This is one of the many wonderful memories I will cherish from our recent trip to Scotland. We had the most animated conversation about a painting that proved much more interesting than it seemed on first glimpse. I recently read an article in AARP The Magazine titled “Slow Art,” in which AARP’s travel expert Samantha Brown admits to racing through many museums around the world. She’s beginning to wonder if she might have enjoyed those visits more if she had visited just one painting that felt special to her in each museum. I would tell her that it’s absolutely worth trying (and she can even choose two or three paintings,…
-
-
Beasts and Blessings in Edinburgh
I miss having my morning porridge cooked and served to me as it was at Dunedin Guesthouse, our bed and breakfast in Edinburgh, Scotland. On our last day in Edinburgh, we walked a half-mile or so through a neighborhood of bungalows until we turned down a grassy lane… This is what we saw… “Oh my goodness. They’re huge!!! They look almost pre-historic!” We knew that if we walked a little bit farther, we would arrive at Prestonfield House, which is described on its website as a “ravishing historic hotel.” Ravishing! I’ve never heard that word used to describe a hotel. I was more interested in its life prior to…
-
Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow, Scotland
Walking for four days in Glasgow, Scotland, we explored city squares, art galleries, a majestic 600-year-old university, a grand old estate with a huge library and the largest basement servants’ wing we have ever seen. We got around on foot, via taxi, and a user-friendly underground system affectionately called “The Clockwork Orange.” On one of our walks, we looked up and noticed that we were passing Nelson Mandela Place. Bill then told Natalie and me what Andy, our Glaswegian friend, told him. I was so moved by the story that when we arrived back home in Los Angeles, I wanted to learn more. Here, then, is an inspiring and empowering…
-
To Do Our Best, We Need to Feel Good
Researchers who look at work performance know that people perform better work and feel better about their work when four key needs are met: Physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; Emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; Mental, by being able to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks; and, Spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and feeling connected to a higher purpose at work. A year ago, when I read a New York Times article titled “Why You Hate Work” by Tony Schwartz (chief executive of The Energy Project, a consulting firm) and Georgetown…
-
Finding Passion in Our Days
Sometimes I find the most inspiring stories about people in the Obituaries section of the newspaper. Currently, my favorite obituary writer is Sam Roberts from The New York Times. I admire Mr. Roberts’ ability to capture the essence of a person’s life so well, in the same way that a portrait painter can sometimes capture a person’s soul on canvas. Recently, I read his beautiful obituary for Craig Ramini, who was only 57 when he died of complication of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Mr. Ramini was 52 when he found his passion. He was a Silicon Valley software consultant when he found himself in a midlife crisis. Quoted in Mr. Roberts’ obituary, his wife…
-
Socks Are Just as Important as Shoes
I was fascinated by a recent photo series in Audubon Magazine. It displayed the contents of four nature photographers’ packed bags. I love seeing what people pack for trips. It’s a bit like seeing inside people’s houses on my nighttime walks. Just like you can tell a lot about people’s lives from pictures on walls and televisions on or off, you learn a lot by looking inside people’s suitcases. To give you an idea, here’s a photo of one of the photographer’s bags. Here’s the link to the article: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/may-june-2015/swag-bag. After studying the contents of each of the four bags, I made a curious observation. They each wear socks made…
-
Natalie Reveals Her Ceramics Project
After being glazed, my pieces were ready for their second and final round in the kiln. The kiln is so deep that to place the medallions at the bottom, I had to fold over the edge with my head and shoulders in the depths. The next day, the firing was complete. Once the temperature in the kiln had dropped to 170°F (the top temperature reached is 2000°F), Patty and I ventured out into the kiln room. She assured me that I would return to the studio either smiling or crying, depending on how many had survived the firing. I got ready to open the kiln…and peered in…. And saw……
-
Visiting an Old Friend — An 1886 Square Grand Piano
This is my second extended stay in Cambria. The first was in seventh grade, when my mom and I lived here for a month to pursue “nature studies,” the science portion of our homeschool curriculum. While we were here, we became acquainted with the leaders of the Cambria Historical Museum, a 19th century home just off of Main Street that chronicles the town’s history through a gallery exhibit and a few restored rooms. I practiced the piano here every weekend for that month on an 1886 square grand. My mom has always told me not to practice, but to “visit the piano” so that we could become friends. Well, I…
-
No Day is the Same in the Ceramics Studio
I have been working now for two weeks in the wonderful ceramics studio of Patricia Griffin — www.PatriciaGriffinCeramics.com. To read about what I’ve been learning and doing, read my earlier posts by clicking on the links below. I’ll be revealing my final project in an upcoming post 🙂 “Learning About Clay” http://twointhemiddle.com/2015/05/19/learning-about-clay/ “Ceramics in an Old Schoolhouse” http://twointhemiddle.com/2015/05/21/ceramic-art-in-an-old-schoolhouse/ “Creativity, Intuition and Patience” http://twointhemiddle.com/2015/05/27/creativity-intuition-and-patience/ “Ceramics Is Not All Fun and Clay” http://twointhemiddle.com/2015/05/28/ceramics-is-not-all-fun-and-clay/ Curious about how Patty discovered ceramics and became a potter, I decided to interview her… Was art part of your life prior to becoming a ceramicist? “The kind of work that I’ve done has always been creative. I was…
-
Ceramics Is Not All Fun and Clay
It’s been lovely to devote the past two weeks to being creative. My project is going swimmingly, and I have also had a most enjoyable time helping Patty with some of her work—I painted earrings and buttons she made with black glaze so that she could etch them, glazed some of her workshop students’ work, and made clay slabs. Ceramics, however, is not all fun and play. After my medallions emerged from their first round in the kiln, Patty introduced me to glazing. Glaze looks like watery plaster, and is applied to a piece before it is replaced in the kiln, where the glaze turns into a transparent glassy layer.…
