{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, a single moment to savor and share. 

inspired by soulemama.com 

Finishing

I read many books at a time, as I've confessed in an earlier post. It makes for slow reading at times. I now must confess I have a lot of works of art going at the same time. Many never get completed. They loose their pull on me or I just misplace them and move on. Last night I had a couple hours to spend in my studio and wanted to make something. Then it occurred to me to complete works I already had in the pipeline. It made me feel so very productive to come out of the studio with three completed pieces. Though, to be honest, I still would like to make a chain more perfect for the Buddha totem necklace. It's one of my favorite pieces, not because I think it turned out so well. But because I like why I made it. Each Buddha represents something I need to work on, compassion, forgiveness, patience, courage, and letting go. Their heads are hollow with gold inside to represent clearing of the mind and control. The pearl in the belly is wisdom. The second piece is a pebble necklace, I drilled a hand full of pebbles and have been trying to figure out what to do with them. This one is okay, I'm sure I can improve, but I sort of liked the spontaneity. The final piece I made the clasp for last night, it's a necklace with a clay bead I made oh so many years ago and made the beaded chain some months ago. It is going to find its way to my sister for her recent birthday. All those packages for the holidays still sitting in my hallway are going out this week - damn it. January is almost over. My January commitments are not slipping, they are just, like me, a little slow to mature.

I hope you all have a creative and otherwise productive day today!

:: Learn ::

I have a love of learning, I would happily go to school for like ever. Really. There are so many places to find information online. You probably already know you can take classes there, too. Did you know many of them are free? I just started an Introduction to Statistics class at Udacity. I've signed up for their Visualizing Algebra course also, which begins January 30. These two classes are not actually for pleasure on my part, but because I really want that information. I think I can use it. I'm sure I can, in fact. Even if it's just to support my kids who are learning it now and in the future.

I suppose I could go into a diatribe about education. But I'll spare you my take on that and simply share where you can find some free courses for yourself or someone you love:

Udacity - This is a start-up in Palo Alto, CA that offers free online courses. The lectures are short videos that also have input fields as you're learning. At the end of the course you get a certificate of completion. You can also earn college credits on some of these courses (college credits cost $). But if you don't need the credits you can take it for free!

A while ago I found this fabulous blog post: 12 Dozen Places to Educate Yourself for Free on Marc and Angel Hack Life blog. This is a pretty exhaustive list of places to learn online, from MIT to the BBC, go check this list out! I'm pretty sure you'll find something you just have to learn.

TEDed - Their mission statement: "We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other." These lectures are always inspirational, often funny. The above video I watched on TEDed tonight - and I'm going on a walk tomorrow!

Khan Academy - A great place for homeschoolers of all ages. We used it for math for a while. You can find courses on many subjects there and it will track your work.

Lynda.comhttp://www.lynda.com/ - This is a great place to go to learn software, that's what I used it for a while ago. Many lessons are free, but if you want access to them all you need to pay. It's great for homeschoolers who want to learn Garageband, for instance. :) You can become a member for one month or the whole year, depends on your budget and needs. And, as I said you can watch many intro lessons for free.

Other "places" I found while farting around the web:

Open Culture - They have a collection of over 650 free courses in liberal arts and sciences which you download onto your mp3 player.
Coursera - Partners with top universities around the world to deliver their courses. I sure see some courses I'm interested in taking here.
Academic Earth - Video courses on quite a few subjects.


There is so much to learn and do, why does anyone watch television anymore? 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, a single moment to savor and share. 

inspired by soulemama.com 

Quiet Walk

So quiet I will say no more...

Cake in a Cup?

Yes, cake in a cup! I had a craving, but just a little one. It takes about 5 minutes, including clean-up to make this little wonder. Admittedly I'm still perfecting this recipe, but I know at least three of you will have some ideas for me, do share...

 

Chocolate Cake in a Cup

2 Tbs All purpose flour (you can give gluten free flour a try, I did)
2 tsp Cocoa powder
1 Tbs Sugar
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbs Melted Butter (I'm going to give coconut oil a try next)
1 Tbs Milk (or milk substitute)

In a coffee cup or small microwavable dish, mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and mix again, microwave on high for 40 seconds.

Eat!

:: Listen ::

Pandora Radio, how I love thee. Music can soothe, music can heal, music and cheer, and so much more. There are sound tracks to different parts of my life that I like to listen to now and again. Our sound track for this week is Pandora Radio's Dead Can Dance Station. We've been overdosing on The Black Keys Station - don't get me wrong, I LOVE The Black Keys. But change is good, though, every now and then.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo, a single moment to savor and share. 

inspired by soulemama.com 

 

 

2013 School Auction Project: The Wishing Fountain Begins!

This year's project for Max's school is going to be a wishing fountain. We are going to build Stones from clay slabs - they will be hollow forms built over balloons. Each child will build his/her own stone and imprint a wish for the world onto the stone using rubber alphabet stamps. We'll use oxides to give the stones an earthy presence and also to bring the wishes to life. I've even thought about using gold leaf in the letters. The stones will stack atop one another, much like our totem of last year. I love stone trail markers called cairn. They evoke for me the outdoors, the guiding spirit of someone who has passed this way before...they fill me with a peaceful feeling when I look at them. That is my hope for this fountain, that the children will send their innocent, hopeful wishes for the world forth and, stacked upon each other the appearance will bring a feeling of peace to the observer.

Each year I do this I do something I've never actually done before. Which is both nerve racking and exciting for me. It really pushes me to think about my process, how to teach this simply enough to the kids and also to make it so the final piece is something we can all be proud of. I have a tendency to be overly ponderous with my pieces, and this project really invites this. The kids have purpose behind their creativity, both from to express themselves and from to raise money for the scholarship fund. This is why I love this project so much. It pushes my creative/teaching/parenting envelope to be just a little more expansive and I have part in helping another family by easing their financial burden just a bit. 

Already, after working for just an hour with the kids today I know I'll do it differently with the next group of kids. I'm working with 3 at a time. Covering the balloons with slabs of clay is challenging. I am going to make a batch of these tonight so that tomorrow the next group can spend their hour putting on texture and words. Otherwise I'll be living at the school for a couple weeks and that just won't do.

Materials and Tools:

75 - 100 pounds of Cone 10 Orion Stout
Slab roller (or you can use a rolling pin for a really good work-out)
Kiln (or a studio who will fire your work for you)
Balloons, I used 9" balloons and I've used inflatable beach balls to do hollow forms also. The bigger the balloon the more challenging it is to get it covered.
Letter stamps, mine are from my rubber stamp collection or you could just use a dull pencil to write on them too.
Texture tools - this can be anything you like, I have a combination of clay tools and random items from around the house and studio. I especially like my rice server with all the dots on it that makes a cool dotty texture (shown in detail below).
Scoring tool
Water
Paintbrush
bowls to fit your works in progress
fabric to rest your work in progress on - i cut up an old sheet
Plastic to wrap up your slabs and your work in progress so they don't dry too quickly.
Lots and Lots of patience.

Process:

• I like to set up the work space before the kids arrive.
• I put a big sheet under their work space and on top of their workspace for easy tidying. 
• Roll out your slabs, I'm making mine 3/8 of an inch, set them aside.
• Blow the balloons up to various sizes to keep it interesting :), place a balloon onto the fabric which is resting inside a bowl not too much larger than the balloon.
• Tear a piece of clay off one of your already rolled slabs, score it and paint some water over the scored part, do that one more time.
• Place one scored piece onto the balloon, score side up.
• Take the second scored piece and overlap the scoring edge (score side down) onto the first piece. This step was a little confusing for the kids, because you score both pieces and one piece is score side up and the other is down - I told them it was like Velcro, you need the Velcro to touch the other Velcro.
• Repeat this step until the entire balloon is covered. This is the part I am going to do on my own tonight so that we can focus on the more decorative side of things tomorrow. Speeding up the process to get to the really fun part is good.
• You realize, of course this is a closed form, and if you don't put a hole into it it will explode in the kiln, We're getting there, but not yet. We're going to work with the closed form until the kids are finished and then I'm going to cut the holes when the pieces are leather hard in just the right place.
• Once the "stones" are closed we smooth out the surface and then, once the surface has no cracks or bubbles left on it and the clay gets a little less wet we're going to put texture and words on there.
• As soon as I figure out the rest I'll let you know how I did it. :)

I've noticed most of my hits this time of year are the school auction project posts. I do that too. I'd love to hear about other people's auction projects. Leave me a comment and a link to yours if you feel like it.

Read

Winter is such a great time to immerse yourself in a big pile of books, no? I only wish for a fireplace and a big hand-knit afghan to cuddle under, and maybe a sheepskin (fake of course) rug to lie upon while reading with a hot cup of chai or tea or cocoa. A little classical music in the background... Mostly I just read in the cracks between things that need doing - and at bedtime if I'm awake enough. 

I thought I would share what we're all reading right now:

My stack:

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly: I've already mentioned this a couple of times in my recent posts (I think). It is worth mentioning again. There have been a couple of books in my life that have altered my perspective on my world. This is one of them. It is taking me a long time to get through, I'm taking notes. I'm also reading three other books simultaniously. Ah, ADD.

All Children Flourishing - Igniting the Greatness of Our Children by Howard Glasser with Melissa Block: This is a parenting book. It encourages parents, teachers and other individuals who work with children and adolescents to connect more deeply with their kids and especially when things are going right to be specific about what they are doing that is so helpful or delightful or compassionate. It's common sense, but while reading it I realize how little information I give the boys about what's going right and how much information I give them when things are going wrong. Food for thought. I'm not far into it yet, but I think it's also a perspective changer when it comes to interacting with people in general.

Being Adolescent: Conflict And Growth In The Teenage Years by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Reed Larson: This is an older book, written in the 80's. I'm glad I started with Flow, because this is less eloquent. Perhaps because much of it is the journaling of teens. How this is going to change my world? I think I've got to figure out how to get a little FLOW into the lives of my children in way of independent pursuits worthy of their own perspectives. Hm, that's a big job.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig: This one is just for the fun of it. I am going to guess most of you have heard of this book. I've never read it and downloaded the kindle version on a whim. I'm only on chapter 4, but I'm enjoying it so far.
"One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward."

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Coleman's Stack:

The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz: Coleman got book one from Nana for Christmas. Read it in one night. We had to order three more from the Capitola Book Café. He's totally loving this series. Though they may be a little easy for him, he's enjoying them late into the night each night. They are exciting and the main character is an eleven year old MI-6 agent. :)

The Diviners by Libba Bray: Another Christmas book, I thought he'd read it for his next class assignment, but he got half way through it over Christmas break. It's a bit creepy and scary but also a mystery and it's complicated enough that it keeps him thinking. This book is not for sensitive readers. The main character is Evie, a young girl sent to live with her uncle in New York city in the 1920's.




________________________________________________________________________________

Max's Stack:

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander: A Christmas book from me, Max and I have been reading this together each night. It's pretty exciting and creepy and well, I find it a little sad. The main character is Rownie (the diminutive Rowan) whose parents have both died, his older brother has gone missing and he lives with a witch who is unkind to all her "grandchildren". The society he lives in has outlawed acting with the exception of Goblins, they are permitted to act and wear masks. There is magic, intrigue and a great deal of loneliness and finding your way in the confusing world of grown-ups and evil all by yourself. I'm hoping for a happy ending...

Ender's Game by Orsen Scott Card: This was on the Kindle when we were away on vacation and Max and I started to read it. This is philosophically related to The Hunger Games. In that children are used by the government in their own game of keeping civilization in fear in order to rule them. I guess this has been so since governments have existed. There is a lot of violence in this book by children to children. And manipulation of children by adults. And manipulation of all people by those in power - and those in power are made out to be rather vapid. I'm not a fan of this book, to be honest. Max is enjoying it though. Coleman did not finish it, he became board, though I'm not certain why.
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Chris's Stack:

Chris is reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster to the boys. From Amazon: "It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull."

Very entertaining and fun!

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: A Christmas book, too! I got this for Chris because I had just watched Water streaming on Netflix (very sad movie, but I'd recommend it, along with a box of tissues) and was thinking about India. Also it was on the NYTimes best seller list, at number 2. I haven't read it but have talked briefly with Chris about it. It speaks of the caste system in India, which is something I only know of vaguely, and it's harsh. He's enjoying it, but it's an emotionally challenging book, I think.

From Amazon: "With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India. The time is 1975. The place is an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency, in whose upheavals four strangers--a spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village--will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.

As the characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state."

Healing the Hyperactive Mind, by Dr Michael M Lyon: From the Author: "Healing the Hyperactive Brain" is the most comprehensive book ever written about the many factors contributing to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is also an organized and authoritative presentation of the effective, drug-free approach, which is now being taught to healthcare professionals around the world" 

There is a lot of information in here about nutrition and how diet can effect you physically but also your brain chemistry. This is another life altering book, though I have to confess it's a slow road to recovery...

Art :: Craft :: Tour :: Part Two

Yesterday I shared a little bit of my trip to Berkeley to visit some artists work spaces. Our last stop on that tour was to visit Eric Powell and his wife, April Higashi at their live/work/gallery space on 5th street. April's gallery is called Shibumi Gallery (Shibumi, according to Wikipedia: simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty) That sums up the beauty we found inside this amazing gallery/home/studio. April is a jeweler and Eric is a sculptor and painter.

The first part of this visit was spent with Eric in the back room of the gallery. The backroom is a jewelry studio and also Eric's studio and the downstairs of their home. Eric showed a slide show of his work, many large installation pieces and he talked about his process and the evolution of his work. Another humble creator, also speaking of the constant acquisition of knowledge, and learning as you go. Taking chances, do as much as you can with whatever skills you have because the more you do the more you learn, and so on. Loved this talk, and the work.

After Eric's talk we went into Shibumi Gallery. What amazing work was in here. Jewelry, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, sculpture, clothing...Ahhh.

Inside Shibumi Gallery on 5th Street in Berkeley, CA

Liisa Hashimoto

Liisa Hashimoto; I just want to climb that ladder.

start to our Tofu House dinner - Korean style tapas :) - all so yummy.

That concludes my Saturday visit to the city. My friend Linda and I ate in Palo Alto at Tofu House on our way back to Santa Cruz. I had the tofu bibimbap - oh so yummy. When I got home I searched (in vain) for my sketch book. I felt the need to draw and put down some thoughts. Instead I ended up reading my new favorite book, FLOW by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. It all fit so nicely together, the artists we visited found FLOW in their lives. No need to separate work from life - especially the last visit. Goals, that's what I will focus on in this new year, and getting flow in as much of my life as possible. Oh, good people, do read the book. Time and energy well spent.

Art :: Craft :: Tour :: Part One

Oh how I love the start of a new year. It's always so hopeful and filled with energy. Change. The first Saturday of this year I went with a group of artists to Berkeley and Oakland for a field trip of artists studios and galleries. It was an inspiring day, let me tell you.

It was a raw day in the bay area. Our first stop was the Sawtooth Building, "also known as the Kawneer Building, is a West Berkeley industrial building that is home to a variety of small businesses - including artisans, craftspeople, tradespeople, engineers, consultants, designers, fine artists, small industries, performance groups, theathers and a variety of schools." There is even a tool lending library - such a great idea! Many artists in this building participate in the First Saturday Open Studio tour. So if you're in the mood for a field trip and live somewhere drivable, you should visit. Each studio and artists work was unique, and it's always inspiring to see how folks find their way to creating and how they can find a way to make a living at it. Sustained psychic energy. They focus.

Susan Brooks earrings, image from her website.

We visited three jewelers in this building. All of whom were welcoming and shared freely their crafting wisdom. We began in Susan Brooks studio. Susan was so delightful. Her work is so playful and craftsmanship so fine. Her website states that she began as a painter and later became a jeweler as she gained the skills. I also heard her speaking about her father being in the union of chassers, which means she had a lot of exposure to crafts from an early age. Susan had on display her fine metal jewelry, which is pretty high end and also had earrings and necklaces made with beads at more affordable prices for the masses. She had a sign up that said "Cheap Thrills" to illustrate what a great sense of humor she possesses. I think it's a sign of strength and character in an artist to have a range of work, focused mainly on what she wants to make, not on what she should make. Also making her work accessible to as many people as possible, she's spreading the love of art. I loved her studio and chatting with her.

Curtis himself sharing his workshop/studio splendor.

Second stop in the sawtooth building was Curtis H. Arima, a metal smith and jeweler - I LOVED Curtis' studio. It was filled with an amazing array of tools and jewels. His work is so refined and sophisticated. The gems he used were pretty spectacular. His work was priced well out of my range, but I delighted in being able to hold it and hear about his process and a little bit of his journey to get where he is now. He's a Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate. For those of you outside the craft world, this is a craft person's equivalent to getting an advanced degree from Harvard or MIT. It's an arduous task to accomplish. Be impressed. He spoke about his continued quest to perfect his craft and pursuit of learning more from those in his field. I love that. He's still happily learning and very open about it. I love learning too. The images below are scenes in Curtis' studio:

Next up, just down the hall was Alison B. Antelman's studio. Alison's work is exquisite. Stones, hollow forms, amazingly beautiful and amazingly engineered clasps. Her studio is tidy and tip-top. Her work space reflects her jewelry. Alison is going to have a clasp workshop at Cabrillo this spring. I am hoping on making that one! She's a master at clasps.

lovely graphics in Alison Antelman's studio.

A newly made bracelet in sterling, gold, diamond, ruby and I can't remember the other stone, by Alison Antelman.

sample clasps for her workshops.

Tomorrows post will be on the next leg of our field trip, Shibumi Gallery and April Higashi & Eric Powell...might have been my favorite part of the trip...