First this weeks kiln haul.
Second, what I made today. Stole a vase from the reclaim, made a shitty little bowl and a few fish, along with some sculptural work.
It truly feels like play most days, and when it’s work I switch my approach.
bad bitch makes fish
I set them out and counted them. One to one, pulling them to the left like I would show my children. A collection to count of my own making. We are going to make the ocean soon within the classroom, they’ll make their own fish to display and have a connection to.
That’s 105 usable fish. A tenth of what I am going to do. I needed to put them out, count them, drag them across my kitchen floor. Today I popped into different spaces to get an idea of where I’d want them to be shown. I have different ideas of how they should be displayed, interacted with. I think I’m going to invest in a dremel for fish I want to be able to hang, but tonight I may call up a friend and hide them through the neighborhood.
Bad salmon
Been sick for two days because of bad salmon. Finally made it to the fish because I was too weak to be at school. Good fish, bad fish.
It’s all an experiment
Test tile kiln haul
Decided to go with an old test tile color and see what happens with the latest fish haul
Ended the sesh with some underglazes over different glazes. It’s all a leap of faith, magic rather than art or science.
Kiln hawk, kiln haul
Yesterdays kiln haul was small but led to painting. That’s some lively shit.
Reading art theory starts off strong.
And ends stronger with what I consider to be a takedown of fucking avatar.
Eleven years
When Gracie passed I wrote out pages of what I would miss, what I lost from my life. Then Maime died and I did the same. I didn’t have this ability to reckon when Aaron passed. I wondered today, as I made fish, how many memories I’ve lost in the decade plus. He wouldn’t understand why I’m making fish but he’d appreciate it. Today I made some really beautiful fish, you can really imagine them swimming.
Stained hands
Kiln haul brought some of the oil spot fish out. I’m out of bisqued fish that are ready to be glazed, I can think of another project to explore but what excites me at the moment is clay I find in the reclaim.
I pulled the red clay from the bin, it stains hands and tables and more. Earlier in the day I sat with my kids in Scotlyn’s class as they learned to mono print. I made scrappy little crabs as my hands turned red. I like that cycle, when art leaves a stain. The clay I have been using doesn’t, it’s an off white. They say clay holds a memory. Red or white, it’ll hold my experience with it in its body.