Throwing Clay: Some results #5

It has been a while since I posted some pottery. I am getting the hang of the glazing, with some sagely advice from Dominic and Mama Potter! Here are two very recent pieces.

Top: Flower Pot: 5" tall 8" diameter; Saucer: 1.5" tall 7" diameter; both glazed with glossy black and glossy brown. Bottom: Disc Bowl: 2.5" tall 9" diameter using porcelain slip and celedon glaze.

I have also been making some thrown slab-like platters with leaves and such pressed into them. They are currently either in the kiln or air drying. They are really nice and I am excited to see the final results!

China Retrospective

After the trip to China, the group decided to create some sort of retrospective. The goals were to remembere the trip and experience with personal expressions of the trip, and secondly, we are hoping to somehow use what is created to raise funds for the earthquake relief effort.

The effort os taking two forms, a poster and a t-shirt design simply expressing each traveler's expereinice.

Above is what I created. I was actung and designing all seriously and all. It took Kara to remind me of the fun I had and Pee Pee Boy (for more on Pee Pee Boy and what he does, click here ). So remembering Pee Pee Boy, Tea, China, and this wonderful entry signal at a hotel gift shop, I created the shown poster also to be applied to a t-shirt!

A simple explanation. A gift shop at our hotel had a signal when customers walked in. I could have sworn it said Ni Hao! Horny Horny, followed by a ding ding chime! What it said was not that but the Chinese on the left that translates to How are you (ni hao) we appreciate your business, or something close to that! Pee Pee Boy was a treat found at a visit to a tea house in China. He pees when water hot enough for tea is poured over him as the video shows!

Everytime I look at it, it makes me smile and brings back the laughter of the amazing group of travelers I met on a two-week expedition to China!

Denmark here I come!

I am heading to Denmark this weekend. I am leaving this afternoon and will be back Sunday evening. I know it sounds all "jet settery" but I have freinds there whom I have not seen in a while so it will be good to get away!

I am travelling through Belgium to get there too!

Oh yeah, Wisconsin! I am going to Denmark, WI!

More peas please!

China was full of all sorts of culinary oddities! Many would turn one's tummy, but some were just too damn good!

While strolling through the Summer Palace, my friend Dave stopped for an ice cream treat and came back with the ice cream bar shown above. . .a green pea ice cream bar. A bit odd I thought until I tasted it!

It kind of looked like frozen guacamole on a stick, but tasted like, well, frozen sweet green peas on a stick!

Mmm!

Keming

Thanks Pal for sharing!

Section 101, Row AA Seats 13 and 14

That is where I will be to see Cirque's latest travelling show KOOZA when it comes to Chicago June 26 - August 10. And I will be there in what seems like front rown for the last show! I will not be in both seats, my sister will be in one!

From the Cirque website:
KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

Papercut

Pictured left to right are: My papercut; Kristin Bouvier, me, Christpher Liechty, the artist, Anne Kirby and Stella Liechty

While in Xi'an, we visited the HuaQing Pool which are hot springs for the royals. There were several "street" artists. One saw me and made me stop so he could do a papercut profile of me.

I stood still and he with his small scissors and black paper just went at it. In a matter of minutes, no more than 5, I had my silhouette. He must have had some sense of my liking of Chinese papercuts!

After me, several other of our group stood and had theirs done too. And each one cost about $1.42 or 10 RMB!

Porch Garden '08

Here's a Sunday blogging bonus!

I took my color cues this year for my back porch planting from my trip to China, red and yellow.

Earthquake Relief

I was going to continue posting this week but wanted to leave the Relief efforts up longer as the top post.

New post coming on Monday.

Thanks and donate!

Chinese Earthquake

As many of you know, I was recently in China when the most devastating earthquake in their history happened in the Sichuan Province. Needless to say, the country is devastated.

I am sure you have all seen the news. Heard the stories of the poor building practices in some of the most fragile buildings. I have created a link, to the right, to the Red Cross China Earthquake Relief. If even just one person makes a donation from seeing the link here, that small ripple will radiate across the world.


Another effort of relief was received by our China host, Huang LI of Package Design Magazine. All designers seem able to submit. My submission is the poster above. The kanji above the date says "earthquake" and the kanji coming out of the crack in the earth says "hope."

Here are the details for submission.

Sichuan 5.12 Earthquake
Quake Poster Theme Poster Design Wanted

Unified Determination Mitigating Quake Disaster Combined Sympathy Overriding hardships

At 14:28 PM, May 12, 2008 an M 8.0 earthquake hit Wnchuan, Sichuan Province. It was the earthquake happened with the most serious devastation since the foundation of People's Republic of China and inflicted enormous human and property losses to Sichuan Province and neighboring areas. under this unprecedented extreme circumstance, all Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and Chinese government, aided by People's Liberation Army, armed police and fire fighters and ordinary police officers, and helped by selfishless donations from all over China and the entire world, displayed no fear and devoted great sympathy to its own people.

Activity Objective
To mobilize all available resources to contribute to earthquake rescue; to encourage designers to depict the nobleness and greatness of selfishless love with their creative designs to encourage people who have suffered to persist in their combat against earthquake. The collection of the posters will be exhibited, edited and published for eternal commemoration.

Designs Wanted
The theme is "Unified Determination Mitigating Quake Disaster;" all teachers, students from designing universities and personnal from designing institutes may take part in the exhibition. We invite world famous designing firms and designers from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, etc. to take part. We adopt two ways-designated invitation and extended collection, to ask for participation. 512 pieces will be chosen to take part in final exhibition.

Big in Beijing!

They couldn't get enough of me! Kara found it a little too amusing I must say. There was a steady stream for a few minutes of the locals wanting their picture with me. I have no idea who they thought I was or just being big and American was enough!

But after Kara got her laughs, she got a few pictures taken too!

June 2, 1964

A baby boy was born at Weiss memorial Hospital in Chicago at 7:25 am.

That baby boy was me.

Happy Birthday to me!