I'm a Cone 11

I had a very vivid dream about doing pottery last night. It was amazing. My dreams have been very real lately, not sure if it's the stress of graduating this week (yay!) or getting rejected from a few more jobs (boo!), but I wake up and can recall my dreams in incredible detail. Which is nice, but sometimes confusing.

But dreaming about clay, glazing, and firing was really nice. I was taking a class in ceramics somewhere, and my favorite part of the dream was when the woman showed me how to set up cone packs. In the dream I looked at her, smiled, and told her I learned long ago how to set up cone packs. For those of you who don't know, temperatures in kilns are measured by pyrometric cones. Each cone has a number that corresponds to a certain temperature that you want the kiln to reach (ideally). I really like cones aesthetically after they are fired - especially Cone 10 firings. They slump over, like they just gave up, but if your kiln didn't get too hot, and you put a Cone 11 in there, it stands up defiantly. I like defiance. I'm not much of a rebel, but there is a part of me that secretly sides with rebels. I can't explain it. I'm a rule follower to a T, but sometimes, I want to do the tiny rebellious thing, just because I can.

I feel defiant today. I've been feeling down and insecure this week, but today I feel strong. I can stand up to the world. I have talents and gifts, and I know that it will come through some cover letter and I will get a job that is perfect. I will find the space where I can be a Cone 11. Standing proud, strong, and not taken down by the fire.

Photo from ortonceramic.com

Renwick's Craft Invitational

Last weekend I went to the Renwick's Craft Invitational, "History in the Making" which will be on the first floor of the museum until July 31st. The four artists in this year's invitational are silversmith Ubaldo Vitali, ceramicist Cliff Lee, stained-glass artist Judith Schaechter and furniture maker Matthias Pliessnig. The work by all four of these artists is astounding, beautiful, and full of detail and craftsmanship.

When you enter the gallery, you are confronted with the highly refined, reflective surfaces of Vitali's silver work. Often, not one who loves silver, I really liked his quality of craftsmanship, attention to detail and clear knowledge of historicism. Even before reading his biography, where I learned he's from a long line of amazing silversmiths, I was taken by his awareness of history and how he made it modern, without making it postmodern. I really enjoyed the sketches for his work that were included in several of the cases, helping me to understand how he arrives at his designs.

Cliff Lee's porcelain work shows his background as a neurosurgeon with small details that I think would drive any other person blind or crazy. Or both. His work is sensual and his colors are rich and deep. He's spent a lot of time working on researching, developing and creating his glazes. One of his glazes has a long history, one better told by the wall text at the exhibit. (This is my passive-aggressive way of telling you to go see this!) His work is so refined and delicate, yet sturdy. His celadon glaze is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. And it highlights his intricate carving in a way I'm pretty sure the Chinese originally intended.

The stained glass by Judith Schaechter is some of the most beautiful contemporary stained glass I've seen. I've been in a lot of churches (where else do you see stained glass?), researched Tiffany, but her work is thoroughly of today and takes stained glass to a level of storytelling and deeper emotions than what I've seen in other works. Rather than stick to one color in a pane, she uses several techniques to achieve patterns and create multiple colors to tell her stories. With a leaning toward the macabre, her work is delightful and disturbing. But the way she truly won me over was with her Judith and Holofernes window. One of my favorite apocryphal stories (that I only learned in art history classes), she turned it to an almost whimsical, playful image of a young girl merrily going about her way. I loved it.

If I'd seen the furniture of Matthias Pliessnig earlier on in my life, I might not have the feelings about furniture that I do. However, his use of boat-making techniques to make organic, flowing furniture captivated me. I wanted to sit on it, I wanted to touch it, but instead, I just spent a long time staring at the bench in the room, moving around it, seeing it from different angles, and being astounded by his ability to manipulate wood in beautiful way. Fortunately, the Renwick has a "touch" gallery, and I was able to touch a sample piece of his work, finally, tactile enjoyment of the smooth, bent wood. If only I could sit on it. Or take a nap.

Go now before the invitational closes! The works are absolutely gorgeous and it is so heartening to see such beautiful craft on display. It gives the potter in me hope.

Embracing Unemployment

I'm entering week four of no job and I still have the ups and downs anyone looking for work does. The hopeful cover letter sent to the organization I'm dying to work for. The bleary eyes from reading job description after job description, wondering how I can more eloquently express that yes, I do have excellent written and oral communication skills. The frustration from the passive rejection that comes from an empty inbox and a silent phone.

But those are the bad things. The good things are these:

I actually stopped and smelled roses today. I went to my local coffee shop where I go to hang out for a few hours and interact with other people, just to keep the insanity at bay. Today is so beautiful, so I decided to take a long, meandering walk home. Joblessness = more time. As I walked down a street I'd never been on in my neighborhood, I came by lovely, huge, red blooms, gently swaying in the breeze over a fence. Roses are my favorite flower and I was compelled. The sun was shining, birds chirped (I only hate that sound in the morning, it's awesome in the afternoon), and the roses smelled heavenly. Sweet, but not overpowering. And they had that grown-in-nature smell that hothouse roses will never achieve. It was perfect.

I've started reading novels again. I had trouble reading for fun while in graduate school. All that other reading just made me want to put down books at the end of the day and watch something on television. But with the library only a few blocks away, I've started taking weekly trips to find new books, maybe read some old favorites I don't own, and actually read a book in only a few days, not a few weeks. It's like reconnecting with an old friend.

I do want a job, don't get me wrong. But it makes it a little easier when I have things that I can enjoy in the midst of the exhausting hunt.

Photo: Roses from the rose gardens at Reynolda House, take by me, 2010.

Situation Wanted

Over the last week of job hunting, internet browsing and general boredom, my mind keeps going back to one place. Being a potter. It's hard work. I know. I worked for potters. It's tough to keep the production line going, there's always something that needs to be done, should have been done yesterday, and a solo potter is a tough life. But I still miss it. I miss having my hands in clay. The wet spot on my jeans from where water drips down to my elbow braced against my leg. The clay in my hair because I kept tucking a stray piece behind my ear.

The only problem is that I really need a benefactor, or a grant. I need studio space. I need clay. I need glazes. I need a kiln. I need to find my clay tools and assess them. I probably need (want) more tools. I want a slab roller. These things cost money. I'm searching for possible places that will give me money, or a place where I could rent studio space and kiln space, but that also involves having a full-time job that will enable me to afford those things.

For a long time I pushed down the way I missed working in clay. There wasn't anywhere to fire, so there was no point in making things. In fact, I think I have a box of greenware somewhere out of a clay that I don't remember if it's Cone 6 or lower. I loved school, and I'm really glad I got my graduate degree. But I'm ready to go back. Ready to use my hands and my skills again. Ready to try some new things and break away from what I did before. I'm ready to challenge myself.

Thoughts?

The teapot is part of my dinnerware. Not the best picture, but it's a great little teapot! (I like earth tones in my pottery.)

Craft Show Update

I loved the craft show. True to my normal self, I was drawn to the ceramics, but I can't help it. It's what I know. There were other things, but mainly, I collected postcards from potters. It's ingrained in me.

I met Elizabeth Kendall, mentioned in my previous post, and she was an incredibly nice person. Her pieces are more beautiful in real life than in pictures. And she also does large installation pieces that are pretty amazing. Check her out at www.EKClay.com. You'll be glad you did. She also has a few pieces with a bit of applied color, not every thing is black and white, but the color is sparse, yet fun. There were two little cups that I'm kind of wishing I'd bought. The work above is her's.

I liked the work of Betsy Williams, also a ceramicist. My favorite thing that she did were wall installations of cups. She makes other functional forms, but the rows after rows of small cups, each with a different glaze or patter was so visually stunning. I could stare at it for hours. I was drawn in at first by the copper red glaze on one of the cups and then it went from there.

Felt jewelry is becoming bigger I think. Or felt as a medium is taking off. Or it's always been popular and I've just now noticed, but Danielle Gori-Montanelli makes large, colorful, fun pieces that I'm sad I couldn't afford. She also was willing to let me know when she has non-post earrings, since I usually wear fish-hooks. Isn't that great?

One of the more fun and whimsical potters I saw was Beer's Pottery by Paveen "Beer" Chunhaswasdikul. He makes grenade coffee mugs, lanterns that look like engines and a teapot with a million little parts that I admired for quite a long time. He uses a matte metallic glaze, giving all of his work a look that he refers to as "metal ware." Really fun and innovative. Sadly, he has no website to link to, but you can look at his pieces on the show website.

There were plenty more exhibitors with wonderful work. There was even live music! Here's hoping that next year I'll actually be able to buy something!

Image from www.ekclay.com. Wall work titled, Cascade.

Smithsonian Craft Show

I'm going to the annual Smithsonian craft show tonight, and I'm very excited. Since I missed the American Craft Council's Baltimore show, I look forward to seeing what new craft shows up this year at this craft show.

I'll be honest, this will be my third time at this particular show, and sometimes I worry that I'll see the same things as before. But in looking at the website, I'm looking forward to seeing these awesome creations:

In Wearable Art, I look forward to seeing the bright colors and patterns of Sonya Mackintosh and Steven Seward.

In Ceramics, I'm intrigued by the altered forms and straight-forward color scheme of Elizabeth Kendall. I really like altered vessels, and the graphic quality of her designs works so well with her forms.

In Jewelry, Andra Janosik's leather pieces caught my eye. I like big, chunky jewelry, and this fits the bill.

In Glass, I was first captured by the color and then held in awe by the designs and beautiful lines of the work of Dan Mirer.

I'm very excited to see all of these--and more!--tonight. I'll report back tomorrow with my findings and if anything new and exciting catches my eye. The only drawback to this is I'm pretty sure that I can afford none of these. (Student discount anyone?)

Apologies for no photo. Didn't feel super ethical to take any from the Craft Show website, even if I gave credit.

Missing the South

Since I moved to the DC area a few years ago, the small things I missed about the South have been available, slowly but surely. In fact, we just got a Bojangles in Union Station. Now all we need is a Cook Out.

But there are still things I miss and walking around in the beautiful weather today reminded me how much I miss azaleas. The pink, purple, red, white, multi-colored flowers on their dark green bushes always say SPRING! to me. More than lilies, azaleas are an Easter flower to me. There are a few bushes around here, but not nearly enough to satisfy me. I use to pick the flowers and keep them in a bud vase in my room. Or pin them in my hair.

The other thing that I miss are long leaf pine trees. Yesterday, Greg and I were in a park and walked between two short leaf pine trees and the damp pine straw smell instantly took me back to my childhood. But short little pine trees have nothing on tall, sturdy, long leaf pines. In my mind I hear my dad starting, "Here's to the land of the long leaf pine..." That amazing piney smell brings on a flood of happy memories of running around in the woods.

Even so, I'm planted here now. And I'll just find a yard that will support azaleas. And maybe built a sand pit for my pine tree. Now, back to job hunting.

Image from thedailygreen.com