Getting Inspiration

I've had this ceramic piece for a long time. One can see the artist got his inspiration from nature - the sun or a flower - in either case there is energy bursting forth. It, in turn, inspires me - the colour, the form and the asymmetry.

I've been immersed in #clmooc - making, reading, getting inspired by the creative people who have chosen to be part of this group. It is a bit like playing jazz where one member starts a melody; someone else catches it and riffs off it, remixes it and gives it a whole new slant.

Sometimes you have to zoom in close, pay attention to details to get the gist of an idea, to read and respect and retell - variations on a theme. It can get quite dense as the rhythm of a twitter chat can be fast and furious.

This coming week is a break week - a time for quieter colours and rounder lines. I'll be off on a trip getting inspired by the countryside, by music and by the many thoughts that are replaying from the encounters I have had via #clmooc.

Here's hoping for robust wifi!

Looking at You

Looking at You, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Photo taken: February 1
I know I have featured this fellow on the blog before, but the Daily Shoot's challenge was to "Fill the frame of a photograph with a single subject today" He just seemed to call out for some attention. Perhaps this is because the creator was my son, when he was in high school. And the photo was taken on his birthday. Birthdays are about getting older. Yet I hope they are not about getting stodgier. I wish for my son to always keep that sense of whimsy, the sense of joy of childhood. And I hope to always set a good example.

Handmade Pottery

Handmade Pottery, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Double your art today. Make a photo of something you've created or crafted.

I made these many years ago. I featured one of my creations previously but the daily shoot pushed me to feature these. They are coil pots - ropes of clay meticulously placed and then finger push by finger push, attached to the coil before it. I've tried a number of handicrafts over the years, from pottery to a variety of needlework. There is such satisfaction in homemade things, whether crafts or a home cooked meal. That's part of what makes each home unique.

Day 329: Wild Thing

Day 329: Wild Thing, originally uploaded by susanvg.

My son, now an adult, created this in his early years in high school. I always thought it looked like it could have walked out of "Where the Wild Things Are". It sits in my living-room, a source of amusement and of pride.

I have always honoured the work my children did, displaying it for all to see. Some works have slowly been delegated to less conspicuous places or have been filed away. Others have kept their prominent spots as they are not just the creations of my children, but are really pieces I enjoy long past the time of assuring their egos are intact. This whimsical fellow definitely fits that category.