Watson Studios Pottery

The Creative process
Clay is the ultimate medium of expression for me. The physical contact required to create the visions of my imagination allows me total involvement and freedom. The evolvement of a work in progress under my touch is intoxicating, constantly generating more ideas and concepts to explore in an endless and limitless progression of beauty and form. The shapes, images, textures, and colors flow instinctively into a piece, weaving magic into the malleable and supple clay, then caressed by the flames to near meltdown in the kiln at 2350%. It cools unseen for two days. The interaction of touch, thought, and materials is frozen in time, finalizing the dialogue between artist and medium, preparing for its timeless conversations with you. Listen.

Techniques
Porcelain is the clay I prefer because of its purity and supple properties. Although stoneware may provide for less problems and difficulties in the forming stages, it does not have the responsiveness to the artist's touch that so accurately reflects the creative process.

Ordering Information
If you would like to order Watson Studios Pottery, just drop me a line by email or by phone, and I will furnish prices and delivery schedule. Please keep in mind that I work alone and the demand for my work is steadily rising, so I appreciate your patience. Delivery can be 2 to 10 weeks, depending on supplies of the particular items you have in mind.
Please BOOKMARK this site so you can see the improvements as I update it.

10/28/2008 Today was a full day in the studio, working on plates, moons, bowls, and mugs. I really had a blast with the mugs because I made a new design! I realize that I don't have to follow a product line any more, so being able to make a set (12) of a new design seems so liberating for me. It's fun! Playing! I now know what all my apprentices come here for, to play in the clay, and learn something on the way. So the work on Etsy.com will be changing a bit, new work all the time. Next will be some new teapots that I have spinning around in my head. If I think of it, I'll take photos of the mugs that I'm making and put them on here.

Last Friday I had a pumpkin carving party here, which was real fun for the same reason- playing. Sandy, Beth, and Jeanne joined me to create some very unique pieces, which I forgot to photo as well, but we all had a blast carving our personal designs. I love having people here to join me, because sometimes I won't do it unless I carve out some time with other people.

I've been living with some bats in my studio. It's a long story, but my brother's girlfriend takes care of animals sometimes, like these endangered Indiana bats, and she went up to stay with Steve during his (highly successful!!) surgery, leaving me with the delightful task of preparing bowls of mealy worms for the 20 bats she left in their cages in the middle of my studio. Today, while I was working at the wheel, my dog Rudy was very attentive to them, watching them and guarding over them all day. Not sure if he was wanting to protect them, wanted the worms, or saw the bats as captive dinner.

I have a very full life, and I am so grateful for all that comes my way, and all that I have, and all that I've received in this world. So much abundance keeps coming my way, so many good people come into my life, so much good is coming to me every day. What will tomorrow bring me?
Larry

10/23/2008 Today was a great day in the studio, made plates, bowls, finished some beautiful pitchers. As I consider where my pottery making will go, I see the joy of making work effortlessly, but with intense intention. I also see the tedium of making the same shape over and over. I love the idea of making new and divergent forms for myself, and then selling them online. See my shop at

This is working great to sell my work online. I haven't tried eBay yet, but I might try it for some misfits. It's time to make some money!

I just listened to a video on time management, and it is helping me to be more focused, and to plan my days better. It will take discipline to continue this path, but the rewards are really great. I think I'm getting the hang of this thinking of myself as successful, no longer a victim. And I really enjoy the support of my friends, clients, and beautiful family.

The weather was amazing today. Though the morning had a hard frost out here (always colder in this valley than just about anywhere else I know of) the sun warmed things up to a spectacular day that was only improved by the friends that I saw today. A little yoga this evening pointed to a need for more yoga to loosen things up. I had no idea that I was so stiff and creaky. I miss Mark's yoga class.

Studio Sale coming up Here November 22- 23 11 am - 5 pm. Send me an email at larry@watsonclay.com for more info.

10/21/2008 What a beautiful week! While I was walking Rudy, I looked down at the creek, still virtually dry from the drought, and saw that the crisp and colorful leaves were filling the creek in a feather-light torrent of color. The static state of leaves moved only by the wind seemed like a photo freeze frame.

I worked in the studio with my apprentice today, working on some pitchers, really enjoying the feel of the clay, finding the forms with an ease that belies the short time that I am in the studio. Some of the pitchers took a single pass with the throwing ribs, and it was complete.

I also learned (again) that attaching handles to nearly bone-dry mugs will probably result in cracks. But the other mugs that I made last week with matching moisture content between the handles and the cups were flawless, even though I left them out to dry when I was finished with them.

I decided that I will start to Blog about my other company (http://InspiringConnection.com), since that is such a major part of my business. I work on it every day, working until 9:00 and later some days. It's such a natural for me to work on these books, to work with words. Now that I know that I am a word thinker as my representational system, it doesn't seem strange for me to be working exclusively with words instead of clay. But there is the visual element of my company that requires me to design the materials in a dynamic way. It's a lot of fun to me. Even the process of creating contracts is satisfying! Wow, I never thought I would say that! As if I would like to become a lawyer. . .

10/12/2008 I've had two people tell me that they noticed that I haven't been writing here much. One is a customer, Jane, who is kind enough to share some things with me, and another is an artist that I had never met until yesterday.

I'll admit that I have been hesitant to write because I am spending much less time on my clay work, and I feel like my art should be my focus in this Blog. But I realize now that much of my musings have nothing to do with mugs or teapots, but everything to do with life. So I will be posting much more to this web site in the future. I think. Maybe. No promises. Just an intention that feels good to me.

I went to the Ky Guild art fair in Berea yesterday, and had the experience of being there as one who appreciates instead of as a vendor. It was astounding how much different things looked to me as an observer and not a participant. I hate to say this to all the other artists out there, but this process of selling at art fairs looks so archaic to me now. It looks so desperate! I used to wonder what customers thought of us: did they assumed we would be there every year, that we would keep making the same things, that our lives were so menial that we would gladly take whatever they were willing to throw at u$? Yes, I wouldn't blame them at all. We set up tents to stand or sit outdoors waiting for customers to come along and "Pick Me!" for their next purchase, a hundred artists vying for the shrinking dollars flowing in and out of the "gate". All of us trying to look like 'professionals', working at finding the best combination and color choices to tickle their fancy enough to get them to BUY. So we can go home and do it again.

Not really a bad life if you are so desperate to be able to make art at any price. But there is a price. Where is the self-esteem in all this? Where is the value to our society here? When does someone say that my work has intrinsic value and it makes a difference?
When I meetup with someone who I've never met before and they find out who I am, and they tell me, like Abbie did, that she has my teapot on her kitchen counter, she looks at it every day, that crazy teapot. That's not the only time that has happened.

So there are rewards. I will relish those acknowledgements that I am adding beauty and interest and character to people's lives.

10/12/2008 Stepping out on the front porch to see what Rudy is barking at, I am drawn to the porch step to sit and enjoy the impending twilight. I notice the brittle weeds overpowering the field across the road, taking on a russet tint to their graying mantles, spotted with blossoming seed pods from gypsum weeds. The contrast to the red and yellow trees on the hill behind is the blast of fall color and the hint of winter's oncoming monochromatic pallet.

The sound of crickets is light and tinny compared to summer's full chorus of tree frogs. The sounds of nearby cars as they zoom up the road, and the occasional semi air braking on the highway over the hill drown out the little critters for a few seconds, and then they serenade the rising moon again. Gently it glows through the yellow maples, color that will go tot gray as the light continues to fade. Within a few minutes, the graying field absorbs a reddish glow from the setting sun, and five more minutes nearly erases all signs of fall colors.

What a gift Rudy has given me. I'm sure that's why he was barking, to get me out there, to share with me the innate beauty of this sweet valley. A lone Guernsey mooing in the next valley is guarded by the microwave tower's blinking red eye, which is beginning it's constant vigil for low flying craft. At morning's light, it will still be winking, but this time at a setting moon.

9/16/2008 While sitting on the back porch for dinner, I heard the hummingbird's loud buzz announce it's arrival at the feeder for it's own repast of sweetened water. I froze in my chair, and began to slowly lift my head to watch. After checking that the coast was clear, the tiny bird took sips of nectar from the tip. As I watched, I thought I saw a mist of water spurt from it's toothpick thin beak as it backed an inch or two away from the tube. Twice. Eventually she went to a branch on the nearby redbud tree. Assuming it would be the usual 5-10 minutes before the next visit, I returned to my book and dinner.

A moment later the little buzzer came right up in my face, chirping away, moving left and right within a foot of my forehead! I was feeling quite threatened, and wondered if she would take a poke at my skull, her movements were that threatening!

I've known these little critters to come into my studio 150 feet behind my house to let me know, in no uncertain terms, that the feeder was out and needed refilling. In this case, she was telling me that the sugar water had fermented and was unfit for man nor beast. After she completed two or three ominous circuits of my head, I immediately went in to refill the feeder, using hot water from the tap to help the sugar dissolve.

After I hung the feeder, it was only moments before the emerald-backed flyer was at the feeder. Unfortunately, she wasn't partial to warm water, and she buzzed right at my forehead again! Hovering in the air and darting at me left and right, chirping her displeasure, I figured out, almost as if she were telling me in plain English, that this was not acceptable dinner fare, and she would be complaining to the management! I stated my case clearly, trying to explain that she would just have to be patient while the water cooled, and eventually she sat on a nearby branch in disgust.

I went in the house for something, and when I returned she was within inches of the storm door, looking in, chirping madly at me. She didn't desist as I stepped on the porch, intimidating me again with menacing thrusts and parry, proving once again, "it's not the size of the bird in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the bird."

8/27/2008 Wednesday I've been thinking of you! Every day, I think of getting on here and letting you know what is happening. Tomorrow I'll take some photos of the new work going in the kiln to be fired on Friday. I want you to know how excited I am about this show coming up on September 5 at the Marx Gallery in Covington. Today I worked on the glazing, using the airbrush to get the pieces all finished. I also worked on some mugs that I wanted to get in the kiln with these major pieces. I was having a high gravity day, so I wasn't able to get the kiln loaded today, either. I was hoping to fire today, but things just haven't moved that fast. Thank goodness I am far enough ahead that I can get this done.

The soft rain today was a gentle cover over the morning, and the cloud cover gave a slow and ponderous air to the passing day, the sun invisible behind opaque blanket of gray clouds. No direction, no time to be discerned. Too easy to stop and take on the challenge to my ambition and energy, intermittent as it was.

8/5/2008 Tuesday This morning I was doing my Tai Chi on the patio in back, and decided to sit in meditation out there today. I usually do my meditation on the couch, but sometimes I wake up to the possibility of sitting in nature. As I began, it started to drizzle and with some thunder rumbling in the distance, the rain got a little stronger, developing into a shower. I decided to stay in the experience, to be a part of this, to accept. It seemed every inch of my being was screaming at me to get out of the rain, to run from the lightening that was drawing closer and closer. My habits of thinking were saying that I needed a roof over my head, an umbrella, a jacket to protect me. Instead I felt the steady splatter and pinpoints of water blanket my skin, soaking my hair, running off of my eyebrows, dripping from my eyelashes gently, as I stared at the ground and the rain. In this state, I was able to draw heat from within as the cooling breeze occasionally wafted across my body.

A half hour later I decided I should get started with my day, and stood up on one leg that had fallen asleep during that hour of intense awareness. I went inside to dry off, knowing that I had created a very pure moment for myself. While sitting there, I had felt connected with the Native American spirituality of being one with nature, to accept it as pure and holy, to experience it in all its gifts.

8/4/2008 Monday Threw the pieces for a large jar, and three platters. That took the afternoon. I did paperwork the rest of the day, including a new client for my book programs. Web site coming soon with all the detail.

While running/walking with Rudy, I was coming down off the hill with the sun setting through the trees. The layers of leaves created pinholes of spotlights, flickering as I walked along the woods. Another perfect moment, when isolated from the past and future fraught with worries and judgments. As I absorbed the scene, the beauty became the center of the universe, pure and perfect within the moment.

8/3/2008 Sunday What a beautiful day! Blue skies, 87, low humidity; you couldn't ask for a better day for canoeing on the Little Miami! Today was an outing for the Clay Alliance, so there was about 30 of us (and two dogs who were effective and dunking their charges), moseying down the river in a very relaxed pace. The water was perfect for swimming, and it took some self-control to hold myself back from the rope swing. Now I wish I had taken the challenge. Next time.

The sun warmed us all after cooking off in the current, enjoying the contrast of burning sun and cool, cool water flowing over skin. The area has been preserved and the natural fauna made for a perfect canvas. It was a beautiful couple of hours. Fortunately we set our sights low, and took the 3 mile trip, which gave plenty of time for frequent stops, lazy floating, and even a stop at my friend Connie's camp where I left a calling card.

I decided to take this trip because I realized that summer was slipping by without a lot of celebration and fun on my part. I began to see how the art fair circuit had changed my ability to enjoy the summer months of warmth and fun. So I am working slowly to rebuild my joy and child-like pleasure in the simple things of summer, the sun and camping, canoeing, kayaking, spontaneous campfires in the fire pit on the back patio.

I am beginning to see the perfection in each moment. It is a concept that I had been hearing about for many years, but to actually experience the feeling of perfection and purity in each moment is such a revelation and a gift. I continuously think back on moments when there is a sense of pure joy, or appreciation, due to my work in the HeartMath program. And because of that focus, like when I am walking Rudy down the road, I am able to look at my surroundings with great appreciation and joy when I can see it as pure and perfect in this moment, created from every moment that came before it.

Yesterday was equally as beautiful, perfect weather for the Cincinnati Blues Festival. The line-up was truly fantastic, I was never disappointed (OK, just one time), and the music was inspiring from start to finish. Interesting how this was a different sensory experience, one that was primarily auditory, musical. I found myself focusing on the visual experience, and that just confused with too much judgment. So I worked at dismissing my evaluation mode and take in the music for it's amazing beauty. And seeing Matt Wigler, who first came on stage here at 11 years old, is a genius on that piano and B3. He was so amazing that Nye was a nice follow-up, almost a disappointment.

And Friday evening I had my opening at the local library including more than a dozen artists that are local and national, which was VERY well attended. The music by he Brazilian Jazz Trio, was truly exceptional, and I'm not sure everyone appreciated the genius of these musical artists. The show was a joy, and a great way to bring the people into the local community and it's treasure of artists.

7/30/2008 Today was a different kind of work day. It was an idea day. My sister was here from Massachusetts, and we had a whole morning of talking about my exhibit and the possibilities of different ways of portraying my theme of Identity transitions. She became engaged as I explained the pieces I had in progress. One of the pieces that had blown up in the bisque firing I have decided to use in the exhibit in a very unconventional way. Actually, just a bit of the piece blew up, the rest is intact.

She was able to enlighten me as to the technical possibilities of certain types of computer circuit boards that I wanted to use on a jar. We worked through the various possibilities and she came up with a very exciting idea that I am going to work on next week. This week I am finishing up some more jars, to make sure I have enough for the exhibit September 5.

If you would like me to send you an email invitation, please let me know by emailing me at larry@watsonclay.com I'll put you on my invitation list.

As a reminder, I will be in a small local exhibit with some nationally known artists at my local library, with hors devours and music by the Brazilian Jazz Trio

While working on one of my books, the concept of Oneness came to the forefront, and I was really grappling with this idea. Then I worked through an analogy of a candle, and it became clearer on a certain level.

Candles are made of wax. Except when they aren't. They can be made of different kinds of wax, or paraffin, and who knows what else. They have a wick or taper that wicks the wax to the flame. There is a flame.

The candles can be so diverse, so different in their appearance, whether they are big pillar candles or little birthday candles, taper or votive candles, scented or pure, colored, or white, carved or sand candles, they can all look so different.

But when they are lit, they are all the same. At least there is one thing that is the same. The flame. The flame operates on the same principles and design no matter what size or color of the candle. The flame is governed by the laws of chemistry to produce this flame that gives off light, in relatively similar shape, reaching up to the sky, giving off heat, giving off light. This the common element and principle of every candle.

We can take two candles and put them together, and the flames join and become one, because they are governed by the same laws and principles, and then we don't know where one starts and the other ends.

No matter where the candles are, whether they are in the same room or a thousand miles apart, that principle of burning lights never changes, and that principle is the Oneness.

7/25/2008 Once again, time has run away from me, blithely leaving me wondering what I've been doing for the last 2 weeks. Were you wondering, too?

Well, I think we can all identify with my reaction: after over-firing and blowing up pottery and sculpture in the last firing, I was a bit reluctant to write about my blunders. But, hey, one of my goals is to be more vulnerable, so here goes.

Last week I got the kiln started late (9:30 am) on Friday because I had to wait for a delivery of propane before I could start, so I took my time ramping up the kiln, and around 6:00 pm I could see that I would probably be able to meet-up with someone at an outdoor concert at 8:00. So I went in to eat and blithely (there's that word again. The writer's sin to use the same adjective twice in the same chapter- a thousand lashes. Please.) forgot about the kiln and went to the concert with it gathering steam and heat as it is wont to do, as designed by the engineer (me). As the concert sailed into it's finale, I was asked how work was going - gasp! The kiln is still firing four hours later!

When the kiln was unloaded, I was very fortunate to see that it had not been over-fired by too terribly much. I think it is salvageable, except for the two major sculptural vessels that I had made for my exhibit at the Marx gallery September 5. I was confident that the bases, which indicated a very slight moisture content, would dry out in the kiln with sufficient air circulation and slow temperature rise. I was wrong. Kerplooey. (That's a ceramic technical term that means "kaboom!") Time to start over. (When apparent moisture [not to be confused with molecular moisture, which is driven off between 300 and 400 degrees] is not allowed to dissipate, it will wait within the clay crystals until it turns to steam. Did you know that a water molecule expands to 1200 TIMES it's original size when it turns to steam? Guess what happens when it is trapped inside the wall of a clay pot? Kerplooey.)

So this week I have three large (over two feet tall) sculptural vessels in process, and I need to start and finish 3 more next week, along with some miniatures. This is not so crazy, really. Many artists have done their best work when the original pieces were destroyed or stolen. Deadlines are my friend! (Camera: zoom in on maniacal grin) Like a good cattle prod or a tazer. Motivation. (I know, I make it sound so appealing:)

My new company with the book programs for inspirational books is about to be launched! It's called Inspiring Connection. This will be a great ancillary business to my pottery since I can't spend as many hours in the studio as I used to (read: get your pots now! with reduced production, the price can only go up.). So the first program, with which I've collaborated with Patricia Keel of Berkley, California, is ready to be marketed to her many clients, and I expect it to be a big hit. When my web site is launched, I'll include it here. It is looking really good at this point, and my web designer in Reno is excited about it too. News at 11:00.

7/12/2008 Yesterday I was joyously in the shop. I started another tall jar (26") that I am going to let it gestate in my mind for a few days until inspiration strikes a little more convincingly that it has so far. I really like the shape of it, I have pushed it into an asymmetrical shape that really has a lot of character. I want to make the most of it, and have it really grow out of this shape.

I finished three platters for the installation at the Marx (see below), and threw three more. I wish I would take the time to take photos of work in progress. I'll put that intention out there, and make it more a part of my day. Especially since I am working in the studio so much less.

7/9/2008 September 5, mark your calendar; the opening for my exhibit at the Marx Gallery at 520 Madison in Covington.

Today I spent the day doing errands, helping my Mom, getting slides developed, catching up on paperwork. Worked on the platters finishing up the designs for the surface. I'm real excited about the platter installation at Marx, the way it will be kinetic. Like I said, mark you calendar.

Yesterday I did some great work on the tall jars for the Marx, finishing up all the work on these two. I really love the effects of each, and I need to call on Joyce, a past apprentice, who will help me with imagery. The student becomes the teacher. As always.

The tall jars will be a series, hopefully I'll have 5 at the show. It depends on the firing, as always.

These two jars are 25" and 30" respectively, and the shape is totally awesome, and the designs on the surface really make me happy. I am so pleased with them. I can imagine them in the installation as they are, and know they will be so dynamic with the display. It's amazing how I get so lost in these pieces, just totally in the zone and unconcerned with time.

Yesterday, I received some great news about my new company, my web partner in California is ready to roll out my first project to the public at the end of July. It just keeps getting better.

7/7/2008 I spent the day on paperwork, wasn't that motivated today. Well, actually, I was downright whipped. A friend called and said she and everyone she talked to was in the same fame of mind/body. Just not a day for being ambitious. Interesting how everyone was in the same frame of mind. Another friend had called with his own challenges. Well, some days I need to honor that instinct.

I spent some time tonight taking photos of some pieces, a roll of film to develop and convert to digital images. There is a gallery in Louisville interested in my character teapots, so I'm getting a good set of slides for the exhibit. In addition, I have new flash equipment to try out. Always exciting.

7/5/2008 Hello! I'm having a relaxed day, getting in the mood of a holiday weekend. I was actually out pulling weeds today. The surprise in my keyboard (voice?) is that I have done virtually no gardening this year, at all. It is a mess around here. This seems to happen every year, but not to this degree. With limited energy, I have protectively meted it out with the work that I want to do, not what I'm supposed to do. I'm not following the rules all the time. But I am making the best of it! The fact is, it feels good to clean things up a bit, even if it is in fits and starts, 20 minutes at a time.

This week I started some pieces for my September exhibit at the Marx Gallery in Covington. Mark you calendar for September 5! I expect EVERYONE to be there. Well, maybe not you all in Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Ann Arbor. But the rest of you better show up!

These pieces are a real stretch, way out of my comfort zone. I get excited and scared at the same time, and I have learned, with my Life Success buddies, that this is a good sign. Walking into fear is a sign that I am stretching and growing, and I learn so much. But I am having a blast with these new artworks, and I really want to see what you think of them. And I will leave some mystery to them, because I want to hear your response on a visceral level.

7/4/2008 I slept in this morning, then slept in some more. My dog Rudy snuggled up and I thought about something I had read that I began to question. They said that the difference between humans and animals is that animals can't tell time.

Maybe they can tell time.

But maybe they just don't listen to time.

Just amazing how the days slip by. I have been working on making of pots. I have some awesome teapots that I finished this week, and today I finished some serving dishes, some bowls, and 16 mugs. It's such a joy to make this pottery, I enjoy it so much when I can work.

In addition, I am working on some new sculptural and conceptual pieces for my exhibit in September at the Marx gallery in Covington. This will revolve around my transition with my new company, as well as my sister's transition after her surgery. It involves how we are having to look at our identity and how it has focused on our jobs, our careers, our vocations. I started thinking about how Trish has based her career on computer technology and programming, and so I thought about including some computer components in some sculptures. After mentioning it to Jean, she found a place that had some extra circuit boards and brought them to me. It's great to just think of an idea and have it manifest in my hand two days later. Life is good.

The exhibit at Marx will be in September, which doesn't leave me much time. I am realizing I need to make that a priority if I am going to make it happen. I also have a major exhibit at Wilmington college in January, and I feel like that exhibit will continue for this theme and concept. These non-profit exhibits are the most gratifying from the creative aspect. But I don't count on sales. I guess I don't expect everyone else to want to have these pieces in their homes. Maybe I'm just ahead of my time. I love the quote that says artists aren't ahead of their time, they arrive at just the right time to change the world.

Tomorrow I return to Life Success for a follow up session all day. These seminars, along with my group leader Kate, have really catapulted me into new awareness and power for my current art work and for my new company. I am so grateful for everything that I am receiving.

For those who are not on my mailing list, I have begun a program of "Girl's Night Out" for groups who want to come to the studio and gallery for some shopping, a little wine and cheese, and a fun time to connect with your friends. This is good for 5 to 15 people, I furnish the wine, 2 or 3 hours of unlimited talking, and you leave you husbands at home. Credit cards accepted. Call for available times!

6/17/2008 Went to a business breakfast in West Chester put on my Life Success Seminars. It was good to get out and network. What is networking? It's about connecting with people without the effort of selling. It's about building relationships, never knowing if they will last five minutes or 15 years.

I was struck the other day by how much of our lives is determined by our concept of being and doing. With my recent transitions and experiences, I've looked very hard at the possibility of doing different things than I have in the past, and at what that does to my sense of identity.

But more recently I started thinking about how my new company changed completely when I called it a company and not a business. Business is process, but company is the synergy of all the components based on a common purpose. That common purpose is what I want to be. The business is what I want to do.

It's a vague concept at first, but if I think about what it is I want to be in a particular moment, it will change what I do. In the realm of personal relationships, I can be resentful, or I can be compassionate. What I do in that moment will be completely determined by that intention of being. Unfortunately, much of our doing is not conscious of what we are being, and is based on a reaction based on an experience that may have absolutely nothing to do with anything but that one experience.

When it comes to my art work, what I am being will determine my doing. If I am being a producer of products, my design will vary little. If I am being open to the creative powers within, then doing will be fluid and much less predictable. The outcomes and results of open creative being will vary and will include some real failures. But failure is a sign of change and movement that is not possible with predictable doing.

Then again, doing can lead to a different way of being. It's akin to the adage, "fake it until you make it." By going through the motions, we can often assimilate the feeling of being something that was merely an idea before. After being kind and courteous for a while, we begin to feel the sense of joy that can become the center of our being. From being joy, it is only natural now to act in kind ways.

This is true for my businesses. What am I being in this process? What intention am I acting from?

What I am finding is that much of my artwork has been focused on doing and producing and making money. I feel few opportunities for being in the flow. I want to return to that natural state of being open and creative. I feel like that will happen as I be successful in my new company and free me up to be creative instead of produce.

My goal in my new company is to be open to the process of attracting perfect customers who will benefit the most from my programs, and attracting partners who will benefit from their creative opportunities toward that same goal, and to be a creative conduit for the optimum experience in these small groups, and in each organization as a whole.

6-9-2008 Bridgette and her friends had a great time, enjoyed the wine and cheese, and took home a lot of pottery! She sent me a note on Saturday: "I want to thank you for having me and my friends at your studio last night. It felt like Christmas morning when I woke up and unwrapped what I bought!!! You are an amazing artist and I could never have enough of your pieces......."

Please contact me if you would like to have a fun evening out, maybe a Girl's Night Out. It's a relaxed, easy evening, a couple hours of talking and shopping. Great therapy. ;-)

6-5/2008 It's been a very busy week of glazing and firing work for the wine festival, and for Bridgett. Bridgett has collected my work for years, and she wasn't able to get everything she wanted at the studio sale. So I have created a special evening for her and 10 of her friends who have seen my work in her house. It will be fun to create this party atmosphere for a small group to take their time shopping for art pottery. Let me know if you would like to arrange a similar event; I am flexible!

Last night the sun came out for a short time after all the tornado warnings. I went for a walk down the road, and found that the creek had risen out of its banks and across the road.

5-30-2008 Today was an excellent day of work. I got the kiln loaded after setting some work out in the sun to dry the rest of the way. I didn't think I would get a whole kiln load made in a week, but I did! I'm really happy with that, because now I know I'll have enough work for the wine festival. Tomorrow I'll fire the bisque, and mix up some glazes. What do you mean, "it's Saturday?"

Today I figured out what my next two solo exhibits will be. It will focus on the transitions that my sister and I are experiencing due to medical challenges. I usually don't want to put so much personal experience in my work, but I think this will be a great thing to work on. It will give me a lot of passion and ideas. Still abstract, but so much material to work on. This will be a totally different exhibit and experience. I'll keep you informed.

The exhibits will be at the Marx Gallery in Covington, and at Wilmington College, Ohio. The Marx will be in September or October, and the Wilmington exhibit is in January. That might be enough time, though it will be a challenge for the Marx. But it's really got me pumped.

5-26-2008Hello! It's been a while, again, I've been very busy with the show here and now getting ready for the Wine Festival.

June 7 Northern Kentucky Wine Festival at the Northern Kentucky University Convocation Center just off US 27 at the end of I-471 2-9 pm.

I decided that it was time I committed to a niche market campaign, and make the artwork that will be appreciated by the wine tasters. I've made some really cook wine coolers and carafes and wine glasses. I'll have plenty of fun stuff for everyone.

Another new development is private parties for clients who want to share the experience with some friends, or family members, or colleagues. I am happy to set up some wine and cheese for you for a group of people that you think would have a good time seeing professional artwork and pottery. Drop me a line, click here for email. Or call at 859 635-5599.

This is a photo of Rudy in the "bone yard", which is what he has done with the front yard. He collects the deer bones from the hunter up the road and brings them back here for his collection. He keeps them all in a certain part of the front yard next to the sidewalk. Good promotion man.

The sale was really great, and thanks to all of you who came out! It was such a beautiful day, and it was a great party with a bunch of friends stopping out, bringing food and wine, my brother's music, a real blast! I know it was a great success because everyone who came bought something, and usually several things! If you were thinking of coming but didn't, you should really commit next time, and get out here for some great artwork.

These are some photos from the sale. (Click on each for larger image) Thanks to Paula for taking the pix! The last photo is actually from a client's house and her collection. Of course, she added to the collection that weekend.

I'll be very busy this week getting some more work made for the wine festival, and a private party next Friday. Plenty of other work to do, just wishing I could add a few hours to the day right now.

5-4-2008 Saturday was the Clay Alliance Spring Pottery Fair, which I have exhibited in for the last 6 years - but not this year. I went to volunteer, and when I woke in the morning listening to a steady downpour with strong gusts, I began to visualize blue skies with white wispy clouds drifting across. I got to the fair at 12:30, and the rain had just stopped. The blue skies showed up 30 minutes later, with tiny white clouds drifting across. Damn, I'm good.

It was fun to just walk around at the show and talk with people, spreading chocolate and good cheer, offering a hand when needed. It was a great time for me, and I was amazed that I could let go of that high anxiety that comes at a windy show with occasional breaking pots to punctuate the afternoon. I was quite nonplussed, which was quite surprising. Each show that I am not in is a real relief, and not just because of the weather challenges that seem to be showing up.

So how will I react at my fall shows? They are very labor intensive, and I wonder how I will do, considering. I know I will be much more conscious of pacing myself, in the name of self-preservation.

4-30-2008 I e-mailed out some of the notices out on the Studio Sale that is coming up on May 17-18. It's going to be a great event, I'll have a tent out front for the music and food and wine. The wine will be supplied by a local winery, an award-winning vintner. Did you know that this area was the Napa Valley of the country before the Prohibition? The small valleys are ideal for the cool nights that make for great wine grapes.

The postcards that I designed last Friday are shipped and on there way here, so I will be able to mail them out to my 500+ mailing list on Monday or Tuesday. I'll also supply some of the finer hotels in Cincinnati. Last year I had a couple of people who saw me on TV and came out to see the sale. They were from Arizona, visiting relatives, and wanted something very "local" to see. That's a great attitude, especially for those of you who are "local". Instead of Mark Twain's description; "An expert is someone from out of town." I'm an expert when I exhibit in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Ann Arbor, so I imagine I can be one right here!

I was talking to a dear friend about my role in this world, and it was very empowering. I am also creating a new business incorporating book study groups and inspirational books, and this is in direct correlation with this concept of developing a greater consciousness in our world. I am fierce pumped about it, and can't wait to get started.

I got the bisque kiln fired today, and lots of wine products: wine glasses, carafes, ice buckets, and sangria pitchers. I started to fire it yesterday, but some of the work wasn't dry enough and the candlesticks blew up. I had to let it cool and then unload most of the kiln so I could clear the firing chambers of the detritus. Reloaded the kiln , and started it this morning. I didn't fire it up until about 9:30 because I had an afternoon appointment. Finished up the firing about 5:00, which was really fast

4-28-2008 UNRECOGNIZED POISON: Flattery is pleasing when entering the ear but toxic if swallowed.

I had a great weekend on retreat, and feel much more centered and a little calmer. All the work that I have to do is done in the moment, not in the future. I am focused on setting a schedule and letting the rest go while I am in the current task. So I am off to do exactly that!

Another great quote: "Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride.'
-Sutta Nipata

That's so true, and one I've tried to keep in mind the last few years. Not always successfully, but awareness is powerful.

4-22-2008 I am feeling very lucky, today. I feel lucky to have the talent that I have, I feel lucky to have this career, I feel lucky to be starting a new career, I feel lucky to be recovering my health, I feel lucky that I sold that property last year, I feel lucky to have my dog, I feel lucky to live in the country where I can walk through the woods and through the creek. I guess I can say that Life is Good. How about you? What parts of your life are darn lucky?

I didn't work in the studio today, it was a time of errands in the morning, the wonderful flexibility of self employment that allows me to volunteer at the school over town in Cincinnati where I get to tutor a sweet 5th grader named Kerisma (pronounced like charisma). It feels so good to make a difference with just one person in this world. I can see how she tries so hard to get a right answer, but sometimes she doesn't know how to get the answer at all. We were told to help them with multiplication tables, but she doesn't even have her addition tables down. I hope this time with her will improve her testing scores, which will help the school in the future. Helping one child can effect the entire school. One person at a time.

So, I did get some new work over to Indigenous Gallery in O'Bryonville. They are having their Friday Night Party this week, so be sure to check it out. This will be the premier of this new color! And remember that I will be having a show here at my studio and gallery in May, so email me for more information at Watson Clay Art . I'll let you know right away! This is going to be a great event, with music and food and some brand new work that expresses you and your home. Direct from my home.

I was so tempted to spend my time in the studio, but so much IT and paper work to do. I got an exhibit packed for St Petersburg, Florida, a show that will feature many other great artists at Craftsman House Gallery. They wanted me in their national invitational teapot show, and I sent some of my best work. I am very pleased to be included, and I hope it all sells! I need things to sell so that I'll make more and more.

And the usual maintenance activities we all know; picking the car up at the garage. The alternator went (went where?) and, fortunately, it was a lifetime warranty from three years ago. Yes. I feel lucky.

4-21-2008 It's been a busy week or so since the post below, and it seems like ages ago since the workshop. Since then I have presented a talk at the Conscious Business Club, which went very well, I thought. It seemed that I gave people a lot of tools for thinking creatively in their business. One of my goals is to dispel the myth that thinking creatively means thinking artistically. Not so; it's more about being willing to consider all the possibilities, and to realize that we all have so many ideas within each of us. They are unlimited, and when we bring that unlimited creative mind to our businesses, we can develop a business much faster and bigger. Please email me by clicking here if you have any business or non-profit organizations that could use my expertise in this area. I am currently discussing a workshop with a corporate training company to take place in October.

I've been in the studio lately, stocking up work for the Northern Kentucky Wine Festival that will be June 7 at the new Bank of Kentucky stadium on Northern Kentucky University campus. I think one of my opportunities is finding some niche markets and catering to them. Fine craft is a niche, but with the level of competition and saturation, it takes a more discerning eye to see the benefits of my work. I think I can set myself apart and allow my work to speak for itself when I am in a niche market that might have fewer artists involved.

4-12-2008 What a great workshop! I had a blast at "The Artists' Gathering" in Hindman, KY. I was a presenter, giving a presentation for artists on how to prepare their images/entries for jurying into art shows and organizations. The first session (there were three through today) was attended by 13 artists. There were 5 presentations made in each session, and there were only about 25 artists there for all 5 presentations, so I was pleased to reach so many people. I felt like the way that I presented the information created a strong awareness of the process that jurors go through, and the resulting evaluations that take place. Many of the attendees came up and thanked me for explaining it all to them. They had a lot more things that they know they can do next time.

This week I will be the feature speaker for the Conscious Business Club this Wednesday morning. Please reply here if you would like to know more. This takes place in downtown Cincinnati.

I was able to attend one of the presentations at the workshop that covered the processes of getting published. Judy Sizemore is a regional rep for the Kentucky Arts council and a very accomplished writer. She was able to give me some great ideas for promoting my new book study programs. I am really excited about getting that business up off the ground.

I stopped at Natural Bridge, Ky. on the way home tonight, and hiked up the hill to just under the bridge. So awesome that I can do that now!! Woohoo! Then on the way down I saw a tree stump with some amazing colors that inspired me to create a new piece of jewelry. I hope to take some time tomorrow and work on that piece. If I am not tied up with my taxes. Aaargh!

On Sunday I went to the AirWaves Kite Festival, and my friends Joe and Debbie run the show. It was amazing. Below is the letter I sent to them

"Joe & Debbie,
I saw you at the running of the bols, but you were busy enough. What a great event! I ran into Keith there, and he mentioned the variety of cultures represented that valued this as a cultural activity. Lots of languages being spoken! A language that crosses all barriers. I was there around 3:00 when the wind picked up, and the Chicago Fire started to "snap", and all the family kites took off! Awesome! It was magical seeing all those kites, hearing all those families sharing in something special. Looking up. Up.

"One family tried to stop their three year old from throwing rocks in a puddle, and two minutes later a father drug his two year old over to the puddle to show him how to throw rocks in the puddle! Wonderful!!!!!
Good work."

Today I finished, with Jean's help, all the mugs (14), the wine carafes (9), hummingbird feeders (11), and the wine coolers (6). I was really please with the wine coolers, they are simple, so al the decoration really shows up. They are so sweet. I'll try to get you a picture after this weekend.

This weekend I will be presenting part of a workshop for artists in eastern Ky. This is a business of art workshop, and my segment will be on preparations for jurying work into shows. In case you didn't know, most shows have a jury that selects the artists to be in the show.

To send me, comments please click here. Please specify if you would like your comments included here. I would love to be more interactive!

4-9-2008 Studio Sale May 10 & 11, don't miss it!! I can send you info and directions by clicking here..

Today I stayed in the office, except in the morning when I tutored a young 5th grader at an inner city Cincinnati school. These kids are so smart to know how to find answers without knowing how to actually figure them out. But when given the chance, they can come up with some amazing innovative ways of finding answers. I love working with her, she is so smart. And I tell her that every time. When I first came to work with her, she acted like I was contagious. But this week, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to the classroom at the end of our time. She actually smiled again! It feels so good to help.

The afternoon was spent on taxes and phone calls. The phone calls were fun. The walk with Rudy was really beautiful, the weather was cool but pleasant, the creek was nice, the trees are budding out. I noticed in Eden Park as I went through that all the dogwoods and magnolias were in bloom next to Krohn Conservatory. I was really enjoying that.

Back in the studio some tomorrow, to finish up the mugs, hummingbird feeders, and wine carafes. At this point, I am totally buffaloed with the taxes. Capital gains. . . .

4-8-2008 Studio Sale May 10 & 11, don't miss it!! Send me your email address by clicking larry@watsonclay.com.

Threw a lot today. Hummingbird feeders, wine carafes, coffee mugs. Jean got a little bit done, especially moving past where she was to where she can go. Way to go Jean!

I am always, always amazed at what I can do sometimes, almost like watching someone else at work. But it was a bit of a humbling experience when I was starting on these wine carafes. I had not made anything like that, and it took me a while to combine some of my skills to pull it off. Then when I added my stamp of personal design and expression to them, they got a little distorted and really took on some personality. I really like them when they stop being symmetrical and start being natural. I think they're going to sell. I'm taking them to the Northern Kentucky Wine Festival on June 7 at Northern Kentucky University. I'll be selling all wine related items, wine glasses, carafes, Sangria pitchers, and wine buckets. I'll have to see if there is anything else that might be appropriate.

Yesterday I worked on the taxes, the lecture for the artist workshop this weekend, my book study program, and I actually fixed the brakes on my car! That saved me some$$$! But I was really proud of getting it done, and in only 2 hours. It's been a while since I did any auto repair, and I usually take a lot longer than planned. This time, I hit it on the nail.

Friday I leave for the workshop where I'll be presenting a workshop segment on how to get your work juried into art shows. I can't wait to get out there and help some people get into shows. The great thing about it is that I can see now how I can improve my own work! I am very pleased with what I have to offer.

4-3-2008 I wasn't able to get in the studio today, and I knew my apprentice, Jean , would be in there tomorrow. So I will focus my time in there working on assembling teapots and some mugs. Maybe I'll have time to throw as well. But we also have some packing to do for an exhibit in conjunction with the workshop at which I'll be presenting next weekend. I'm hopeful that all the other presenters will take the time to send some work for the exhibit. When I called last week, the organizer told me that I was the only one who had responded at all. We artists have a reputation.

This morning I went to the Chamber of Commerce presentation on "PR Advanced". It was focused entirely on how the web has changed some of our PR opportunities, including how traditional media is relying on the internet for many, if not all, of their stories that they print. It is the way they get leads, investigate, and communicate with their colleagues.

The numbers on the new social web is phenomenal. The fact that two-thirds of all internet users were on MySpace.com in the month of January alone! There are 110 million sites on MySpace, and 68 million on FaceBook. Who, besides me, is not on there yet? And there is a blogging site for executives called LinkedIn.com that has an executive from every Fortune 500 company with a Blog of their own. That one has only 20 million users.

But it really opened my mind up to possibilities and uses for my own business, and to realize that it might not be that hard to make use of these technologies to increase my prosperity without having to work harder. The challenge is that it takes a lot of time. Time. My most valuable commodity. The one of which I am most protective. I am happy to teach, help people, tutor kids, but time. . . boy, that's a tough one to mete out.

But sitting there in seminars, it's amazing how many times I come up with ideas that seem totally unrelated. I began thinking that I could have a Open House sale here at my studio next month, May 10 & 11. I think I'll call it the Benefit Sale, because after taking off more than two months and seeing some of these bills coming in, I'm not too proud to ask for people to come out and buy what they've wanted all along to help me get over this little bump in the road. So mark your calendar right now, if you want to get some deals. I've got lots of pottery because I missed all three of the major art fairs this winter. Make an offer!

The seminar also gave me hope for what the web can be for our society; a community builder. Really connecting more people, bringing us together. Yes, there can be some clashes, some flaming, but in the long run we can learn how to get along from that, learn how to accept. I like that idea.

4-1-2008 The other night I enjoyed a quirky little movie called Off The Map. I guess you could say it was coming of age story, and that would be true for every person in the movie, I guess. I hate giving away a story, but it's about a family that lives off the grid in New Mexico. I remember someone telling me that all movies and plays are about transformation, and this one is all about it. Thanks, Rachel, for recommending it.

Today I threw some mugs and some teapots, which I thought turned out really well. I am constantly amazed and grateful for the way I keep learning and throwing such great shapes and designs. These are the days that I am really happy that I made this career move to make pottery full time.

But I'm also working on my other new business, developing a meditation cd for the Homestudy program I've designed. It will be a nice addition to the rest of the materials. I'm also preparing my inspirational talk for the Conscious Business Club breakfast in two weeks. And then there is the workshop presentation that I will be making the 12th. A busy public month, and I love it!!

Yesterday, my Mom shows up in my driveway and says, You want to take it for a spin?" This in reference to her shiny rental car, a PT Cruiser. Well, certainly not the Porsche that I've imagined, but definitely a new experience for me. It was a special treat to take it around the block (which in my neighborhood spans several miles).

Walking along the road and looking into the woods, I can see that there will be a tremendous transformation as spring blasts through the trees and the brush, filling in their outlines with bright green, dense, foliage. Always the first, the buds of the honeysuckle burst open and spread tender tiny leaves out for the sun.

In a strange way I feel a sense of loss and sadness, to see the browns and grays, the almost monochromatic serenity of the winter landscape, surreptitiously plastered with a brush of green. The temperatures and weather vacillate wildly, leaving us grasping for appropriate attire as we head out the door. The branches on all the trees begin the cycle anew, soaking up sunlight for the patient roots that have been watered generously by heavy rains.

So the outer transformation continues and permeates my inner psyche, implanting high expectations for the spring madness, adding lists of plants and garden improvements to the long list of work and play that is already ensuring excessive activities and virtually no silence. We need the silence. Even if only in 15 second doses, sprinkled throughout the day like really good dark chocolate. Those morsels of silence fill my pockets, waiting for discovery, and waiting for a hand to flip them open as eagerly as a cell phone.

3-20-2008 The early morning light spills down this little valley, this holler, and the meager hints of color are magnified: lichen on the tree trunks, brown tufts of dead foliage, shadings of green from grass encouraged by warm days and rain. Looking up the valley to the east, I am unable to see the sun itself, obscured by the hillside adjacent to my house, but the brilliance of it is like a huge spotlight, like the headlight of a train blazing though the night, reflected on the frost laden ground and fields, glowing through the crystal rime that has coated the world overnight. As I look to the east, the sunlight-frost combination is blinding and portentous; to the west, colors and life predominate.

3-19-2008 Today I finished glazing a lot of new blue and yellow pieces and got them loaded in the kiln. It was 3:00 when I was thinking that it would have to stop the deluge outside if I was going to get the kiln loaded, and it stopped! Right then. So cool when I create my world.

This morning I went to the Conscious Living Business Breakfast and made some good contacts. The speaker was talking about strategic planning, and he emphasized the process more than the product. Effective stuff. Next month I will be the speaker at the breakfast, and I like to think that I will be giving tools to help with the process. I will be talking about creativity tools that I use to create my artwork, and in my business.

"Everyone stumbles over the truth from time to time, but most people pick themselves up and hurry off as though nothing ever happened."
-- Sir Winston Churchill

3-15-2008 I feel human again! I'm back at work in the studio, and ready to move on. It's a good feeling to have my mojo back.

I've been using a web site to sell my work, at Etsy.com. I started putting my work on there back in December, and it's starting to sell a lot of work. I was thinking of it as a supplemental sort of outlet, but it appears it could become a major outlet for me. The cost is minimal, and most fees are paid when a sale is made. I enjoy the idea of putting work on there that is on hand, pottery that has it's own look. It's almost as good as seeing it at an art fair or gallery.

I also like all the conversations from fans. There are a lot of people who like my work, but have to wait until they have the money, or they see the item often enough that they just can't resist any more. They allow you to add artists to your list of "favorites", so they can find me again, and that list of favorites is getting quite long. Yes.

When I first looked at the site, I could see that there was lots of craft, that there was plenty of room for art. So I'm getting buyers who can tell the difference in my work, how much expression I put into my work. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to show my true "colors", but the shoppers are able to recognize my quality. That's nice.

Of course there are drawbacks to everything, and time is the price for this type of selling. There is the time to take 5 photos of each piece, then resize the photos on the computer, upload each photo to the web site, create the description, insert pricing, etc. I've decided to keep track of my time working on keeping the site current, and it looks like it will be the same as doing an art fair, maybe more, but without the expenses. Fortunately I have a great apprentice to help with some of the packing and photos.

Today I unloaded the kiln after firing a bisque kiln on Wednesday, and we waxed the bottoms of the pottery in preparation for glazing. Tomorrow I will mix up some glazes, maybe get some glazing done as well. I will be spending part of the day on the computer with another project.

I've been invited to exhibit my work in a one or two person show at the Marx Gallery in Covington, Ky. that will open in May. I'll go over this Monday to take a look at the space to see how it will work for me. It's a space 15' x 40' with an additional 20 foot space. That's a lot of space to fill up for a potter, but I have some larger scale work that you haven't seen on my web site yet. I'll get it up on this site eventually, maybe, someday, when I get "time', . . .

The weather made it tough to work today, with the cold rain. It didn't seem to get up to 50 degrees today, it seemed much colder than that. It reminded me of the first time I did Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville, which takes place the last weekend in April. I was told that I really should do the show, and then it rained and got really cold that weekend. I mentioned it to one of the people that told me I should do the show, and he said that it is like that every year. Unfortunately, he had neglected that little detail when giving me the highlights. I haven't done the show since. I won the award for ceramics that year, though.

PS Go to www.watsonclay.com/Franceteapots.html for a look at my fun stuff. It's the first time I've put a link to this page. I've been making some more of these teapots since then, so I'll try to get you some more photos soon.

2/29/2008 Leap year! I think there must be a certain amount of excitement about leap year February 29 that comes from childhood. Back then, four years was a very long time to wait for one special day. Sort of like election day. Narf, narf.

So does Feb. 29 feel like a holiday, an extra day for only this year, a day that makes our lives longer for just one year out of four? Every four years we add a day to our lives without getting older! What a great trick.

Except when we look at it from the scientific astrological point of view, we have been living 1/4 extra day every year, and we are just making up for that anomaly today. Adjusting our clocks to reflect the reality of nature's insouciance about our silly calendar, that foundation of our to-do lists, the fundamental tool by which we meet-up and network and live our lives. That calendar that relentlessly plods along with the same insouciance about any challenges, blips, bumps in the road. And after the calendar is rebuilt to our new lives, it doesn't reflect any of the panic and worry over days that didn't go as planned, appointments missed, social events skipped. The calendar just goes on. And on. And, if we're lucky, so do we.

2/16/2008 It's been quite a while, hasn't it. Well, I've had a challenge that has kept me busy and out of the studio a bit. But I was able to make a few things in the meantime. Just not up to full speed, and I'm not really sure when I will be. Maybe. . .

I'm very grateful for friends who are helping me out, they've been great helping me along.

Please keep checking back, I'll see what I come up with. I guess I haven't felt inspired to express, it's been a lot of internal dialogue.

It was a long, slow day, getting through a cold to help me see how well I am normally. I was very happy with the work I did, even if it wasn't much in volume. Three teapots, three jardienes. I think I need to get out in the studio tomorrow to get some work ready to finish on Thursday and Friday. Maybe fire a bisque next week to get things moving there. I need a lot of stock for the two shows coming up in March.

The challenge for me is getting all the business work done, postcards, brochures, slides, taxes, etc. I guess I've whined about that often enough, already, but I think most people don't realize that running the business is what keeps me from spending all my time in the studio.

2/1/2008 It's been a slow week in the studio, unable to work at full speed. But I got some really great character teapots made, as well as some large pitchers that are really good. I am just amazed at how my hands can make the things that they do. What a gift, and I am grateful.

I can see the shows coming up very soon, but I don't seem to have time to get all the preparations made: new price lists, postcards and product sheets, mailings, booth update, new flooring. But I heard of a new type of organizational system that sounds very good to me. It's a matter of putting everything down on paper/computer in a system that I can trust. When the mind trusts a system, then the mind can focus on the task at hand. But if there is not trust, the mind keeps going to all the things that need to be done. And that's me all over. I get so scattered trying to remember everything. That's why I love my palm pilot. But even that I don't trust because I don't check it all the time! I can avoid it when I want to. Well, the usual dilemma of the artist who wants total freedom. Business rears its ugly head.

1/21/2008 The kiln fired well, though it went a little over and hotter than I wanted. But it was very uneven at the end, and in order to get it more even with the bottom catching up to the top, I had to "soak" it a bit. that got the top hotter than normal. I only lost a couple of pieces due to running or bubbling, so I'm happy with that. The blue pieces turned out well, but I made a mistake that I'd like to repeat and change the whole line. There was a piece that wasn't glazed completely, and the raw clay turned orange. So I was wondering if I could use that effect instead of the yellow accent. This is the challenge with doing wholesale: when I think I've got it down, I change my mind.

I'm dealing with some health challenges these days, getting some tests done. I guessing that it is just something I'll be able to adjust for over the long run, and sometimes it just goes away. Being self-employed gets kind of nerve racking when we think of being sidelined. There's no disability insurance in this company.

Though I have one new apprentice that is going to be really good, I am still looking for another one to fill in Karen's spot. Know anyone?

1/17/2008 It was a challenging day today, with little energy, lethargic, feeling overwhelmed. How ironic that I would get notice that I have been selected off the wait-list for the American Craft Council Baltimore Show. This is a wholesale and retail show, in one of the most expensive cities, and the booth space (10'x10') alone is $2000. That doesn't include electric for the space, the curtain backdrops, hotel, gas, food, etc. This is the way fairs are built. I am just one of hundreds of artists. You can see that this is a big investment/risk. There are plenty of people who have a more romantic vision of what it means to be an artist.

I decided that I need to fire the kiln soon, so I started on preparing a partial kiln load with some of the new blue pottery that will be a major part of my marketing plan this year. I think it will help the sales of my green pottery, too. It's much more inline with the style of the green pottery. I need the work so I can take slides and make new color sheets for the wholesale part of my business, selling to craft galleries around the country.

It turned out the decision to go to my Tai Chi class tonight turned out to be an excellent decision. Being with other people really helped me with my lethargy, and my friends Betty and Bob were especially kind and generous. I appreciate my friends and how I have been able to reach out to them. The same result happened when I went to my Yoga class on Tuesday. Good reinforcement.

1/14/2008 I'm developing schedules for my work, and I'm very pleased with how much work I get done when I do! I have always set goals for working in the studio, making a list of the things I want to get done there. But when it came to the office work, I had a tendency to wander. I really didn't prioritize well. Someone had asked me about how I set up my day, since no one is watching or evaluating me. He said he would surely find himself unshaven and in his robe at 4 in the afternoon. I learned that lesson long ago, but I still wasn't being effective, much less efficient with my time at the desk. But today I accomplished almost all of my objectives for the day, and it feels good to see that accomplishment on Monday already! I feel much more capable and free to get other work done in the rest of the week.

Last Saturday I was the presenter/facilitator for a board training and strategic planning for an arts non profit. My training through the University of Massachusetts was very helpful there, as was my experience on boards and in the arts. The session was well received, and several people let me know they found it useful and even interesting! Board training as interesting, I think that is quite an accomplishment. But that was my intention from the beginning, and everything follows intention.

Sunday was very much a Sabbath day, a day to relax, reflect, regenerate, and feel the good of my life. It was coursing through my veins all day. I was able to practice my Breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, meditation, and even an exercise to let go of attachment. I was inspired by an excellent book someone gave me, Sabbath; Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller. It is a book that inspire with just one five page chapter. I highly recommend it, before you get burned out.

This coming Sunday is the rescheduled talk that I will be giving called "Accessing Your Spiritual Picasso" You are all welcome, and feel free to email me for the full information. I'd love to see you there!

1/6/2007 I can't believe it's been this long! How many times have I written that?! Well, on with the New Year!

Yesterday I took a yoga class under a new teacher at Shine Yoga Center in Cincinnati. I have been practicing yoga for years with a wonderful teacher, Mark Franzen, who teaches in the Hatha Yoga tradition. But at Shine, they teach in the Anusara method.

"Anusara yoga is a unique approach to Hatha Yoga that blends the science of biomechanics with the joyful and creative expression of the heart. The word "anusara" (a-nu-sar-a) means flowing with Grace, being in the flow, or following your heart."

I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to add a whole new dimension of energy and spirituality to their yoga practice, or learn yoga from scratch. It has added so many dimensions to my yoga that I know I will never stop practicing and celebrating it.

Many times when I am walking along the creek, I look at the trees and "try" to admire the patterns of the tree branches, look for the art form of the unplanned growth of nature, the textures of the bark, the way the light hits them. Usually it's a vain attempt. Instead of seeing what is, I spend time analyzing what the pattern is, how it work, why the colors are good together. In other words, I am trying to be the creator, and not just enjoy the creation.

But the other day I was walking Rudy again, and I wasn't really thinking of anything in particular, actually trying to not think so much, and I stopped to wait for Rudy. I looked into the woods, and I saw it. Right there, without effort, without thinking, without analyzing or dissecting: the branches were glorious and beautiful just as they were. They were elegant and striking, whether I was looking at them or not; whether I tried to dissect them and reassemble them in an artistic way, or not. My eyes were able to take in the gestalt of their patterns with a glance, and soak it in with a stare. I was finally in neutral, my mind was on hold, and the full beauty of nature was shimmering in the sunlight.

It's Sunday night, and I had a wonderful day of nurturing and self-affirmation today. As someone who works alone, this can be very useful, but I think in our busy world, it is important for everyone to have a great network of people, even outside of your family. Today was a follow-up day for Life Success Seminars, so I got to see my friends from Basic for a few hours. It is great to be in a room where people are completely accepting and non-judgmental. And that includes me!

12/18/2007 Amazing how many insights I get when walking Rudy. Today was the usual route along the valley floor by the creek, and part of the way up the hill to the ridge line, where I usually turn around and head back home. Today I was struck by the view at that terminus, about 2/3 of the way to the top of the hill. And I looked the other way, up to the top of the ridge, that steep, last 200 yards which I tell myself I don't have time for. And I realized it was another metaphor for me.

This is my tendency; to climb the mountain part way so I can say, "yes, I could do this if I wanted", but then stop and turn around.

I killed the metaphor. I climbed the hill to the top, and I will always go to the top. Because when I say I don't have the time or energy or money to make it to the top, I am making excuses. I guess I'm no longer willing to use those excuses.

12/17/2007 This is one of those late nights in December where my circadian rhythm is rebelling, where it is NOT going into the night quietly, without resistance. Here I am at 2:00 am, at the keyboard out of boredom, or excessive energy, or hypertension, or exuberance for life. I feel a lot more like the latter.

I came from a meeting of my Life Success Seminar group tonight with seemingly unlimited energy, and with no idea what to do with it. I have tried to put it down in words, I have tried chanting it out, I am now trying to write it out. Maybe it doesn't need to be out, but in. Maybe I need to spend more time going in and seeing what is leading me there.

Life Success is full of surprises. Because of the broad band of experiences in the group, I feel like I get to experience things that are not on my radar. Things that I am not immediately aware of, within me. It's like a metaphor or a parable that allows us to come to our own conclusions. And I've seen enough of those.

It's time for me to expand my horizons. I have been blessed by many friends who have helped me sort through the maelstrom of possibilities and directions, to find my own true nature.

12/16/2007 While walking my dog Rudy today, I had prepared myself for the bitter weather, but the wind provided a sword's edge of slicing cold. My tendency in those conditions is to put my head down and trudge, survival mode, self preservation at it's most intense. It's like, I'm trudging across the tundra, mile after mile, trudging across the tundra, . . . Well, it's just a walk in the cold, but when I stopped to holler at Rudy to catch up, I looked up and was able to notice the wind in the winter. Not just how it felt on my face, but how it was whipping everything around. The myriad sea of cedars were bending their tops in yoga-esk side bends, the crisp goldenrod stiffly tipping in waves of gray and silver, and bare thistle pods piercing the cold with barbs and thorns.

I noticed even the deciduous trees were dancing in this brisk winter wind, swaying to the howl of a southwesterly cold front. This brought back long ago memories of standing in the forest in a small grove of 25 foot tall saplings, on a warm, breezy spring day, sun shining, the trees adorned in bright green foliage. My wife-at-the-time said "the trees are dancing", and they certainly seemed to be in some sort of chaotic synchronicity; and if we listened real hard, maybe we could hear some ancient song whispered in syncopated rhythm.

Maybe this is a metaphor (which I am so fond of) for how I deal with life and it's twist and turns. Even the Tao te Ching is very specific about bending so we don't break, in surrender we find strength. I stood in envy that day in the woods, wishing I could have the gracefulness to sway to the buffeting winds, without angry resistance, and make a dance of my life. Maybe Now's the time.

12/12/2007 Hello! Today is a new day. So trite, but always true. Last weekend I attended a Life Success Seminar which is a very invigorating experience. I recommend it as a way to tune up your life, to be more in tune with yourself, to be happier, to be more focused on what you really want. Frankly, I feel like the past year has been a similar experience, and this just turned it up a notch.

Monday my sister was in town from Massachusetts, so I took the liberty of exercising my executive privilege and spending some quality time with her at dinner and jaunting around town. Originally we had planned on hiking in California Nature Preserve, but the entire 5 days of her visit it has rained, yesterday being no exception. So we took the hike inside to the Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park. (For those of you from out of town, these parks are both in Cincinnati.) There were several unexpected treats at the Krohn, which included their 30 foot Christmas with ornaments made exclusively from natural materials by park volunteers. In the main exhibit, there was a fabulous rotating g-scale train that looked like the side of Mt. Adams (Cincinnati again) replete with the Immaculatta church at the top. A very unexpected treat was on display exclusively for us in the desert room, when two "love birds" who live there (possibly grouse?) decided to provide a display of their amorous nature. Including a vociferous soundtrack. I'm afraid that image will not fade soon, and more for it's shock value than for prurient interest. Exhibitionist avian specimens. I guess if they're going to be captives, they're going to make the best of it.

Yesterday I fired a glaze kiln, my last before the season. I'll unload it tomorrow and ship off most of it for orders. I hoped to have most of December to take it easy, and I guess I am at this point, but I can feel the pressure to get more work done for the shows starting in late February. The challenge is to get enough stock made up for 3 shows in a row, because I won't have any time to make work in between the shows. And the wild card is how much will I need? I've never done Baltimore ACC before, so I don't know what I will need there. And I will be introducing a new color combination this year! Turquoise and Yellow. I think it will be snapped up real quick.

This past weekend at Life Success, I realized how much my spiritual life feeds my artwork, even if it is in very abstract ways. Don't worry, I'm not religious, but the spiritual, to me, is more about how the world works, and how we work in it. This coming Sunday, the 16th, I will be speaking on the creative aspects of spirituality, so email me if you would like more info on that.

Thanks for checking in on me! I really appreciate all of you who have been keeping in touch. For those who would like to send me some words, click here

12/4/2007 Participating in my second Kirtan last night was a beautiful experience of voices. To quote,

"KIRTAN is devotional chanting that is open to EVERYONE. It is an opportunity to chant your heart open through sacred call and response music in a group setting. Kirtan invites you to sing, clap, dance and drum together to create deep connection to the secret places of your soul."

The songs are usually written in Sanskrit, and the repetitive nature allows the mind to slow down and feel. Sometimes it's great to just sit and listen and feel the vibration of all the other singers and musicians bring a song to its crescendo. I'd say we all left with a bit of a "buzz", the vibrational echo from 2 1/2 hours of coordinated song.

I was able to load and fire a kiln load of greenware today, so that I'll have the last three days of the week to glaze everything and fire next Monday. I'm sure Robin Wood is anxious for more of her vases, and there a couple of other orders for galleries that I'll be able to fill.

I also spent some time on re-writing some of the policy for a arts non-profit here in Kentucky. Having been involved with the board and committees for the last 9 years, I felt like I had some history to bring to the table to try to streamline some of the cumbersome policy that had accumulated over the decades. But, the final read is not up to me, that is the Trustees' decision.

In two weeks I'll be a guest speaker at the New Thought Spiritual Cooperative in Cincinnati, so if any of you are interested in attending, I can give you the details. I really look forward to all public speaking engagements where I think I something to offer. The next speaking engagement I have is for the Conscious Business Club breakfast in April, on creativity in business. And I'll be a presenter for an arts workshop at the Kentucky School of Craft in April as well.

Yesterday I applied for the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Illinois, considered one of the premier art fairs in the country. I approached the process a little differently than usual, and sent in a series of photos of 5 works that were variations on a single theme. Usually I try to send in a couple themes, but I decided that when I put three of my character teapots in the applications for the ACC shows and got into all of them, I figured I was on to something. We'll see what happens. Why is this interesting? This is one of the jobs of an artist, to get into the finest venues with the best reputation and, more importantly, sales. And one of those jobs is to try to figure out what would best represent me in competition with 1200 other artists applying for one of the 200 spaces in this show. Yes, it is competitive, and sometimes it only takes a minor shift to make the difference.

11/29/2007 The Cats of Mirikitani is an excellent documentary that unfolds over a two year period in New York city near Washington Park. It's the story of an 80 year old Japanese-American who was interned during WWII. He has never stopped making art, and part of the most incredible transformation is the blossoming of his artwork once he finds family and a home.

Untold hours of film were edited down to capture the personality, conflicts, and heart of this octogenarian. Amazingly engaging, this movie has won numerous Best-of awards at indie film festivals around the world. And well deserved. I recommend this film, though it's run at the Cincinnati Art Museum has finished, and maybe it can be found in other cities or on video.

I was able to finish up the work I needed to this week, getting in the last of the orders for the holiday season. We also worked on more photos for the web site, and packing orders for shipping.

11/26/2007 What a great day. Have you ever woken in the morning with a revelation that leaves you smiling? Leaves you optimistic and grateful? Feeling infinitely grateful?! That was for me yesterday. A great idea that brought disparate thoughts and conclusions into harmony, opposition into flow. At times, we feel totally conflicted, but in this case I had no idea that conflict was the problem. I thought conflict was the solution! I thought it better to think the worst so that I could move on. But somehow I found a way to see the truth of the matter and see that moving into that truth would allow me to move beyond that truth. And into the next truth.

It is in these moments that we feel so alive, when we wish that we could bottle, encapsulate, these discoveries of our essence, where everything, or at least this microcosm of personal struggle, falls into place and finds equilibrium within the chaos that preceded.

I had a feeling that the chaos was an elixir, an antidote, a process that would get me through the darkness. And it has. At first it felt more like an Atlas rock, destined to be rolled up the hill for eternity. But it became a blessing, a choice, and it did it's job. It was the purifying fire, the dark night of the soul that dragged my ego down a sinkhole that provided the contrast to see clearly. Clearly.

And now I am free of my own prison, of my own chains, of my own darkness. Now I am free to give more love because of my present love. Even as that fades and echoes, it adds to the river that flows through my life, from my life.

Today was a dreary, rainy, cold day, and I worked in spite of those enticing conditions. I made four serving dishes, or at lest threw the bodies. They won't be ready for finishing and handles until Wednesday. I also threw 8 miniature teapots, complete with lids and spouts, ready for finishing tomorrow. Miniatures are a special challenge in their own right, certainly not conducive to these large hands. I've had to relearn how to make pottery in miniature. But they are so special.

This weekend I sold two pots online. One to New York, another to Michigan. Let me know if you were thinking about it, I've got a few pots left before my show season starts in February. I can send photos of specific pieces so that you can get just the one you want. Remember, handmade pottery makes the best gift. It shows you care, and they will think of you every time they use it.

As I was working on the mini teapots, I was thinking about how lucky I am to be working in my studio, without a time clock, without a desk, without a boss, without constituents. This is the greatest life in the world. And I thank all of you who appreciate and buy art for making it possible. In an ideal world, this would be the only thing anyone would know.

I was very glad that I had put up my Christmas lights yesterday, taking a couple hours out of my work day. I'll make up for it on Thanksgiving. Today it rained all day, and the weather is turning cold tomorrow. Good timing! I like hanging lights better in 60 degree weather rather than 40 and windy. Finished some vases I threw yesterday, and made some more today. Spent the afternoon on the phone with customers and setting up a new online presence at Etsy.com. You can see my shop at click here. These are more or less "live" products that are currently for sale at the posted prices. The pieces that I am showing right now are some darker pieces that came out of a kiln a few months ago. They aren't like my bright green ones, so I thought I'd try them out on this web site instead of mixing them in my booth display. I get a lot more viewers on this web site than on my own. It's also nice to have a shopping site all set up for me, ready to do business.

The rainy day made for a perfect day to sit at the computer. Would have been even nicer to just curl up with a book. Have to chase renegade thoughts like that out of my head. The boss wouldn't like that.

11/19/2007 My great accomplishment this evening was stripping my kitchen floor. I had no idea what the original brightness of that Armstrong finish was, since it had been almost a decade since I had witnessed it. So why is this pertinent to this Blog? I think it was because I decided to do something I didn't think was possible. I kept trying combinations until the right one achieved success with the least amount of effort.

So now I have more confidence in my ability to find a better, easier, and more successful way in other pursuits. I am finding my power. It ,might seem silly to find such inspiration in a clean floor, but I find it where I look for it.

I threw a bit in the studio today, but spent most of the day on paperwork. One of the challenges of being an independent business is health insurance. Add into the mix pre-existing conditions, and we have a great appreciation for diligence.

11/17/2007 I went to see Across the Universe yesterday, and was thoroughly enthralled with the artistry of the production. A great review in the NY Times says pretty much the same thing, and gives a lot of scenes that will entice you to see the movie. I saw it in Cincinnati at the Esquire. It is a musical using remakes of Beatles tunes to tell the story of the 60's. The movie is a great example of an artist taking the content of a scene and expressing the emotion of that scene with authenticity. It is a visual feast that stops just short of being over-the-top. Some friends of mine had seen it twice, and I wonder if I might do the same. At least I might get the DVD. It is very much a love story, actually several love stories told concurrently, and was rather poignant for me.

This morning the sun was rising above the ridgeline on the east end of the valley, and the low angle was backlighting the orange oak leaves outside my window, giving them a brilliant glow against the distant, shadowed hillside. The orange outlines surrounded by haloes of bright white and dark trees.

One of the great tools of an artist is awareness of our surroundings. Try it. What can you notice today? What contrasts? What similarities? What textures? What colors? What people? Ho w much are you like that person? How much do you think you are not like them? What if you were wrong? What can you learn about yourself when you see them?

Some things I don't want to admit to. Out of the comfort zone is where growth occurs. Just like art. Art imitates life, especially in process, if not in imagery.

11/16/2007 This morning I have more paper work to do, which means computer time. Emails to get out, and I am also trying to get my work on a great craft web site that a jeweler told me about last weekend. I'll be letting you know as soon as I get it up and running. I hope to move a lot of stock from here, and then I can do fewer art fairs. That would be nice, to stay home and work.

I've been working on a new direction for me, one that will utilize my writing abilities in developing book study groups. Much of December will be focused on this project, and I hope to put it into a business plan by January. The goal is for this new venture to support me to be able to focus more of my time on my art work pieces, my personal pieces, and less on production. Especially since the majority of my art fairs next year are with ACC (American Craft Council) shows.

I've also been taking a hard look at myself, after a change in my personal life. I am looking at my core being, what makes me tick, and I think this is going to influence my work with greater depth and more motifs and personal material. That always seems to come across to my clients, because I find ways to make it a universal language. I think that is when art is art and not a personal diary or diatribe or lecture. When we as artists can lay out a concept in an approachable and all-encompassing way, then we are relating to the world. The more we can connect to the world, the more we are one. Finding those elements of universality is what can bring us together. It is also what makes good work "stick," it makes it hold a power for everyone that continues timelessly.

11/12/2007 Met some more people today who know me through this Blog. Hi Paula and Jeannette! It's kind of scary to put myself out there and know that people are listening, but it is through being vulnerable that we grow the most.

I had the great joy of making some teapots this morning. At least, I got to start on them. I am so looking forward to finishing them tomorrow. I got the bodies made, with all their variations, eight of them. And I got the lids made, with a new style for some of them. And the spouts, which are a little bigger than the last batch. I felt like I may have miniaturized the spouts a little last time.

I just realized now that maybe eight is not enough. I decided to add a different color to my line for next year, a turquoise blue with a tan engobe. So now I need more teapots for the new color.

Tomorrow I plan on calling a lot of my current shops to get all of their last minute orders in for the holiday and Christmas season. I'm down to my last kiln load, and any room I have left for pots besides Robin's orders will be for that last minute order. Then later this month I'll work on some other projects for the month of December, along with some vacation time, (even if it's not Florida), and start up for the three major shows in February-March. That sounds like quite an adventure.

I was invited this week to conduct workshops at a workshop conference in Kentucky for the Kentucky School of Craft and the Kentucky Artisan Center. I am looking forward to sharing my experience with other artists starting out or building their careers. And I also hope to attend a workshop at the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft. This workshop will be on familiar territory, but I'm sure I will learn something new, as I always do. I am open to learning from every source that is out there.

This evening I spent in Berea, and the drive up and down, for the KGAC board meeting, discussing the future, and the past, of the Guild. I am looking forward to a great year, and I think there is a great board in place. I plan on doing my part.

Life is such a roller coaster, but it is through the contrasts that the beauty is revealed. When the shadow engulfs, then we can see the highlights, and not any sooner. But the darkness can seem so gloomy, so painful. It's like the cold side of the moon, the place where we lose our breath, our heat, our joy. And in a moment, the sun strikes, the heart beats, and warmth spreads throughout the mind with the happiness that underlies all existence. Joy oozes from the pores of each second that pulses reality. And then . .. .

11/8/2007 Morning: Yesterday I got to spend some time in the studio, but today will be mostly paperwork catch up day. My desk is a monumental mess! And my credit card machine is on the fritz, and refusing a new program. Woe is me. . .

Feeling a little better today, starting to see the reality of a personal situation, beginning to see a little clearer. Unfortunately, someone else is not seeing everything clearly. You can't give someone an answer if they haven't asked the question. I have to take care of myself, look at what's best for me in the long run, and let it go. It's just not my work to do. Thank God.

Yesterday I delivered some work to a client, and they are already ordering more. I am so pleased! It's very gratifying when work starts selling and then selling more, and more! And now they need more work for corporate sales. This is the way I intended it to be all along. More!

In reflecting back on the Charlotte show, I can still see all the wonderful artists, one after another, with so much that I wanted to buy. It was some of the finest craft you will ever see. Click here for all the exhibitors. There was a clock maker who made these wooden clocks that had no frames or cases, and many of the pendulums were actually horizontal frames that swung in an arc, back and forth. His name is James Borden, and his work is called Timeshapes, which you can see at www.timeshapes.com My description will not due it justice. One thing to keep in mind is that most of these pieces span 6-12 feet, and one of them is held up by a huge cantilevered arm at the show. These clocks actually work!

I also found a very unique jeweler, Wendy Newman (Gold Graphix) www.wendynewmanjewelry.com that I really liked. The work was so original and innovative, to me, and it was inspiring to look at. Unfortunately, my work was not something she wanted to trade for. Maybe next time.

The credit card processor has been reprogrammed, and the charges from the Charlotte show have been processed! The piles on my desk have been downsized a bit, and I am moving forward. Now my focus is on the sale at the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati tomorrow.

11/5/2007 It sometimes amazes me how some people have gotten to "know me" over this Blog. Some are clients who collect my work, some are colleagues, some are acquaintances. Some become dear friends. Last weekend I got to spend an evening with some old and new friends, and one of the new friends knew a bit about me from my web Blog. I realized that I felt a little vulnerable in that moment, when she knew about my trips, about walking along the creek, about my dog. But that is what this Blog is about, revealing my thought process and how my creative mind takes my environment into it's process.

I went to Charlotte, N.C. this past weekend for the American Craft Council show at the Convention Center there. The show was spectacular, but I think the city is equally spectacular. It is such a clean city, and so well thought out. They are developing light rail for transportation, especially since the parking situation is reaching critical mass. During the week I spent $14 one day for a parking garage. During the weekend, parking is free.

At the show there were such amazing artists exhibiting and selling their work! I was very proud to be included in the work presented, and I actually did as well or better than most of the artists there this weekend for sales. I was told repeatedly that sales were down from the previous years, but from the appearance of the average client, it would seem like there was an unlimited well of art -appreciation in the room. this was a crowd who knew good art work, and were willing to buy it. I sold almost all teapots for the entire week, and that is what I displayed largely for the bulk of my booth.

I tried a dramatic dynamic shift in emphasis of what I was displaying in my booth, which seemed to coincide with the show's demographics, by eliminating small ticket items. I figure that I have only so many customers because my work is so unique, and that they are happy to get the best work available. So without a lot of mugs and dinky stuff set out, they focused on my teapots and bought most of them! That was 90% of my sales for the weekend.

We ( my brother and I) then drove home on Monday, stopping in Hendersonville at one of my favorite shops, A Show of Hands. Hendersonville is a beautiful little town along I-26, with a lot of interest. They bought a bunch of fresh artwork for their shop that will definitely make an eye-opening display.

Driving through the Smoky Mountains in full fall colors was such a visual delight! The sun was out, the fall air was crisp, and the mountains stood tall and draped in beautiful colors.

Speaking of fiber art, the Mint Museum in Charlotte had a fabulous collection of fiber art from 13 countries. Each piece pushed the envelope of what you would call fiber art, pushing beyond the boundaries of weaving and paper into the realms of multi- media that would more easily express the abstract dimensions of the mind and soul and heart. I highly recommend it!

10/25/2007 Unloaded the kiln and it went well. It was a pretty even kiln for the heat from top to bottom. Sometimes it gets very uneven, and can result in some glazing challenges. I'm getting pretty good at firing this finicky kiln. My apprentices helped me a lot with the waxing and glazing today, but we ran out of the liner glaze and I had to stop and mix some. I also spent about an hour working on the paperwork for Charlotte, and rearranging assistants.

I went up to West Chester for an intro class for Life Success. I feel like I am at a place in my life where I need more freedom to do all of which I am capable. So I signed for the December weekend, and I am ready to open up my life to more potential and possibilities and power. I think this could be a great turning point.

Tomorrow I will see if I can get everything glazed, and maybe even load the kiln. That would be pretty amazing, and great. Then I could fire the kiln on Saturday, and have it unloaded on Monday, instead of Wednesday morning when I leave for Charlotte.

My trip to Charlotte is for the American Craft Council show there. The American Craft Council is a premier arts organization that puts on fine, upscale craft art shows about 6 per year. Next year I will be in 4 of them. The Charlotte show is one that I am wait-listed for, and that means that if they need a replacement, they would call me. But I am number 48 on that list, and I doubt at this late date that they would get to that number. So I am going to drive in on Wednesday and be there on Thursday in the morning to take any space vacant with a late cancellation. There are two other artists doing the same strategy, so I want to get there early so that I will be the first called. It's a risk, because there is the possibility that there will not be a cancellation for me to fill. That's the risk. Fortunately, my friend Sarah lives right there, and staying with her will alleviate some expenses. It's good to have friends in high places!

10/23/2007 I fired a bisque kiln today, it was actually full, even though I didn't get everything into it that I wanted to. New teapots, new mini teapots, pitchers, plates, wine glasses, and lots of vases for Robin Wood Flowers. She has a lot of corporate clients lined up, and I love it!

Last weekend was my studio sale, along with a local area Autumn Tour. There were a LOT of people driving around these little country roads, and it was almost like they wanted to see how many of the tour stops they could cross off the list. Maybe like a scavenger hunt. Some would barely walk through the gallery before jumping back in their car.

There were the wonderful few who recognized good art when they saw it and bought something. They were the ones who took their time to look and touch and consider what would look good in their room. Especially Hank, who had a good eye for my personal pieces.

Tonight I got up to the gym for a workout, the first time in at least a week. Boy that feels good. It is so important to keep the body ready for the work that this business takes. But then there are the days like today where I was spending much of the day in the office filing papers, applying to shows, sending in deposits on shows (Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Baltimore), mailing out tickets for Empty Bowls.

One of the highlights of the day was finally, finally, getting a fountain operational. A client ordered this fountain for her entryway more than four months ago! I feel so bad that I have kept putting it off. This is the danger of the fall season. I know it is always intense to get all the orders working and the fall shows with their extra days. So intense. But it is all paying off. The fountain will be delivered this week, Yeah! Actually, I am not totally satisfied with it, and I am ordering a new pump and planning on redesigning it for a better operation and visual impact. I want to make it better, make it as good as I know I am capable.

As good as I am capable. That phrase is echoing in my head, and my heart, these days. I have received some unpleasant feedback, and I am guilt ridden with thinking of how I could have done things differently. But I know I have grown and risen to my highest levels, and that I will continue to grow and evolve in wonderful ways, reaching for my very best. I also know how much more I can do to accommodate. I don't know what else I can do right now, and it is up to the universe to accept it as good.

10/15/2007 Returned from the Kentucky Guild Fall Fair last night, and it was a beautiful weekend. It's nice to go to an outdoor show on a sunny, pleasant weekend. It was a nice show that had a good crowd on Saturday, and a steady crowd on Sunday. I sold one of my Character Teapots on Sunday, which I was very pleased with. I did almost as well as St. James.

When we arrived on Friday, I was rather surprised at my location, because it was not in line with the other booths, and it was situated next to the demonstration booths. But after evaluating the situation, we set it up in a completely new configuration that took full advantage of the space and the light. Instead of the usual "L" shaped walls that are usually under the canopy, this time I set the four walls in a zigzag configuration that created a "W" when viewed from above. it made a very impressive display that drew people from across the aisle. And the new black accent in my booth made the green come out really strong.

It was fun seeing a lot of my old friends, and they had a nice dinner for the members on Friday night before the show. It was a great weekend, and all because of my attitude. I don't' know how I got it to turn around from Monday to Friday of last week, but for some reason I was felling great by Friday and I was able to enjoy myself. Attitude is everything!

Selling the Character Teapot was such an affirmation. The collector who bought it has followed my work for years, and has a massive collection of work from all periods of history and all over the world.

I think with my improved attitude that I took with me to this show, that I might recover a little quicker than three days, like I had with the St. James show. But not working in 96 degree weather for four days might make a difference as well.

If you live close enough to drive up, I'll be having my Open Studio sale this weekend, and I hope you can come over. Noon to 5 Saturday and Sunday.

10/11/2007 Today I thought it was too late to make any paint changes to my booth, but then changed my mind and spent the afternoon painting all my display shelves black. That might seem drastic, but I think its more drastic to do nothing. I want to see the reaction and look before I go to Charlotte for the American Craft Council show. I had bought the paint last Tuesday, but I hadn't found time. Today I got the van pretty much packed for the weekend, so I started on the painting, and I really like it so far. I don't know how it will look after setup, but only one way to find out.

I think we're going to have a real crowd show up for this art fair, so if you have not received my email, get back to me right away. You can click on larry@watsonclay.com to let me know. But I will also have an Open Studio next weekend.

I keep wanting to get you some of my notes from the Arrowmont workshop, by request, but I am ready to drop into bed right now, and I think I need the rest for the show. Maybe I'll be fresh first thing a.m.

10/10/2007 Immersed in the midst of the fall art show season, my priorities have required a lot of focus, as well as conscious efforts to take care of myself. Last weekend I exhibited at St. James Art Show in Louisville, and you might recall the record breaking temperatures in the 90's that week. Four days, including setup, with temps soaring and customers lethargic, those that came out to see us. Things went smoothly, and I didn't seem to suffer too much from the heat at the time, but sales were not near expectations or even profitability. That's the chance we take sometimes.

I knew it would not be a stellar weekend this, my first, time because the location I got was well known to be less than optimal for sales or traffic. It' very discouraging to find so many art fairs that have admittedly bad spaces for the artists. I feel that if we get into a show, we are all equals, and if we pay the same money we are all equals. It's a rather archaic system that treats some better than others, and also gives lifetime qualification to some. OK, enough with the whining.

Tomorrow I pack for The Kentucky Guild Fall Fair in Berea, Ky. This is a two day show, this Saturday and Sunday, 10-5. If you see this, you ought to come on down, it's easy to find and you can get directions at http://kyguild.org. It's going to be a great show, lots of new work, and a beautiful park to enjoy it in.

One of the casualties of a weak show like the St. James show is the self-doubt that creeps in, as well as the temptations to rethink everything about the display and the work. We try to figure out why the public didn't want my work, and it seems like there must be everything wrong with it. Even though my work is garnering some good public acclaim. Maybe it's the fate of accomplished art work, to be lauded but not treasured. Think Van Gogh. I think I can buck that trend. I think my work is good and attracts collectors when they are present.

I received my invitation to return to the Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair, but I have a feeling I'm going to reject it. "If it's not a hell yes, it's a hell no." That kind of makes it clear. Four days in the summer heat of Michigan, with imminent tornadoes and a declining economy doesn't send jolts of joy through my body. Ann Arbor is one of the most prestigious shows in the country, so I know I can make it with the big boys, but it took me an entire week to physically recover from that show. It took me two days to recover from St. James, sitting around the house yesterday and sitting in front of the computer today.

9/28/2007 Today I'm off to Arrowmont. 7:00 am. Still copying photos to disc to take for presentation. The kiln fired well on Monday, good work, the glaze was fine. Fired again yesterday, it seemed to go well, I won't find out until Tuesday after I get back. I hope I've got enough stock for the next three shows, because I won't get another kiln load done before that.

9/24/2007 Fired the kiln today, it went extremely well and quickly; less than 12 hours. That's a very good firing. At least I hope it looks as good as the technical process. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new glaze looked. I have a couple of new glazes that I want to test as well, that I can mix up tomorrow for Thursday's firing. Wednesday will be a very busy day, unloading the kiln, glazing some more work, and reloading the kiln for Thursday's firing.

I received notice today for a Professional Development Grant from the Kentucky Arts Council, which I am very pleased and proud to be awarded. It's great to live in a state that is so supportive of the arts. Most artists of the other states in the eastern US are envious of all the support and programs that Kentucky has to assist our artists.

I am not too pleased with the forecast for tomorrow, because I was planning a moonlight kayak on a lake tomorrow evening. Hopefully the rain and clouds will do their thing before evening, and the clouds will part.

9/21/2007 Glazing, glazing, glazing!! Time to get the work in the kiln, which I'll probably load on Saturday, fire on Monday, unload on Wednesday, reload and fire again Thursday before I leave on Friday for Arrowmont. I had some trouble with a glaze and decided to remix it, which ate up an hour I didn't have to lose.

9/18/2007 I'm still here! Really, I'm alive and well, and so abundant with things to do, I just can't keep up with it all! Just to highlight some things that I have been working on

I fired a bisque kiln yesterday, that went very smoothly, and today I spent the morning on the phone with my clients to get all the last minute orders for the holiday season. Try to fit all that in with the retail shows coming up. I'll be heading to Charlotte, NC, the beginning of November for the American Craft Council show there. Thanks to my friend Sarah, I'll be staying there and enjoying her and Jody's company, and maybe Heidi, too.

In October I will be at St. James Court in Louisville, you can find more info on that on my show list. Then the Kentucky Guild Fall Fair in Berea takes place October 13 & 14, and it will be a great event, advertised all over the region on cable, radio, newspaper, magazines. Come on down!

Today I'll work on some molds and make some vases for Robin Wood. She has created quite a following for me, and people who see me at shows know me from the vases she sells. It's great to meet my extended "family".

I'll be part of a fall StoneHouse tour on October 21, and you are welcome! Keep tuned for more details.

I'll see if I can add to this tonight, but I would like to get in the studio sometime today!

9/2/2007 Tonight I was talking with a woman who had worked at an arts center for inner city youth, and one of the young men who had been so conflicted and reclusive came out of his shell, and has since been on TV as a rap artist. I connected that to the book I've been reading, The Long Tail, that talks about how much the hits are not the only accessible art work available. The Long Tail is the long tail of a sales graph that includes all the non-hits that don't sell many downloads each, but are accessible to every niche. Because of the accessibility of these songs/art/movies/videos, and the accessibility of technology to allow the common person to be the producer and creator of art, NOW everyone can feel like they can make the next great Harry Potter hit.

So now we can develop a new culture that allows everyone to feel that they are an artist. I really hate to hear so many people say "I have no talent," when I know that God don't make junk.

Maybe the NXT generation is one that will not judge itself as less than. Maybe the NXT generation is able to live life without judgment. Yes!!! No more judgment.

8/31/2007 Walking along the creek in the morning light, the cool night air lingers in the valley, softly swirling across arms and legs with dewy remnants of midnight. The sun rises above the ridgeline and strafes through the drought-thinned trees, glistening off leaves prematurely yellow and brown. Squirrels dance and swing through the endless trapeze, basking in the abundance of acorns and walnuts and hazelnuts.

My limbs swing in strong rhythm, exuberant in the "I can!" of the morning, the newness, the possibilities. What if I were to hold that newness, that sense of possibilities, throughout the day, throughout each moment of creative energy? What if I left my old belief system of "not enough time" behind, in the dark of midnight, and opened to the energy of every new minute?

Yesterday I got the kiln loaded. It always appears that I have everything figured out, and then I start loading and find things missing, more glazing to do, glazing that I missed. It doesn't go as swiftly as I planned. After it was loaded, I had a great burst of energy and got some pots thrown, cleaned the studio a little. I received a corporate order yesterday for 60 vases, intended for corporate gifts in December. Yes, it sounds like plenty of time, but I have other orders coming in for the holidays. And more orders will be placed at the last minute. I am trying to stock up, not only for the orders, but for the three shows I have this fall.

I'm firing the kiln today, and working on some paperwork. I hope to do some throwing this afternoon. Maybe some new character teapots. That would be fun.

8/28/2007 I unloaded the kiln yesterday and glazed for two days. I took a break at 3:30 today, because I just didn't want to face it any more. I realized a few minutes later that that is part of my personality type 7 on the Enneagram. Though I can't do two things at once, I get very fidgety and unbalanced if I do the same thing for too long. So this job is ideal for me because I have to wear so many hats in a single day. In the past I thought that that was a real handicap, but now I can look at it as a bonus that feeds directly to my strengths, if I can just tap into it. Many business and marketing workshops for artists point out that all such aspects of art are opportunities for creative thinking, and now I see, once again, that this is true. I don't have to wait for "creative moments" to be creative, but my entire day is full of opportunities for creative thinking. It feels like it would be more productive for me if I could embrace that with each change in activity. It reminds me of the concept of "Segment- intending" from Abraham Hicks. The idea is to set an intention with each task or process.

I look for my intention with each workshop or class or event that attend, so that I can focus on the moment and my intention in that moment. When I do that, I can let go of all the monkey-mind thinking, or at least some of it, and I can be present and mindful of what I want to get out of it, or what I want to accomplish. When I am working, I need that focus to avoid getting distracted by something shiny.

Living with a cistern for my water source, this drought has created a new challenge for me. Since I became single again 5 years ago, I have rarely run out of water, and ergo, have not had to buy water from a water hauler. Water haulers have a sense of loyalty to their businesses, and they do not take on new clients in dry periods. They are very loyal to customers who are loyal to them. So I called my water hauler a week ago, and he has not called or brought water. So tonight I cleaned out a bunch of buckets from the studio and went to my Mom's and filled them up and poured them in my cistern. This is probably good for about a day, if I am very sparing in my use. I don't do laundry or run the dishwasher during this extreme condition, and showers are VERY short.

Glazing is going well, and tomorrow I need to make up some more glaze, since I ran out of the green and the mauve. I would have liked to get the glaze mixed tonight, but it didn't happen. I am just not very ambitious in this heat, especially after 3:00, it seems. I feel like I can work really hard in the morning, but I fade quickly in the afternoon when it's in the 90's. It cooled off rather quickly, so Rudy and I went for a power walk, and it was great to get some exercise. It was dark by the time we got back, but what a great sunset. Another realization that I need lots of exercise in order to feel a decent level of energy in my work.

I also feel a need for more creative work in my day, whether it's making new art pieces, playing my music, or writing. It all feeds on each other, and I really need to be aware and take the time to feed that part of me that needs the creative outlets. All work and no play. . .

8/22/2007 Today was a late start with a couple appointments in the morning. So I spent most of the day on paperwork, knowing that I'll be loading the kiln tomorrow. I'll fire the kiln on Friday, and unload it on Monday, maybe even Sunday. Meanwhile, I'll work on some more mugs, and other small items Thursday and Friday. More paperwork Friday.

<>Night Field 2
Stepping through the lodge pole fence
Stepping into the twilight glow
Into the wide wide field
Where the night sky is drawing its blanket across the blue
And revealing stars one at a time.
A blanket goes down in the crisp grass
Feeling the whisp of an August night breeze
Across my arm and neck
Gentle and tender,
Warm in the soft of the back, in the crook of the neck.
Lying on the blanket, looking up
At stars playing hide and seek around
Wisps of invisible clouds.
Time
What?
Time
No. Not here.
To the lit windows
Over there,
The lighthouse of safe civilization
Waiting, waiting with its soft warm rooms.
The fog of sleep in my eyes
Closes on another day, a special day.
In a flash the dawn will lift my eyelids,
And light a new candle of discovery. <>

Larry Watson
August, 2007

I went to "rehearsal" for the Glendale Guitar Guild, which is appropriating the moniker "Car on the Tracks" for this performance. We are playing at a public venue this Saturday, and you are welcome! It will be the Glendale community center off I-75 west on Sharon Road (exit 15), about a mile, and it's just a hundred yards past the railroad tracks. We'll start a little before 6:00pm on Saturday, the 25th. Bring a picnic or a bottle of wine. We are the warm-up band for the real main attraction- Stone Bunnies.

As my friend Barb says, making music touches a place in us that nothing else can. Just like art.

8/16/2007 Today was a good day for teapots. I started on them thinking I would whip them out and be able to move on to some vases for orders. Ha! They took all my time, besides the face pieces that we poured today. Those turned out well.

The teapots are great. If you want to reserve one, send me an email to get a digital photo of them. I loved working on them, no matter how tedious they got. When I was working on the spouts, I had made the whole set and realized that they were too big, and so I started over and made some more in the smaller size. I think the scale emphasizes a lot of volume in the teapot. And the handles are great, much more in scale than before. Awesome lines. These are great.

Wishing for more rain, since my cistern is nearly empty. I think everyone should have cisterns so that people would be more aware of the cycle of the seasons. With no accountability, the water situation has no meaning to most people. I have to be accountable for the water I use, because if I run out, I have to have it hauled in, and it ruins the balance of my cistern water. And it takes about a year to get the balance back. More rain. Heavy downpours, long drenches, then it can go back to 97 if it wants. I like the feeling of the heat, especially when I can go into air conditioning.

8/15/2007 Amazing how fast a week goes by! Every day I plan on sitting down with you to bring you up to date.

Last week I got started in the studio and got a lot of work thrown and finished, and more work started on Saturday. Monday ended up being a errand and paper work day, so yesterday I got some teapots thrown eventually. This morning I am going to make some more molds for the face cups. I signed up for a 6 week class in mold making, to see if I can get it right. Constantly learning, but maybe that's just what my character likes, the ongoing learning. Never bored. Kinda masochistic, if you ask me. ;-)

8/8/2007 Another week has slipped by. I thought maybe it was two or three days since I last wrote. Today was a good day in the studio; attached handles on 15 mugs, made and attached hangers on 10 Hummingbird feeders, threw 10 ikebana holders, threw 8 pitchers and made the handles for them. Also handled some paperwork. So much more to do.

I found out yesterday that I have been granted a scholarship to Arrowmont School of Craft for their Master Class Series with Chris Staley. I have seen Chris Staley at two other demonstration workshops: Wooster Strictly Functional in 1999, and NCECA in Louisville this year. I think he is one of the most thought provoking and articulate teachers I have ever heard. To be in a class and interacting with him sounds like such a treat, I feel like I would love to video tape the entire experience. Instead, I'll just be sure to bring my tape recorder.

The workshop takes place the last weekend in September, which I realized is the weekend before St. James Art Fair in Louisville, and I was hoping to spend a day or two in the Smoky Mountains after the workshop. That is really my favorite mountain venue, with New Hampshire's Green Mountains a close second. I really have an affinity for the mountains, and wonder if I was a Native American in a past life, it seems so natural to me. When I went to visit Hindman, KY to preview the Kentucky School of Craft in consideration of an Artist in Residency program there, I felt totally at home in those steep, close mountains.

I think yesterday began the holiday season for me. Yes, it's only the beginning of August, but this is similar to farming when they make hay while the sun shines. Putting it off will lose the entire crop. Actually the orders are coming in pretty steadily, right now. Some of my shops are opening new venues this fall. And some are looking at my One-of-a-kind pieces for their galleries. Lots of good things happening for me. And one of my steadiest customers is moving into corporate sales and is making a large proposal that would be quite lucrative. Sounds good.

The heat is permeating the entire fabric of community. I was listening to a radio program where a farm owner noticed how the animals handle these heat waves. They wait it out. They don't fuss. They don't pretend they have to power their way through it. I just slow down a bit, realize that no matter how much air conditioning, the earth speaks to me through my bones, telling me this is my summer sabbatical, my forced slow-down. Time to let go, surrender to the rhythm of this earth that will beat me up if I refuse it's natural cycles. There is a power of the seasons that is greater than any air conditioning can muffle, and I will listen to it. I will even revel in it. At times, take the intention to soak it into my bones as I drive along the expressway with the windows down, a sticky dew forming on every inch of my skin, cooling in the breeze with ancient efficiency. I admit, I escape into the AC in the studio, but the AC is not quite up to the task, and the work creates a cloud of must around me, an almost visible radiant swelter from my skin, as I wedge and throw the clay.

8/1/2007 Oh my, it's been three weeks since I last wrote to you! See how it is; I write every day for weeks, and then its sayonara for almost a month. Well, I have some excuses, but sometimes I just didn't get around to it. It seems like so much details to follow up on, and this doesn't seem so important. Except that it is something I love to do, and it feeds my soul. So 9:30 at night, here I am.

Most of the past three weeks I was either getting ready for, at, or recovering from the Ann Arbor Art Fair. That is one brutal show: 12 hour days for four days. As if that wasn't enough, a tornado warning came through with people running down the street screaming and looking for shelter, sirens going off, and booths only forty feet from mine getting blown to bits, twisted wreckage of canopies strewn across the sidewalks, shards of pottery scattered in the street. Very dower faces from the artists caught in the path. I was spared such carnage, but I did lose a few pieces in the ruckus.

The location of my booth was added to the end of a side street, so the traffic and audience interest was less than ideal. But I made the most of it, and was able to utilize some new sales techniques that I had learned at a workshop in June. These techniques probably increased my sales by 25-35%, I believe.

The show offered free food after tear-down (as well as during setup), so I decided to stay in Ann Arbor for Saturday night and drive home leisurely on Sunday. My brother helped me out at the show, thank God, he was a life-saver. I was thoroughly exhausted even with his help, playing tag-team in the booth to give each other frequent breaks.

Sunday drive was very pleasant because we frequently took back roads instead of the expressway, and visited in little towns along the way. It felt like Blue Highways, getting to see the countryside, the true Americana, the small towns that were dieing, the small towns making the best of it, small towns thriving. Occasionally we would get back on the expressway, and the hypertension settled right back into the van and into our bones, like an insidious gray cloud. Back to making sure I was over the speed limit, moving through traffic, protecting my turf. As soon as I got off the exit, I was back to mosey speed. Take time to look. Have you ever noticed how much longer the traffic lights take to change in small towns? The red light is a good opportunity to see your neighbor, spend some community time in the town. Hell, if you lived in a small town, you probably hoped the light would turn red on you. How about that for a new attitude?!

The next three days were spent doing as little as possible, and much of that on the couch. Sure, I did some paperwork, some more client phone calls, but that couch was visited more than once a day during that recovery period. As a matter of fact, I was at half speed for a week after I got back. This week I was still a little slow, but had lots of miscellaneous to catch up on. Closed on the rental property I had in Bellevue yesterday - YIPPEE! I am done with that hassle. It was no longer fitting into my idea of fun. I realized the part of me that will miss it is the ego that looks for Significance. As long as I'm aware of that part, I don't have to give it any power.

I had a wonderful day on Saturday taking a drive around Indiana, just puttering around, seeing parks and scenery, something that I'd been telling myself since I went to Germany that I would do more of. It was a fabulous day. A real break from work, and I think it helped me get back into the swing of things. Today I was running high, just moving through all the work and feeling relatively effortless about it all. I am sooooo blessed.

7/9/2007 After unloading the glaze kiln first thing, I got the second bisque load in before lunch and fired it up. It fired through 8:15 pm. During the day we sanded the pottery feet of the pieces out of the kiln in preparation for shipping and for the Ann Arbor show. I called on galleries to see if they were ready to re-order. I am getting a few orders in, but it seems like it is even better as a tool to keep in touch. One thing about this industry is that we all know we are dealing with real people. No cogs in the industrial machine here.

Spent the rest of the afternoon getting logistics for the Ann Arbor fair. Turns out that I had written down the wrong dates, and the fair packet did not have the dates listed anywhere. Time for a phone call. Changed the dates on the hotel, got a good look at the map and where I would stay, where the show is, where my booth is, and where the parties are. I thought I would be leaving on Wednesday, but I will driving up on Tuesday, coming home Sunday or Monday. I might travel up to the lake and look around. Then again, I usually am so tired I can't wait to get home to sleep it off. This one is 4 days, from 10 am to 9 pm for 3 of the days. I've never done hours like that, so I don't know how I'll last. I've taken naps on the sidewalk behind my booth at other shows, and I have a feeling I'll be doing it there. No one realizes how much energy it takes to be "on" for a whole day. We have to be very aware of the words we choose when talking about our work, and honoring our customers at every turn. Wouldn't it be nice if the work sold itself?

7/8/2007 Yesterday (Saturday) I opened the kiln and found that I had under fired it. It was not good enough results for the majority of the work, so I just closed the kiln up and fired it again. That sets me back two days, but I think I'm ahead enough to make it up in time for Ann Arbor. Today it seems to be cooling fast enough that I can unload it Monday morning and load it with the next bisque kiln, fire it on the same day. It will probably finish about 10 pm Monday night. I'll probably get it unloaded on Wednesday, glaze for two days, load on Friday, fire on Saturday. I can load up the van on Monday, and be ready ahead of time, maybe pack some orders.

7/6/2007 Today and parts of this week were spent on customer service with my wholesale galleries around the country. It's very helpful to keep a relationship going with my customers to keep me in the forefront of their minds when ordering more work for their galleries. I fired a glaze kiln yesterday, and was still able to make it to most of Tai Chi class. What a class! It was a great lesson in activating my chi to the point that I felt like I was practically floating. And it continued right into grocery shopping later, and I felt like I was floating through Produce, into dairy, past pickles, sliding by sodas. I tried to get it back this morning, and I think I did, which had me moving kind of slow all day. The privileges of being an artist.

7/2/2007 Yesterday I was sitting in an outdoor cafe with sun-dappled tables and chairs, caught in an eternal conversation, the afternoon slipping into evening with such excruciating insistence. I was in awe of the process of the conversation, dipping into, out of, and back into a murky maelstrom of powerful emotions, pleasantries, stories, revelations. I was in awe of the steady progression of sensations. I was in awe of the depth of insight and wisdom, the dogged persistence to create a clear picture. I sank into the chair, heavy with all of it, but not with fatigue. I was mesmerized and totally fixed on this exchange and this day, absolutely aware of so much of what I was hearing and what I was feeling. I felt gifted to listen, to take it in, to have revealed to me the many layers of glorious inner beauty.

So, why would I speak of such things in an art Blog? This is the meat on the bones of all art making. This is the source that we bring to our work, whether subconsciously or with direct intention. Art is not a thing, it is a way. It is a way of expressing my life through the filter of my hands. Even on the days that I cannot lift a finger to clay, those days are creating forms and ideas that were unimaginable before yesterday. Those forms and ideas will come out of me in their good time, when they gestate and grow to fruition. And I will again receive the privilege of yesterday.

7/1/2007 Yesterday I went on a kayak trip down the Whitewater River in Indiana. It was wonderfully out of the box when it comes to man made time and process. This was a matter of getting in tune with the cycle of nature, the water flowing back to the ocean (The Whitewater to the Great Miami to the Ohio to the Mississippi, etc.) Watching the trees lining the bank in total chaos, all the way down the river, sand bars cropping up. The cycles of the water levels, yesterday running swift from a draught-ending downpour, today back to low-slow summer levels.

Tonight my neighbor had his big Fourth of July party, where he and his brothers try to outdo each other in pyrotechnics. I was a beneficiary. Poor Rudy, my dog, was shaking and whining through the whole thing. I felt for him, but I don't know how to comfort him in that moment. Nothing I do can seem to calm him enough. So I sit in the front yard, watching the fireworks splashing across the sky, booming against the hills in ricochet rhythms.

I am watching the Corpse Bride by Tim Burton, again. I watched it yesterday, and I know the Tim can really layer his artwork and his metaphors, if I take the time to look. I was amazed at the metaphor of the two relationships overlapping, but the main character deciding that he had to honor the old one. But eventually the old relationship could see that the new one was what the guy really wanted, and stepped out of the way. Magic won out. Well, that's the way I want to see it. Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket.

I want to choose love. I believe that love is the ultimate choice, that it is what we want more than anything else in the world. Do we choose this, or do we worry about whether it makes sense? OK, so maybe that's selfish.

6/26/2007 Listening to a special on Paul Simon, standing in my front yard staring at the rising moon, I hear the narrator talking about how Paul Simon went off in his own direction, into uncharted territory, making art that is totally personal, totally his own permutation of Post Modern lyrics and traditional rhythms. I think about how excited I am about my new teapots, how abstract and unconventional they seem, how intuitive they are, and how universal the elements. I have a feeling they will be a major part of my future, thought I don't know exactly how, yet.

Sitting by the swimming pool today, I could feel all the positive energy of all these happy people, nourished by the cool water, the sense of play, the complete escape from the everyday world. I settled into that energy, into the cool breeze across wet skin, the whisper through pine trees, and the impending rumble and flash of approaching lightening that ensured a mass exodus.

6/25/2007 I enjoyed working on the teapots a little today, working with the challenge of getting the size and scale of the extra parts. These pieces are complex in their design and putting all the parts together in a pleasing scale. That's what I like, getting into the work, figuring out new ways of working. I had a new idea for the foot pad of the teapots, one that would have elements that would resemble a bridge's girders.

I ended up resting half of the afternoon. I was totally beat from the workshop yesterday, along with the preparations on Saturday. Now that I think back, it was the same way after the last workshop. The body cries out for rest when it is pushed to its limit. Balance.

6/24/2007 The Rock art workshop was great as always. I love getting people together and get them out their box. This is a great workshop that I would like to do more. It sure takes a lot out of me getting ready for it and all. But it is a great time.

Yesterday, Saturday, I got caught up in working on the new teapots some more. I Didn't want to stop on those, they are coming along so well. I can't wait to get back in the studio and finish them tomorrow. I also finished some plates and sun plates. It didn't seem like "work" to be in the studio on Saturday, I have been enjoying the clay so much.

I took a walk in the woods tonight, and the grass drying out and so sparse, it was great to sink into the awareness of the dry weather.

6/22/2007 Last night was Guild night, the group that I play music with on Thursdays. It was a great time! I don't know what the magic was, but everyone was in a great mood, lots of joking around, and the music was a real bonus. Great music making, it seemed. Maybe I was just having fun, so it all seemed great.

I recently read a book called the Breakout Principle, and it talks about working hard on a project, and taking a break to allow the mind to find the answer. I realize that my music making in the studio is also a way for me to be re-energized throughout the day. It really makes it a lot more fun in my day, and I have a lot more creative energy to put into the work.

I worked on the teapots some more, it's like I am addicted to them. I realize that next time I start on these, I will take pictures so you can see how they develop. The transformation is pretty amazing, how it goes from a vessel to the characters in a thousand simple steps.

6/20/2007 Caressing the raw vessel that would become a new teapot, I was so grateful for the opportunity to make art. I wanted to spend the entire day in the studio and create a bunch of new things, just let my mind have free reign. In the morning I threw a bunch of pitchers to fill out my stock for Ann Arbor in one month. I really want to get on the phone on Friday and get some orders in here, I need to ship a bunch of work out for the summer. Maybe some new orders, too. I want to envision great prosperity for all my clients.

St. James Court Art Fair called today to offer me a booth off the wait-list. I was juried on the wait-list in April or May, and today they have room for me. I am very pleased! This is a part of a very large show in Louisville in July; almost 900 artists, 250,00 visitors. The section of the show that I was invited into is the original show that began in 1957. Imagine, I am in a show that started the same year I was born. There are many other sections of the art fair that are not the original, but the original is considered the top tier, the cream of the crop, the best in the nation. That feels good. By the way, when I say offer, it is not free. These booths cost hundreds of dollars for each artist. This is a business. St. James Court pays for its fountain and its street lights with the money they get from the artists.

6/19/2007 Today I did a lot of running around, getting errands done, delivering work for jurying at the Middletown Art Center, picking up slides, bank, post office, cutting the grass at the duplex for sale, picking up free padding at the carpet place for packing material. And I actually got into the studio for an hour or so! I am in such a good place that I am grateful for this abundance of things to do. The To-Do list is unlimited! Woohoo!

Friday night I had my Gratitude party for the patrons who helped me make it to France last year. I didn't realize it at the time, but the date 6/15, was the anniversary of my flight to France for the exchange. How serendipitous.

The party was a great time for all. They picked out their teapots from the group that I had made for them. You can see the teapots at Watson Studios France Teapots Everyone hung around until dark, enjoying wine and homemade humus, cheese, chocolate covered strawberries. I think I want to do this more often with other collectors for my kiln openings, etc. I love making new work, and I love having people over to see it. Let me know if this is something for you.

I am in a great emotional and spiritual place in my work. I am so happy to be here, and to be making artwork. I am beginning to realize exactly how wonderful my life is. I am also realizing that I have a responsibility to the world to make art. I am the vehicle through which everyone else is living, the art sensibility that everyone else wishes they could pursue. I am creating inspirational artwork that adorns the homes of real people, that gives them a smile, a pause in their day, a curiosity in the world. It's hard work. But it's good work. . . . . when you can get it.

6/18/2007 I couldn't wait to show off some new work that I just finished in raw clay.

I worked on them Thursday and today, and I could stare at them for hours. Paul Soldner said he keeps the pieces that mystify him, that he doesn't quite know why they work, until he gets it. Then he passes them on. These pieces are like that.

6/7/2007 I received a shipment of clay today, so I feel rich! It is nice to have a stockpile of clay in my studio. When I get low, it makes me nervous.

Finished some jardienes today, and threw some mugs. Really didn't get a lot done besides that in the studio. I had to run some errands in the morning. I'm sitting here trying to think what I did all day, because it felt like I worked hard in the studio most of the day. But not being in there right now, I can't really say what got done. I'm sure corporate slaves feel the same way many days in the cubicle.

I stepped out in the front yard before going to bed, and watched the fireflies. The twinkling in the field is so rich. The night felt so perfect. I wanted to sit there for hours.

6/6/2007 Tonight I went out for dinner with the Food Chain. This group was started by Shauna as a class project to try to change the world. The idea was to get people from all walks of life to get together over food, breaking bread. It is a great way to appreciate the different types of people in the world. It has been a real lesson in letting go, of releasing my old beliefs that I should control things, or that I should be the center of attention. Because right now heaven's right here.

Today I spent the day on errands again, just like last week. Of course there were fewer errands this week, so I was home by 3:30 this time. I had two appointments with galleries that went very well, and I had lunch with a previous apprentice. Then I took film that I shot last night to Robin Imaging, and then on to Provident to trade in the new flash unit that I had bought from them last week. It didn't work. But now I can experiment with this new one, and get better results with my slides, I hope.

Last night I re-shot all of the new teapots that I had made, since the patron party is next week. I have to get them shot before then, so that I can let them go to there new homes. I finished up around 10:30.

I got a lot of work done this week until today, with some new teapots, jardienes, plates, mugs, and lids. One of the teapots was not very interesting to me, so I decided to experiment with it, go a little crazy. It turned into something very different. I'll see if I remember to take a photo of it. Besides that, I need a photo of me working for some poster that a design firm is making. Who knew that I would be doing so much photography for my business!

Kitchen shelves mugs 07.jpg (88437 bytes)

Here is a photo of my new kitchen shelves that hold my mugs. (Click on it for a larger image) These had been hidden away in my cabinets for all these years, and they just burst onto the wall. I am happy to see them! It is like looking at a growing bank account. Because art keeps getting more valuable with time. At least good art.

This is a photo of my new line of white pottery that is starting to sell already. What do you think? I'd really like to know, so please send an email to larry@watsonclay.com

6/3/2007 Today I spent the afternoon enjoying Summerfair Art Show in Cincinnati as a patron instead of as an artist. I got to walk around and look at all the work as well as all the displays. It was very good to see how I could apply some of the things I learned at the two Day Seminar I attended in Lexington Friday and Saturday.

The seminar was on the business of art, and all the major authorities and gurus were there to help me find my focus and techniques to grow my business in a way that I am comfortable with. Much of the information was familiar, but I seem to require hearing it many times before I can find my way to applying it. I am looking forward to reviewing my notes periodically so that I can improve my effectiveness as an art business person.

5/28/2007 I was asked to write a contribution to an online publication the Palette, a publication for potters that also has an online presence. What follows is my submission:

My first conundrum was: what is a vacation? Actually, I do get vacations occasionally, but they usually involve work in some way, so relaxation is rarely the primary activity.

My Blog, which you can see at watsonclay.com, is full of observations in my everyday life that have everything to do with my work. Most of it involves awareness of my environment, especially in nature. But last year had a lot of influences from societal infrastructure and urban environments, as well.

In June I was part of a Sister City art exchange to Nancy, France, which gave me the opportunity to explore more of Europe, it’s cities, and it’s culture. Exploring Paris gave me a strong background in a historical context, which I am still trying to visualize how I can incorporate such references to history in my work. In addition, some of the abstract figurative work that I have been evolving has been partly about my experience as a foreigner in a foreign land, and my awareness of diversity and differences. Accepting those differences as neither good nor bad allows me to look at myself and my own idiosyncrasies, and decide if or how I would like to portray them in my work.

More literally, the urban experiences in Paris, Nancy, Lucerne, and Frankfort have heightened my awareness of windows, and I have been incorporating those in a metaphorical way in years prior. Being more aware of their connection, the symbolism windows have as eyes in my figurative work will be explored on my many levels. The juxtaposition of these and other architectonic elements in my work emphasizes the softer alterations that create character in my figures.

My trip to Manhattan for the New York International Gift Fair Handmade Gallery in August has also informed my work. Besides working the show 6 days, the evenings and a couple extra days added on at the end allowed me to immerse myself in that culture. I became aware of the positive atmosphere such a high charged environment can produce, even as taxing and intense as it can be. It also emphasized the side of me that reaches for the calm and quiet at times, and I now to try to allow room for both aspects of my personality in my work, and in my life. Allowing room for them, they have much greater strength and intention.

Intention is a major pursuit in my work. I feel that we are making craft if we make work by default. But when we put intention into each and every aspect; line, form, color, texture, content, etc., we are then creating art. So in all my travels, and hopefully in my everyday life, I dial up my awareness of my surroundings, and see how that awareness meshes and mixes (or not) with my perceptions. I can use those synchronistic interactions as fuel for work, or sometimes their contrasts. “An artist is someone who sees his environment and reassembles it in a way that makes sense to him.” (Source unknown)

That being said, I don’t suddenly incorporate all my observations and epiphanies. Sometimes they have to gel for a while; a few weeks, or even a few years. And then once I reach for that idea, it can morph into something totally different, especially if I realize an emotional or spiritual association into which I would rather dive.

A more direct effect on my work can be seen in the development of my twisty handles that have become more involved and complicated by two trips. Nancy, France is considered the birthplace of Art Nouveau, and nature motifs and asymmetry were two main elements in that movement. Seeing the Musee de L’Ecole Nancy, and the Musee D’Orsay in Paris, illustrated how much I had already been working toward that aesthetic, and this experience liberated me to explore it even more. In addition, I spent a March day in Chattanooga Tennessee on my way back from Atlanta ACC where the Hunter Museum there had three Paele sculptures installed in the new wing and in their sculpture garden. This is also a more conscious influence on my handles, now.

My pots have recently sprouted some squares with texture protruding from the sides that seem to relate to my side trip to the Swiss Alps at Lucerne. As I climbed around Mount Pilatus, the rocks protruded from the skree in random patterns, absolutely perfect in their unconscious surface undulations. The snow covered mountains receded into the distance and into Italy and Austria, solid and rugged as they rose from the natural crystal lake at their base. I realized that I love rocks (which I think of as fired clay, anyway), and these new elements in my work relate to that affinity, though I haven’t figured out entirely how. This indicates how intention unfolds, almost like layers of an onion (see: ogre). Once I think I know my purpose and intention for a particular element, another meaning takes it to another level, and another direction. Fortunately, this means I am looking forward to an unlimited wealth of ideas.

5/25/2007 I went to the SOS Art exhibit opening at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, produced almost single-handedly by Saad Goshen. There is over a week of events, movies, exhibits, poetry readings, etc., organized and installed by this man. The event is about Peace and Justice, and the diversity of viewpoints on each of these was surprisingly exciting and powerful. Very powerful. I would highly recommend seeing it. I have a program of events, just email me to get one.

I got a bit of work done in the studio today, which makes a really good day. Friday already! Trimmed and carved two platters, worked extensively on 12 ikebana flower holders, threw 9 plates, trimmed 14 wine glasses, threw a fountain for a special order that is a barter for my massage therapist. Spent some time on the phone, and yesterday I finally got myself installed and set up on Southern Artistry.org with photos of my sculptural pieces. I also started repairing my web site, and I hope to get a bunch of photos on there soon, including the sculptural pieces. It's time to act like a real business in my promoting and marketing presence.

Treated myself to a nice walk in the woods before dinner. That's a good recharge.

5/22/2007 Finishing up at 10pm with a photo shoot of the new teapots. I would like to get the slides processed and digitized tomorrow, but I don't want to go all the way into town. Too much time away from the studio. I want to create, make art! I've got it good, even with this three-week cold. I am happy to be working.

Started a large jar, close to the size in the picture above. I love working on them, going through every step to make sure it survives and looks great. I like the rhythm of the process, having blind faith that this awkward shape turns into a beautiful jar, with grace and character. Threw some mugs, some lids for jars, a couple large platters, made handles for the jardienes I threw yesterday. Tomorrow I'll finish the plates I threw yesterday, the jardienes, the large jar. The platters might not be ready to trim until Friday.

Yesterday the Behringer Crawford Museum was out here to look over my work for their fundraiser. They picked out a piece for the silent auction in September, and they have good taste! They chose a nice jar, similar to the one I threw today. In green of course.

Last night I tried a brainstorming tool to elaborate on one of the elements in my new teapots. I want to tap into the context that underlies some of my choices, so that I can create more intention in my pieces. The element I was exploring was "eyes." The tool is merely placing the word in the middle of the page, and then writing in association words around it, placing each one in a box. It was interesting how much power each word took on when I drew the box around it. I came up with a bunch of meanings and ideas and images that will be very useful. Do you think it would be strange to add electrical wire woven into my pieces? I realized that the eyes that I put into my teapots were windows or glass. Windows to the soul? Lenses? Now the eyes seem more interesting to me. Don't know where this is going, but I like it.

I read a quote the other day that artists are not ahead of their time. They are in their perfect time. The rest of the world is just a bit behind.

That's the way I feel so much of the time when I'm creating my sculptural pieces. I really don't know where they come from. Especially now that many of them that I made three and four years ago are getting into major national shows. So now I'm moving on to even newer work, and I wonder if everyone will get behind again, or if they can hang on to this horse. It's a wild ride.

5/17/2007 I am finally back in clay! It was so much fun yesterday and today to have my fingers on clay again, making some totally awesome teapots. I've had an idea for a teapot for some time, and I was hesitant to try to create it, but the temptation was too strong this time. I created a new form, and the handle has a different gesture too. Maybe I'll get a photo on here tomorrow. But I found myself wishing the day would not end, so I could keep making pots. It's good to feel that passion again.

Rachel helped me with restocking the gallery, thank her very much. Now I am ready for more customers, when you feel like stopping out. If I'm not here, just leave a check or credit card info in the top drawer in the gallery.

The new teapots from the last firing are so good, I really don't want to give them up, or to sell them. I really like them. The white one is a new thing for me, and I think it will be one of my favorites. I want to make some more. I think I'll work on that for Ann Arbor, maybe skip the amber pots entirely and bring white instead. Maybe that makes more sense in the booth design.

5/14/2007 I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, so I got a good 3/4 day in before I hit the wall. Spent the morning paying bills and trying to sort out my checkbook. I finally gave up and just reconciled from what my online bank said I had. I have no idea why I have more than what my checkbook does, but maybe it's because I believe in prosperity.

Unloaded the kiln this morning, and the new France teapots are great. I am ready to start making some more! I will be taking some to Ann Arbor in July, and I think they will sell well. Ray tells me that people come to Ann Arbor to buy the "big" stuff. The same is true for the original St. James Court in October.

Afternoon was spent sorting and packing orders, that, surprise!, I am a couple weeks late. But the work is great, and I am able to ship mostly complete orders. This is good.

I took a very relaxed walk this evening, and Rudy wasn't in a hurry either. The trees are at their spring greenest, the huge oak with it's shiny big new leaves, glistening in the evening sun. The green was so alive in its newness. I realized that in a couple months the leaves would be brown-edged, torn, ragged, and this perfection of green would have a different hue, a worn look that is part of the passage of time. Winter wipes a clean slate, and the newness of spring is all-encompassing, all-consuming. There is no old to taint the picture. That is the joy of all things new, all adventures taken.

5/13/2007 Yesterday I had a group out here working on some rock art using natural materials. It was based on my exposure to Andy Goldsworthy by my friend Suzanne. She had lent me a book that got me thinking. I was asked today how this transformation took place in my mind, and I realized the sequence of events.

After reading the book by Andy Goldsworthy, I started looking at my surroundings as potential artworks in the nascent form. I saw the trees along the creeks as waiting receptacles for rocks. Quite a visual oxymoron, but I loved the temporary nature of it. Then I thought about lashing some in place with vines and branches, because occasionally they fell out after a few days. The idea of independent rocks with weavings and structures around them so that they could hang from the trees got me visually excited.

So the germ of an idea led to the Rock Art workshop. Click here for a full set of pictures.

5/2/2007 Today was a mad day of glazing, from start to finish. I didn't get everything ready, yet, but a good majority. Maybe I can get the kiln loaded, and even fire on Friday. That would be hard to do, since I will be at a school demonstrating on Friday. And loading the van on Friday or tomorrow. It all seems so challenging to get it all done at once.

Normally I take the day after a show to recover, but there is an opening in Columbus on Sunday that I would like to be at, since I have three pieces in the show: Ohio Craft Museum' Best of 2007, and national member show. Very few artists in this show have three pieces, most have one. I am feeling quite validated with that.

Yesterday was the Finals of the class I am teaching at NKU. These students did some fantastic work, and I am so proud of them. Though there were some complaints, I think that is a good sign sometimes, that I made my expectations known. People really wanted to do better, and not just do what was needed. I felt like they learned a lot, and that is what my job is.

I worked in the studio until 7 tonight, and then worked on publicity for Saturday's show, then worked on grading for the class. And here I am talking to you at 10. I live a charmed life, don't I?

France Teapots 2 web 3x3.jpg (27696 bytes)

these are some of the teapots that I have finished that are rewards for my France patrons. Enjoy. Click on the image for a larger image.

4/26/2007 Teaching at NKU was good today. I was able to get the kiln fired up this morning at 6:30 and have it moving along pretty good by the time I left for class. When I was leaving I asked if anyone needed anything, and the students firing two kilns (at the same time) asked if I would come back and fire the kilns while they were in class. Of course! So I ran home to turn my kiln up and get some food, ran back up to the school to fire their kilns, and then came home and finished my own kiln. All kilns ended up very good, I think.

Rachel and Nicholaus did a great job in cleaning up the studio for my sale this Saturday. I grabbed a replacement wet-vac to use, but didn't realize it was non-functional. So I spent some time getting it to work, and then mopped the studio. It really looks nice, so I hope you come out to see it! There are some really cool new teapots, and I am really excited to see them fired.

I've made plans for my 50th birthday on Sunday, and looking forward to dinner at Slim's in Northside. Fifty! I can remember when I was in my teens and having low expectations of making it to 21. And now I look at 50 as half way. I plan on keeping in great shape so that the rest of my life is fun and adventurous. I'm not interested in rotting away. I like to imagine some wild and crazy pots that I'll be making in my 70's and 80's. Like Paul Soldner.

4/24/2007 Today was a challenging day at NKU, topped with the anxiety and nervous energy of a TV appearance on ICN 6 Insight Cable. But I was able to maintain quite a bit of equanimity through the day, and I felt good overall about the interchange and information that I got and gave. I was able to finish a large jar that I had started at NKU, and I'll pick it up on Thursday, along with another large jar that was already bisqued.

This is the final run to my studio sale on Saturday, and I don't have the postcards back from the printer yet. But I have all the work bisqued, and more than half is glazed. Tomorrow I will work on the France Teapots glazing with the airbrush. I think these pieces are going to look great, and I will use them for new slides to jury into shows, I am sure. I didn't get all that much work done today, I decided to spend some time treating myself well t heal, and it was very nice to take that time. I am beginning to find ways to follow my own advice to find time to stop and be quiet so the great ideas can come in.

4/11/2007 Pulling away from a day of kiln firing at the Ceramics building at NKU, the evening storm had subsided for a minute, the hail had melted, and the wind had lost it's teeth when it lost the rain that it had driven sideways. The sun peaked out from the clouds low in the west, and a rainbow arched its back over the campus, and then another rainbow arched over the first, a faint echo or ghost image of the first. The first rainbow started to glow all its colors deep and rich, definitive lines of red yellow green blue. Neon in brilliance, perfect in their mathematical arc, I was mesmerized by the gift. By the time I had driven to the end of the street, a vague hint of color remained, soon to vanish in a resurgence of the storm's wrath.

It reminded me of some of my recent travels last year. I was walking through the subway of Paris and, musicians being more ubiquitous in their metro, came upon numerous performers. After passing them by, I resisted the urge to follow in my fellow passengers' footsteps to keep those footsteps uninterrupted. Instead, I would stop, turn around, and come closer to the performer. Such was the case with the young female violinist playing something I couldn't have recognized if you paid me. I stood on the opposite wall, holding vigil, lending an ear. After I had stopped, I denoted a sudden upsurge in pace and energy, the head began to dance over the instrument, a smile played on her lips. I smiled during my stay, which was about three minutes, I guess, punctuated by a simple donation in the violin case.

I felt better for stopping and giving an audience to someone who rarely had one, who was so accustomed to Mr. Bell's plight: apathy. But more importantly, I felt enriched by receiving the gift that was offered, recognizing the desire of the musician for an audience, someone to appreciate their own gifts of talent, God given, unasked for, generously bestowed.

Again, in Germany, I crossed a simple but elegant Frankfort footbridge almost daily on my way to the riverside viewing area for the broadcast international soccer tournament. An older gentleman spent his afternoon plying his accordion, and each afternoon I would stop for a few minutes, and offer a few simple coins. But more importantly, I offered an ear, and a smile of appreciation. And I came away a winner again.

4/8/2007 Floating into a cove on the lake, hardly a ripple from my kayak disturbing the moonlight, I inch closer to the spring Peepers, those tiny little frogs with the high peep that signals the coming of spring and warm weather. The temperatures are in the low 60's, with no breeze left after the sun went down.

Drifting lazily in the shallow cove among the fallen trees, I can here an animal rustling the dry, rotting leaves from last fall, steadily growing closer, until I notice him on a slight ridge above the shoreline. A buck has stopped in silhouette against the moonlight-dappled trees, staring at me with seeming unconcern. Frozen for a few minutes, it then continues on its eternal search, and suddenly it dashes to the side, having smelled an intruder. It begins to paw at the ground loudly, snorting intimidation, bouncing around in the hollow. Moving a few steps, it repeats the pawing and forceful snorting. It finally occurs to me that he might have smelled me, and was establishing his territory. I slipped away as quietly as I could, noticing the full moon through the tree trunks, glaring and brilliant in the bare branches of April 1st.

This was a gift from a friend who has kayaks, and is generous enough to loan them to me when I call. Of course, Mark got me addicted to this experience of moonlight kayaking when he took me out a couple years ago. It is a magical experience. It is one of those times that is a treasure in my life, the thing that we all live to experience, the thing that we could never pay enough money to get. This is what we live for.

The rest of the week was full of great work, good students, and new revelations. I tried setting up a schedule for myself for an entire day, and realized that my judgment of self had turned me away from this practice, but if I focused on how much it helped me, instead of how much I didn't get done, I feel really good about what I am accomplishing. I realize that I would like to work on developing more joy about my successes, instead of admonishing myself for not doing "everything". Such a challenge, I think, for most artists to just get to work and find joy in the results, no matter what. Or maybe it's just my own judging self that gets in the way.

I enjoyed today when I could appreciate the diversity of everyone that I meet and talk to, all my friends and colleagues and students, to realize that they are all a different face of God, to accept them and celebrate their uniqueness. Their difference from me is what makes them so special.

3/30/2007 Working into the fading light, with the moon taking up the slack when the sun went down, I was out in the yard tidying up the tall grasses. I focused on getting them chopped down so that the new sprigs of grass would be unfettered in their rise to the sky, leaving the carnage of grass carcass fanned out on the lawn in circles around the root ball. I'll clean it up tomorrow. In the meantime, I know my neighbor, my "particular" neighbor, looks down on such disarray with dismay, nearly needing stitches in the tongue he bites so many times a week. Thank God he's a Christian man who can be so tolerant.

Worked a lot in the studio, again ignoring the administrative needs of the business, for the most part. Finished up at 9 pm again. I have the new direction signs pointing highway traffic to my humble gallery for a look at some of the nation's finest.

I worked on finishing some teapots, trimming and decorating a bunch of bowls, threw a bunch of plates, adding handles and trimming some serving dishes, and thinking a whole lot about my work and its direction. What a joy to be working in the studio. I came to a realization that the struggle to make a living at this is actually a good incentive to get me to work. It's a real kick in the pants to make some great art in order to pay the mortgage. So I am grateful that I don't make a lot of money. YET. It's coming soon, I'm ready for that Porsche. Or Z.

The day flew by, working on pottery and thinking about what I can do next. It never ends, the fun, the surprises, the art unfolding in my studio. I am the luckiest guy on earth.

3/28/2007 I spent most of the day in the studio today, in spite of much administrative work begging my attention. I am having so much fun working with clay, that I am somewhat neglecting the business aspect of it. I guess I'm seeing where my heart really lies, the whole reason that I decided to do this. There was a speaker at NCECA that spoke to this very dilemma: do I work at the business to grow, or do I find a way to make more artwork. I want to make more artwork.

Finished 7 new teapots, which are way cool. The new handles have a Paele sculptural feel to them, that are very flamboyant. I wonder where that could take me with the body of the teapot, where I can get more flamboyant with that part of the design. One of my students has showed me a new way of looking at distortion of form and push-pull of parts of a pot. My challenge there is that I don't leave enough thickness to really distort much. These pots are getting lighter and lighter. I was amazed at the lightness of the Jardienes that I made last week.

I worked late in the studio, loving every minute of it! I finally closed down at 9 pm. This morning looking out at a drizzly gray morning, I was actually smiling at the effect. It was calming, and most of the day had me feeling so grateful and blessed to be where I am, at each and every moment. I'm reading a book, The Creative Life, by Eric Butterworth, that has been seeping into my thought process in pleasant ways. I feel so much more empowered to decide how I will feel, and how I will believe my life is going. So it has had a nice impact on my attitude, even if temporary throughout the day.

I'll see if I can get a photo of the teapots for you tomorrow. Thursday is class at NKU, so I'll be teaching in the morning and working in the afternoon. Apprentices in the studio tomorrow. Music Guild tomorrow night. My life is full.

3/26/2007 Today I got to throw some teapots, which I'll get to finish on Wednesday. I'm trying to look back on the day, and it seems like it slipped away into the night without telling me. I ignored paper work for the most part, but still had some things to work on. Trimmed some plates for an order I got in Atlanta, and finished some wine glasses for other orders. I've been trying to figure out when I'll have my next kiln opening, and it looks like it will be April, late. More to come later. It will also be my patron party for the people who supported my trip to France, and the works that I am doing just for them. I believe it will be in the same kiln. I love these teapots, and I need to get photos of them before they take them away!

I was out feeding my daffodils tonight, and I realize that it takes some focus for me to notice and appreciate my own garden, and last week I decided to look out for all the daffodils I could find when I am driving somewhere. It occurred to me that each and every daffodil was planted by someone who had hope in spring, planting those bulbs in the fall, and then to make sure they survived the summer after the spring blossoms had died back, and the blades had disappeared. There was someone behind each and every daffodil bloom, who made sure that nothing encroached on the bulbs, that they were fed, that spring started off with a yellow bang. I felt like I was honoring that effort, that hope, that joy in the beauty of nature by observing it.

When I was hiking up in the hills, a hawk made a hasty exodus from my approach, swooping down from his perch in a tall locust, almost grunting at the unexpected effort to gain altitude over the meadow to clear the trees at the meadow's edge. It continued to flap frantically, rising up to the clouds, and then gliding noiselessly down the other side of the hill, immediate refuge from my intrusion. Rudy started to give chase when the hawk flew low over the meadow at first, having false hope at a possible feathered dinner. His attention was quickly diverted by the whiff of furry prey. He was gone until sunset.

3/19/2007 I'd love to say that I am finally back in the studio after three weeks of shows, etc., but today I will be packing shop and special orders, some of which are woefully overdue. I am grateful to have some stock left over from the tow shows to fill the orders, and I hope they sell real fast! I have several contacts to follow up on to get more shop orders.

I realized this morning that my concerns about how much I have to do in a day has a lot to do with not setting limits on the segment of time that I would work on them. There is a technique called "segment intending" where we can be in the moment if we focus on the intention for that activity. Like, driving to a place has the intention of arriving safely, and perhaps on time. Hurrying doesn't necessarily accomplish either one of those intentions. The same for all of my work. I need to know how much time I am going to work on something, and then I don't get scatter brained thinking about all the other things that are crying for my attention. I have come to the realization that multi-tasking is not one of my resume skills.

3/16/2007 I have just returned from Louisville and the NCECA National Conference. It was a 3 day conference, but I went for a day and a half. Good thing, because I was still a bit exhausted from Atlanta. I wanted to get some work done before I left, but the only work I got to do was at the desk. Paperwork to clear up from Atlanta, with still more to do. This after spending all day on Tuesday at the University with a guest artist demonstrating for my class. He was one of the panelists at the NCECA conference as well.

The conference was a whirlwind of exhibits, lectures, demonstrations, talking to old friends, trying to take in as much as I could. At each exhibit, I would see another technique or optical effect that would spur a new idea for my work, scribbling it down for later use. Then the demonstrators would make a point that would really resonate with me, and then I would wonder if I should rethink my approach to some aspect of my work or my business. One thing I tried to remember was that almost all of the presenters and demonstrators, if not all, were educators, artists who made their mortgage with a healthy paycheck. Many of them talked in some rather esoteric terms, with great philosophical view points. All of that is great, and elevates the process, but I have to bring myself back to earth and figure out how I am going to combine that thinking with my business plan. I think I need to develop the clear concept that I am running several businesses that have a variety of aesthetic priorities. I would love to have more time to work on my artistic pieces, my showcase work that utilizes every ounce of creativity that I have. And all of that finds its way into my regular work as well.

3/12/07 Atlanta was a great show! When I left for the show on Wednesday, I only knew that my friend Dan had gotten a 15 foot booth that he said he would share with me. When I showed up on Thursday morning, I had my own 10x10 in the corner on the back end. I was elated! It had lots of room to spread out and storage behind it. I was very fortunate.

When it was all said and done, I found I had learned a lot, and discovered where I fit in with the ACC crowd, the elite of the U.S. art craft scene. I made some friends, saw some fantastic art, and came away feeling much less overwhelmed.

The morning of setup had a little surprise happening behind my back as I was setting up the booth. An electrician had come around the bend of the aisle, cutting the corner short and knocking over a couple of my boxes. A neighbor artist saw him get out of his golf cart, straighten the boxes without looking, and start to get back into the cart to take off. The neighbor stopped him and pointed out the situation to me, so we got security over there for a claim on a broken $1700 showcase vase. Looking at the bright side, I had "made expenses" before even setting up!

The rest of the weekend went smoothly, and I was working very hard the whole time, except for the afternoon nap at 3:30. I really need to get a 15 minute rest in if I am to survive the day. It's just too grueling! The first day started out very well for me, compared with others, but each day went down in sales. I ended up with a three day total that was equal to, or better than, most of the artists there. I couldn't ask for more!

On the way home on Monday, I stopped in Chattanooga because I wanted to see where my Dad worked for so many years. He worked for the Post Office most of his life, and for 15 years he sorted mail on the mail car of the Cincinnati-Chattanooga train, otherwise known as the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Seeing that city on his luggage left the impression of a larger world that my father lived in, a world that was expanded by his familiarity. After I was an adult, he drew me into that world with his stories of his co-workers and he spending their motel stipend on beer and pool tables, and then working the return night trip without sleep. This explained some of his grumpiness if awakened the next day by his rowdy children coming home from school.

My first stop was at the Tennessee Railroad History Museum, which was off limits because of a George Clooney movie shooting on the trains. I got to look at the tent where George was working, but not within a hundred yards of the train yard. I really wasn't so interested in seeing George Clooney as a real steam engine. Maybe next year.

I went on into town to the Union Terminal in downtown Chattanooga, and saw the station that my father had visited countless times, a station that was so familiar to him that it could be considered his second home. Since he is deceased these 26 years, now, it was rather intimidating to visit this place. I wondered what it looked like back then, even in the days of the steam engines that he used to ride with. He told of his co-workers and he trying to be aware of the impending tunnels so that they could close the windows before the tunnels forced all the soot and embers into the mail car. Obviously, that was the early years in the 1950's.

While at the Union Terminal, I visited the Model Railroad Museum, which houses one of the largest model railroads in the world. And at the Tennessee yards the National Model Railroad Association has its headquarters where I was able to select some great books on steam engines for my collection. I believe it will inspire me to get back into my model RR set and finish it.

While in Chattanooga, I checked out the great museum they have there, which consists of a 1800's home with an 80's concrete addition, a sculpture garden with some great Paella's, and a spaceship- styled addition that was pure artwork rendered in stainless steel. A visual treat.
And across the street was River Gallery, one of the premiere galleries in the country, and full of very familiar names and artwork. I stopped in and presented myself, hoping to be included in the future. This is the kind of gallery that could present me properly.

Further up the road, I went through Cherokee National Forest to Coker Creek area, and noticed a school that was circular. When I stopped at the Welcome Center, I got to talk to a Cherokee native about the structure reflecting the Cherokee style of building. The school was built in the 60's, and it looked to be a great concession to the Cherokee culture, as well as an innovative construction that accommodated the lack of air conditioning at the time. Sorry, I didn't take a picture.

3/7/2007 I got into Atlanta ACC! I'm heading down today, so I'll keep you informed.

3/6/2007 Last night I heard an interesting philosophical statement on TV. I am somewhat addicted to Heroes, and The top "bad guy" said that a person can have a happy life or one with meaning. The happy person lives in the moment, unattached to the past or the future. The person who pursues meaning has no life without the past and the future. The other character said he wanted to be both happy and meaningful. The scene left one with the belief that only one is possible. That's given me a lot to think about.

I am reading Thoreau's Walden, which is entirely about happiness, and the folly of "meaningful" pursuit. Thoreau especially eschews the pursuit of monetary and material gains, because he shows that such pursuit becomes a prison, an enslavement of sorts. And if we spend a moment on it, we can see his point. It's sometimes called keeping up with the Joneses, or having the latest. Being in the right neighborhood. We can spend our lives working harder, longer, and with less joy to acquire, and never have joy from those acquisitions. Then again, I sure do enjoy a good sports car. . . I am constantly looking for ways to increase my income, but I've seen how some artists have become slaves to their business and end up not making any more money. The pain and pressure of a payroll is not my idea of joy. I prefer to outsource the menial stuff. Otherwise, my goal is to find ways to work less with more results. I would like to have some weekends off.

I returned from The Craft Market in Louisville, and there was a phone call from a client who decided she could not do without my large jar. I deliver it next week when I go there for the NCECA conference. The show ended up being a huge success on several levels. I sold a lot of work, which tells me that my booth design is good, and that my attitude was very warm and welcome. It is so hard not to look hungry. Months of work goes into the preparations for such a show, and we only have a few ours to see if it will pay off, and I can pay the mortgage with real money instead of credit cards. Keeping the prosperity mindset at all times requires focus. And, as one artist put it, craft artists are a study in eternal optimism.

I am preparing for Atlanta American Craft Council show for this weekend. I am still a bit tired from the Market, but I really want to do this show. I will go down and be available on the chance that someone cancels at the last second. After my success up here, I believe that I will be very successful in Atlanta with a larger audience and quality artists.

2/27/07 There has been a steady march of indications that the ubiquitous and compelling proof that ours has become a global economy, that there is no separation of societies from information; but it is this very homogenizing aspect of our technology age that draws real human beings to find local connections that provide the true sense of place and culture for which we cry out. The immediacy of information has actually created a disconnect with that information, a distance that cannot be remedied by the seemingly unlimited access to information.

This was brought to light by tonight's broadcast of Frontline on PBS. The newspapers are taken over by corporations that are a financial interest beholding to their shareholders, and take drastic measures to attempt to give their stock it's loft, and in the process cut the media to its very knees with staff cuts. This stock corporation admits that a private financial entity has the luxury to ignore stockholders. This independent buyer is willing to buy the newspaper to save its integrity and reputation with a smaller profit than the shareholders of the previous owners are willing to withstand, yet the stock corporation is unwilling to sell.

The private financial corporation desires to see the newspaper return to its former brilliance, and damn the low profits that would emerge.

I am seeing how people have become dismayed by the sterile effects of the national economy, by bigger and bad-der systems that homogenize our cultures, to the point that they want to become engaged in the world in a way that makes a difference. They have been force-fed a system of bigger-is-better until they are motivated by this very contrast to what they want. It is becoming apparent that the only way making a difference is possible is on a local level. Regional is the grass roots original. Sometimes that grass roots regional engagement can be initiated by a larger entity, whether national or statewide. Or it can be become splintered when it is initiated locally, without a common mission.

When a common mission initiates the regional engagement of a community, then great things can happen. If the mission is initiated locally, then the natural entropy inherent in our societal tendencies causes it to whither and die. When a larger purpose is the cohesive agent among many regional movements, then there is a possibility for growth.

I have been madly at work getting ready for this weekend's show in Louisville at the Fairgrounds for the Craft Market. I know I have enough work, but I also am on the wait list for the Atlanta ACC show the following week. So now I feel twice the pressure to perform. And I realize that part of my anxiety is the old belief of others that I "might" not be capable of pulling it off. What a great awareness of a past belief.

I have unloaded the kiln on Monday, and have gradually packed up some great teapots and pitchers and minis and so much more. The van is going to be at it's wonderful max this week, and I'd love to get some new display made as well, but that may have to wait for Atlanta.

2/14/2007 9 pm I was able to work in the studio quite a bit, threw some miniature teapots that I can assemble tomorrow or Friday. Threw medium bowls, plates, and started some large jars. I made the bases for the France Teapots Monday, and they turned out real well. Now I have 8 of those ready to fire, and then I can have the party for the patrons in March.

Leaving the salt splattered asphalt, I climbed the cattle gate (though there are no cattle, just horses in the summer) and jumped down the other side to the trail in the woods. Leaving the controlled environment for the natural world was evident immediately. The snow had not been trampled, and the ice crust crunched under every step. The trees were protected from the wind by their own proximity, and the snow had gently coated every little branch and twig with a dandelion seed crown, a see-through veil atop the ice-coated branches. It created a milleflori pattern of branches criss-crossing and bowing to the weight of the ice and snow.

I turned up the direct route to the top of the hill, marching through the 40 foot cedars. Occasionally, the sun would dabble a paintbrush of rays on the tree trunks and ice. Chartreuse lichen splotched the fluted gray-mauve bark, spotlighted by the yellow sunlight.

I made it to the meadow that was lined with tall spindly trees which reminded me of kids at the edge of a school yard waiting eagerly to run across the empty vastness. But this group of spindly legs might be waiting a while. The stillness seemed exaggerated by the open space, and the quiet became amplified by the occasional ice shower from trees swaying slightly in the intermittent breeze. Following the old farm road down the hill, the sun drew stripes across the path with tree trunks, contrasting yellow against the blue of the snow. Back to the cattle gate, the climb over the top, and jump down to my reality.

8 am Last night, working in the studio until 9 pm, I was in that state of joy, that total immersion in the work, in the clay. I was watching in amazement to see my hands guiding the clay into elegant forms, thin and strong skin of volume that became a simple wine glass. A simple little wine glass, but, in the process, a witness to dozens of years of focus.

There are four levels of competence, as you may know: Unconscious Incompetence, where we don't know how bad we are; Conscious Incompetence, that seminal moment when we know how bad we are, and therefore are empowered to get better; Conscious Competence, when we are able to make something the way we want and we know whether it is good or not; and Unconscious Competence, where it becomes effortless. Last night I felt that I had actually moved into Unconscious Competence, because there are things my hands do now that I haven't a clue as to how they developed such skill. The clay does things that I had only dreamed of doing. My hands know just where the "edge" is (maybe because I had gone over the "edge" so often?).

At that point, the whole day was a success, even though I felt I had gotten little work done, and time was running out, etc. Even though I have too little time to get the work done for two major shows in a row in March, even though I am already late on orders, and the year has just begun, even though I have to repair my web site because an entire page of photos has disappeared. The day was a red-letter day, a moment where I could accept the understanding of how far I have come.

So the mechanics of yesterday were to work on a personal project as chair of a book study that will happen city wide, some other paper work for my business, preparing more photos for online jurying for art shows, more research on national art shows, trimming large platters and bowls, putting a handle on one pitcher, figuring out my work schedule for the rest of this week, throwing some wine glasses and hummingbird feeders.

2/12/2007 Stepping out from the barn door, my eyes didn't have to lift up far to catch the lowest stars of the sky in this remote area. As I looked up to the zenith of the night sky, I couldn't really see that many stars, but I could tell by their brightness that I would see a sea when my eyes had adjusted to the dark. The incandescent brilliance was more than enough for the evening chores, so now I would wait for my eyes to reveal the evening's show.
It's Friday evening, about 900 when I arrive at the house that I am caretaking for one weekend. I've been here before, a sanctuary in the Nature Sanctuary, A homestead that has some very relaxing qualities. Trusted to the adjoining sanctuary, this 11 acres of trees ,pond, and buildings is a retreat for me to get away from the usual and to spend some time with me. That seems to be a daunting thought, but I think in this world of constant schedules and To-Do lists, we are rarely kind enough to ourselves to stop and sit with ourselves. As Michelangelo knew, it is in the stopping and the contemplating that opens up the world of the creative mind. This is my retreat, as step back to quiet the mind and give it a chance to breathe.
An auspicious start, flashing blue and red lights in my mirror on Ohio Rte. 50 west of Hillsboro. When he had passed me going the other way, I was doing 61, which seemed a nit-picky speed to go after a driver. I had already been warned by my host that they were good fundraisers for the county. But my mind had wondered on the long straight-aways, and he informed me that I was clocked at 67. I mentioned the oversized tires, and he said the salesman had underestimated the mph difference they would make. I didn't realize until he went back to write up the ticket that he had not looked at me very much, but maybe he was looking at my dog Rudy who had his nose right over my shoulder. Or maybe it was the pitiful shape of my slat-encrusted car , or maybe the tattered coat I was wearing, knowing that I would be stoking a wood stove the whole weekend. It wasn't a ticket he handed me, but a warning, almost apologetic that he had to give me that; assuring me that it wouldn't show on my record and wouldn't cost me any money. I drove away feeling so grateful for men like that who are more interested in keeping us all safe, who are underpaid and overworked, and who have more pride in their profession than most of us could ever imagine.
Later on at the house, I stood in the cold night air, staring at the stars, seeing pools and swarms of constellations that I hadn't seen since my barefoot cruise in the Caribbean, I grabbed a few handfuls of snow and scrubbed down my coat. When I got in the house, it seemed cleaner than it had since last winter. I love the historical fact that, before there were Stanley Steamers, everyone took there upholstered furniture out in the coldest snow, let it cool of for an hour, and throw snow on it and scrub it down with a broom. That was the only cleaning it got from year to year, and it did a good job.

This was only the beginning of a wonderful two days of snow and hiking, and skating. I had thought it would be a very restful and meditative weekend, one without work or business or To-Do lists, but I ended up wearing myself out with great pleasure and intense focus on my environment. I relished each and every moment, knowing that it would be time to go home soon enough. Now, in retrospect, it was the Michelangelo pause, I feel refreshed and able to think anew. I am still overwhelmed with the unending tasks that await me, but I know that I will get through them all or not, and that is what will be. But I know the best thing are coming to me. I know that I will have a good time in the journey, or as Ryan would say, "I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to have a good time doing it!"

Today I finished some pitchers, and salvaged some platters and large bowls that I had thrown before I left on Friday, assuming they wouldn't dry that much. I should have known better, with this dry heat in all the rooms.

I am very pleased with the new teapots that I finished, though I forgot to add some arms and legs to the pieces.

1/26/2007 "Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. — Martin H. Fischer/

1/25/2007 Another glorious day. I am so lucky. I got to class this morning after a great workout at the University Rec. center, and I detected some disquiet in the room. It seems that everyone is intimidated by me and they seem to whisper around the room. I wonder what it is that they think I shouldn't hear? Well, that's where they are. I don't know how to get them to see me as one of them, just a few years later. Which I am. I took some of my student pots in to show them where I had come from.

The advanced students wanted to see the large forms demonstrated again, and I think they enjoyed seeing it after having tried it themselves. I was doing some pretty amazing things with that clay, and I think I'll tell them that when I go in on Tuesday: I am as amazed as anyone in the room. And it just keeps getting better all the time. I love this stuff.

When I got to the studio, Nicolas and Rachel worked on some more molds for Carol, finished up some pieces for me, and wedged some clay. I worked on my "France" teapots, and they are looking so cool! I wish I had a picture for you, maybe I'll get one tomorrow. They still need their bases, but I am loving it. I am sticking with the face theme on these, in a very abstract way, and they each have so much character. The ideas are endless, from the architectonic eyes, to the swirling handles as "hair." And I haven't even started on the Art Nouveau pieces that I have in mind. Perhaps I could slip an extra day or two in the week to create art.

I had been reluctant to get started on them. I had thrown the blank forms for them two weeks ago, and let them sit around all this time. I wonder if I was intimidated to work on them, because the first ones were so good. I felt that I didn't know how to make these as good as those. But as soon as I started on them again, they just flowed, the forms spoke to me for the designs, and they took on a life of their own. I am going to start on five more of them tomorrow.

In addition, tomorrow I hope to get my wholesale mailing out to develop some more accounts. I am already so busy at this point, trying to get orders that have come in this year already, and to make some stock for my first two shows in March. I still haven't been called on the Atlanta show, but I think I'm just going to plan on it anyway. Find me a hotel already, and just head on down. There's always a cancellation or two the day of a show. And there I'll be.

Tonight I got the printing done for the price lists, and then I went on to Tai Chi. It's great to be around my friends with such a relaxing and energetic practice. I guess that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true.

As an update to the rocks, I have taken to placing some in the trees along the road, near the creek that it runs by. I find a crook or crotch in a tree, and then find a rock to place into the fork of the tree. I think it is such an arresting sight, seeing a rock in a tree. I want to start actually weaving them onto the tree trunks or branches, using some sisal rope or some honeysuckle vines, and let them hang there till the vines rot and the rock drops. I love the idea of temporary art like that. Such a contrast to the permanence of my pots. I wonder how I can bring the two concepts together. Man, that idea is like a flashing beacon in my head, and I can see that I'll be working on that one a lot in the next few days! Lovin' it.

1/15/2007 My day went well, maybe not as efficient as I'd like, but I did some good work after lunch. The morning was spent on paper work. Well, OK, computer work. Paying bills, etc. The etc. seems to take a lot of time. I am being more conscious of that etc. Etc. seems like PacMan, eating away at minutes and hours, but this one never dies. An endless supply of etc. If you need some etc., I would be glad to send some to you in a box. Just specify how much weight your postal delivery person can carry, and I will lovingly pack it in a padded box, maybe even a bow. I am sure there is a dearth of etc. in the rest of the world, and I am the only one with such a huge supply. I don't want to be selfish. Share the wealth, etc.
Houses always have surprises, especially when they have a century to settle into a hillside. Funny thing about dirt and the earth, it never stops moving. Really. It looks so stable. But it's alive, and doesn't like to be pinned down.
Reminds me of the preview of a new movie out, The Invisibles sort of a cute movie for kids, but I like the animation of the miniature people. They ride around in walnuts. Harkens back to when I was a kid and would love a fantasy like that. Just last week. I would make little men of acorns and pipe cleaners.

The ground is so wet! I can hardly walk on it to the studio without it slipping out like the cheese on slices of pizza and that layer of slippery tomato sauce. And it is starting to squish, and the squish extends out from my feet to the rest of the yard. Hearing the forecast for freezing weather, I think about the mush that will follow the freezing of such saturated soil and the ensuing thaw. That's when the muddy season hits. I am so glad I paved part of the driveway. A couple years ago, I came home to ruts in the driveway that were too deep for me to drive my truck over. The gas delivery truck decided to make half a dozen runs at it, spinning 8 of those 4 foot tires at a time. Helped me with that paving decision. This week I have a semi coming for a delivery, so maybe I'll be thinking another decision on the rest of the driveway?

Tomorrow is teaching at NKU, with the morning workout. I love my workouts! I have so much more energy. Like PacMan.

1/11/2007 Tonight I went to the NKU Faculty Exhibit and found a remarkable piece there by Marty Meehan that is kind of hard to describe, but I'll give it a try. It was a figure eight train track with a Lionel train running around it. The train track was not on a table. It was on a wooden track frame sculpted to be under the track only, and there was a thin structure of metal wire rising from a rocking chair seat to support the train track. The rocking chair seat was the support for the entire sculpture, and rocked. The train would go to one end of the figure-eight track and the rocker would rock as the weight of train locomotive and cars would tilt the track, The train would round the bend and then it would labor up the incline it had created with it's weight. As it got to the center of the figure-eight, it would pick up speed as the track leveled out and then tipped the other way, rounding the bend and slowing for the uphill battle to the center of the figure eight.

My metaphor for the sculpture was the way we start and continue on a frame of mind, a string of thoughts, a habit of mind that weights us to one end of our personality, either buoyant or sinking, and it is an uphill battle to climb our way up to the other side of our personality, toward our other characteristics that we realize might be a way out of our frame of mind. Have you ever found yourself dwelling on a situation or a person, and it seems like a runaway train, just taking you down a track into oblivion, until you make it around the bend, facing the incline to the other side, only to find another decline with the clickety-clack of wheels rolling over the moments of time that make up our lives.

The artist told me that it was the constant battle of trying to balance and rebalance our lives. In his particular case it was about being an artist and a spouse and a parent and a teacher.

I had a great day teaching today! What a great class, they are so wonderful. I am going to have so much fun teaching this class, I am already having fun! Today is the only day, and it is full and golden. Thank you, thank you!

1/10/2007 Noon; Yesterday was my first day of teaching class at Northern Kentucky University for the Spring Semester. This is the fourth time I have taught wheel throwing in the art department, but it's been five years since the last one. It feels pretty new. But I've got a great class, and we are going to have a good time learning. I love how much I learn from these great minds. I guess that is the real reward from teaching, what I get from the students; knowledge, new ideas, new ways of seeing, new aesthetics.

Today I'm finishing up some teapots, and getting started on some jardienes. I want to work on some mold making and some new art teapots from my France trip. And some other new work that has so much potential. More on the latter later.

It's a beautiful day, so tempting to spend an hour or so out there just enjoying the crisp air and brittle sunshine, and the soggy grass. The days are getting longer, I've noticed already. Maybe we will have winter for a while, but no snow yet. I'm ready.

Evening: Just not enough time in the studio. But I refocused on certain aspects of the business, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was a good day.

Threw some large platters and large bowls, finished the teapots which look great. I have contacted an illustrator to work on a new brochure for me. I have decided on a marketing strategy to increase sales of the Face line. Time for some sleep.

1/6/2007 Saturday What's been going on for two weeks? This is kind of fun to look back and see what those 14 days have brought. Most of the holidays were rather quiet, and I didn't work at all in the studio. One of the best parts was a mini-vacation at my friend Claudia's where she lives in a nature sanctuary. She is a kind and generous host, and the stay was so pleasant and unhurried and beautiful.

The sanctuary is on a small gorge cut in the limestone of Ohio by the Rocky Fork Creek, adjoining some luscious prairie land. Two days of winter landscape, but 50's and 50's temperatures, lots of sunshine on Friday. The Rocky Fork Creek is a surprisingly deep little river. It was running so clear and cool, and it was fun watching it go from rippling, babbling shallows, to slow serene pools. The soft sunlight reflected off the rippling water onto the cliff of limestone, shimmering the hard rock with a hologram image of ethereal translucency.

Many trees bore the ravages of beaver teeth gnawing away at the cambium to girdle the tree. This was amazingly calculated behavior, knowing that it would be years before these 20 to 30 year old trees would fall of their own accord. I felt like a detective, looking for the beaver tracks on the sand, finding fresh beaver teeth marks. Jeanne says that beavers can fell 400 trees a year. We didn't find a den while we were there, but maybe they were just getting ready.

The two days in nature slipped by so quickly, and in the middle I began to fret over the passage of the time. I could already see how the next day would pass and I would be leaving, only too soon. But I realized in the same moment that there was only Now, and living in that Now is what had made the first day so spectacular. So I decided to stay in the moment for the remainder of the trip. It was really so good.

On the first morning, I got up before dawn and went to the Dome House, with it's fantastic rustic pine balcony for some Tai Chi and yoga. What a fabulous way to start a day!

I started back to work this week, but I felt so frustrated because of all the office work and other things that kept me from having my hands in clay. I long for the days when I could work in clay for 6 to 8 hours a day. Tuesday I got started on some mini teapots, nine of them, and some bowls. When I started throwing, I recalled a workshop with Norm Schulman from Alfred University (New York) who said that he usually started his time in the studio making some bowls. It is a really good exercise because bowls are deceptively simple, but have so much to look at in the process. A slight movement or touch here or there, and the flavor, the character, the voice changes. Like notes on a keyboard, the sequence and juxtaposition are critical.

Wednesday I was able to put the spouts and lids on the teapots, form the handles, and finished them on Thursday. Made pitchers (9) on Thursday, and formed the spouts with their cut detail on Friday. Monday I'll make the handles and attach them. I also started on some teapots that are influenced by my trip to France. I can't wait to work on those some more! I need to make them for my patrons who helped finance that trip. I also have some other ideas that I have been dying to execute. More to come on that later.

Today was a volunteer day, offering my consulting services to the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen for their board retreat. It was a long day in Berea, but very, very fruitful, I thought. It was nice to get home and just unwind, take a hot bath, some yoga, a little football. Guess that's not exactly art, but it's who I am. I am.

12/23/2006 Saturday Today was a wonderfully unproductive day that had almost nothing to do with art. Yes, the guilt meter ran up a bit, as I am wont to do, but I muddled through. I guess the only artistic activity of the day was to sketch out the design for my Christmas card, renamed my "Holiday" card, or New Years card. Well, my philosophy on it that people don't seem to complain when they are getting a custom made card from someone. I really enjoy making a real Christmas card. Imagine if everyone had time to make their own card? Wouldn't those envelopes become so precious? Artwork from everyone? Why not let your kids, or even a neighbor's kids, make a card for you, then take it to the copier and make as many as you need. Couldn't cost much more than you've paid this year for those Hallmark cards. Think about it for next year. I'll post my card on here after I send it out. Please forgive me if you don't get a personal copy, my mailing list sometimes hides from me.

The studio was calling out to me today, but somehow I ignored it again. I also want to get a jump on my taxes, get all the numbers in hand, maybe even get them started when the forms come in the mail. Done with it in January? That would be a completely new feeling for me. Don't tell me you do it every year, I don't want to hear about it. Just the same, don't hold your breath. It wasn't at the top of my New Years resolutions.

What the Bleep has been amazing, even the second time! I'm going to sit down and watch some more of it tonight. Merry Christmas!


	1494 Upper Tug Fork Rd. Alexandria, KY 41001 (859) 635-5599