Alchemist

Here's a few shoots of the last soda fire in the end of May.
I chose to use a long lens to focus on the color and texture of the surface, instead of the form.
If you click on the image, it will give you a fairly large image and nice details.
When sodium carbonate interact with the slip on top of porcelain.
The interviewee on the radio said: .... heat up strontium and copper together, it gives turquoise color......

Yes, I know that. Is he a potter? It turn out he's a different kind of alchemist. Someone who is passionate about color, even it only last for a few second in his case.

Still don't know!? Look up to the sky tonight, when everyone go : ooohs and ahhhs!!!

The same sound you hear in some art shows.

平靜的起點

早前老友送來這<平靜的起點>。 看著蒼翠的山, 柔柔的水, 這裡的人與事, sailor不禁感動不已。

A Self Sustained System, until....

Another odd job, in the middle of nowhere. A camera and weather station in Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge recording mostly beach erosion, ran for more than 2 years with no incident, until the GSM-cell modem die.
As a non-technical support personnel, I got to wander around the wilderness.
It is not the first time, I encountered this kind of little creature.
But, it's the first time, I saw one play dead.

June Backyard Happening

First time growing red potato.
One of the best moment, which only happens a few hours each time, a few times a year.
Roses are from the newly planted rose garden, but lychee are from friend's tree. It surprises me every time when someone said they don't like lychee, or not even willing to give it a try.

Meet a new friend

He was a little shy at the beginning, until we broke open the package of a granola bar, he came right toward ....... the breakfast.
After the ride, I decided Not to have "Bacon"...... at least for today.

Normal sunday ride

This is our routine for Sunday morning. Get up before sun rise, have a half breakfast (I had egg fry rice this morning.). Then head south on A1A, go on Gomez in Hobe Sound, along the south beach road on Jupiter Island. Since it's early Sunday morning, there is almost no traffic. In fact, there are way more bicycle than car along this route.Another routine is "Bacon (thick & crunchy) & Buttermilk Pancake (Arrowhead Mill) & mix berries" after 30 miles ride. Yum Yum!

Soda fire with Ellen

Both Ellen and I adore porcelain soda fired works. We are attracted by its subtle, quiet quality of depth and beauty. At the same time, the deposit of soda and directional flashing is kind of like kiss by angel; unpredictable and unrepeatable.
This is our first test firing. We had mixed 5 different kind of slips and half dozen glazes. Most recipes from Gail Nichol's book and Sam Chung's handout. Loaded very loosely.
Instead of spraying soda solution, Justin taught us how to mix 50/50 soda ash with baking soda into soda paste.
Ellen putting 10 lbs of soda paste in around 2300F. Then the kiln is reduced cooling (fire down) to about 1800F before shut down. And it will be opened in 3 days. Stay tune.

又是愁善鳳凰時

後面是一棵大榕樹, 是的, 是一棵鳥的天堂.
這棵就在街頭

Long weekend in Paducah, KY - Music Festival

Title of photo : "Album Cover of the Hasegawas" w/ out of town artists.
Name of the album : " Together, we ride"
One. Two. One two three...........

Auntie May May... comes a long way....

Together we ride... ride to the park... ride to the pond... ride to the market...

It's not enough time... to play all the toys... read all the books... sing all my songs...

Sharp

This year, instead of books, I indulged myself with a couple of very nice trimming tools from the conference. As the box describes; Sharp! The feeling is like handling sushi knife, instead of butter knife.
Bison (far right) is no question the best in the industry, costs 5 times as much as the Dolan (center). However, when your tool is sharper than you (or simply that I'm not very sharp), accident is waiting to happen. I paid a small extra price with my finger today. No biggie, just a small cut.

But, I hate cut on my finger. :-(

The guy who lives across the street

We have heard his voice for a while, but never have the chance to see him. I believe Handsome lives in the mini pine jungle.

Flying lesson

I believe this is the safest way to learn to fly; with the Flying master Jeff and a training cable. That way, he can take over and save the plane in an instant, which happened very often in the first try.
6 and a half feet wing span sailplane, only weight 30 oz - Radian
Right! Right!..... No, the other Right! Right. ;-P
Ned is the real brave one, who goes up again, again and again.... Today, he saved himself with his flying instinct during an equipment broke down.

What difference does clay make anyway?

We started NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) annual conference, last week in Philadelphia in miserable weather, over half of the planes were delayed. A lot of students were driving through blizzards from the north. However, it didn't stop over 5,000 clay/ fire maniacs gather to share.
Wednesday turned to be a perfect day for continuous shuttle loops tour. I did the Museum and Center City route, 10 stops and visited over twenty galleries and exhibitions. Every time I would like to think I've seen just about everything you can do with clay, I got surprised again. I guess that's part of the clay magic.
Shared room with the Hasegawa family in the conference hotel. All the lectures, panel discussions, movies, demos, conference shows were just downstairs. We also fully utilized China Town across the street for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After a day and a half of indoor activities, we ventured out to the Old City route by subway to see the rest of the exhibitions. Feeling very lucky that I didn't miss the Clay Studio, The Works and Snyderman Gallery.
Normally the conference ended with refreshing presentation by a number of emerging artists and closing lecture by a veteran on Saturday morning. John Oles is my favorite young artists this year and Malcolm Davis's lecture just topped everything I've heard. He started clay late in his life after twenty years of being a social activist, struggle for social justice. At age 72, He still tries to answer the haunting question - "What difference does clay make anyway?" Since, it is one of the BIG question in the back of my mind, I feel totally related to every sentence. Also knowing no one can answer one's personal struggle, seeing his journey of transformation through clay gave me enough inspiration and courage to face the question again.
We wandered out to find Rodin Garden along Benjamin Franklin Pky under clear blue sky but end up with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It turns out to be the biggest treasure in town. After 3 hrs of totally immerse in thousands of year of human cultures from the east and west, I stepped out the west exit and ready to get on bus 38. I looked down and saw Fairmount Park along Schuylkill river, thinking what a way to end the trip. Not until Sunday morning while waiting for the shuttle to the airport, I noticed the peak of cherry blossom right in front of the hotel main entrance, which I only used once during the miserable rain the first day, and missed them all. More photos of the trip click here.

Secret Gardens

Spent sunday on a local secret gardens tour. My ideal one would be a smaller one, with hidden dark corners, unplanned overgrowth, forgotten broken sculpture laying on it's side, wild animals roaming ....... and a gate so secret, that you don't even know it's a gate.

茶杯裡的山雲雨霧

Mountain Cloud Rain Mist in a Tea Cup.