Fundamental

Today I spent way more time to parpare my clay then actualy throwing or working on it. I found that the bigger the project, the more attention I have to pay to the clay itself. I learned it the hard way, by repeating the mistakes of using too tough/dry clay, thinking I can get away from it, and it will save me time. But small body with not much strength like me has no such luck.

What's the chance?

Every once in a while, I will run into a Chinese in this town, maybe one a year, if that. But so far, only one or two speak Cantonese. Last night, when I heard someone speak Cantonese in our local Japanese-sushi restaurant(Fugu Tei), I paid a lot of attention; so much so that the waiter came along and ask what do I want? I told him how happy I am to run into some Chinese. As the conversation went along, we found out that the Chef-Uncle had grown up in the same small fishing village we had lived in, but the he had left 20 years ago. And the waiter lived just a few blocks from where I grew up in the small town of Tai Po. We exchanged the name of our most favorite local restaurants back then and so forth ... ...
I know that for some people, it may be no big deal to run into someone who speaks your mother tongue, and who is from your own home town. To me, though, it means a lot.

Heard my pot sings

After using the Shimpo Whisper in/at MISSA for 2 weeks, I've decided I'm not going to put up with my old noisy pottery wheel anymore. Yes, I really should have returned it the day I got my Pacfica, 6 years ago. It's totally my own fault. We tried to fix it, with every possible way, even went as far as replacing the bearing, not to speak of oiling/ check the bell,etc...., but nothing seems to work. Don't get me wrong. Pacfica makes good wheels. We have a bunch in the Art Center, and they're all fine.
And it was the reason I got mine.
So, my Whisper just arrived. It's so quiet that I've to change some of my throwing habits, good or bad. I'm so used to higher speed means louder noise . You could say, I throw by ear. Now, without the noise, more sense has sense has to go to the touch and the eye.
I throw in front of an open window. Now, without the wheel noise, I can hear the resonance of a big tall pot when the wind blows. Interesting! It leads me to think what else you can hear if you can turn off some of the loud noise in our life.

The subtleties of composition

Read about the elements of drawing composition are rhythm, movement, and tension. I've no trouble understand those terms at all if we're talking about dancing or movie, but drawing...
Also, at the end of the chapter, it say the ideal composition is stable, but not too stable, comfortable, but not too comfortable. Again, if we're talking about a relationship, I can easily get the idea. But, composition, hummmm..........

Summer art camp

I'm teaching a teens clay class this week. Using some material I've never use before; kitchen oven bake clay and polymer clay. Strickly speaking polymer is not clay, it's PVC. Since we need to have their work dry , fire and ready to be colored in a day or two, so they can take their works home at the end of the week, we seems to choose the ideal material. For friends who are new to clay, traditional pottery class normal take months, once a week, so there's a lot of time to let works dry to trim and fire and glaze and fire again....... At the beginning, I was kind of looking down on the polymer clay, feeling like it's only for kids, because of it's bright color. I end up enjoy it a lot with the kids. Believe it or not, it's some maths involved which I enjoy teaching too. And you wouldn't believe how bad is the maths standard in the states.

Eyes opening jazz piano lesson.

Yesterday, I've my piano tuned and my first jazz lesson. Before yesterday, I had years of classical training in my teen and I thought I know something about music, and I was so wrong. The truth is I only know how to follow the script but have no idea why and how script was composed that way, not to speak of playing by ear...... The very depressing part is that I never even question about why and how, I thought playing piano means what I've been doing all along, just at different levels. I didn't know there's another world out there. Once you truly understand the fundamental, you can truly fly. So, I want to know what's the most fundamental for making pots, what's the fundamental for life............... I don't want to find out there's another world out there someday, but just a little too late.

More for the summer

Of course, I should not miss out the most favorite activity; train tracks. In case you're new to this Thomas business, they've one of the most successful marketing model in the toy world for 60 years.

Best ways to spend your summer

Playing in sand box.

Pushing boats

Eating apple with GM and watching Bob the builder

Making ginger bread cookie with M.

Youtubing Thomas and friends

Jocab, my nephew, who is 3 and a half, living in Vancouver. They have a very cool July this year.

Mystery solved

If you remember a mystery about 2 months ago, here's an answer. Mother nature will do whatever it take to keep it going, not a day longer, not a day short.

Stranger

That's what happens when you go away for a while. Grass and weed grows so tall, strange animal will come and maybe take over your house.

Colors and Images, good enough to eat and dream

Wind walker

I'm not a BMW friend, but I have to say thanks to them for this beautiful commercial.

2 weeks MISSA

It's my third summer here, since 2003. Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful place in my mind. I'm not sure is it the coast line, the wave, the air or the light, everything seems peaceful and soulful. Part of my daily routine included Tai Chi on the boat house, encounter with deer, reading on my most favourite bench, not speaking of working in the clay studio.

8 months journey

Clipper is a great way to travel between Seattle and Vancouver Island. I arrived on Canadian Day, and there were so much going on in Victoria. I hope I were not pulling my suitcase around town, waiting for the suttle bus to go to MISSA for the start of a 8 months journey.

http://www.missa.ca/ceramics.htm#hill

19 lbs of onion tears

Remember 3 years ago, same time, same house. Lily and I visited the Hasegawa family in Seattle the first time. Today, after 19 lbs of onion tears and laughter, hundreds of sushi, and bottle after bottle of sake, Venus meet Saturn in a full moon. All wedding guests are happy to hold little Kiyoshi. It does remind me of like chololate like water.