Kiln, Boat, Piano

A new KILN imagined, sketched, calculated.

Wood measured, cut and joined.

Brick stacked and skin coated.

Built by a group for one and/or themself.

It seems very much like a BOAT or a PIANO.

A big piece of functional sculpture.

The intention of the craft is the same;

to build an instrument that offers service, and journey, and escape.

The act of firing a wood kiln seems to relate to sailing and to music too - a voyage conducted by wind (very hot wind in this case), with slow, stately passages, or the gusty allegros.

Each journey has it's distinct tempo,

Listen carefully and it will bring you closer to your destination.

(Partly borrowed from "Playing Piano for Pleasure" - Charles Cooke)

No, it's not my kiln, but I'm very glad to be part of the group.

Some part of the group eyeing my lunch.

Happy Birthday and Smile On

Last night, we went to see Lang Lang play with the Philadelphia Orchestra celebrating the 200th Birthday of Franz Liszt, LIVE to the local theater. In the first hour, Fathom and Sony try to occupy us with Lang's Solo concert recorded from London's Roundhouse earlier this year. Right from the beginning, I kept thinking about, what would Franz think if he is watching this....... I think he will first be very surprise a Chinese kid playing his work, and becoming a piano hero around the world. Then he will get sea sick very soon because of the psychedelic background projections, swing around spot light and the worst - camera angle changing every 3 seconds. However, I hope Franz will woke up to hear the Orchestra playing his first Piano Concerto and the way the rest of the world inspired by it and .... smile on.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

iSad, iGrieve, iMourn

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

New Season

New happening in the Lighthouse Art Center : Justin Lambert became the ceramic department chair a while ago. There're new shelves for green and bisque ware, low table for throwing and furniture re-arrangment for better use of space. What don't change much are the faces in class. I guess that is what happen in a small community, when they find a teacher they like. People keep taking the same class season after season.

Ron is a professional potter in town. He came to explore soda firing after he heard about this new soda kiln. Here he pull a draw ring to check the surface for soda deposition, before we decided to put more soda in.

Unloading this morning, which is 4 days after the firing.

Clean up.

More clean up.

My trade with Ron.