11.11.2005

huh.

my office overlooks harvard square. currently, one of the (many) buskers is a troupe of south american gentlemen, theoretically in the garb of their native land. they are playing flutes, guitars and using synthesizers. it's the sort of music you might hear in "the nature store". i dislike this sort of music intensely. my boss is here, and she *loves* it, so the window is open and i can't turn on my music. so i'm just sitting, listening....and the tune they're playing is freakin' Unchained Melody - i am truly in hell.

and what a segue - from one pottery-related topic to another, namely: mine! here's the pottery i made over the summer, in my first pottery class ever. i know at least one person out there is
excited about this (hi G.O.D.P.!), so let's do it up:

here are the three i'm most proud of. i made a flower pot with a fluted edge for my sister (to replace one that the mysterious flower-pot vandals broke), as well as a small cup and a bowl. please notice how thick and clumsy the sides of the bowl are, and then compare to my (later) flower pot and cup, whose sides are slender and delicate. i am also a huge fan of bright colors, which i tried to incorporate. my teacher is a big 'cambridge-earth-tones' type, and she hated the colors and combos i chose. oh well! (edit: in the time i've put this blog entry on 'draft' - approx. 1 hr 15 minutes - they've looped back from playing the pink panther theme song to do a repeat of 'unchained melody' - are they on a freaking loop?!)

I also made a small pitcher. during our first class, we had to make cups. they were naturally awful, but my teacher had us keep them and "make them into something useful", so i took a sloppy cup and formed a wiggle into the spout, added a handle, and glazed it with a dip-glaze. there is a matching, also droopy sugar bowl but i don't have a picture of that one. anyhow - it is cute, in a child-like way.

and last but not least is my favorite bowl, because it came out well, and i love the colors i used. the finish is a little imperfect, but hey - people pay big bucks for handcrafted...right? there are also a couple of ashtrays - i only have a picture of one - but all of those were dipped, not painted. i wish the colors had come out a little better in the pictures, because it really is quite pretty. for bigger pictures of all of these (haha...) go to my flickr page.

overall, i had a pretty good time in class. if i had the money right now, i'd take another class, but in the meantime i'm keeping myself busy with other little projects.

3 comments:

David said...

He-he...the picture of Demi and Swayze is the perfect segue, but is she looking for Ashton over her shoulder?

At any rate, the pottery is dazzling. I liked your choice of colors. Even though it looks like the same colors, I'm sure its less radioactive than Fiestware.

The first time I made a decent print in the darkroom, my friend Tiffany bought one so that I could afford the next darkroom course. Even though I'm not a smoker (anymore) can I "pay it forward" and buy one of your ashtrays and make a dent in the tuition for your next course?

Anonymous said...

I love the pottery! And I love the colors. I always wanted to do pottery but never quite got the knack (I have several misshapen bowls and cups to prove it). My uncle was a potter, but he doesn't make pottery any more. Let me know if you ever go into business-I'll take fiestaware off my list of things to get and buy a set of plates from you!

kathryn said...

awww GODP you're too kind. seriously, though, these ash trays...i think kindergarteners have done better work than i did. but, if you want one, shoot me your address: xrottx(at)yahoo(dot)com

heh - and the colors on the rest of my work? nuclear blasts of pigment, my friend. fiestaware colors pale in comparison! i was a five year old on acid when i painted them, shooting for maximum contrast.