lost in a quote and making marks pt 2


Getting ready for a second firing. This striped piece went in with no clear vision.  It came out of the kiln, blank, lifeless and sat looking very forlorn on the shelf for several weeks The stripes look intriguing, but needed something more.  I put down a clean sheet of paper and put the piece on it.  The head is separate and needed propping.  Just putting it on a clean sheet of paper gave it a space of its own. I then went for my walk. When I came back I was ready to find the story in this piece and start making marks.


"You can either set brick as a laborer or as an artist. You can make the work a chore, or you can have a good time. 

  
You can do it the way you used to clear the dinner dishes when you were thirteen, or you can do it as a Japanese person would perform a tea ceremony, 

 
with a level of concentration and care in which you can lose yourself, and so in which you can find yourself.” 

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life 







Comments

  1. Oh Charlene - no wonder you were 'lost in a quote.' What a fabulous quote and it fits so well in your description of how you work. I love the photos of your pieces waiting for their stories to be told . . . .

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    1. Hello Judy---Yes, I love this quote and book. It makes me think about choice and purpose. Also about ritual and concentration. How all that fits into living and making art.

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  2. Sounds like a book I should seek out, wonderful quote.

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  3. Hello Linda, It is a good book and I have read it many times. It is about the art of writing and story making. And more.

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  4. Hi

    The quote is really great!! Love the expression on her face!

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    1. Hello sapphire-----The book is really a good read....I am very interested in expressions and how little bits of movement or shape can change the whole feel of the piece. I'm glad that you tuned into her expression.....Thank you.....

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