Talking the Talk

Why is it so easy to talk the talk? But then why is it such a challenge for me to listen to what I say to my students? I urge them to be open to the changes that the smoke and fire bring, and then I am shocked and not so ready to accept what unfolds...

My Angel of Peace seemed to me to be so sweet and gentle when she emerged from the clay; while I was painting her; and even after coming out of the glaze firing. I put her and some of the other 'Girls' into the barrel and started the fire... Hoping that the transformation would change her enough so that she might look like a woman with wisdom.Here she is rising up out of the ashes. But perhaps she may be a bit too much transformed by the fire.... It seems to be a bit of a challenge to accept the radical change in her appearance.

I know, I know, I keep saying that the magic of the art process, (at least this barrel-firing process), is that somehow the fire fates seem to create the works beyond the point that I might take them. That I should have no assumptions or expectations. That I should trust the process. That I should trust that it will work...

But it is not so easy to do this...

There may be a bit more cleaning up that I can do for her. I may decide to put her back into the electric kiln to erase all that the barrel smoking has done to her. But for now, I am reserving judgement and going down to the studio to paint, paint, paint...

The local newspaper came to the studio to film yesterday, and I am reminded again that no matter what I think I came here for, that this residency will bring 'something else'. That perhaps this is now the time of the 'something else'. And I do indeed want to be open to this.

Surely getting to hear Richie Havens perform here in Breckenridge last night is part of that 'something else'.