Cay Denise

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 staff and students (especially Sherry) at BHC that 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...