job loss and no health insurance. Even though I qualify for Medicare and filed for it, it’s been 3 months and I’m still waiting for Medicare Part B due to a corporate screw up and a slow government system. 

It’s scary. And I know, I’m not alone. 

Boomers are older now. 

There’s a word everyone likes to use to describe my husband and I: retired. We’re supposed to be happy about it. It’s supposed to be a release from the drudgery of 9 to 5 work. But what if you loved your work? What if that was your interest, your creativity, your calling? And now, because you are a ‘certain’ age, you’re not supposed to be doing it anymore. 

Is that fair? Or right? Or good? That someone, somewhere gets to decide you’re done?

Nope. Not at all. It’s ageist. If you like the job and can do the job, you should be able to do it as long as you want. I’m not alone in thinking this, there are articles everywhere about men and women in their 80’s and beyond who want to keep working and many still are. 

Here’s another funny thing: as boomers are being forced out of the workplace, there’s no one to replace them. Other adults decades younger are not filling those jobs. Companies are searching for workers and not finding them. 

If you want to hear an interview about ageism, here’s a link to a podcast by Mike Turner:

https://sites.libsyn.com/468780/this-chair-rocks

This Chair Rocks

"This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism" author Ashton Applewhite talks about about her battles with Ageism and what can be done to stop the discrimination.

I’m not retired. And I’m not going to retire. 

As an artist, I am my own employer and employee. I get to decide what I do or don’t do. I’ll admit that can be a heavy responsibility. I’ve been a lot of places with my art over the last 20 years: gallery shows, sculpture shows, pottery shows, open studios, online shows and shops. During the pandemic, I worked hard to figure out new products to make and places to sell them. Overall, I’ve done pretty well. 

Now, I’m looking at my work from a different point of view. Instead of making what I think will sell, I want to go back to making what wants to be made. That’s how I started out. I had no finished product in mind. I didn’t think about marketing. I just picked up my paintbrush, copper, fabric or clay and worked. In the process, something emerged and I followed it. 

Somewhere along the way, I decided to lead instead of follow. I was still creating but I see that selling more became the focus. Product over process. But things are shifting again in my body, mind and soul. I’m not sure what this means or where exactly it will go.

I’m sitting here watching the clouds shift and move. 

And that’s normal and natural. 

Just like the clouds, my life is shifting and moving too. 

Time to be a little like a dragon. 

Time to be brave and fly in new directions.