Glory Hole-fourth full day

Thursday July 29, 2010

Why is it that it takes so long to pack up when it takes no time at all to explode into a room? It's thursday night so i'll be leaving tomorrow. Today was another great day. It has really been getting to me that I drove over this beautiful water to get here, I can hear the boats, even at night. It's right here all around me and i've yet to go to the water! I thought I'd be swimming at some point everyday, but no. I finally was able to get myself up by 6 so I got in my car and followed my nose until I found my way! I walked down to the pier and sat for nearly an hour- still- in the early morning quite....with the early morning sun on me. Afterwards I went to join everyone for breakfast..

The class was jazzed and ready to go. We moved much more quickly through our pieces. Some pieces didn't make it but most of them did. I started out with a warm up by making Miles a marble. Well, really a paperweight that looks like a marble. I hope. We'll see tomorrow when we open up the kiln. The things that I have at this point, I'm pleased with. When there's a cap on your time, there's a cap on your experience. And only so much can be learned and accomplished in 5 days. When I think that i's only been 5 days, I feel pretty good about it actually. The best part of the experience was being around that much creative energy again. It's gotten me stirring again. I hope that I can come home and harness that and not let it get bogged down, or clouded over by the stresses of the day to day. It's so easy when you're on a beautiful piece of land, on the top of a mountain, with quaint little wooden buildings and a small community of like minded people. All searching to create.

After the marble, I worked in the cold shop. One of my solid glass pieces had dimples no the top from being put in the kiln upside down. And it just so happened that it looked better from the bottom anyway. So instead of just leveling out the break off so that it would sit nicely. I had to take it all the way back and round it off like nothing had ever been there. So other words, I spent the next hour and a half and the wet sander/belt sander polishing it out. From 60 grit all the way through to 800 and then a cork belt. Crazy. But you get it done.

After lunch I was the first to jump up to the hole. I made an awesome piece. About 8 inches tall - nice shape, good balance, colors are good i think. Again, we'll see tomorrow. I went with an translucent amber with a opaque mossy green and blue. I think that's how it'll turn. Anyway, after that I was super jazzed about the day. The video was another great one. My favorite I have to say. The first part was about Bill Morris- a glass blower that will blow your mind. It's crazy to watch him work. He's like a machine. Guys with torches all around him- he's cutting and pulling - amazing And the guy glass blower it was about I'm going to have to look up. I know he's Italian and his first name is Lino. I like his work the most of anyone I've seen up till now. It was very inspiring. This medium is something that could immerse myself in and enjoy the challenge for a long time.

It'll be bittersweet to go. But i've got my own work to do. New designs to start making-finishing up my model for the Legends Park project- preparing for my two fall festivals-not to mention gearing up for the holidays. And it'll also to be nice to be back home with my family.

After dinner it was open studio again. No real big news to report on my end. I had the bright idea to take the powdered glass and make a drawing and try to roll that on the glass and I was semi successful. I could do it the way I want but probably only after trying it a few times. When you haven't done it before, it's just taking it as you go. They don't call it trial and error for nothing.

This photo- Landon and Kevin have some how come up with pickle eating contest at the end of the day. If kevin wins, he gets a chain mail bracelet of Landon's. If Landon wins, he'll get a piece of Kevin's glass. I hope I can stick around for this!

this is brad. a welcomed visitor indeed! his dad is in the next picture helping Landon round out his bowl.

It was another 13 hour day and the smell of pure stinky salt was in the air for nearly every hour of that. I came home and took a long hot shower. Debating for about 2 seconds and hopped in the car and drove to town for some beer. After all the sweat I've dropped this week, I deserved a cold one!

All around the campus there are ceramic, metal and glass pieces in the gardens and around the trees. It's like little offerings to the creative spirits gods- or mother earth- very much about giving back to the earth around here. Absolutely love this place.