Sudio Journal #1

Moments from my week - posted Sunday mornings

The day started with a thunderstorm, lightening flashing through the sky, nothing spectacular over the ocean bit of a disappointment really, a quick power cut which lasted several hours as switches hadn’t been properly reset and yet another day of mind numbing brain fog.

My studio is calling but I just want to shut my eyes.

Finally the rain subsides, just enough to not get drenched on my short journey to work, walking quickly hoping that the lock on the door opens quickly before the skies open.

Kiln shelves need a coating of batt wash. Itching to fire my magnificent new kiln but knowing that a wrangle with an instruction journal to program in the glaze firing awaits I think I am stalling purposefully.

However I did manage to load up two shelves worth of glazed work, its a beginning.

Inspired by this achievement I cleaned. The previous deal I had made with myself to tidy up at the end of each day was null and void, back into the realms of mess and chaos and getting pissed off with myself for not sticking to the promises made.

The morning had been spent engaging with instagram staring mainly at the disciplined and successful potters that pull it all together and get shit done.

Trying to summon up enough motivation to get my own shit done.

I used to be able to pull a hyper focus out of the bag and speed through to the end, these days I just shut down as the haar creeps into my head but I’m getting better at coming back to things its just taking so much longer. I have to work really hard at not getting bored.

Also on the never ending list were the samples of new bodies recently acquired. My passion has always been about hand building and am really enjoying the slow process of making bowls. Having always favoured the Earthstone es160 clay after using it throughout my MA I thought I might shake things up and try a few new clay bodies that I had been researching I hoped that it may give my work another dimension.

~

We followed the shoreline in a different direction today. Taking the avantage of the low tide and suns rays we clambered along the strandline. Now I had the luxury of daily walks gathering treasure I’d decided I would be very selective in what I slipped into my bag, that lasted approximately 10 mins.

It seems I’ve taken a shine to everything buoy. There are hundreds of sea worn pieces scattered by the ocean and are much like the sea glass of my childhood but these smooth plastic shapes are more pleasing in the hand. Yesterday saw two complete buoys in the haul, a matching pair in their green coats. There is an emense feeling of satisfaction when picking up such treasure. Why who knows it’s just a bobbing bag of plastic, broken free of its duty and washed ashore.

The shoreline this way is stunning, huge swathes of rock, ancient impressions of the tide visiting twice daily. Limpets, rock pools and seaweed otherwise known as tang in these parts. It drapes itself everywhere and is beautiful.