Empty Bowls

Empty Bowls, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photo: Saturday, April 14, 2012

I went to a fundraiser: Empty Bowls. For a modest price you could get homemade soup in a ceramic bowl and then take the bowl home. Local potters donated bowls. It was so popular this year that they ran out of soup and bowls before the event was scheduled to close.

Money raised will go to local food banks. A simple concept that was very effective. See this item on the CBC site.

May 26/10: Bowl

May 26/10: Bowl, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I love pottery and each time I go into my favourite pottery store to buy a gift for someone, inevitably I buy something to add to my collection. This bowl reminds me of one of my cats. He is not the cleverest soul, but he knows what he wants and is determined to get it.

I keep the cats out of certain rooms because of people who have allergies. We attempt to keep sleeping spaces cat free. Basil waits for the moment a door is open and he barrels through. We have tried barriers so we can sometimes leave the doors open (such as on unbearably hot days when the air-conditioning in the hall does not reach the bedroom with the door shut). He reconnoiters the situation and then charges through, toppling whatever was used to create a gate. Then he is plucked out of the room and unceremoniously dumped back into the hall. Then his efforts begin anew. And I attempt to devise new methods to foil him!

Day 86: Hand Blown Glass

Day 86: Hand Blown Glass, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I love good craftmanship. Some years ago I went to Vancouver and a friend of mine took me to Robert Held's glass studio. It was a fascinating experience. In the area where the glass is blown, there were a couple of furnaces with fires blazing inside. Rock music blasted from speakers trying to drown out the roar of the fires. At each furnace a skilled glassblower carefully formed the shapes of the objects and meticulously added the layers of coloured glass. Turning and blowing, the object took shape. I was told that some young street people had been trained to be glass blowers. Working in this environment seemed to suit their temperament. They must have felt enormous satisfaction and pride turning out such beautiful objects.

The pieces in the gallery were magnificent and so were the prices. This bowl sat among the seconds - pieces with slight flaws that did not meet the exacting standards of a master glass blower. I love to look at the colours in the glass and marvel at its intricacy. Despite having seen the process, it still seems like magic to me that someone can control the placement of the colours with such precision. It is quite a gift to be an artist.

Day 30: Feeling Blue

Day 30: Feeling Blue, originally uploaded by susanvg.

My eyes are now trained for looking and the result is sometimes frustrating. I was driving through the city today with my son - doing messages and passed so many photo ops, but could not stop. So, once home, I looked around for something that reflected my mood - a little bit blue.

However, in looking at the photo I saw an inner glow and peacefulness. The bowl is one I love - the crackled glass reaching up to the smooth rim. Taking time to look also gives time to reflect. The blues don't have to be down. Blue winds through many moods from the exhilarating brightness of a February sky to the serenity of a still lake. Taking time is what this project is all about - time to look, time to stop and time to think. Feeling blue is not bad at all.