October 2, 2012

  • Therapy

    I've been in therapy the past few weeks.  My therapist is my pottery wheel/studio.  It listens quietly, gives good sound advice (silence), and provides a place of peace.  I find that I get a lot of thinking done when I'm immersed in my studio.  Topics that passed through my mind this past week were varied.  From the purifying effects of fire (in reality and in the spiritual), fretting over the effects of dust on my work when placed in the fire (bubbles and imperfections), AmeliaJake and her zest for life and how I hope I'm as full of spunk as she is in a few years, the Credo section of the Mass by Beethoven we are singing in the concert and how I just can't get the Latin words to roll off my tongue like they should (come on, WHO speaks Latin these days? lol), OnTheHoof and her passion for things that matter to her, Uganda (been taken back there mentally a few times recently), church (uh.... I feel like church is a replay of a John Steinbeck novel... you can guess which one) and a few hot personal topics like forgiveness, contentment, surrendering.  Okay, so maybe it isn't therapy as much as a hot house/think tank session of one.

    So what have I accomplished in my therapy sessions?

    The before picture.  A lot of hours at the wheel to produce 30 pieces ready to glaze.  (I have about 30 more sitting on the shelf ready to go in another load)

    One of the four shelves loaded in the kiln ready for the 2167 degrees to come.

    The after picture (of a few of my favorites - a lot of mugs that are to be Christmas gifts)


    Yes, that bowl below is a pretty purple.  I used it in combination with another glaze to make the blue/purple mug above.


    My tiny vase, about 3 inches high.  Slightly modified to be "artsy fartsy" as my husband would put it.


    I used a black glaze to make diagonal stripes under this glaze, turned out really nice.


    This inverted handle looks rather unique but holds quite well and is balanced.  I just need to make a dimple in the bottom of the handle next time for a spot for the pinkie finger to rest. 


    That purple/blue glaze combo.


    My "delicate" teacup.  As delicate as pottery can be.  :)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Comments (4)

  • How blessed you are to have such a wonderful form of therapy.  And such a productive one to boot!  Your work is beautiful and lucky are the recipients of your therapy.

    I used to say that walking the dogs with my girlfriends was the best therapy .... And truly it was! 
    Hope you are well!

  • You have some beautiful therapy results there!  I suspect the inside results are just as beautiful as the pottery!  Knitting is my therapy!

  • Yo there,

    Really nice. I don't think I would have the patience for it, though. In fact, were I to use a potter's wheel for therapy, I think my creations might look like "patients"or would that be victims? I can feel my fingers digging into the clay . . . tightly at the neck of a vase . . . tighter, tighter.

    As to the singing and the Latin, this is where being tone deaf all life long makes it easy . . . Just mouth the words.

  • I think of you when I'm drinking coffee in the morning - sometimes pulling out a dirty cup from the dishwasher just to reuse it the following day. It is my favorite. :) Thanks for the mug... I LOVE IT!

    Your work is just wonderful!!

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