Butisitart!

Date: 2010.03.01 | Category: Photography, Photos | Response: 3

The question is … but is it art! It’s something I use to ask/say to my other “arty” friends back in Jr High back in the glorious(?) 70′s(?) … OMG! And so the question is raised today. I’m not trying to rekindle the age old battle about clay Art vs Craft. No! I’m saying it more tongue in cheek this time around.

I have to give a big shout out to Diana Fayt for turning me onto a very cool app called Hipstamatic for iPhone. She published a photo yesterday which I knew came from her iPhone, so I tweeted her asking what app. I knew there were billions an billions of apps it could have been. She was kind enough to tweet me back a reply. So of course I fire up iTunes and spent a whopping $1.99 and purchased a copy for myself. All I can say is WOW! It’s like my 1st gen iPhone dropped orange sunshine!

After meeting a downtown client this morning, (my day job is being a Mac computer consultant) I decided to take my new toy.app and re-explore the Pike Place Market. It’s been a long time since I had been or was inclined to take photos. One of the pitfalls of living in Seattle for so long is becoming apathetic to the innate beauty of the market. Tourists or not!
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Running Men And Other Wonders

Date: 2010.02.25 | Category: Ceramic Artists, Musings, Photos, Pottery, Sculpture | Response: 2

Working with Lynn Peters was an incredible experience. She was an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College and my first ceramics professor. She was the “nurturing type” of teacher with a philosophical bent. One indicator was her assigning, as part of the corse reading, “Zen In The Art Of Archery“. She asked us to meditate before working with the clay. To center ourselves so we might hear what the clay was saying to us. Okay, maybe a little woo woo, but I think that she was trying to get us to think in terms of process, and ritual. She really did think out of the box, and provoked us to do as well.

She only had a few rules. There would be no cutsie tiles with the word “Home” or “Best Mom” on it, nor would we be making horrible little ash trays. She claimed we were ALL artists. She told us as children we were all creative. We drew, sculpted, or painted until our parents told us we were too old to pursue such childish things. Maybe on some level she was right. But, it was interesting to hear her speak, and to see her creative mind work.

With my first three pieces out of the kiln, Lynn turned to me and said, “Joe you are good enough to show.” Just out of the blue. That’s just the way she was. She also said, “.. it’s now your job to create a body of work, and do a one man show.” And so I was challenged!

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And So It Begins

Date: 2010.02.24 | Category: Ceramic Artists, Musings | Response: 2

It all started sometime in 1990. I was in a committed relationship, living in a Long Branch, NJ beach front apartment complex with Adam. It was a time of transition. I was no longer workin’ (read employed) in “Daddy’s Garage”. My “family business” was industrial metal finishing … electroplating. I so needed out of there! I had worked there on and off from the time I was a teenager. I told my mom … I’m done. Lay me off so I can collect unemployment and get some time to make some changes. I want to go back to school.

Luckily during that time I was seeing my therapist Phil. There was a lot of change going on. My brain was being rewired … it was invigorating and intoxicating. Inevitably with this much change comes the “hitting of the wall” or a plateau … if you will. When I got to that point, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Phil sure had an idea. “Joe, I have someone you should see. She’ll put you on the right path.” Oh great … he’s trying to get rid of me. I’m sorry Phil …. I’ll do better! Don’t abandon me! “No Joe. She’s not a therapist. She’s a psychic.” Huh!?! What!?! A psychic? Phil said, “she’s good!” She can do more for you in one visit than will ever do.”

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