...now that's a mouthful, for sure! But what am I wanting to say here? Well, a few thoughts on them all.
I'm not really sure why this appeared, but it popped into my head a while ago and I have been mulling it over ever since. It started having just returned from a trip to Italy with family (brothers, sister, etc.). A great time, for sure, and while we are all very different, we are still very much the same. The differences on the surface are overshadowed by the underlying love and caring we all share for one another. And this is true with all families, maybe(?), at least mine. So my thoughts began with family, and then migrated to friends.
Now friends, or at least the many in my life that I call friends, are also people I might easily think of as family. So the natural connection from one to the other is seamless. I also hope that my friends know how important they are to me, and like family, the closeness I feel makes it unnecessary to say so as it is (hopefully) evident in the relationships we have with one another. Family and friends seem to be the foundation of all relationships and teaches us the most about ourselves.
Now foes, that's the hard one. I mean who wants to admit that they have enemies, or people they don't like, or don't like them? But really now, does anyone know a person who is without a foe?... (well actually, I do). And maybe, just maybe, they are more important to us than we realize...in some way? After all, thinking of someone you do not care for might also provide us with an opportunity to look deeper into what it is we don't like about ourselves, or are missing altogether in someone else. Or if another person does not care for us, similarly we might want to take note as to why they don't, and perhaps discover something about ourselves that might otherwise be overlooked, especially by the family and friends who easily cut us slack for almost anything we do or say. Not sure, but trying to think of it in a constructive manner might allow foes to play an important role in helping us become the kind of person we want to be.
And lastly, fears...well, that touches them all. Fear we might have for our family and friends, wishing the best yet seeing how life affects us all. Sometimes it's not that easy, and while we relish the best days of our lives, being fully human requires that we also realize there are times when we struggle getting from one moment to the next. But fear also touches our relationship with our foes. Do we fear we may never reach them, or fear that they will never understand who we are? Or maybe fear we might become more like them, and less like the ones we value (i.e., family, friends). Perhaps that's the greatest fear of all?
Maybe my ramblings here make no sense (in itself a fear), but the very idea of family, friends, foes and fear seem to play an important role in life, at least mine. And in the end...all connected. And honestly, after reflecting on the recent tragedies of the Oklahoma tornadoes, I think with family, friends foes and fears, it is only the foes that become irrelevant.
...made this stuff? Something I kept thinking to myself while in Florence, Italy this past week. Walking around seeing the architecture, sculptures and art on every corner, made years ago by both masters (like Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, etc.), and by so many other artists as well, unnamed, yet having created work that stops you in your tracks and leaves your eyes and mouth wide open.
So much art, and good stuff too. And really, all made by humans, just like us. Did they know they were creating objects that would dominate the cultural landscape in a way that keeps us making pilgrimages to see it in the real? And honestly, forget for a moment the ones that live in the art history books (i.e., Michelangelo's 'David'), there is so much more to see, art made by unknown artists, small and large sculptures, paintings on ceilings and doorways, and architecture for the everyday person.
Now I must say that I have had this same thought over the years from previous trips made here and there, so it was not the epiphany that one might think. But still, it underscores the theme I am working on here, and that is all of this great stuff, in places across the globe, was made by human beings. Sort of intimidating, don't you think? As example, the Duomo in Florence, with its incredible arch (http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/brunelleschis-dome.html), together taking nearly 150 years to construct, provides evidence of both genius and patience. Thinking back on a previous post of mine titled 'Working Slow', I am reminded of how important it is to be patient when making art. It takes time!
But back to the human being part of this post. I find myself thinking about the art I see today, some of my own as well, and trying to frame it within a time and place, and wondering aloud if it has the backbone to withstand the test of time? Sometimes being old, both in our lives and our art, is in itself not a bad thing...but the road to getting there is what wears us out.
So again, nearly 150 years to create the Duomo...the arch 16 years alone. Working slow? You bet. Being patient? You bet. And believing in your vision and having the courage to stick with it? You bet! There's a lesson in these walls of Florence, a lesson that has withstood the test of time, and keeps teaching us today. As the British say...Keep Calm and Carry On! Mainly though, keep making stuff, especially stuff that germinates from a place deep within, after all, we are only human beings searching for our voice in what we make, hoping it offers something meaningful to those who follow.
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| Duomo in Florence. Italy |
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| Giotto's Bell Tower |
...versus working fast, something to consider for studio work.
This all came to me recently after hearing a story on NPR about a journalist who was walking around the world, over a seven year span, writing about it as he goes. His comments about why he was doing it were intriguing and relevant to thoughts I have had recently in the studio, and those are about working fast versus working slow. The journalist spoke about the importance of his slow journey in how it was allowing him to see things on the 'granular level'. An intriguing perspective on how we experience things in life. And for the artist, at least for me working in clay, I have thought about this often lately when working on pieces trying to get them completed. I am so prone to move too quickly with my studio work, not allowing an idea, or a related process, to take its time to develop more naturally. After all, an idea is quick to spawn another, causing excitement to move onward. Slowing down can be difficult, at least for me anyway, and I suspect many others as well, especially considering the fast paced world we live in today. Watching students on their cell phones as they leave my classes makes me wonder what the rush is to 'connect' to others so immediately. What did we do before all the technology that allowed for this to happen (I say as I write a blog that immediately goes out into cyberspace, to many in all parts of the globe!).
So, I have deliberately worked to give myself permission to slow down in the studio, allowing my thoughts to develop more carefully, along with the processes I then use to become more deliberate and meaningful as they help me create pieces that hopefully express all I intend. Finding ones voice in what we make in clay is difficult enough, no need to rush through the gates so fast that we miss the opportunity to develop our thoughts more fully. Like a small seed planted into the ground this time of year, we learn to nurture it along, being patient, awaiting the fruit that is so satisfying later in the growing season. So to, our work starts that way and if we take our time, work more slowly, the fruits of our efforts may be realized further down the road.
This is probably something many reading this post may already realize, therefore sorry I am only now getting around to granting myself the permission to work slower.
Below is a double vessel idea I am exploring that I hope addresses aspects of sharing, with an underlying sense of spirituality and ritual. All coming about in a very slow manner...
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| Richard Burkett |
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| Lori Phillips |
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| Gwendolyn Yappolo |
...Well, I'm going to do it! I'm planning to post a cup a day, for how long?, we'll see. I just want to share the cups I see, and often use each day. But I plan to not limit it to those in my own collection, and will look for interesting cups along the way, whether eating out, visiting galleries, traveling, or maybe cup images people send me that they like a lot. Either way, the goal is to showcase clay cups, good cups, interesting cups, both functional and sculptural cups. So here is entry number one (I do like Jennifer's work!), and the challenge will be to to post one every day for as long as possible (let's see if I can make it a week, a month, a year...?). I love the idea of using my blog to share images, which is why all of my non-'cup of the day' posts will continue to have at least one image. And future cup posts will only be images (unless there's something relevant to say), with the names of the artists when I know them...Enjoy!
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| Jennifer Allen |
