My Friend the "Slab Roller"
I have a lot of things to do, a real sense of urgency is coming over me.
After taking some time to do things I "like to do" during the holidays, I have to get down to brass tax and get organized. So I've begun to tackle each challenge, ticking them off as I complete them, one by one.
But this particular challenge of getting ready for the art show in March is a huge one and cannot be set aside as there is a process that takes time for each piece created. Each one must first be planned, then created. This must include time for surprises and problem solving. Then each must be allowed to dry before they go into the kiln to be fired. Then the coloring (painting) process begins.
My plan, is to work several pieces at one time. Since my space is small this will require a lot of organization on my part.
Yesterday I began creating the "Watching" pieces I had sketched in my last blog.
To speed up the process I have made stencils of the rectangles bottom and top slabs. I've begun the first piece, lowest in the drawing, creating the slabs for the beginning of each section of the rectangle. The slab roller in our studio will certainly become my best friend as I work on these pieces. It is a quick and efficient way to make the sides, tops and bottoms for each section. Thank you to who-ever it was that invented this thing. It is awesome.
I open the brick of new clay, cut off a section, bang it down to a workable thickness, put it in a fold of canvas and begin to roll it through the rollers, adjusting it to a narrower setting each time. By turning the clay slab one way or the other I can also control the size so that I can trim and place it quickly and easily into place on the project I'm working on.
I just looked at the calendar and counted 13 weeks before the show begins! Wow...how many of these rectangles do you think I can get done in that time? Twelve would give me three of these larger pieces for the show! What do you think....can I get 12 done? That's, on average, less than one per week...It will be a challenge that is for sure.
Urgency, is a weird feeling. I'm going to have to become friends with this feeling, listen to it, talk to it, work with it, make plans and decisions on all my activities based on what it's telling me. No time wasting and indulging my "rabbit trails" for 13 weeks! Ouch!
After taking some time to do things I "like to do" during the holidays, I have to get down to brass tax and get organized. So I've begun to tackle each challenge, ticking them off as I complete them, one by one.
But this particular challenge of getting ready for the art show in March is a huge one and cannot be set aside as there is a process that takes time for each piece created. Each one must first be planned, then created. This must include time for surprises and problem solving. Then each must be allowed to dry before they go into the kiln to be fired. Then the coloring (painting) process begins.
My plan, is to work several pieces at one time. Since my space is small this will require a lot of organization on my part.
Yesterday I began creating the "Watching" pieces I had sketched in my last blog.
To speed up the process I have made stencils of the rectangles bottom and top slabs. I've begun the first piece, lowest in the drawing, creating the slabs for the beginning of each section of the rectangle. The slab roller in our studio will certainly become my best friend as I work on these pieces. It is a quick and efficient way to make the sides, tops and bottoms for each section. Thank you to who-ever it was that invented this thing. It is awesome.
I open the brick of new clay, cut off a section, bang it down to a workable thickness, put it in a fold of canvas and begin to roll it through the rollers, adjusting it to a narrower setting each time. By turning the clay slab one way or the other I can also control the size so that I can trim and place it quickly and easily into place on the project I'm working on.
I just looked at the calendar and counted 13 weeks before the show begins! Wow...how many of these rectangles do you think I can get done in that time? Twelve would give me three of these larger pieces for the show! What do you think....can I get 12 done? That's, on average, less than one per week...It will be a challenge that is for sure.
Urgency, is a weird feeling. I'm going to have to become friends with this feeling, listen to it, talk to it, work with it, make plans and decisions on all my activities based on what it's telling me. No time wasting and indulging my "rabbit trails" for 13 weeks! Ouch!
"It's got high stakes and a great urgency.
It's sort of like a regular Grey's Anatomy
on testosterone and on speed."
- Peter Horton
It's sort of like a regular Grey's Anatomy
on testosterone and on speed."
- Peter Horton
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