CLAY ART - Susan Musi - Musings

March 18 time to reconnect?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:39:29 UTC

I've been feeling out of sorts this past week. It is a sense of disconnection and I am wondering if I need to head back to Michigan earlier than I usually do. I'm feeling the need to be in nature, to hear the sounds, to appreciate the quiet and to witness mother nature waking up from her long winter's nap.

March 6, Spring???

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:19:41 UTC

The sun is shining, and temps to go into the 50s. Still some snow left...I am watching two squirrels hanging upside down on the birdfeeder. There is no stopping them, quite acrobatic. All creatures have to eat, but geez...

Have lots of chores I need to take care of here, but I think I'll be heading to the studio instead. To put it bluntly, it is a mess, though I've heard the expression creation is messy. Still, when you can't find what you're looking for, and you're stepping over bags of clay, and it is a small space, it's time.

March 3

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 11:38:57 UTC

The show "Three" is hung at Clingman Cafe' and I think it looks great. We've had some very positive reaction, comments. All of the work is sculptural, clay, much of it figurative. It will be up thru March 31st.

The other news is SNOW. More of it.About four inches of wet snow fell yesterday, the trees look beautiful, yes, but.....I am looking forward to spring, to blooming, to warmer temps. I think this has been a record year for snow fall and low temps in Asheville, N.C. The winter still is not as severe as in the U.P. of Michigan, mild by comparsion...and the snowfall here nowhere close to what we get in Michigan, but still......

I finally broke down and bought an MP3 player, and eventually figured out how to load it. My big issue now is I'm trying a second set of earphones/plugs and it is still a poor fit. None want to stay in my ears and on my head, lol. I'm tired of running to Best Buy...but will have to give it another shot. Sometimes I think owning more things just complicates and clutters your life.

February 27 Saturday

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:47:02 UTC

All of my pages need updating. New work, new photos. Maybe with the coming of spring, I'll get the energy to revise all of my website. I have been spending most of my days at the studio, new wall pieces and some free standing figures. Will be setting up a show at the Clingman Cafe, Asheville, NC tomorrow which will be up the month of March. One of three Odyssey clay artists participating. The cafe is located down the street from my studio, and, each month showcases a different artists or artist, many from the River District Artists Association.

January 31 hibernation

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:21:09 UTC

The last day of January. Weather has been so cold the last few days, snow, beautiful, but.... I find myself turning more and more inward. A time of incubation, rest, retreat....

January 15, Feedback

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:56:23 UTC

I continue to complete the last of the pieces I have bisqued. Overall, I am happy with the results and feel very good about the work I have produced. An evolution has occured, from "geode" rock forms, to stacked stones, to totemic pieces to a "sense" of figurative. I have incorporated some of the stones I collected this past summer from the Yellow Dog River and from Mother (lake) Superior. I have used more of the river stones because they are tiny and fit well into the pieces. I have priced most of the pieces, a task I do not relish. I mean, how do you put a price on something which is, the result of your life? I do not want to sound grandiose, but one gets to where one is by experiences, bringing all to bear to whatever it is that is created. I remember Picasso being asked, how long did it take for you to make that? and his reply was " my whole life". I agree with that. So, does one price work based on "whole life"? Does one price work at a number that "will sell"? I leave those questions unanswered here.

Today, I met a couple who had bought my work in the past (when I wasn't there.) It's good to talk with someone who responds to what you have created, and what they bring to the experience of the piece,. the attraction. I also spoke with them about my friend, Adele Macy's work, which also appealed to them. Though sales are important (making art isn't cheap), the exchange between me/my work and those to whom it appeals is very important, and very satisfying. It is such a high, when someone "sees".

January 12 Good intentions

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:32:27 UTC

Good intentions. I did some rearranging of my studio space yesterday, also redid my display wall on outside, and started to redo another area inside. We are talking about a studio of around 100 square feet, so it's challenging. Moving boxes of clay, or bags of it that need to be recycled.....made more room for my small work table by downsizing display area inside. ( aggravated my back again). I set that up in the first place knowing full well, that as time went on, my work area would become more and more full, crowded and the inside display area would have to give. Well it didn't take long for that. Anyway, now I have to price the work I put out, and (gasp) title them (perhaps) I am still in that cold finish dilemma. I guess the fact that I keep questioning myself speaks to my "purist" nature. So, at least in thought, I am moving back towards the use of slips, underglazes, ceramic stains, and eeks even some glazing, with (maybe) minimal alternatives. Funny if I think of clay as just another canvas, then.......

January 11, 2010

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:27:02 UTC

2010. Sounds so sci fi. My christmas tree stands naked in the living room. Have to remove and take her to the recycling place, where I suspect, she will be woodchipped. Enjoyed so much the mornings and evenings lit, glowing in various colors.. A good decision to put up a tree. I don't know why, but I always get a sense of sadness or meloncholy undecorating it. A part of me wants to leave her up.

Weather has been the biggest thing happening since the snow storm, and the frigid temperatures. Mornings in the single digits...cold nights. I live in my long underwear...studio can be cold. I even wear them under my pajamas. I continue to go to the studio most every day. I don't know if it's procrastination, the hibernating nature of winter that slowed my mind?, but I've been having a problem putting words to paper (well computer screen). Thoughts about my latest work run through my head, but they seem so fragmented. I've gotten a new camera with 12.1 pixels but haven't gotten 'round to figuring all the bells and whistles, and so, I am delayed in putting photos of current work in my gallery pages. I've also been thinking of re doing my display wall out side my studio and the small display area within, but I need to photo the work before I put it out there, so you see the circuitous nature of my "dilemma", and my procrastination, I guess I'll call it.

My intention for the new year is to figure out my camera, photo my work, put images on website, redo my small display area, rewrite my art statement. I don't want it to be all explaining, but somewhat of a guidepost or map of where I've been, where I'm headed, and maybe even insight into "why" :-) I haven't been able to focus on that. The other area that I fall way short is the marketing/selling "peddling" (I know that's crass) of work. That is a big job in itself and some people seem to be more suited than I to that process. I think some of my atttitude stems from the fact that while I was primarily a painter, I did that. I entered shows, was more psyched up about that part than I am now. Some fellow clay artists are on Etsy or other sell sights, but geez, that takes even more work, lol, and what I really want/like to do is to create. Now, if I could just accept that about me....but, what then, does one do with all of the work that continues to flow?? Ah well. Enough of this chatter. Need to get myself ready for studio with my intentions in mind.

the end of 2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:09:54 UTC

Hard to wrap my head around it being 2010 tomorrow. Have worked in the studio most every day during this holiday season. I continue with the totemic wall pieces. I have "gotten over" the purist thinking of cold finishes. I took a walk about the web looking at the work of a number of ceramic artists who use a variety of finishes from paint, to ink, wax, crayons, pencils. The point is, is to get where you want to go with the work. My next task is to photo the work to put in my gallery pages here, and to hang the pieces for display. My "intention" for 2010 is to do just that. I can get so caught up in the creative process...oh and my "puppets" have been fired, so I have eight small figures to finish as well. But there is no deadline for any of this to be done. I guess being the last day of 2009 suggests wrapping up loose ends, and begin a new year, a new decade..it won't happen. :-)

December 24th

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:21:49 UTC

The last month has been very busy, working a lot in my studio....I did update the gallery to show the "Balance" series. Intend to add more comment. Also have been working on a series of totemic wall pieces, and also, by happy accident a group of "puppets", for lack of a better explanation. Small figures, with moveable arms and legs to hang on the wall. Fun creatures. Anyway, I do want to get photos taken, and posted on my site....some are completed, some aren't.

Asheville was hit by a huge snow storm, many were out of power and homebound. Thankfully I had power, though homebound for a couple of days, dug my care out with a broom. LOL...what a sight that must have been. The snow was heavy and wet. Lots of melting going on the last few days, sun is out this morning. I haven't decided whether to go to the studio today, OR do some puttering around here, and I have to go to the store for a few things. I wanted to bake some chewy noels, nutbars, yummy stuff with brown sugar and butter that crisps up, ground up nuts, topped with a dusting of powder sugar. They melt in your mouth, well, except for the nuts. I have a tree this year, first time in about 4 years...it is sparsely decorated, but it is beautiful and fragrant.

My latest pondering is cold surface treatments (i.e. other than fired) on my work...using paints, waxes, inks, etc. There IS that purist part of me that is questioning their use. The issues is achieving the "look" I want and in that category the "cold" treatment works........