Collaboration!

Chris and I just finished a series of pots together and they came out quite well. The hard part about working on one piece of art with two people is trying not to ruin each others' vision. Chris hand-built a few bottles/decanters and carved in images based on some of Picasso's paintings. He bisque-fired them and then handed them off to me to glaze. I was worried and a little scared that I wouldn't glaze them as he pictured them. We talked about it a lot and I decided to forge ahead. I looked a the prints of the paintings while I glazed. Although I couldn't get the exact colors down, I did mimic the feel and color values (lights and darks). I chose to use Speedball glazes because I'm very familiar with how they look when fired on Raku clay and, they don't run. I needed these glazes to stay exactly where I put them, but I didn't want to go with underglazes. I did use a few underglazes with no glaze over them to add some variety. I use Amaco, Velvet Underglazes. The combination worked out quite well, and overall, I'm pleased.
update:
We took the pots to the Craven Arts Council Gala a few weeks ago and sold three. We sold a couple at the Village Gallery in Oriental as well. There's only two left and they're at our store. I need to find the pictures we took of them and add them to this post!

Putting art on the back burner

Here is a picture of one of my recent pots. I did a few of them. They are gone too. They sold at the gallery where some of my work is. Don't be too impressed, it just a co-op gallery. But still, I was invited to join and it does feel good when someone buys my work.

Sometimes when I visit our studio (the one in the store, not my own personal studio at home) I see some pretty cool pots. I think to myself "I could do that..." But I'm too busy cleaning up the studio, helping people, working, taking care of children, home-schooling, supporting, nurturing. All the while I know, in the back of my mind, that I have the skill inside me.

Once in a while I get some time, but not very often. Not often enough. It almost drives me crazy. But this is the time in my life when I have a lot of responsibilities. I don't think God would be pleased if I ignored them, even though I sometimes desperately want to. It's not that I don't want to be a mother. I would discard all my artistic desires in the trash heap if forced to make a choice. But I just want someone to know that it's there. I want to remember that the skills and talent are there. I yearn to use them. It aches inside sometimes to spend the day cooking beans and washing floors, but I know I'm doing more than that. I'm loving my family and investing myself in them. That is important stuff. Eternal stuff. I need to remember that too.