Everybody needs a little space. Space to do what ever it is that you do. Space away from the other things that you have to do. Space is not always that easy to come by however. I have mentioned the phrase "squatter potter" when describing myself on this ol' blog in the past...and it still fits pretty well. I am currently uprooted and spread all over this county it seems right now. I left Little Mahoning Creek Pottery in the winter to work at Stoke Hole Pottery which I left in March and have since been working out of a couple rubber maid tubs. I do need to get back out to LMCP and start firing the wood kilns with Nancy Smeltzer. Its been slow going due to our weather, (IUP)work, and gas prices. And also I have been holding out because I am possibly teaching beginning ceramics here at IUP...if my class makes that is. I need a few more students and it will fly for both sessions...keeping my fingers crossed. I was really hoping to use and abuse the school studio for the summer while I teach. So now I have some of my stuff in the back of my car, some stuff still over at Stoke Hole(sorry!), my wheel and other stuff at Nancy's and tubs of unfinished mugs and cups and other random pieces now on my front porch. They were all on my dining room table up until Easter, then I had to make room for our small feast. Honestly, its not a great feeling but I understand its temporary until all the cards fall where they may. If my class does not make I am hoping that Nancy will welcome me back and we can start cranking out some wood fired work. I would like to wood fire some new mugs and cups with Nance either way...
As for my new space...the one since Easter...its pretty comfy. Its not a space to throw work or really do any wet work but its a good space to finish stuff. Now that the temps have crossed over to steady 60's and once in a while a random 70's my 3 season front porch is back in season! Here's a couple pics of my "late spring decal and gold luster studio"...like I said, comfy. Its littered with a collection of pieces from friends and older, experimental things and wood fired keepers from me. The Buddha bunny slab piece on the top of this post was when I was starting to get into a more graphic ceramic practice...hippity hoppity karma is on its way. My goal is to finish these pieces and give them their final 018 firing within the next two weeks.
Finally, speaking of "space" I ran across a great little article titled "Forty-one Glorious Square Feet" by Jennifer Barbe in the back of a Ceramics Monthly. It appears in the November 2010 issue and documents the trials and tribulations of claiming a space to make work. She moved from one place to another and traded large studio space for virtually no studio space but learns to make it work for herself...flooding floor, encroaching domestic appliances and all. That's what it is about for me, I have to work and I will work where ever I have to. Believe me I have made work in odd places and trucked it around to farther away places to fire the pieces. I have faith that one day soon I will be able to have my stuff in one place and be able to almost roll out of bed and hit the studio for a while...but until then, I know how bad I want to make work...so I make it work.
How bad do you want to make work?
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2 comments:
heh...buddha bun :)
Except for a post hurricane repair and build, its been quite some time since I haven't had a dedicated space, but I remember. I always admire artists who just do what they have to do to keep working and wonder if I'd handle it as well anymore. Hope the summer teaching comes through!
come this summer you can come abuse my kiln....for a price.......
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