Spontaneous

On Friday, my daughter suggested we “go to London on Monday.” She’d just completed an exhaustive work project and thought this would be a nice treat. My immediate reaction was, "no I can’t, I have too much going on to just pick up and go." But this spontaneous suggestion has got me to thinking. Just as important as learning to say no in life, is the opportunity to say yes. For the practical and routine-loving me, a quick decision or about-face change of plans is a challenge.

I often texture the clay in random patterns. Here are three examples of square images I've used on a small square dish.

Just as I seek freedom in the actions I take in the studio to loosen up and take some risks, it’s a good reminder to take advantage of those same lessons in daily life. It’s still a balance of learning to say no to unproductive activities but also understand the times to just say yes and enjoy the results! 

I've used some of my favorite pattern-makers here to create some interest in these underglazed  berry bowls. When I am working on a series of pieces, I often make snap-decisions on which tools I'll use to emboss the clay. 

I am spending the day with my daughter today, just not in London. I'll take a look at the calendar and see if we can plan a trip there in the near future!

Change of Scene

When I'm away from my studio and tools, it gives me an opportunity to look around my current environment and develop ideas with items that are on hand. Here, I've created a new template for some shapes I'll be working on using a frying pan and bowl. 

I like this scalloped edge. I'll test it out as the rim or base on some new shapes.

The clay I'm using is different from what I use in my own studio. It feels flimsier to the touch and fires to a different temperature than what I use in my studio. The color choices and glazes will be different too. I'll post pictures when I reach that stage. I'm playing with some baking dish shapes and sizes.

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When I'm away from the clay, here's what else is keeping my hands busy!