It’s hard to resist the art of children. Chris enjoys a visit to a Montessori School and asks the kids to draw something they like… Enjoy!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)
Aside from their part in the cycle of life, I think flowers are here for 3 main reasons: 1.) to please the senses, 2.) to lift the spirit, and 3.) for artists to paint. They do all three for me, and I guess I’m particularly guilty of the third.
I was the girl who sat for hours in the garden, sketching the array of flowers my father had lovingly planted and tended. They were there, they were pretty, they posed easily, I had time then, and a talent I liked to use. Not for any other purpose than the joy of seeing something come to life, become 3-dimensional on a flat surface simply by touches of pressure and shadings made with a regular old pencil. I was unintentionally honing a craft I would use my entire life.
I drew other things too – the odd sugar bowl, a barn, a tree, portraits from record albums of my favorite musicians. I’d leaf through National Geographic magazine and inevitably find something draw-worthy; a lot of the time it would be faces from places I’d not yet been, faces with great character and expression, or an interesting animal. I didn’t think I was very creative then ~ whether I naturally saw, or learned to see, my time with paper and pencil was all about shades and tones forming something “real”. I was practicing; perfecting skills, self-teaching. As time passed I’d feel free to venture into more “creative” and conceptual territory ~ but then, it was “how well can I draw this?”
So my first flowers were detailed pencil work. I played with ink and then watercolors, and finally oils. Each medium brought a different feeling, different nuances and different kinds of detail. But then, at some point on the canvas I strayed from detail (I’d always secretly wanted to – but old habits die hard, it was my “comfort zone” and received all kinds of accolades, so why stop a good thing?) and let the brush do more of the talking. I liked what it said.
That’s not to say I don’t, or won’t, do more “detail” (one peek at my dragon drawings and you’ll see that’s not been abandoned!), but I love the progression, the change, the freedom that’s come along at this point in the road that says, “Paint it however you want, Saxton. You’ve nothing to ‘prove’ anymore. You’ve earned your wings, now fly!” (Flying would be easier, of course, without the roof-overhead-syndrome, but it’ll all come, in its due time. )
Which brings me back to flowers. Those intoxicating blessings of beauty. They’ll always bloom on someone’s canvas, somewhere, I imagine, til the end of time, including some of mine. And that picture at the top of the page? ~ that’s one (though not from the garden, it calls my name). And I find myself wondering how I’ll paint it. It’s kind of exciting not knowing – letting go of the outcome. Which muse will take the wheel? We’ll see…!
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
Where would we be without pillars? A pillar is upright, strong and supportive. Something to lean on. Something to admire. Something that holds up magnificent structures ~ sometimes with great adornment, sometimes with simple, elegant lines, sometimes plain, functional ones, but always sturdy.
And they’ve been around a long time! The first known stone pillars date back to 2600BC in Ancient Egypt, created by the architect Imhotep. A little later on, some of the most elaborate columns were built by the Persians, and later still, (not to be outdone), the Greeks and Romans used them not only for supporting roofs from the inside, but as decoration for the outside of buildings.
Above all, ornate or dull, pillars are practical. And now and then, the human structure also needs a pillar to rest on or look up to, or support us when we reach higher, when our load is heavy. We’ve all known someone who’s served that role well. And then sometimes, you’re that pillar of strength for someone else.
The way I see it is that either way, physically or emotionally, pillars are pretty awesome and well due some praise.
(see our growing, ongoing Plethora of P’s here)
In “Fire”, Chris shares insights on fire and life, magic and alchemy, duality and unpredictability, bringing us yet another intriguing, thoughtful and refreshing presentation. Thank you, Chris!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Not surprisingly, Chris’s kids have grown up using handmade pots and cups, and one day Chris asked his youngest daughter what it’s like to use handmade pieces, and she said “Dad, I really like the mistakes”.
It’s that beautiful messiness of fine craftsmanship that creates something that’s one-of-a-kind and gloriously unpredictable. As in life, where we are so much more than a series of precise measurements; we are not exact templates. As in life, each cup holds a story, transferred from the hands that make it and then again transformed by the hands that hold and share it.
Our mistakes add interest, color, and emotion ~ whether in our craft, or in our life. I call them happy accidents, because nine times out of ten they lead to a new idea or thought or road one might not have travelled, and we’re made the richer.
This is one of Chris’s most touching video’s, imperfectly perfect, where his trademark honesty shines through. Enjoy!
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
Pancakes. Because, really, who doesn’t love pancakes? Need I say more? Let’s fire up the griddle. : )
(see our growing, ongoing Plethora of P’s here)
What do Calculus, Global Security, Home Staging, Fashion, Landscaping and a Novel have in common? (This isn’t really a trick question or anything, don’t worry.)
The answer is that they’ve all been in recent need of creative branding, design, writing and editing. And that means, from my standpoint, that they’ve all required switching brains, switching gears, wearing different hats, whatever you want to call it, not just because of their varied subject matter, but shifting the mind to accommodate the conceptual and the functional ~ and yes, even those pesky administrative aspects, the parts having to do with getting things done on time, things like billing. That stuff. Then there are some social skills to call up, whether on the phone, in person, or in an email ~ and understanding the different nuances there. (You’ll go nowhere fast if you don’t communicate well. We’re in the communication business, after all.)
So the mind is constantly on go-go-go, turning on a dime. Left brain, right brain? Middle? Who knows? I do know, though, that the brain is an amazingly marvelous piece of equipment. I’m a fan of the brain. I like that it can do all kinds of dazzling acrobatics and land on its proverbial feet without being too dizzy (most of the time). I like that it can re-fuel by taking in a sunset, or doing something menial like emptying the dishwasher. I like that it has all these ideas that feed on each other, making more ideas ~ like breeding rabbits. I like that it’s excited by fabulously written words, and tickled by humor and capable of translating different languages (I watch with awe as one of my daughter’s friend’s speaks perfect Russian one minute and perfect English the next, and wonder how does she think? – in English, in Russian? How does that all happen in a split second?) and how it sends messages to the body informing it to step easily on a twisted ankle, or instructs the fingers, without a word, on which piano notes to play. It’s just the coolest thing.
So I’ve never understood why some people might pigeon-hole a creative worker. They might say, gosh, your work is great, but I don’t see anything relating to Dog Food Products. Or, have you done something with Cosmetics? Mayan Weaving as Vocal Therapy? Like it matters?
It’s never about “the thing”, it’s about an essence of “the thing”, and the expression of that essence. It’s not about Dog Food. It’s about the Dog Food being nutritious, or delicious, or natural, or for puppies or big dogs or small dogs. It’s about bringing the best of something to the table. A well-practiced and well-exercised mind will switch accordingly.
You want Rocket Science? Red Wine? Dragons? No problem. Just let me switch brains … okay – wait – okay … there we go. Ready.
Chris Staley
“I like that sense of contemplation that can happen when you’re drinking out of a cup, and (how that touch) has a way of actually slowing time down.” [Chris Staley]
In this week’s video, Chris describes the making of, and meanings behind, a cup, starting with a very to-the-point question his professor asked when he was a graduate student: When you make a cup, do you want it to be used, or to be displayed in someone’s livingroom?
And as ever, maybe in part because I was so horrible at a potter’s wheel myself back in the day, it’s a pleasure to watch him work his craft.
(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.) Enjoy!
“Meddle not in the affairs of the dragon; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.” (author unknown)
Sleeping Dragon with Feather Wings / pencil drawing @Patricia Saxton