So I've been testing...
Drawer full of low fire tests.
Mo colors mo work! Stains make this certainly easier though. I still feel that developing one's own glazes is a good exercise to understanding the materials. Plus the prospect of creating a completely autonomous painting is wonderful.
This when we were trying to do the 'craft thing'. Worked hard to make a lot of stuff and flew across the country with it all. Broke about a third of it in flight. Sold it only thanks to the Holidays and on discount. Winter 2015.
I assisted in tearing down and rebuilding a gas kiln in September 2015.
When visiting back East in December 2015, we were so lucky to see contemporary artwork on display! We liked these :)
These things changed everything. I'm posting these images 2 years later because I am now seeing their relation and importance to my work. We visited the SF Asian Art Museum on March 27, 2015.
On the reboot post, I touched upon the disease of the mind and you wanted me to elaborate. To explain more, I'll share my understanding of the mind. I'm trying to communicate abstract ideas with language, so let me start there.
Isn't it amazing how people learn language? Kids seem to be able to imitate their parents and understand the meanings of all our gestures, sounds and postures. We aren't like parrots who can replicate a sound but dont understand. There's an emotional/intuitive knowing that appears in us without the need for explanation. Afterall, you can't explain a new word to someone with other unknown words.
Just try to feel and imagine what you're about to read, in your own mind.
The mind is rarely silent. It's on autopilot just thinking thoughts. Things you need to do, maybe how to go about a task, judgements and evaluations on different subjects of your attention. Thoughts and evaluations about yourself, expectations or praise are frequently taking place without any real need or demand.
Even trying to sit with a silent mind is a challenge when you focus. In those moments of quiet you can only start to experience what the mind is. We're not our thoughts obviously, because we don't cease to exist when we're silent. We are the "thing" experiencing the thoughts, and senses. A consciousness integrated with a body.
Our consciousness has a will to exert. When we are no longer in control or free to will, that's less than ideal I'd say. The frequent chattering and murmuring of thoughts we experience is a disease of the mind. When you didn't will to think, but thoughts enter and make you feel stressed: that isn't healthy. Stress has real negative effects on the body.
My mind fascinates me daily with it's delusions, confusions and ideas. Sometimes I'll be mulling over a plan, or how I can accomplish something...When I don't even need to or have the problem to begin with. My brain calculator likes to exercise, I guess.
Worst of all is when I have self defeating thoughts or just sad things floating around about things I cannot exert much or any will on. Sometimes we see the bad in our world and focus on how bad it is. We start to feel shitty. What can I do, how can I help? ... oh you can't? Then why is your mind tormenting you? Can you let go and be free? Is it good to share the feelings with the rest of the world?
Observe your mind. The real you is behind the ego silently experiencing. The laundry is ready; later!
Whut's up y'all. Fuck grammar. We(dave) fell off of the blog because it felt forced. We weren't writing to anyone. We were writing for 'everyone'. Hah - we all know that doesn't work; you can't please everyone.
I'm giving this blog thing another go. Frankly, I'm missing out if I'm not using the internet to my advantage to make some waves you know? This time, I'm writing to someone specific. This way I won't feel weird about who's reading this and can just communicate how I do.
I don't have anything of 'value' to share with you. No 'top 10', 'tips $ tricks' or news even! This is what it's gonna be from now on. Me just shootin' the breeze in my corner.
One thing that I'm wondering about is 'disease'. Nothing tangible really, but more like 'mental disease' ... Not like Alzheimer's, but more of thoughts. Everyone has these temporary mental poops that just make us feel frustrated, lost, confused, angry, obsessed, envious, spiteful the list goes on.
Mental thoughts condense into the physical tangible world. Consciousness has 'imperfections' -- fluctuations, shifts. Seeing the neighbors' porch light flick on and off made me wonder what was causing it. It was temporarily diseased for some reason. It's high noon right now and there's no pendulum swinging in front of the motion sensor so I don't get it.
Anyway, Cheers!
DZ
Glazed and ready to get fired, the kiln is warming up at 7am.
I was blessed with a project to make 100 personalized mugs for some brilliant minds that attended the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, California. I made some test mugs to gauge the size they wanted and different glaze options for them to choose from. After a large and regular size was determined, a glaze combination was selected. I went to work throwing cylinders on the wheel. I became a machine, pumping these out of quarter pound and one pound balls of clay that I recycled at the studio. Each handle was made identically and attached to have a classic hand hold.
Once fired to a low temperature, the clay hardens and goes through a chemical reaction preventing the clay from dissolving again. That's when I glazed them and Cheryl did the calligraphy of each persons' name on one side and MSRI on the other. We had a spreadsheet of each persons' name, whether they were left or right handed and what size they wanted. Each mug was stamped with the MSRI logo and fired again to their final maturation point of about 2350 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Tenmoku glaze used on the inside breaks on the ridges that my fingers made on the inside of the mug while throwing it on the wheel.
The fact that MSRI wanted to present their people with hand made mugs says a lot about them as an organization. They could have easily gone online and ordered some fabricated mugs made in china printed with decals, but they didn't. The care I put into each individual mug reflects how MSRI cares about each individual they bring to study from around the world. I'd be thrilled to get a personalized, locally made cup -- Neighbor please!
Kick up the fresh factor
HELLA FRESH – Salad Salsa
It's snack time. Now when's my nap?
Fun recipe video for making an apple tart with salted beer caramel. Warning, it's crack-like.
Neighbor Please
Read MoreMovie review of Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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