"The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity."
-- Dorothy Parker
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Instead of satisfying my curiosity, working with clay has scratched it into a lifelong itch. Ideas are everywhere, and there is always something new I want to try. As with all worthwhile adventures, clay offers no guarantees. There is no single right way to create ceramic art because every decision shapes choices at the next juncture. Tall or wide, round or angular, textured or smooth, shiny or matte -- each moment in making a vessel offers its own challenges and opportunities.
And the end result - is it a suceess? I used to think the answer came when the kiln is opened after the final glaze firing. After making hundreds, perhaps thousands of vessels, I now understand that only when the vessel finds a home -- in hands that appreciate how it feels, on a table filled with something delicious, on a shelf with pretty flowers -- is it a success. And each time a vessel is used, the possibilities start anew: coffee or tea, soup or salad, cookies or ice cream, fresh or dried flowers. The vessel is completed in the moment of its use, over and over. Serve food of another color in the bowl, rotate the vase for a different combination of light and shadow, hold the mug and remember when it became ours ... the possibilities are tantalizing.
I create and fire my ceramic art at a communal studio in San Francisco where I make ceramic art for daily use. I design each piece individually using a combination of wheel-thrown and hand-built methods. Most vessels are highfired in a reduction kiln to 2300 degrees. All tableware is dishwasher, microwave and food safe. And that means each one is a work of art ready for daily use.
Curious? Me, too. Email me, please: the [email protected]. And follow me on Instagram - http://instagram.com/thecuriouspotter.
And the end result - is it a suceess? I used to think the answer came when the kiln is opened after the final glaze firing. After making hundreds, perhaps thousands of vessels, I now understand that only when the vessel finds a home -- in hands that appreciate how it feels, on a table filled with something delicious, on a shelf with pretty flowers -- is it a success. And each time a vessel is used, the possibilities start anew: coffee or tea, soup or salad, cookies or ice cream, fresh or dried flowers. The vessel is completed in the moment of its use, over and over. Serve food of another color in the bowl, rotate the vase for a different combination of light and shadow, hold the mug and remember when it became ours ... the possibilities are tantalizing.
I create and fire my ceramic art at a communal studio in San Francisco where I make ceramic art for daily use. I design each piece individually using a combination of wheel-thrown and hand-built methods. Most vessels are highfired in a reduction kiln to 2300 degrees. All tableware is dishwasher, microwave and food safe. And that means each one is a work of art ready for daily use.
Curious? Me, too. Email me, please: the [email protected]. And follow me on Instagram - http://instagram.com/thecuriouspotter.
