Birds, Birds and More Birds

A few weeks ago, I led a ceramics workshop: how to sculpt birds in clay. Birds that don't have to be "real" birds, but ones that still look like they could be real.

As you can see,  the students exceeded at the task: 

Can't wait to see them finished and glazed!

Beads, Beads, and More Beads

Not the brightest thing I've ever done, but I still like the result. So, if you have a ball of leftover clay, and a few spare minutes, why not make a ceramic bead? Or six? Or one hundred and six? Or even more?

However, once you have all these beads knocking around, then what? They can, and trust me, they have, just sit around on a shelf in the garage. But eventually, you really have to do something with them.  Like throw them out, try and give them away, or something.

I went the something route and "decorated" the house with bead garlands. As my friend Eve pointed out, "Just in time for Mardi Gras!" (She's more of a party animal than I am.)

Also, inspired by The Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan, I just couldn't resist including one red sock. So yes, I will be careful if I encounter any oversized rabbits. 

Nothing Like a Deadline

So I started this ceramic project - everyone needs some birds and cactus in the yard, right - in the spring, and then, stuff happened. A lot of stuff, and mostly not good stuff. In fact, the kind of stuff that takes up a lot of time, energy, emotion fortitude and, well, life.

But I'm now getting back on track, and have great ambitions to complete this project by the end of the year. Or early January, Yes, I am deadline driven, but not that deadline driven. The point is simply to move it along. 

So from April, where there were three unglazed cactuses with unglazed birds to July when the cactuses were glazed, but not the birds. 

And in July-August, the grouping had been placed in the backyard.

By October, there were a few more pieces constructed and glazed, and a few more to go.

Last week: almost there, so wish me luck that I will make the deadline! 

Keeping the Spirits Up

 Well, my anxiety level is quite high, and Election Day isn't even here yet. But I have already voted, and I hope that you have, as well. And if not, get on it already!

To help keep the panic away, I've been looking at photos I took this year; I offer you a little vignette of flowers and ceramics (yup, handmade by me) from along my driveway. Cheers!

An Old Friend, Rediscovered

Once upon a time, like around 1991, when the animated Disney version of Beauty and the Beast first came out, we had a young friend who worked in a Berkeley movie house. For me, yes, actually for me, he "liberated" parts of the in-house cardboard standee - the portion that contained my best buddy Lumiere. 

Now Lumiere knocked about my studio for a while, and then he moved on. To the attic, to be exact. Where he lived in quiet and peaceful retirement until last week, until someone had the really stupid idea of cleaning out the attic. That someone will remain unnamed, at least here. 

And so was Lumiere awakened again: Nope, it wasn't Prince Charming, and no kissing was involved. Instead, it was Luna and I, armed with a feather duster and determination (in truth, I had the duster and determination; she was sleepy and pretty useless). 

Lumiere has moved on once again, to be with my niece who is an art director for Cold Open, one of those marketing agencies for the entertainment industry. Kinda sounds like we've come full circle, eh?

Garden Lanterns

It took forever, absolutely forever to complete these. But finally, finally, finally, I hit upon a way to keep them upright, not sinking away into the ground and stable. Whew!

Daytime

Nighttime

Just Another Wednesday in the Garage

Before Grouting

So while Hilda was working away on her gorgeous planter, I was poking around with mosaicking a small birdbath/pollinator watering hole for the backyard. Completing this little piece also contributed to the on-going and everlasting Clean-Out-The-Garage project by clearing off a small shelf. Win-win for me, and maybe even for the local wildlife. 

So far though, Luna is the only one who I've observed drinking from it. 

Wednesday is the Best Day

Not because the work week is almost over. But because it's Do Mosaics in the Garage Day, which means that every week has a holiday smack dab in the middle. 

And my friend Hilda is quite the adept. She only started in with mosaics a little more than a year ago, and now look:

Photo Courtesy of Hilda West

I can't claim that my garage is the most comfortable or attractive "studio" (nope, I'm not sharing photos of that workspace) but somehow we manage to create beautiful things there. Especially Hilda.

Brag, Brag, Brag #8: Michael Reardon

 So we got out of town. Yup, hard to believe, but we left Luna in the world's most capable and loving hands and headed to Sta. Barbara for an art show. An art show at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery featuring, ta-da!, Michael Reardon. And a bunch of architects who also can paint pretty darn well. 

 We saw family and friends, caught rain and dodged tumbleweeds on the drive, and generally had a wonderful time. The shows up until the end of October, so if you happen to be in the vicinity of Sta. Barbara, I recommend stopping by. 

Captured!

The most excellent painter, Elsa Gonzalez Zorn, has captured Luna. I don't think anyone else could have done it better. It is beyond perfect!

New Digs

It only took four tries to get something that didn't end up back in the clay pot. And then three trips to the hardware store with an additional trip to the Oakland Tool Library to engineer the hanging system. Thankfully, everyone was very helpful.

But the old, worn (decrepit, even, one could say), albeit well-loved gourd has now been replaced. I only hope that the wrens are as pleased with it as I am.

The Inedible Pieces in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto

It's not to eat, but an art installation to view at the Berkeley Art Center (BAC) which is situated within Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. 

Created by artist Cathy Lu, well, I could blah-blah along, but instead, let's just use the words from the Art Center's description:

For the most ambitious iteration of her ongoing installation project to date, CATHY LU strings together nearly 2,000 pieces of slipcast ceramic fruit into an elaborate net suspended over the bridge outside BAC. Lu has long been interested in various fruits as evocative reminders of distant homelands. As an artist of Taiwanese descent who grew up in Miami, her work unpacks how experiences of immigration, cultural hybridity, and cultural assimilation become part of the larger American identity.

Glazed in dark greens, golds, and blacks, the piece is ripe with papayas, pineapples, plantains, jackfruit, durians, bitter melons, ginger, and more. Members of the community were invited to participate by sharing their fruit stories via voice message. Selected recordings play as part of the piece during gallery hours.

It's definitely worth the bother to go see this installation, even if you can't eat it. But no worries, there are plenty of other food options nearby. 

Cathy Lu: Customs Declaration continues through the end of September, 2021.

Fourth Time's the Charm

Afghan in Spain

At least I hope so.  I've put enough effort into it already.

Last winter I knitted an afghan and finished it in time to give to our friends in Spain. I hope it is keeping them warm.

It was a pleasurable enough project. And, with a knitting project to hand, I don't get thrown out of the TV room when the nightly news is on - busy fingers usually translates into less mouthing off to stupidity.

So rather than be banished to the kitchen for the winter, I thought it would be a good idea to have another substantial knitting project.

Goodness knows what possessed me, but I also thought I could design it myself, combining a number of different Celtic patterns, figuring out stitch counts and basically reinventing the wheel. A small wheel, I know, but nonetheless, a wheel that still had to be round.


For a while it seemed that I was taking out more stitches than I had ever knit up, but I now think that even if it isn't exactly what I first envisioned, the piece has its own charms.

If I'm lucky and work hard, I probably only have another two months left of knitting. Which means that by the time the weather is too warm to be cuddled under a almost-afghan, it should be completed. And maybe, just maybe, the news won't be quite so stupid.

1st Attempt

2nd Attempt

4th Attempt

Seems to be Working

"Art" in Action

So last Wednesday we went to help make banners for the "Rise for Climate" March in San Francisco, printing and then painting fabric to be mounted on poles (believe me, there were many more steps to it than just that). But it was a fun and productive afternoon, even if ink landed on a few more surfaces than originally intended - yeah, yeah, it was an old shirt, but not that old...

Yesterday at the March, we saw so many of the banners that we and many, many others helped produce. Let's just hope it can make a difference.

Photos Courtesy of Michael Reardon

Something for the Kids

It's called "amigurumi" - the Japanese art of crocheting (occasionally knitting) small, stuffed figures and animals out of yarn.  "Small" can be relative; "figures and animals" are also flexible, unless you truly do believe in unicorns. Or light sabers, for that matter.

But it's fun, fast, and even if you don't really know how to crochet, somehow, something works out. For me, it's always been difficult to sit still and watch the TV news. But this allows me to abide, just barely, the nonsense. And even get something done. Otherwise, I may be asked to leave the room.  

This year has been a busy year for new babies in the family. Meaning, there is a built-in audience for cute (and just as important, washable) knitted and crocheted items like these. Sure, they'll grow out of them, but in the meanwhile, at least I will be well-informed on the events of the day. 

Resources:

Amigurumi Today

All Free Crochet

Perhaps Life Imitates Art, But Automatons Imitate Life

Well yes, we did go to see the movie Coco over the weekend, but this Day of the Dead Band by Wanda Sowry came before that.

Through the end of January, the Exploratorium is hosting Curious Contraptions, a wonderful show of automatons (automata, if you will). And I mean wonderful.

Now I admit that I am not the biggest fan of the Exploratorium - I think that it can induce migraines, even if you are not susceptible to migraines. Or maybe ADHD, or instant memory loss, I forget. But the noise, the crowds of very young, very active and very loud people, the low lighting, and the strange layout are very disorienting. Perhaps that is their plan?

But this exhibit has made up for all of my less-than-positive feelings about the Exploratorium. And the fact that my "date" kept me waiting for over an hour? I got to play with the automatons by myself, so even that didn't ruin my time there.

I think my favorite automaton was Boy Stabbing Peas (video below) by Andy Hazell. It seems hard to believe now, given how much time and energy I devote to growing vegetables, that once upon a childhood, I couldn't stand the green buggers. Especially peas.

So I was made to sit at the table until I "finished". Or fell asleep with my head in the plate (Truth. There is photographic evidence somewhere.)

It probably was a good thing that way back then teachers didn't hand out much homework, because I spent long evenings sitting at that table. And unlike Boy Stabbing Peas, there were no headphones. It also never occurred to me to try and choke them down with catsup. Lucky Boy.

While the Cat's Away...

Except the cat is never away. And they're rats, not mice. And their play days are now over.

Princess the cat has caught six rats in the past eight days. Now I just leave the broom and dustpan on the patio for the morning's reconnaissance and clean-up.

I am a bit suspicious that someone else is also doing a "clean-up". I think our local skunk cruises by in the night and takes advantage of a freshly killed free meal whenever possible.

I'm the one with the mouse project. Not the cat. And I started first. Mine began in ceramics class, as a way to use up a small block of clay. And then another small block of clay. And then maybe a bigger block for some gray mice. Just to keep the brown ones company...

Winter on the East Coast

 

We - an entire big bunch of "we" - went from upstate New York to the Women's March in D.C. last weekend and had an amazing time! Now I am not a big fan of the color pink, but in this case, it really was quite wonderful.

Other activities to do when the weather is lousy (I saw the sun for a total of two hours over the entire week-long visit, and that was while driving back through central Pennsylvania)?

Brain Coral

Benjamin Bradford Hawkes

First up, you can squeeze or cuddle with the new baby in the family. Yup, Baby Ben is a keeper.  And already has a nationwide fan base, many of whom are his grand-aunts. He has lots of those, by the way.

Or you could while away the hours avoiding the cold and crocheting "brain corals" for Professor Kathleen Hawkes (hehehe, now Hawkes-Boulay), who, along with her students is constructing an installation of a coral reef from yarn (I hope I have this right). It's all about higher math, nimble, mostly female fingers and honoring our disappearing landscapes. 

Or you could just zone out and watch the winter weather do its magic.

Photo of Baby Benjamin courtesy of Janet Hawkes

Updates #7

Willard Middle School

The Willard Middle School Community Mosaic is now completed and looks great. Even the letters "H" and one of the "O's"in "School" that I worked on look OK. I think everyone who participated is quite proud.

Solar Panels Installation
on a Foggy Day

And we're proud to have an array of solar panels on the roof. We're renting them for the next 20 years (if we are around that long) but it should make a difference. And, with any luck, by the time the 20 years is up, we will have figured out how to read the monthly bill from PG&E. They don't make it easy.

We cannot recommend the company that we unwisely chose to do the work (more about that later, once the deal is completely finalized). But if you want to save money and help save the planet all at once, you might give Solar City a call. Our neighbor had a great experience with them.

Summer Amaryllis

Pumpkins and a blooming amaryllis. Must be summertime. The pumpkin grew across the driveway with little water and even less sun. It is now soup. The amaryllis? Who knows, but it seems to re-bloom just because.

Looking forward to the 2017? Well, I first need to make sure that there isn't a cactus growing out of my head. Yeah, right now the world just seems very prickly and confused, so I might as well stop scratching and join the resistance.

Handcrafted at the Senior Citizens' Ceramics Class
St. John's Church, Berkeley, CA