7/7/26 - 7/11/26: blisters, bisqueware, brain spill, & bountiful grace and aplomb.

7/7/26

Does it make me a totally gross freak that I kind of love blisters? When I have a blister it makes me feel like I’m in an old Star Trek episode and I’m in the beginning stages of transforming into an epically unrecognizable creature. Plus, I find their texture quite pleasant. I have a massive one on my left pointer finger right now from the green bean debacle the other night. I can’t stop staring at it. I love the way blisters look. I wish they were a normal part of the body, but instead of puss they were these helpful little cushions of air that never popped and cushioned everything in a fun, delightful way. Like enjoyable little balloons all over the body. 

I keep thinking about wood-working. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have time this fall to take a class in it.

Now that I've got my stride going with clay I’d like to see if I enjoy wood-working, too. I want to be able to make everything that surrounds me in my life. Plus, no one ever makes bookshelves or tables or chairs quite how I’d like.

I was reading about the artist Marisol again recently and was reminded of her transfixing use of wood to create some of my favorite artworks that I've been in love with since I was a kid. She reminds me of the possibility of wood being another creative surface opportunity. It's an exciting thought. I like pondering artistic possibilities.

The first wood project I’d want to explore would be my version of Russian nesting dolls. 

7/10/26

Big vases are on the bisque shelf. I’m accumulating so much bisque to finish right now for glazing. Too much? Never too much. Bisqueware is like paper to me: a forever enticing surface made for my imagination. Plus, I’m trying to amass a good amount of work before I seriously start applying to shows.

 

Right now I’m thinking of creating a big face with a long neck out of clay. The head will be open and stuff is coming out of it. This is stuck in my mind and I have to create it now. 

 

I keep thinking I know what the answer is to all my current woes: I just put my head down and keep reading and making all the art that I can possibly make right now and not think about anything else and swim a lot and everything will be okay somehow. My mind wanders though, and focus wanes. 

 

It’s my mom’s birthday today. She’s the inspiration behind anything cool I’ve ever done in my life and why I’m finally moving in the direction of teaching art. I think the coolest thing I've done so far is starting a business in my twenties, which I now look to as a test run. I see what worked and didn’t work. I would’ve been way too intimidated to even try if not for my mom. I’ve always seen her navigate unknown territory with such bountiful grace and aplomb. Unlike Duchamp, she will always be my role model.

7/11/26

I hand-built so many pieces today. I made this big darted vase last night that I love and it looks like the poetic bust of a person who's missing part of their head. The top part. Arguably a pretty important part. If I was missing the top part of my head people would probably stare and I'd likely forget a lot of things since most of my thoughts would just be falling right out onto the ground. Just a good ol' brain spill. I'm guessing my conversationalist abilities would wane drastically.

I keep going to make a cup to fulfill my obsessive make-one-hundred-cups goal, but lately vases have been popping out of me. Honestly, I feel like I want to hand-build an entire mountain right now. I'm in that mood. It would just feel so extremely satisfying. New career goal: become a clay mountain builder (not a body builder...unless it's a clay body).