Work Space

It's where some of my heart lives....

John Leach, Potter

Since my body clock is now set for 4:30 AM, it's hard for me to sleep late on weekends. "Late" tends to be around 6:30 or so. So Saturday mornings, I tend to be the first one up. I've started a Saturday morning ritual of watching biographies and interviews of potters on YouTube, as well as instructional videos to keep me inspired and moving forward. I guess it's my adult version of Saturday morning cartoons!

This morning, I'm watching, "John Leach, Potter." John Leach is the grandson of the internationally renowned potter, Bernard Leach and the brother of potter Simon Leach.

For people who are makers, it's a really interesting window into the thought processes of someone who runs a business based on making. He talks about the successes and failures inherent in the making of pottery, and the satisfaction of having done nothing else for his living.

Click on the pic for the video.

Inspiration: Artists at Work

I recently ran across a Pinterest board which sucked me in more than usual. By that I mean it made me simultaneously want to drop everything and run out into my studio to make cool stuff, and still sit and gaze lovingly at all the beautiful images.

The name of the board is "Pottery Studios," and features a number of different clay artists in their natural habitats. 

I like this board for several different reasons. First, it introduces me to other ceramic artists of whom I may not have heard, and allows me a glimpse into their worlds and their processes. Some are potters, some are sculptors, but all of them worship at the clay altar, just as I do. It makes me feel connected.

Second, I love to see the happiness and contentment on their faces as they're working away in their creative spaces. Again, it connects me to them because it's what I feel when I'm in the groove and making.

Third, I love to see, in the case of the potters, the rows and rows of greenware sitting on shelves, drying out and waiting to get into their first firing. I'm inspired by the pictures of soda or wood kilns, packed to the ceiling with glazed ware and waiting for the magic of the fire to transform them into works of art, into beautiful things for everyday use. 

It doesn't matter which country we come from or which techniques we use; we are all united by our passion for the clay and for making art. It inspires me to know these people are out there, pushing the boundaries of clay in order to leave something behind for others to use and admire.

It makes me happy to be one of them.