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…
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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……
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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…
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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.…
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Creativity, Intuition and Patience
Ten days into my project, I am starting to answer my essential question: What skills must a ceramic artist master distinct from those of a 2D artist, and how can some of these skills be applied to other facets of one’s life? The most crucial skills I have observed so far are creativity, intuition, and patience. These are not necessarily unique to ceramics; in fact, they are probably just as applicable to 2D art. My exposure to a new medium has simply brought my attention to them. Creativity does not take only the form obviously necessary for any sort of artistic endeavor; I have noticed that in Patty’s studio,…
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Ceramic Art in an Old Schoolhouse
Patty’s studio is in a 19th century one-room schoolhouse located on Cambria’s Main Street. The cream colored clapboard, red trim, and bell tower (the original 1880’s bell still resides up there) might as well be right out of a Little House on the Prairie novel, and arriving each morning is like going on jaunt back in time. Today was my third day of decorating forms, and with 40 pieces completed, I am getting very used to having clay-covered hands. About decorating: Patty specializes in etched ceramics. Remember those Scratch-Art sets from elementary school, how you would scrape off the rubbery layer on a piece of board to reveal the colors…
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Appreciating Each Drop (of Water)
Note from Pamela: Over the past couple of years, we have been trying to become more water-aware, which has led us to discover some wonderfully easy ways to conserve and appreciate water. Currently, I am staying in a house in Cambria, California, which is practicing the highest level of water conservation, due to the low levels of water in the community. Using clean water for gardens or car-washing is strictly forbidden. When I learned that taking a shower requires 2.5 gallons of water per minute, I decided to try an experiment. In addition to one shower, I knew the house we were staying in had a big old-fashioned bathtub. However,…
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Learning About Clay
For the next three weeks, I will be studying ceramics under the guidance of Cambria based artist Patty Griffin. My essential question: What skills must a ceramic artist master distinct from those of a 2D artist, and how can some of these skills be applied to other facets of one’s life? I have wanted to try ceramics for as long as I can remember, and I walked into Patty’s studio yesterday morning with enthusiasm enough, I hoped, to make up for my lack of experience. The process, I soon learned, begins with a pug. Not a dog—although Patty does have a very majestic poodle named May—but with a cylindrical piece…
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Writing as a Way to Cope with the World
Each time I see this painting, I remember writing an entire short essay sitting on our patio, while Natalie napped in her stroller next to me. I had observed behavior in a bathroom line at a movie theater that had disturbed me. Writing about it not only helped me get the “sinking feeling” off my chest, it helped me understand why I was so disturbed. The essay ended up being published in the Los Angeles Times. Today, I discovered the essay is still on-line and reading it made me realize that one of reasons I write is to cope with the world. I wrote this essay 17 years ago. A…
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Applying to College — Fun & Stressful
Having a child apply to college is both fun and stressful. For certain, it is a much more complex process than it was 40 years ago when I applied to college. At the same time, it’s a learning opportunity if one approaches it as a research project. It reveals so much about: family dynamics (can you get through the process in one happy and healthy piece?); attitudes toward education and learning in our culture (there’s a difference); and social equality (or lack of) in the wider culture and the college culture one is considering. Recently, Natalie overheard a high school senior tell a junior, “My advice is to visit…
