Crosby, Niki on thu 14 mar 02
I work in a community studio.
To me art is what pleases my eyes and my eyes only.
Sometimes its difficult to create what I want because I fear the questions.
"What are you making *NOW*?"
"What is *THAT* supposed to be?"
"Why are you using *THAT* color"
I never have any answers to these questions. I just say Im winging it.
I dont wing it though. I come up with these wacky ideas: like the "my little
pimp" clay pony with the gold enamel tooth.
I love him!
But I hate all the questions.
Now that the pony is coming along ive got other potters telling me that for
some reason they love it and they cant figure out why.
Creation can be so naked sometimes. You put yourself out there in such a
vulnerable way.
Can you imagine the harassment the first guy who made a tea bowl got? :)
/Niki
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Berman [mailto:rberman@PACEACADEMY.ORG]
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 1:21 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Gurus gone? Is it safe?
Hi Eleanor,
WOW! Your question is the ultimate question. What is art? There is an
unbelievable description of the famous Kizaemon Ido teabowl made in Korea
in the Yi dynasty that I will find and send to you as soon I can. The
essence of the essay goes something like this...... The bowl was made in
a dimly lit hut with a dirt floor, on a crude potters wheel that wasn't
level, with a terrible clay full of rocks and sand that was dug from the
backyard, and fired in an inefficient and unevenly fired kiln, by a
farmer/potter who couldn't read or write, and didn't even have the word
"art" in his vocabulary. But.......this common rice bowl has been picked
by the greatest aestheticians of Japan to be the most important piece of
art in the land. Why? The short answer is: it was made along with the
thousands of other pots that were made by this anonymous potter without
any thought of "self." In other words he wasn't making any effort to
express himself, but by working year in and year out he literally became
"nature" itself. Michael Cardew once said "for a potter to truly make
his own work he must become like a leaf on a tree."
Eleanor I hope this helps at least in a small way to answer your great
question.
In kindness,
Rick Berman
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claybair on fri 15 mar 02
Niki,
I am still waiting for the day when I do not mentally hear the comments and
critique I anticipate from others as I am working on something new. Perhaps
it is an ingrained response. After all throughout our educational experience
we are continually getting "critiques" & "grades". I am still working on
trusting my own aesthetic sense.
Perhaps that is a sign of mastery.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
Niki wrote>>
I work in a community studio.
To me art is what pleases my eyes and my eyes only.
Sometimes its difficult to create what I want because I fear the questions.
"What are you making *NOW*?"
"What is *THAT* supposed to be?"
"Why are you using *THAT* color"
I never have any answers to these questions. I just say Im winging it.
I dont wing it though. I come up with these wacky ideas: like the "my little
pimp" clay pony with the gold enamel tooth.
I love him!
But I hate all the questions.
Now that the pony is coming along ive got other potters telling me that for
some reason they love it and they cant figure out why.
Creation can be so naked sometimes. You put yourself out there in such a
vulnerable way.
Can you imagine the harassment the first guy who made a tea bowl got? :)
/Niki
Rick wrote>>
Hi Eleanor,
WOW! Your question is the ultimate question. What is art? There is an
unbelievable description of the famous Kizaemon Ido teabowl made in Korea
in the Yi dynasty that I will find and send to you as soon I can. The
essence of the essay goes something like this...... The bowl was made in
a dimly lit hut with a dirt floor, on a crude potters wheel that wasn't
level, with a terrible clay full of rocks and sand that was dug from the
backyard, and fired in an inefficient and unevenly fired kiln, by a
farmer/potter who couldn't read or write, and didn't even have the word
"art" in his vocabulary. But.......this common rice bowl has been picked
by the greatest aestheticians of Japan to be the most important piece of
art in the land. Why? The short answer is: it was made along with the
thousands of other pots that were made by this anonymous potter without
any thought of "self." In other words he wasn't making any effort to
express himself, but by working year in and year out he literally became
"nature" itself. Michael Cardew once said "for a potter to truly make
his own work he must become like a leaf on a tree."
Eleanor I hope this helps at least in a small way to answer your great
question.
In kindness,
Rick Berman
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