In The Mind of the Beholder

So, what do you think this piece is? I know what I intended it to be, but it has been referred to as a number of things. When it was sitting on a table waiting for me to glaze it, one person in the shop wanted to know, "Who made the urinal?" Another referred to it as a "tea pitcher" which is close to what I had in mind when creating it at the wheel. Once it came out of the kiln, everyone really was drawn to it (I think tenmoku glaze has that affect on people) and two or three, on separate occasions immediately said that it looked like a bong! Hmmmmm....... I think it is interesting that what we have in mind for something can be so different to others. My oldest son took a free-form vase I had made and turned into his coffee cup at work. He said some of his colleagues think it is the neatest coffee cup they have seen. I guess it is all in how we use things that make them what they are - maybe this applies to people as well. I better move on . . . it is too early in the morning to be thinking this deeply.

Setting up kiln and Bill instructing me

The kiln is here, although I have not had the opportunity to get an electrician out to hook it into our box. I really want to thank Bill Watkins who sold me the kiln for bringing it down from Virginia and directing me in how to set it up. Also, Herbert and Nida, and Shirley for helping to unload the kiln out of the back of Bill's Suburban. I don't know if Herbert had ever seen a kiln before, but he quickly realized that it was big enough to hold a hog and, since he makes some of the best barbeque in the area, I'm sure he had visions of what he could do with this piece of equipment. Susan didn't help matters much when she asked him, "Herbert, how big a hog do you think you could fit in this?" Anyway, I am looking forward to exploring and learning about mid-fire clays and glazes. The kiln is almost 10 cubic feet, so it will take me some time to fill it, especially since I will also continue to work with high-fire clay for the shop in Bailey.

Herbert sizing up kiln for a hog!

Time to get to work. This is Vacation Bible School week, so my evenings are pretty filled, and I need to start looking over lesson plans for my new teaching position, but I hope to at least work at the wheel some today and each day.

Susan goes all out in "setting the stage" for VBS

Oh, the piece at the beginning of this post - I was tired of making pitchers that looked like pitchers, so I was just looking for a different design. I am sending this one over to American Pie to be displayed for sale. Again, anyone who wants it can make it whatever they want it to be.