Thinking

As I made my stoneware pots this week I noticed how I handle that material differently than have been handling the earthenware. Of course this makes sense as I know the stoneware pots intimately, I know they are going to get slipped, and go into the kiln for their final decoration...salt, soda, flame, flashing. The stoneware pots are gestural, carefree, casual. Those are words that come to mind.

I think the earthenware so far has been less carefree, even though I am making the same forms. Well mostly. The small bowls have been new. I guess what I am getting at is this...I want my earthenware to have the same qualities of the stoneware in the making process. Maybe even more exaggerated. Then there will be the opportunity of learning how to decorate on these pots.

I have noticed that my earthenware is informed by pots that are more traditional in form and deco. Which makes sense, that's an okay starting point. But being who I am and working like I do, I'd like to push the earthenware to a more casual place and see where that leads with the deco. As I write this I notice that I also feel some comfort in thinking that I could make more traditionally informed shapes and growing into that area. So who knows.

More or less I'm just writing to get this out of my head. I don't know what I'll do. I do have ideas taking shape in my sketchbooks and journal. For now it's about exploration.