pueo project

Pueo is a protector--he is not finished and I really hope I'll get to him and do him the justice that is his due. The Hawaiian pueo is endangered. One night my car was stuck in the pineapple fields on the way home--and I saw one as I had to walk the half mile or so down the dirt road. He was sitting on a fence post. I remember my feeling of surprise--but I wasn't afraid at all. They are not nocturnal like most owls are. He already looks wise and sad--and doesn't even have a full face yet!

carving

I would like to do more carving--another thing that takes a whole lot of time and skill..don't like it when the clay chips--again--too dry! This piece was carved in lines and then I put something over the entire surface and scrubbed it off again! After that is when you can glaze with something that will let the lines show through.

loving lids too!

Lids are hard to fit--the professor told me to do the lid first--and then make a bowl or pot to fit it!! The thing is, you throw a small bowl and let it harden and dry just a little--that is the quandry--too wet, too dry or just right! Then you flip it over to put a "knob" on it.

Who is on top?

GIRL is a sidewards V with a curved line through it, signifying a full figured maybe pregnant female--Otoko is boy in Japanese--the character looks like a box on top of an upside-down 4..although I was just learning to brush the characters on while not paying attention..I noticed inside some of the bowls the girl is above the boy character and in others the boy is on top of the girl. Wonder what was really going on in my sub-consciousness (unconsciousness!).

Luhuv mugs!!

Maybe it's all the years of being married to a certified coffee drinker, but the best thing about coffee are the mugs!! I know that people tend generally to like the bright colored things in life..but I really go for these earthy tones and feel!!

Orange trap

Good grief, I like this, but it's underneath my pots!

More wabi sabi

These are glazed in my favorite orange trap shino--though it has never turned out the way I want! The piece in the middle is how I like it but most pieces just turn out like ashes in gray!

Wabi Sabi

It's an entire philosophy that I've not studied but maybe I understand: for over a year now I've been learning about centering clay on a wheel that goes round and round--so everything needs to be evenly controlled and symmetrical and even in thickness, etc. Enter wabi sabi which sorta means that things don't have to be exactly correct. So now, instead of centering, you keep things off center and try to manipulate things until you like them. It is way more difficult than I think. To me, wabi sabi means wobbly and not centered, sorta like some things in my life!!

My Bike on Triumph day

Ceramics Showcase-Portland Convention Center

Interesting

More of stuff I liked

Not your normal pots and jars

Portland

The Streets of Portland

Although we went for produce we found the farmer's market to be more of a street fair.  Afterwards I ventured around and went into Buffalo Gals, a second hand place with Texan flair, Sur Le Table for fancy kitchenware, tried on shoes at Dr. Marten's (what was I thinking at those prices?) and a bunch of us got stuff at Powell's bookstore.