Sculpture in progress
Today I finished the sculpting of my first cracked woman. This picture doesn't really capture the piece well- especially the cracks. And, of course, glazing & firing will change everything.I had an extraordinary experience finishing it. I've been working for years on my own, most often in complete isolation. But to do ceramics, you must have a kiln, and I don't. So I'm taking a class at the New Jersey Center of Visual Arts. They have really nice facilities and it feels like real artist's studios, not just suburban moms with nothing to do which is what you find a lot of out here in NJ.So, I was finishing up and I didn't feel quite right about how the neck was working. I asked my classmate who had great insight into what I was doing and consulted the teacher as well. My piece is significantly better than I would have been because of these conversations. I'd forgotten the magic that happens between artists. It was a very meaningful experience for me and yet another reason for me not to hide my work away. These moments of deep connection are precious in life.Since this blog is new, this is my first experience of writing about a piece while it is in progress. My entry of a couple days ago helped me clarify my intentions with this piece in a very different way than I'm used to. I believe writing about it was akin to cleaning debris out of a pipe. My creative flow came more quickly and with increased intensity.