The funny thing about being an artist is the constant evolution of your work, and yourself.
Lately I’ve been setting aside studio time to just play with clay and see what comes out. When I first started into this ceramic life, I exclusively played with clay while I experimented with this new medium and found my own style and preferences.
Then I fell into what many working artists fall into, a rhythm. This rhythm guided my studio practice for many years. I’d make so many mugs per week, and while they dried I’d work on glazing other pieces, and while they fired I’d work on packaging and shipping.
Somewhere along the way, I think I forgot how to have fun in the studio. It became work. I was so focused on producing as many pieces as I could and getting them out into the world that I forgot to pay attention to my own growth as an artist.
A few weeks ago I sat down to do some sketching and the first thing that came out were a bunch of cute little cartoon chicken faces. I loved these little guys on paper, and quickly became excited by how many different personalities I could draw, forming stories about them in my head as I went along.
Then I thought, why not try to re-create these in clay? It will be a fun new challenge, and will provide a much needed break from constant production.
I turned three of my designs into ceramic sculptures, and I must say, I’m a little in love with how they turned out. The next step will be glazing these cuties, which is always the most terrifying step. There’s so much that can go wrong, especially when experimenting with a new style.
I’m anxious to see where this new path takes me, and excited at the prospect of trying out lots of different animal designs.
