Go away rain!

 We've had a couple of days of nonstop pouring rain. Our home is at the bottom of a hilly neighborhood and in addition to the rain pouring from above we have the rain coming down the hills. There's a veritable creek that runs at the end of our backyard whenever it rains this hard. It comes under the neighbor's fence and runs right through our property. We've named it Lynt Creek. You can see from the pictures that the water really is running.



Of course all this rain has halted construction of the studio addition, but it has also made it abundantly clear that we need to go a little bit higher because the concrete pads we had installed to scope out the space are underwater. So, off Chris went to Home Depot (yes, in the rain) and got some more concrete pads to raise the beams that will eventually hold the structure.

At this point, we are considering whether to have a step down into the existing studio or to raise the floor, which will give us opportunity to better insulate it. I really want to do the later, but that means emptying out the studio... something that I had hoped to avoid. 

In any case, we'll see what we decide when we get to that point. For now the conversation centers around ideas for improving drainage and channeling the rainwater away from the studio. Another concern is how to do that without damaging my azaleas.



As you can see, there's been quite a bit of progress: the trim and the doors have come off and, fortunately, the shower curtain has done a respectable job of keeping the rain out of the studio. Rain is supposed to stop tomorrow afternoon!

I am so grateful to have such a brilliant husband to do this for me!

Here we go... !!!

Studio tilted to the right

The weather finally seems to have settled down so we have begun preparations for the expansion of my shed-studio (or "sheddio"). This structure was erected in 1998 and has served me very well for the past 16 years. This is my description of my studio in 2011: Fitting Everything into a Small Studio. 

We have (that's the royal "we," actually my husband is doing all the work) taken up the 10x8 ft deck in front of the sheddio and discovered that one side of it has sunk into the ground. You can see in the picture, if you look closely, that the right side is closer to the ground than the left side. So, the first job on the list is to raise the left side of the shed and make it level.

A reorganization is in my future!

I emptied all the shelves on the left side of the building: greenware, bisqueware, a few glazed things, and a plethora of little containers w/ mason stains and underglazes. We eventually figured out that I had 150 lbs of clay stored in that right front corner of the studio, so that had to come out too. 

Jacking up the sheddio.

We rented a hydraulic jack and after several attempts (the jack was sinking into the ground!) and corrections, we were able to jack the sheddio up enough to slip in some shims and get the building level. I'm not exactly sure what the next step will be, but the idea is to build out in front of this building a space at least the size of the old deck, or maybe a little bigger (10x10 ft).

Stay tuned for more!

Ready for spring!

Male downy woodpecker

The days have gotten longer and we have more daylight hours. What a blessing! I like the change of seasons, but like everyone else, I am all done with winter this year! But here we are again, March 25th and it's snowing in Northern Virginia!

Yet, spring is making every effort to poke its head out of its wintry burrow. Early every morning the downy woodpecker drums on the shutters outside my window, waking me to the day and, hopefully, successfully wooing a local female. The day lilies and the daffodils have poked some tentative green shoots through the leafy mulch. The old cherry tree is, once again, full of buds (albeit snow covered ones).

And I am trying new things in the studio. Now that I think that I've thoroughly explored carving my pots, I'm looking at bringing more texture to thrown pots, maybe even by carving out chunks off a thrown pot, texturing it and replacing it. I'm also working w/ dark clay.

Working in dark clay

Cups w/ added texture

What is it with breaking pots?

"Colored Vases"

I know I'm coming late to commenting on the issue of Ai WeiWei's painted Han dynasty pots. This needed to percolate for a while in my brain. 

WeiWei set up an exhibit with three huge photos of himself holding and then dropping a pot dating to 200BC. In front of these photos was a collection of the same pots painted with industrial paint in garish colors. Maximo Caminero, a local artist, grabbed one of those pots and did as in the photos, dropping it to the floor and breaking it to protest, he said, the fact that the gallery in question did not feature local artists. He later said that he thought it was an interactive display and he was simply mimicking the photos of WeiWei, and was very sorry when told that the broken pot was worth $1 million and that he could face up to 5 years in jail.

I am appalled, not at Caminero, but at WeiWei. After all, Caminero only compounded WeiWei's initial desecration and, if he's to be believed, was only participating in WeiWei's installation. WeiWei's aim was to contrast East and West and highlight consumerism. The pots in questions, while being actual antiquities (from the Neolithic era), are the property of WeiWei and presumably he should be able to do what he wants to with his private property. According to an article in the South China Morning Post (2/18/14), WeiWei made a difference between "smash[ing] his own belongings" and having someone else destroy them. Indeed, WeiWei has been smashing antiquities for a long time and his lawyer has criticized archaeological preservationists for their reaction to these destructions when they fail to protest the Chinese government's treatment of WeiWei, a person.

Yoko Ono and the vase

Yet, these pots are a legacy of the past and whoever owns them, be it a private individual, an educational institution or a national government, ought to preserve them for all of us.

This event brought to mind Yoko Ono's 1966 performance at the Jeanette Cochrane Theatre in London where she broke a vase on the stage and asked people to pick up the pieces and take them home, promising that they would all meet again in 10 years time with the pieces and put the vase together again (I don't think that ever happened).

Which makes me ask: What is it with breaking pots? Do performance artists ever destroy paintings or sculptures as part of their act? 

I don't usually comment about things like this because, not having an art degree, I sometimes think that I just don't get it. But maybe I do get it: Pots are just pots, utilitarian items, and there are many more where those came from. No one is outraged at the destruction of pottery as they would be if someone slashed an ancient painting. So it's easy to destroy pots as part of a gimmick to call attention to yourself, whether you're Yoko Ono, Ai WeiWei or Maximo Caminero.

So, in the end, I'm still appalled and saddened that we can't protect these antiquities so that they will still be available to our grandchildren and their children, but then again, we seem unable to protect the planet so maybe one Han dynasty pot is insignificant.

Chibcha pot

******
A couple of disclaimers that shed some light on my feelings about this: Some museums have more pottery than they are able to display and they often sell some as a means to finance their research and conservation efforts. When I was in my early 20s, I bought an ancient Chibcha (Colombia) pot from one such outlet. I must admit that, although I loved that pot, it accidentally broke while in my care. The other disclaimer is that a few years ago I went to a private exhibit at the Freer Gallery in Washington, DC, where I was allowed to handle a pot similar to the ones that WeiWei destroyed for his exhibit. It was a very significant experience for me, as I held the pot and felt the grooves left by the hands of the ancient potter.

RIP: Carlos Páez Vilaró

Carlos Páez Vilaró - Carnaval -Uruguay

Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró died today in his iconic Casapueblo in Punta Ballena (Maldonado), Uruguay, at the age of 90. Páez Vilaró was an abstract painter,  potter, sculptor, muralist, writer, composer, screenwriter, and builder. He was a champion of Afro-Uruguayan candombe music and only nine days before his death participated in the "llamadas," a traditional part of Uruguay's carnival. 

Areal view of Casapueblo

He created murals and sculptures for government and corporate offices, private homes and other buildings in Argentina (2), Brazil (16), Chad (4), Chile (3), Gabon (4), the United States (11) and Uruguay (30). Murals in the US include a 162-meter long work in the tunnel connecting the buildings of the Organization of American States and another one in Georgetown University Hospital. The work of which he was proudest is a nondenominational chapel built in Los Cipreses cemetery in San Isidro (Buenos Aires). He is quoted as saying that it was in the design of this chapel that he was able to bring together all the media in which he worked, making stained glass as well as paintings and even the floors for the chapel. He also said that it was a difficult endeavor because "It is not easy for a man who so loves life, to paint for death."
 
When I visited Uruguay in March of last year I enjoyed a day outing to Casapueblo. Páez Vilaró built the sprawling compound in stages. It ultimately became not only his home and studio, but also a museum with a permanent exhibit of his works, and a 4-star hotel with magnificent views. Google "Carlos Páez Vilaró" y click on "images" to see his works. I leave you here with some pictures of my visit to Casapueblo and other photos of his work.  

More Painted Pots @ Casapueblo

Painted Pots

The painted pots are reminiscent of Picasso's work pottery work. Indeed, Páez Vilaró and Picasso were friends.

Painted wall @ Casapueblo

 

Retire early and follow your dream

Throwing a bowl

There was a really interesting op-ed in Friday's Washington Post by Tara D. Sonenshine, titled Why I'm leaning out. The article discusses the issue of women in their mid-50s and early 60s who, even though they have "strong resumés," have decided to slow down their professional lives, "turning down big jobs for smaller, lower-paid assignments" or retiring early.  Ms Sonenshine asks why "women with extensive job experience and children of a self-sufficient age choose to slow down..."

She concludes that there are three reasons to consider.  First: many professional women are simply tired after years of rushing to meetings, taking chances, and attempting to balance home life and career (the latter is my own observation). Second: women are exhausted from worrying about the "barrage of bad news." She says, "We women of a certain age react to other people's pain and loss as if it were ours, alone, to bear." (I am so glad I'm not alone in getting teary-eyed watching the news!) And third: women want to get more involved in their local communities.

The article does not mention another, I think, compelling reason for both women and men to want to slow down or retire early. That is, the need for self-expression. In our world, few people are able to make a living as musicians, painters, writers, sculptors, dancers. How many people do you know who are frustrated artists, unable to express their creativity?

Carving a yarn bowl on the deck outside the studio

I took early retirement at age 57. I had done well in my career as an economist, and then I switched careers, becoming an editor and doing even better. But I had my pottery "hobby" that was calling me. I dreamed of a day when I could devote myself to it. It's been almost seven years since I retired and I couldn't be happier. It turned out that I was not only good at making pots, but I was also good at building a small business that is operating in the black! I get a lot of positive feedback and validation from my customers and peers, and now have a clientele. In addition, I have time and energy enough to babysit my grandkids, play cards with my mother on Sundays, research our family history, travel, and, yes, make pots. Life is good!

Glynt Pottery Studio

Whether it's making pots or painting, traveling or learning a new language, going fishing or writing that novel... we all have some dream that has to be postponed while we earn enough money to buy the house and put the kids through college. When the opportunity arises to leave the working world behind and devote ourselves to those postponed dreams, is it any wonder we all jump at it?

I owe it all to chocolate and young men!

Beatrice Wood

Getting old is not fun. Now that I'm in my 60s I find that I'm not as strong as I used to be. To my dismay, I now have to open up the boxes of clay and carry each 25 pound bag individually into the studio; I cannot carry a 50 pound box any longer.

I'm not taking this sitting down! My routine includes biweekly visits to the chiropractor to get the kinks out of my spine and ensure that my wrists and elbows are happy. Sporadic visits to a massage therapist, just because it feels so good! Weekly yoga to stay flexible and quiet the chatter in my head. And now I've started weekly weight training classes, which are kicking my butt! I can hold my own w/ the arm exercises (20 years of wedging clay help!), but the legs and abdominals are pathetic. 

I'm going to stick with my routine and add some walking once the weather allows because I want to continue playing in the mud for many years to come. In fact, I am planning an expansion to my studio this spring and I'm also thinking of getting myself a programmable kiln (it's about time!). Who knows? I have an aunt who lived to be 100 and Mom is 87 and keeps going like the Energizer bunny.

"I owe it all to chocolate and young men!" That's what Beatrice Wood said when asked about the secret to her longevity. I've got the young man already (hubby is a year younger!), so I guess I just need to eat more chocolate.