Level Up!

As the name of my blog suggests, I have a tendency to wander. And so I do. And now I wander back here to share with you my experience of "Leveling Up!"

Level means a lot of things. One of which is that something is as flat and parallel to the Earth as possible. Very few things are, by the way, level. Anyway, another meaning - that people who play video games are familiar with - is gaining enough experience that you have achieved the next "Level" in a game. Gamers generally achieve this by running around and whacking things or collecting things. Potters, it turns out, achieve this by wrecking a lot of pots.

In my drying rack, this is 2 pots in four distinct sections for each: Foot, bottom body, top body, neck.

This is 2 pots in one not so distinct section after "Leveling UP!"

Here is the goal: I would like to hold a fundraiser for Care.org at the local arts center, The Myrna Loy Center. The theme of the work is the feminine vessel. The work that women do in their villages to raise their families, keep their homes, and improve their communities all involve large storage vessels. It is these vessels on a large scale that I want to focus on.

Now here is where the "Level Up" part begins. These pieces have to be thrown individually and then assembled because I simply do not have the strength nor skill to throw pots that are 20+ pounds. Thus pieces have to be made, and in some cases thought about and thrown in reverse, and then assembled.

The first of two I got the foot and bottom body assembled, then went to attach the top body and when I turned it over it went PLOP off the bat into a big mush on the lower pieces. Hmmmm. Maybe shoulda done that the other way and put the assembled piece on top of the new piece and then flipped it over. Okay, well I have another pot, that's alright!

So I get the foot assembled to the lower body, then I get the upper body and the lower body attached to each other and I even get them flipped over and back on my wheel, centered and everything. I stand up to reach in to secure the seam when, TRIP! I step on the pedal and the pot goes flying in one direction and I fell right on top of it. Which is why the above picture just shows flattened clay. Bummer.

But now, here I am, all experienced. I know which bad guys to whack, which coins to gather, and I'm ready to conquer this level and move UP to the next!!

A Night out with Archie

Last night I attended the 13th Annual Brickyard Bash Benefit Auction and 2009 Resident Exhibition. I saw the most wonderful work - cups, mugs and teabowls for the cup auction, the fine work of artists all over the country for the silent auction, and the mind-blowing holy smokes pieces that are in the live auction.

The resident work this year is spectacular as well. Some of the best work I've seen at this particular exhibit in a long time. The summer residents as well as the "regular" residents all show in this exhibit and most of the summer folks have to ship existing work for this show because they've only been here two weeks or so.

The Archie Bray Foundation website is becoming a beautiful dynamic thing, so keep checking in because pictures will be added from the reception, and some of the work will be available for online auction.