We inherited these ratty old shrubs in front of our house when I bought my house a decade ago. They had been trimmed in all sorts of bad ways and needed to rebound. In the first year, I added new earth around their bases, watered them carefully, trimmed off the dead branches, and hoped for … Continue reading Growth & Beauty
An Isamu Tower – Spontaneous Intentionality
For years now, I've been stopped in my tracks by the many works of designer-artists, Isamu Noguchi. His play with lines, textures, and shapes capture my imagination like sitting in a Zen garden. I find myself staring endlessly in a blissful state of calm. There's a whole canon of his work that seems to be … Continue reading An Isamu Tower – Spontaneous Intentionality
The Textured Wonder Vase
Part of the accretion project, I used torn and end scraps of thin slabs. Each piece was textured with a textured-roller, then assembled wet, using only a little slip and scoring. When leather hard, I used a carving tool to take away excess slip at the seams and emphasize the layers. I gave a few … Continue reading The Textured Wonder Vase
The Prisoner of the Accretion Castle
During the accretion project, we had a few smaller creative exercises that stimulated some ideas. This one came from following the teacher prompt to make and use a thick slab, which I normally don't do. I couldn't quite feel what to do with it and put it aside to start on other ideas. The slab … Continue reading The Prisoner of the Accretion Castle
Thespians of Agreement
Actors will always have a special place in my heart and creative expression. They are able to say what we often cannot or dare not. I'm not sure what these two want to say, but they seem to be agreeing on it, whatever it is. Now that I'm looking closer at the smaller face, I'm … Continue reading Thespians of Agreement
The Post-Modern Gender-phillic
I have no apology for this one. I am still an innocent soul open to learning and understanding. It is my positive response to all the amazing discussions and information my fellow art students are sharing with me. I may still be the old white guy in the room, but I'm more and more open … Continue reading The Post-Modern Gender-phillic
Foibles of the Judge Called Jury
I'm pretty sure I saw this as a drawing somewhere, well, actually not so sure. However, the image seems to pop up in my memories from Monty Python skits, Star Trek TNG scenes with Q, and strange Kafka-esque gothic films from the 1960s and 1970s. It's all from that mess of what an old friend … Continue reading Foibles of the Judge Called Jury
RAWR… I guess… An Example from the Anarchist Manifesto
I saw a partial face on an alley wall downtown, screaming at passersby and it made me laugh. First, I wondered who was passerby-ing in this alley to see this almost entirely hidden screamer, then I wondered what it was screaming about from such an obscure location, where so few people would hear it. Phew, … Continue reading RAWR… I guess… An Example from the Anarchist Manifesto
Secret Memory Box #7 – Memories Intertwined
As you can read in the mentor's prompt, one of the directives was to use coils; not my favourite method. I had to make it different somehow, as all I could think of was a coil pot. Even if I closed it on both sides, to me it remained only a cylinder; how could I … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #7 – Memories Intertwined
Secret Memory Box #6 – Segmented Brains
I had more fun than I thought I would making pinch-pot spheres. it has been years since I made pinch-pots and I don't remember enjoying it. my mentor showed me a new way of doing it and explained how zen it was. Maybe it's because I'm older now, but I finally got it. Moreover, I … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #6 – Segmented Brains
The New Renaissance Mindset 