Grad School: Week 7

When we go to the supermarket and pick something off the shelf, we don't think, "where did this come from? Did it suffer?" Hunters understand what hard work it is to take an animal from the field and put it on the dinner table. We as a society aren't passing these things on. We're not teaching . With television, the internet, smart phones, there are so many things pulling us out of the natural world.
-Steve Vose, Maine Magazine, October 2011

Week seven began with a visit from Ah Leon who conducted a number of tea ceremonies and demonstrated for a full day. He gave an engaging presentation from a much different perspective. He studied under a master potter for many years and to paraphrase, he said, "It takes three years to learn your masters hand, 9 years to forget their teachings, and the rest of your life to find your own voice." He said that he still sometimes feel his masters hand guiding his when he makes marks or throws pots. Here in the US, we are more preoccupied with personal expression and individuality. Ah Leon has certainly found his own voice in a major way. His understanding of teapots rivals that of an engineer. We are talking fluid dynamics, not drippy spouts.

Week 7 has also been notable in that i fired my first salt kiln. I woke up early and hustled into school. Getting there at 6am, i still didn't beat the tuba section of the marching band getting ready for Saturday's game. It was a vaguely surreal, military style unloading before the sun was up. The pots were on the dry side, not enough salt. There was good work in there and bad. My final conclusion was that i had started. There is a lot of work ahead in refining and cleaning up ideas, as well as working out a few technical kinks. There were a few diamonds in there along with a lot of coal.
The process of turning clay into ceramics can be a tough one. I am trying to make it easier without sacrificing anything. Working in this environment means pushing forward constantly. A bit of momentum gets things moving, and then possibly speed. It was a good first push this week. Time, and work, will tell what exactly just came out of this kiln. All those tubas playing in the dark Nebraska morning could mean anything or nothing at all.