I was in my backyard this morning, putting finishing wax on several pieces. The morning sun is bright enough and warm enough to help the wax melt in, and the next door neighbor was playing "oldies but goodies" for a nice ambiance.
I finally think it's going to be O.K. This is when I think maybe I shouldn't have thrown out the whole stack of invitations I was given to mail & hand-out. Tossing them dramatically into the waste bin was a bit of a temperamental fit, I admit, but I seriously was convinced that I was never going to want to invite attention to this first body of stoneware. Things really started out badly.
There was the first firing which literally annihilated the first bust I did because it was constructed too thinly. "No big deal," I thought at the time.
There was the full 3 foot plus figure that I lost due to an experiment -enforcing it incorrectly with fiberglass screen. It fell apart during construction, and was added to my bucket of clay to be recycled. I wasn't too concerned. I knew there was going to be several weeks of just trial and error.
Another full figure was reduced to a bust sized piece because I over-stressed the ankles, and the feet literally broke off. She seemed so great before she broke, I hated to lose her. The following day I ruined a male figure that was sort of reclining. I was moving it around too much when wet. I also placed it on a hard surface flattening out the whole back side. I didn't have a sense of humor about realizing that error. I hit it with a long stick, and then I punched at it a few times before moving on.
I lost almost as much as I made over these last weeks. There isn't going to be a large body of work at this upcoming show due to this. Regardless, I am happy with myself for trying. All in all I gave a good effort. I wouldn't have learned this much without a scary looming deadline. I can thank Agnese, the gallery owner for this. She introduced me to Julius Forzano, and really made it easier to take a leap.
Julius Forzano, by the way, is a great mentor. He is always positive. He provided me with quick 1-hour tutoring sessions, and a dose of inspiration with every visit. (I would like to someday pass on the favor to someone else.)
Turns out I really like working with clay for several reasons. It's pretty immediate, as far as the creative process goes. This is not so with bronze or working in plaster, which takes a bit more pre-planning and more elbow grease. Clay also lends itself to more movement, or flow, which is a direction I really want to go.
I will be delivering my work to the gallery on Friday, and the official opening of the show is Thursday, October 2nd. (7-9'ish PM) I hope to get a positive reaction from Agnese, as Juli has been telling her about some of the work, building it up a bit.
Udinotti Gallery
4215 N Marshall Way
Scottsdale, AZ
480-946-7056
*After the show I will post some pictures!
