Lulls

My hand built lid didn’t make it fully thru the kiln. It’s still functional as a lid, but wouldn’t be flush anymore with the base. As I made more fish with sophie we talked artistic processes. Ceramics is a different beast than my other mediums. So much is out of my control and on other people’s timelines.

I have to create work arounds and act in response to. Or accept that sometimes my lids will fall apart and my fish will turn out duller than I’d like.

With ceramics being more of an ongoing investment, unlike painting and collage, I feel a pressure to be creating. Historically if I felt that pressure I’d take a break, until joy came back to the process. When the work is inherently about grief, is there a space for this? There was never intended to be joy in the process, just relief. I’m left to question, am I feeling relief still?