Three of my raku pottery pieces.

Inside the best piece...my signature gingko leaves.


Unpredictable and satisfying results.


Amazing color this time.






And this is me turning the piece in sawdust after the raku firing.

FRIENDS from CLAY CLASS

Kathy

Margot and Susan


Kay


Beautiful Myrna


Dennis checking out one of his sculptures.

Margot's mask fresh out of the ashes, before washing.

Spitting fire from the kiln! WOW!

Erin, my teacher, watches Dennis at work.

Dennis' sculpture, the burning man, with fire coming from
his nose and ears.

Richard and Ben sit on the sidelines during all the action.

Ben is helping Richard scuplt a dragon from clay.

Another exciting raku party at Erin's. For almost 2 years now I've been learning the processes of clay and pottery, but nothing matches raku firing outdoors. It is wild, dangerous, and unpredictable with amazing results. However, I had one piece break, several small cracks, and one come out so-so that wasn't too impressive. That, too, is part of the process...handling disappointment and frustration...a good lesson for life. Sometimes, despite our greatest hopes and efforts, things just don't go according to our feeble plans. That's when you learn to trust God, wait for the results, and hopefully there will be something beautiful emerge from the ashes. And even if the thing you hold in your hand misses the mark of beauty, you can always find that other "lesson" that was intended for that moment. So very much to be learned in the fire. Thanks Erin for letting us fire it up last Friday.

Also, for a lot more photos of this awesome process visit http://denoart.blogspot.com/ for Dennis O'Bryant's take on the night.


COMMENTS:
Deno said...
Your pieces came out Great!

HURRICANE POETRY and NEW PHOTOS

IKE IN CLAY TO PASS THE TIME AWAY


DYNAMO RADIO


CHIMES ASKEW


FALLEN BRANCHES


DADDY LONGLEGS START OVER

GINGKO TREE SURVIVOR

FLEA MARKET #1


FLEA MARKET #2


FLEA MARKET #3


FLEA MARKET #4


FLEA MARKET #5

We spent the afternoon after the hurricane walking around a local flea market. Some of the best "art" can be found there...in the junk. I especially like the deer and traffic light grouping found in a darkened building with walls lined in shiny insulation. Unbelievable! You can't make this stuff up.

MORNING AFTER A STORM

The morning after
a storm is like
a fight—
all is quiet and still…
the blackened night
fades into indigo sky
where heavy clouds
still hang.
Gradual light reveals
a littered earth,
scattered green branches
lie broken, slowly dying.
Things seem normal outside
as birds cheerfully chirp,
but inside
there’s no electricity.


Claudia Lowery
September 14, 2008
The morning after Hurricane Ike


BORROWED TIME

In the small and quiet hours
of emerging welcomed sun
nineteen candles light the room
and fade as night is done.

Without the power to carry on
with life as it is known
the world slows to a snail’s crawl,
important things are shown.

I gave myself permission
to do nothing but reflect,
then read, then draw, then read again—
I feel more circumspect.

My ears are ringing with the hum
of silence all around
only interrupted by
a woodpecker’s hammering pound.

But now a power surge moves along
filling miles of endless line.
It takes away from what I yearned—
a slice of borrowed time.


Claudia Lowery
September 17, 2008
After 4 days without electricity following Hurricane Ike.

HOT SUMMER HAIKU 1-7 & SKULL

"NO HUMIDITY IN NEW MEXICO"
Skull near outdoor oven at the pueblos near Taos, New Mexico
photo by Claudia Lowery, 2007

1
wet blanket morning,
summer drips dew’s moisture-
hard effort to breathe.

2
June’s haze is heavy
with stifling weight and steamy-
sticky mistiness.

3
dogs lick warm water,
dig out a sandy retreat
and just lie there still.

4
lots of sun today-
a good day for doing work-
make hay while sun shines.

5
napping by noontime
the day started real early-
it just keeps going.

6
jonny lang keeps me
cool while I avoid heat-
blues that makes happy.

7
long summer day ends-
peaceful heart, gardening done…
solitude is good.


The discipline of writing haiku is 3 lines, the first and last line have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. I love haiku because it forces me to use creativity within structure...but it's not so structured as to generate anxiety or stifle the creative flow. It's just enough to make you feel something good was accomplished.

Claudia Lowery
June 7, 2008
Today is 6-7-8