Cay Denise

This post is about a recent article from Colossal, an online art and visual culture magazine.  In its December 6, 2025 newsletter, there was a short article highlighting a new video from the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum.  That video includes multiple V&A curators unboxing a collection of 19th-century objects common in Victorian mourning traditions that include garments, ephemera and photos.  These were part of elaborate rituals and rites that people once practiced to honor the dead.  I'm aware this may seem a strange time of year to speak of death--at least in a way.  But this video is really interesting.   The question raised by the old practices no longer observed is how do we, as a culture, process grief and loss now?  Colossal writes that "our contemporary culture of grief and loss has turned inward and is something managed privately rather than shared with a community."  Does that ring true from your experience?  Is there a t...

In my early junior college days, I was part of musical theater productions in the pit orchestras.  The productions were not done in a theater but at various sites related to the story.  For example, Oklahoma! was done on a farm, and 1776 was done in one of the State of Michigan government chambers.  It was remarkably fun to do because the real-life setting made each story more memorable. That said, this post is about scaling on-site productions up to an unimaginable level.  Today, I read an article in the September (2025) issue of Tatler about a new musical titled 'Anne Boleyn: The Musical'.  The origin of this musical was the brainchild of Princess Eliane de Merode and her brother, Prince Simon, of Belgium.  In the early 2000s, they came up with an idea of creating a theater company in Belgium and would call it Historalia.  The company, now the second largest in that country, stages immersive muscials based on historical figures at stately homes. Prin...

The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco posted this very interesting video interview with artist and engineer, Miguel Arzabe, earlier this year.  What is intriguing is his use of the inspiration he notes -- to create woven paintings that are actually two of his own abstract paintings woven together.   Here is that interview: To see more of Miguel's work, this is the link to his website: https://www.miguelarzabe.net/ What do you think of his work?

Louise Fletcher's 13-week art/painting course is about to conclude.  It has been a great class!   As part of our final week's assignments, we share photos of the course work we've done.  This is a collage of my efforts.  Woohoo!

  This book presents a completely different facet of Leonardo da Vinci's work.  As a polymath and genius in mathematics and engineering (as well as other disciplines), da Vinci was fascinated with knots!   Have you seen his Mona Lisa?  If you did, did you see the ornamentation (embroidery-like pattern) on the bodice of her dress?  In reality, that section is only 1" x 4" of the painting.  But he spent years (almost a decade) plus many sketchbook pages developing the knot pattern now known as the Mona Lisa Knot.  For the actual painting, da Vinci may have spent a year painting just that area.   Based on the book, a place that would have been impressive to see in da Vinci's time -- was the Sala delle Asse: The Room of Knots at the Sforza Castle in Milan.  He painted a floor to ceiling design in a circular ballroom of the north-eastern tower with thousands of mulberry leaves, hundreds of branches intertwining with a single gold cord meandering t...

Have you had the experience of going into a used bookstore that you've never been to before and finding something that peaks your interest--eventually delighting you?  Isn't it downright fun when that happens? Finding this book was from one such chance happening.  It's an easy read that contains lots of sketches and art by Jim Henson.  The sketches would be his first steps toward the creation of what would become the broad assemblage of Muppet characters.  The book summarizes Henson's life and provides a timeline of how he got into puppetry, television, and business.  Then there are the personal qualities:  his values, imagination, sense of humor, plus the opportunities that presented themselves and that birthed what so many of us have enjoyed over the decades.  This is beside the brilliant team that helped him realize his vision. I found this book had just the right amount of information without becoming boring or being a slog to read through, and I e...

Earlier this month, I took an introductory workshop in fused glass.  Participants made small ornaments...the easiest for beginners was a bird.  We began by learning how to handle glass, what tools are involved in the craft, how to cut and grind glass, and finally - how to decorate it.   To ease us in to cutting the glass, which is difficult to do, we had a practice sheet.  First, students cut glass strips followed by a variety of shapes.  Circles, are quite challenging.  They take a number of curved cuts to complete.   Fused glass differs from stained glass in that fused glass is the layering of glass to create designs that is kiln-fired.  Stained glass, on the other hand, is made of glass cut into shapes and put together in a frame held together with solder.  The most notable stained glass are the works in church/cathedral windows -- some of which have been in existence for hundreds of years.   That said, I came away with a far greater ...

I recently visited our local quilt museum to see the juried entries in Quilt National 2025.  It usually is a impressive array of quilts and fiber art.  I was surprised, however, with how much more neutral the palette of colors used in this year's exhibited quilts contrasted with what I've seen in prior years' entries and winners.  These are still lovely pieces in their own right from Susan Else's quilted sculpture to simulated bark on the forest floor to a burning geodesic dome.  That said, it was more of the narratives accompanying the art quilts that gave depth to the meaning of the imagery.   Every juried entry in to Quilt National is a winner regardless of a ribbon.  They are spectacularly well-executed, thoughtful in their approach to the subject of their work, and use fabrics and decoration in  unusual ways.   This is a sampling of my favorite art quilts/fiber art in the Quilt National 2025 exhibition.  "Forest Floor, Tree Bark Frangmen...

The link below is to a poignant New York Times opinion piece by David Brooks published in January 2024.  It is every bit as current in 2025 as it was last year.  In this piece, he advocates for educating oneself in culture (reading books, viewing art, making or listening to music, etc. -- especially of the greats in their fields).  He remarks that it is in knowing the culture of our times and being informed by those of the past that we become enlarged human beings -- embracing a level of understanding we may not know otherwise. "How Art Creates Us"

Finished piece (with painting adjustments, isolation layers, and varnish): Final "Rabbit Hole under the Tree of Cups" This is a first large-to-me canvas painting that I've completed in Louise Fletcher's course.  It is 24" x 30" and was started as a course assignment -- an open painting.   The open painting is a place for experimentation and play.  Mine has gone through quite an evolution since the first rubber brush line was made.  After many days of adding drips, writing, and paint to the canvas bit by bit, it changed.   At one point, I turned the strange-looking canvas upside-down.  With more painting, it changed so much more until a tree shape arrived - the hint being an upside-down funnel that would became the trunk.  At that point, there were two spirals on the bottom, one on each side of that trunk.  One has been painted over.  The remaining one has peek-a-book layers and looks like a portal to an 'other' place.  Hence, its serendi...

Through August 31st (2025), we've lived through 224 days of the second Donald J. Trump Presidency.  Upon his inauguration, I began a zine series representing the news articles/issues for roughly two-month periods of time.  PoliZine #1 covered Inauguration Day through February 28, and PoliZine #2 covered March 1 through April 30.   This post contains photos of PoliZine #3 (May 1-June 30) and PoliZine #4 (July 1-August 31).  Both are digital collages of many shared Facebook posts from those time periods about political stories prominent in the news cycle during the respective periods.   These PoliZines feel like hosting containers for information dumps I've needed to make for my own unburdening.  None of them are pretty, and they have no order.  But isn't that what we -- who are citizens of the U.S. -- have been living through since January 20th?  Looking at it this way, they seem quite fitting. How are you artfully expressing your reactions, positi...

With this batch, I have 73 successful wheel-thrown pots and bowls...wow!  That is aside from the nearly 40 fails.  So over four months of classes and practice, I've thrown over 110 vessels.  Florian Gadsby would be proud...as I've completed my first 100 throws that he advises getting done as soon as one can!  I owe some of my learning to him and his videos (on YouTube), and the rest to the instructors, staff and students at BHC (the place I've done my work at since June).  Thank you to all my teachers -- meaning all of you in one way or another!

It has been almost a year since I picked up a paint brush to do any creative visual work.  That said, I'm so glad I signed up for this course.  It has prodded me to 'do' rather than to 'think about doing'.   The first four weeks have passed...and seem to have flown by.  The primary focus of this period has been on mindset of the artist--which has been eye-opening and exceptional!  I'm really liking the revamped course that Louise Fletcher has rolled out this year.  Her video presentations, instructions and demos are so much more thoughtful, clear and authentic than the last time I took FYJ.  What I'm also liking is that Louise and her coaching staff are referring to the assignments as making studies--not finished paintings.  That, in itself, takes a lot of the pressure off students in terms of completing work and encouraging play and exploration. So far, I've done most of the assignments in an abstract manner sprinkled with a bit of realism. ...

The last Find Your Joy (FYJ) course I took with Louise Fletcher was in 2023.  Since that time, her course curriculum and approach have dramatically shifted for the positive.  I'm loving how much more authentic I find her as a human and instructor, and how it has trickled down to her coaching and support teams as well. The Creative Reset was her 10-day taster session this year that took place last month.  I loved it because of the focus on 'mindset' of the artist, whether a beginning or seasoned one.  So, I'm now participating in  FYJ25, and I'm delighted I signed up!   The course is work.  The saying, you get out what you put into something--in this case the class--is so apropos.  Students are encouraged to actively journal about beliefs, self-talk and judgment.  Some of the key points so far include: 1) accepting that failed pieces will occur maybe even more than successful ones; 2) one's art is not our value as human beings; and, 3) make ch...

This is Batch #11 of glazed and fired pieces.   The light one in the back (yellowish) has an inside done with the Mishima technique.  This technique is done before the first kiln firing and involves: painting the area with underglaze;  covering the underglaze with wax (as a resist); carving a design into the area; and, then adding a contrasting underglaze layer to enhance the lines of the carved design.   After all is dry--the last layer has to be removed carefully with a sponge. The final step is covering the area with a layer of clear glaze.   This was a complete experiment because the small bowl was misshapen and would otherwise have been recycled.  I like the technique though it is time intensive and you need the right tools for carving to look consistent.  What I didn't like was the color after the piece was fired.  It went from yellow to a peachy color, even though the photo doesn't read that way.  What I learned is that clear glaze can...

Today, I threw a couple of bowls, but my ability to center was not working.  It could have been partly due to the new-to-me clay I tried using.  In addition, I trimmed three others.  One of those three ended up being very experimental...in that I tried a version of mishima on the interior of the bowl.  Mishima is a technique of painting a leather-hard vessel with an underglaze(s), then waxing the layer, and finally...carving a design in the underglaze/wax surface before the vessel is fired into bisque. I tried it, and we'll see how it comes out.    Below are the five vessels of Batch #8 that I brought home today.  Of them, there are two new things I tried.  The stripy one was done with one base layer plus a second layer of alternating painted stripes of the base color and mulberry.  The other first is where I used a base layer and added two different lip colors of different widths. Lately, I've noticed other potters getting some great results...

The photo shows my newest batch of finished glazed pieces.  I'm still in experimental mode where glazes are concerned. In addition, I'm going to be exploring painting with underglazes.  They allow the painting of designs.  There is also a broader range of spectrum colors with underglazes, though they tend to be more translucent when fired - at least that's my impression.  I have yet to prove myself right, and that day is coming soon. I will have some bowls to share soon.  In creating a few, I've learned that using heavier clay (3 lbs. instead of 2 lbs.) makes a big difference in what you can wheel-throw, and bowls is one of them.    

Louise Fletcher's 'Creative Reset' taster was excellent this year.  She re-worked the entire content, and it was better than ever.  So much so, that I've signed up for her 13-week 'Find Your Joy' course that begins next Monday, September 15th!   I've finished most of the pre-work that she and her team have staged in the online 'hub' where all the course content lives.  One part of that is reviewing all our work and placing photos of the pieces we love in a journal for the class - along with the reason we love those selections.  In doing this, I've seen so much growth in my work because most of my selections were created after the last Find Your Joy that I took.  Stay tuned for sharings along the way...

I haven't painted in some time. So it seemed like the perfect time to sign up for Louise Fletcher's 10-day free taster course titled 'The Creative Reset' that recently started.  She has re-engineered the taster since I took it last, and I'm liking how it is rolling out.  The images below are from our first lesson that were timed studies with additional constraints.  The purpose was not to have finished pieces.  Rather it was to help students identify their preferences and gain clarity about our likes.  This means not choosing to like what others want us to like or think we should, but what we honestly like.     From my six-block painted sheets, I chose one favorite from the first grouping and two favorites from the second grouping.  The step I'm choosing to do is to write down why I like those three in particular.  The reason is because being able to articulate my reasoning will help clarify, strengthen and hone my voice -- not just in art bu...

When looking at a pottery glaze grid, it can be overwhelming as well as hard to imagine what a pot will look like with a specific pairing. That means for a while, glaze choices are all experiments.   Today's batch was a first attempt using 'runny' glazes for lip accents.  I've been hesitant to use runny glazes not knowing how much they run.  But I got brave and have now tried it.  The pot below with the reddish exterior is a glaze that really ran.  So I probably won't use that in the future.  The turquoise glaze on the inside of the pot on the right is finicky and can be problematic, but it is really pretty.  I will use that again. Five more pots have been trimmed and are in line for their first kiln firing.  That will be followed by glazing plus another kiln firing before being ready to be taken home.  There is even a cup with a handle in progress.  I'm looking foward to seeing that one when done.  It's a benchmark!

I found this delightful art of Sue Britt at a recent juried art festival!  Her paper-wrapped, pattern-cut substrates capture scenes from the natural world.  This happens to be a tide pool, but she does a range of landscape pieces. What I loved about her booth was the exemplars of papers she uses for her pieces plus an explanation of her process, and the best part -- her sketchbook with drawings and notes.  The sketchbook was so neat to see -- in that I got a better understanding of what catches her eye and inspires her to take that inspiration and develop composition ideas in her sketchbook.  Having had an education in architecture, she is a problem-solver.  I think that background paired with her very creative eye results in a different kind of art using paper forms to imitate nature scenes than I've seen before.   Because I have lived in coastal communities and visited tide pools, this piece to me truly captures the sense of sea grass movement as water fl...

This is my FIRST EVER political cartoon creation!  It's based on an idea that came to me a few days ago.   The characters are based on Ivan Brunetti's way of creating simple ones.  (I learned about him through Lynda Barry's 'Making Comics' course.)  In this cartoon, I'm pleased that the one female character across the middle six frames has a consistent look and feel.  Meanwhile, the colored-in characters are a bit more complex though have some simple elements. Ultimately, this cartoon is intended to be satirical.  That said, how does it come across to you?  Does it flow and make sense?

As you can see, I've been practicing pottery-throwing, trimming and glazing a lot!!!  The photo below shows the pots from my third and fourth glazed batches that are now considered done.  Yes, I'm getting better.     I've started experimenting with two-tone color combinations in the glazing process. This generally involves a full dip in one glaze as the base color -- and once set, dunking the rim area in a secondary glaze.  Sometimes the effect is a lace-like pattern, or a contrast color, or even a glossy edge.  Glazing is an exploration in and of itself.  Even if I love or dislike a vessel I create, it can change in the finishing process depending on the glaze(s) used. That said, more experiments are on the way.  

There is a You Tube channel with the moniker @CayDenise.  It is not me. 

I saw a zine post recently in which the artist shared how to create taller-than-wide zines on copy paper.  It's actually simple and just a matter of folding the paper a bit differently than for mini-zines.   In creating this kind of zine, the art (drawing, collage, or writing) will be constrained in ways that are unexpected -- as I learned in putting this one together.   The materials used for the project were cut-up pieces of unused art and silhouettes from cut-outs.  My approach was to simply play.  I like how it turned out and its simplicity.  The cover page is the one with the purple oval.  To follow the pages, move right, then up, around, and then down to the purple and orange page (the back cover).   The video below is a quick tour of how it looks folded with the pages being turned.  

The balance of my beginner class pots (12 of the 22 total) have been glazed and fired.  This second batch isn't as impressive as the first.  You can tell many are early ones, because the bottoms of the interiors haven't been smoothed out.   Unfortunately, I didn't record the names of the glazes used for the second batch aside from Blue Celadon and Nebula.  The ones I like from this batch are the lighter speckled ones (off-white and light green).  The outcome this time included a cracked pot and another with a chipped base.  But these kinds of losses are part of the process too. I'm now into my third week of a new-to-me intermediate course in which I'm learning to throw with the wheel set-up for left-handed throwing.  Yes, it is different...the wheel rotates clockwise rather than counter-clockwise, and the roles my hands have are reversed.  My focus now is on pulling the walls of the clay taller and thinner on each vessel I undertake.  I'm als...

Here are the first 10 of 22 pots made in my Beginning Wheel-throw Pottery class!  Of the ten, two have been done in the same-colored glaze.  Among the glazes used were: Perky Purple Blue Celadon Lehman's Shino Butter Monterey Bay It's amazing what the glaze does for each piece.  'Butter' was used for the two on the lower right of the photo that are speckled.  I like how they came out...earthy.  My favorite result was the Perky Purple.  It is a matte color and has a very smooth finish.   I'm thinking about creating a signature for my pots including a date reference and a pot number.  That way, I'll be able to place them in chronological order and more easily see my skill development over time. The rest of my pots from the class are on the studio shelf awaiting firing.  The next batch are in even more different glaze colors.  Ooh-la-la...the possibilities!

Today was the last session of my five-week class that ended with the process of glazing our pots.  The process involves waxing the pot bases, dipping the pots in glaze, cleaning up the glazed areas once dry and filling in holes in the glaze from the clamp used to dip the pots that end up leaving a mark(s).  There is also the need to smooth out the inside of the pot as well as the exterior before placing the pots on the shelf for firing.  All of this is quite a bit to pay attention to. Pictured are my 22 pots thrown and fired during the five-week class that are now considered bisque.  Ten of these were glazed and readied for their second and final firing.  I paired an older pot with a newer one coloring both with the same glaze.  (You can see a couple pairings in one of the photos below.)  I want to see if the roughness of the older pot versus the later one, typically smoother, will handle the glaze differently.   The other 12 pots have waxed botto...

The Palo Alto, CA annual Clay and Glass Festival is a wonderful outdoor event with works that are high-quality, imaginative and varied, and it is a delightful visual feast!   The 2025 event is now history having happened over this past weekend.  So if you missed it and live nearby, I highly recommend making a plan to attend next year's event.  As you can see in these photos, there is a wide range of work to be appreciated and that is also available for purchase.