Comfort Food and Second Life Pottery
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well."
Mark Twain
My studio needs cleaning. Well, it always needs cleaning. What I am trying to say (and avoid) that it needs a thoroughly good, break it up, massive tossing sort of cleaning. Not a philosophic sort of cleaning which I tend to do (what does it all mean?) It is surprising what is out there. Under shelves, inside drawers. Hidden pottery. Ceramic hoarding at it's best. Although I have been told, in comforting tones, that my studio is not the worst seen. Or did they mean it has seen worst? Heavens! I think. It can not be or have been.....worst than this?
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There are pots that need a second firing, little porcelain birds and terra-cotta animals long forgotten, saved for future projects. A wooden candy box filled with broken, mismatched hands and underfired hearts. Completed cups not quite perfect, seconds now and shelved for years with regret or rue. They didn't even make it into my kitchen cupboards or a life of wabi-sabi-ness. I look at it all with disbelief and then, a hypnotic stare. Is there a chance of revival or renewal? Can it be salvaged or saved as if a great sin or a greater sin to even try. It doesn't change the fact that I will need to move the entire mess in a couple of months 200 miles northwest of here. Then I begin to think of new beginnings, of fresh thoughts and of exciting possibilities if only, only if, I don't hesitate. The decision is made. I find a hammer and a trash bin...
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| instant gratification-ochazuke for breakfast |
..but first I need a little breakfast of comfort food in some second life pottery.
if you could see my studio you'd feel much better I think; I have little bits and pieces here and there and lots of prototypes and pieces that need smashing; I hope to get to taking care of all that soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I had my breakfast and then cleared out all the non-essentials. It brought on a "lightness of being." Next my office...
ReplyDeleteOh Charlene, 'twould be a shame to take a hammer...
ReplyDeleteIs there a childrens art centre or school or community art centre that would be happy to take them? They might be able to create mixed media masterpieces from them.
Or, you could make a cement/clay/mosaic totem of mismatched things, which would suddenly match together perfectly in a kind of synchronous sculpture.
~ as if you haven't enough to do than take up my suggestion of creating another sculpture, lol :)
Sweet Vicki (you are such a love;)--Actually the bits I have really need breaking and tossing. The bits are tumbled in a rock tumbler and used in the garden as gravel or filler in big pots. So it is all reused. I make bowls for charity sales and I give them the best ones---no seconds. There's a place in Berkeley that's call "East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse" where I take useful tools, yarn bits, paper, paints, etc. I already let people peruse the mess to take what they would like. All this is better than sitting in my studio gathering dust. Now that my shelves are clean I can move them to the new studio. And make new messes! Thank you for the suggestions, Vicki---you always bring sunshine into my rainy days!
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