Earlier this month, I found myself back in the classroom after having graduated for over a year now. Things aren't what they appear to be though. This Fall, I'm auditing the advanced ceramics course at IWU for access to their 36-inch tall electric kilns and glaze room. Since moving back to Marion, I had been grappling with a dilemma of epic proportions. As anyone who's ever experimented with glazes knows, most commercial glazes are unable to provide the rich and varied hues that I prefer for my works. No disrespect intended, but I find it hard to comprehend why anyone would want to limit themselves to the palette provided by AMACO's Potter's Choice, Sahara, or Pompeian Ash, much less the Celebration pastels. Of course, there's always the option of layering glazes and doing your "perilous" experimenting via purchasing several pint-loads of prepared glaze and slapping them one on top of the other—altogether too expensive and unimaginative of a venture for me.
I used to count diligence and speed as my two main strengths as a sculptor - that was, until my return to civilization in mid-June. I had not sculpted for nearly two months and the few times that I ventured to sit at my table and work yielded paltry results. Instead of being entirely consumed by my project, unable to eat or drink until I completed as much as I could for the day, I was afraid to approach it. My fingers had become stiff and useless, and the dexterity that had just 4 months ago come so easily was gone.
I started a project scaled a tad larger than my previous two in hopes that the additional mass would make creating limbs and appendages easier. Here are some in-progress photos. |
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