Making Art, the Early Years Part II
Senior year in college, pots for my thesis show in my studio
I’ve always felt like my life began during my college years at Scripps in Claremont, CA. I found my calling as a ceramic artist, met my mentor, met some of the dear friends I still have today and even found people who were as interested in healthy living as I was (which was a rare find in 1986). And not insignificant was the impact of the California landscape on my well being - the wide open spaces, exotic flora, majestic mountains, alien deserts and endless beaches supported an expansive mindset that I had always craved but never knew was possible.
Finding clay made all the difference for me. I felt a visceral connection to the medium and a clear focused drive to create. It was the first time in my life that I felt anything like this and having this sense of purpose put my feet more solidly on the earth.
It was the potter’s wheel that initially grabbed me, but within a month or so hand building became my primary way to work with clay. I was young and my capacity to express myself was very limited but my curiosity to explore and engage with clay drove me to rise early each morning and get to the ceramics studio at 6am for those precious 2 hours to work in solitude before classes began.
The first hand-built piece I made began with throwing a 6” tall pot on the potter's wheel and then sculpting hands around it. With this piece I experienced Raku* firing for the first time. This pot doesn't make the best of the process but I later learned to use it well. My professor Paul Soldner was credited for bringing this technique from Japan to the US so his students were among the first to use this now popular technique.
It was a reflection of the new experience of using my hands to make pots and shows just how impactful this was for me at the time.
I got inspired by some Trompe L’oeil art I saw and made some of my own. These are tricycles on an asphalt street complete with a gutter.
You know those times in life you simply jump into an activity without knowing or thinking about whether it’s hard, you just have an idea and do it? Making the slab for the asphalt street was one of those. It’s very large and thick and probably not something I’d attempt now as an experienced ceramicist because I know the physical difficulty as well as the likely technical problems, but back then I had no idea and just did it. I got lucky and it worked! The larger tricycle is about 2 feet tall.
Another piece from my first few years of ceramics (that I have a record of) is a tree with gold luster in the inside, this was about 10" tall. I've always loved trees, even dead ones. @old-guy-photos, you might like this one ;-):
I also made a series of figurative sculptures. Here I displayed my WOMAN SEATED in a circle of rocks and the photo to the right of it is an inspiration from Brancusi's KISS.
And lastly some photos of work from my senior thesis art show:
This body of work integrates pots with the human form with anthropomorphic vases. Most of these vases were 18" - 2 feet tall and not only did I sell all of this series, but I got an award for them. Needless to say, it was a good start to my career in ceramics!
It's fun to see this old work from more than 30 years ago and as I am going through old boxes in preparation to move across country I've enjoyed seeing so many photos of my work over the years. Finally enough time has passed that I have affection for it all and for my younger self rather than feeling like cringing!
*Raku Firing: A special firing method that takes a clay piece out of a kiln at approximately 1500 degrees F and puts it into a container like a metal trash can with a combustible substance like newspaper or sawdust in it. Once the fuel ignites, the trash can lid is put on creating a “reduction” (oxygen deprived) atmosphere. This blackens raw clay and causes crazing in a glazed surface.
This post is part of @ericvancewalton's Blockchain Memory Project, I encourage you to participate and share your memories! For simple rules and suggestions see his post:
https://steemit.com/story/@ericvancewalton/blockchain-memory-project-journal-entry-7-seeing-the-world-with-new-eyes
Another of my Blockchain Memory Project posts: Meeting My Mentor, The Early Years Part 1
strange pitchers, but the quality of art is what this platform needs. great stuff.
You are right, I loved that one! Dead trees on one hand are sad but even then they often look cool and even foster new life. Quite amazing I think. Thanks for the mention! I enjoyed seeing the first baby steps you took!!!
Glad you appreciated the dead tree :-)) and it's so true that they foster new life!
Those are really cool... I love art, and I wanted to study art, but none of my family agree with the idea... I wish I could produce some fine art as you do... I've been following your post for awhile and I always like it.
Thank you so much for your continued support, it means a lot! And I'm sorry that you didn't have the encouragement you need from your family to pursue your creative interests. Maybe one day you'll have some room in your life for this part of yourself!
Actually since I earn some from steemit my family never say a thing anymore... I even can buy a lot of art stuff without anyone saying "what a waste of money". I think it's Asian thing that parents rarely can accept their children art interest, most of them will force their children to be a "success" human being. Usually it means their children should have high scores in study and never "waste" time.
Lol, so glad steemit has earned you respect from your family! You are making lovely work so it's well-deserved and about time!
Thank you, your appreciation & support mean a lot for me 😊
You are very gifted, just wonderful to observe the progression of your art. I have a raku fired pottery piece and it smells of the smoke till this day.
ha, so true that the smoke smell remains! I love that you noticed this about your piece. and thank you for the kind words.
Thank you for sharing those early works of yours which played an important part in shaping who you are as an artist. To think you were one of the first North Americans to use the Raku technique is absolutely mind blowing. I love the story of the tricycle and how the fearlessness (and luck) of your youth played a part in building confidence in your craft. I am so happy for you for taking the time to revisit those important moments, thank you for being such an inspiration.
what a sweet comment, thank you @edouard!
Hi Ruth, it is always interesting to see your art works but with this post you opened a window in the background, the way how you came to your calling, your life energy, I think many of us who have this opportunity to combine their hobby, tehir work and bring it to the perfection of being one, their life they are very lucky people.
You made me curious about Scripps in Claremont, CA, so I went to explore what is that, I was surprise to find that Ellen Browning Scripps founded the college and I love the motto of the college is "Incipit Vita Nova". I can imagine it influenced you very much and you found you way. By the way there was a tree in front of Balch Hall courtyard , when I saw it I thought probably your idea about the ceramic tree came from been seen that tree :)
I love your pottery with hands, that is my favorite. I am wondering do you still keep your first works, I would probably do, just as a reminder.
Enjoyed your post and was glad to know more about you and your art :)
makes me very happy to hear that you looked up Scripps - it's one of my favorite places! "incipit vita nova" - isn't this perfect??!! I've always been so proud to have a founder who was such a beautiful thinker!
Scripps is lush with gorgeous trees from Eucalyptus, to Oak to Beech to Olive and Pepper as well as Orange and Lemon trees - kind of paradise - and I learned to love trees there for sure.
I kept the hands piece and have it still but I sold all of the others. I hang on to very few pieces but as you say, it can be nice to have a few reminders of the old days.
Thanks @stef1 for your frequent support of my blog, I appreciate it!
wow i absolutely love this! it is so sweet to return to our the work of our earlier selves, to remember, to feel it again, to see our idealism in place without the things we know now stopping us (like your asphalt piece). i adore the kissing piece and the hand sculpted pot with the hands- wow that one is really cool!
i can also really relate to this:
what a blessing when we find it... we have a place, an attention to put our energies and skills into. for me it drew my energy in and eased my wandering/wondering heart. what a blessing and gift to have something to love and gain skill in over the years! xx
amen to that @mountainjewel, beautifully said! Thanks for your insightful comment and support.
I was without internet over the past two days and feel so out of the loop!
I love seeing these older works of yours and certainly speaking of a time that was open to creative flow and experimentation, a place you might also be moving to, even though it is not a physical place it is indeed a destination worth the trip. :)
My good friend who lives in London and used to be a potter/ceramist (she sadly no longer does it due to arthritis and has moved onto painting) did amazing Raku pieces.
I hope you are packing stress free and getting excited for your new place to work and dream.
Doesn't it feel so strange when you have a few days away from steemit and internet? I feel the same after missing the last 24 hours. So true that those initial days were full of experimentation and flow and that I'm in another one of those times ... actually it's been a fertile 30 years creatively now that I think of it, what a blessing! Thanks for your note, support and friendship!
I’m glad to read about your ‘beginnings’ (the hand-held vessel is beautiful!) and am awed at how your art has evolved over the years!
Thank you @circling, my work now bears little resemblance to these early pieces, but it feels similar inside me if you know what I mean. appreciate your words and support!
I absolutely love the hands around the pot! And I can relate to the way a landscape gets into your soul and coaxes forth inspiration. This is such a neat post, to see some of your beginnings, and to read about how clay and sculpting helped you feel more alive. You know you've found your purpose when... ;) Much love!
thank you @katrina-ariel, I knew you understand the power of having a meaningful purpose and the impact of an inspirational landscape! And glad you like that funky pot...it's still one of my favs even though it's not pretty per se!