30 MINUTES OF LESS ÷ 2

Realizing that it is unlikely I will work tomorrow and I had a few minutes to play with, I decided to to make a teabowl from start to finish in 15 minutes or less. Starting with a little over 1.5lbs of clay, I threw a standard nondescript bowl and then decided how to procide. I will admit this was a bit of a cop-out as there is nothing that pushes any parameters at all in this hexagonal piece but it came to mind and I went with it. I dried the clay just a bit and proceeded to beat on it with my large wooden spoon until it had its overall shape and then defined the lines with a metal rib and a rasp. I then dried it a bit more and tooled the foot and finalized all the angles before covering it in thick white slip and worked it impasto style in opposing directions around the teabowl. So in just under 15 minutes, this is what I ended up with, a rather large bowl covered in thick, impasto slip on to its next stage, drying which I can assure you takes a wee bit longer than 15 minutes but the heavy lifting is now complete.   

Here is to hoping everyone has a wonderful (an safe) Fourth of July!

OBJECT IN B&W

I am sure to anyone following my blog, it is clear I am not a photographer with my premise now in the digital age being, take lots and lots of pictures and hopefully one or two may be worth something. For a number of my pictures it would seem to be a confluence of luck, placement, sun, shadow and timing all together to get a shot that is interesting. I think I got lucky with this shot where the pot, in this case a Shigaraki bird object by Kohyama Yasuhisawas in just the right place and seemingly at the right time for this old school black and white study of light and shadow.    

I must admit, the texture and incised decoration circling the object are heightened in the image and present a nice study of a tactile invitation where the mood highlights the provocative form. In truth, Kohyama has a definite mastery of creating forms that are part geometry, organic and animated whether they are small like this little bird object or the large, objects of movememnt and even flight in his Kaze, wind series. As for this throw back photo of an object in B&W, all I can do is hope it captures even a hint of the attributes that make Kohyama Yasuhisa's work so packed full of emotion and life. 

"Black and whte is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograpgh, you are already looking at a strange world." Joel Sternfeld