The Canted Arabesque

He has Van Gogh's ear for music. — Billy Wilder

Posted Sunday, 20 December 2009, 11:40 pm

Texas Clay Fest ‘09

In October, I wrote about the annual Texas Metal Arts Fest held in Gruene, Texas every September. I also wrote that I planned to attend the annual Gruene Clay Festival on 24 Oct, which I did. As expected, it got crowded fairly quickly, but we arrived just as it opened so we were able to enjoy the wares at a leisurely pace for the first hour or so. As usual, we brought home a few items, some of which are shown in the images section below. As always, the Clay Fest was well worth the time, and would have been even if we hadn’t found something we liked.

Texas Clay Fest Crowd

Clay Art

Although many of the pieces on display this year were typically utilitarian, like all true art, fired clay can abjure usefulness and exist entirely for its own sake. Similarly, it needs no explanation or caption to help people ‘get it.’ A finished piece is a tangible articulation of the artist’s inner vision, and explanations only diminish its potential, or dilute its potency, and constrain it. To me, a good piece is one that stimulates and can accommodate diverse interpretations; the best pieces are those that are seen and experienced differently each time, even by the same person.

As for preferences, I like owning useful smallish items that are also visually and tactilely appealing, but my favorites are those which have no purpose except to be decoration—the kind of thing that lies in wait for an opportunity to leap out and grab your attention. For me, the really successful pieces are those that will occasionally cause one to forget what he was doing or saying, as a casual glance entraps and leads the eye and the mind into tangents of thought that disrupt and derail purpose. The items I like most are not so much conversation pieces as they are conversation interrupters, things that force their way into a discussion solely by being noticed.

At this year’s Clay Fest, I saw many useful and decorative items. Some of the pieces I liked most are shown below. Click on an image to see a larger version, or click on an Artist’s name to visit his or her website.

Alejandra Almuelle
Alejandra Almuelle

Carl Block Pottery
Carl Block

Chris Campbell Pottery
Chris Campbell

Eye Of The Dog Art Center
Ty Johnson

Kersey Ceramics
Diana Kersey

Linda Gossett Pottery
Linda Gossett

Lotus
Lotus Bermudez

Luling Icehouse Pottery
Charley Pritchard

Milagro Del Rio
Hank Drennon

Randy Brodnax Pottery
Randy Brodnax

Shikha Pottery
Shikha

Sleeping Dog Studio
Billy Ray Mangham

Starkeeper Pottery
Roger Allen

TerWare
Mike & Teri Hubbeling

Notes:

- Most photographs on this page were taken with the permission of the artists whose names are listed herein. Some of the photos are from previous years’ Clay Fests, and were included because I could not get decent photos this year. All of the photos are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by me, but the artwork copyright belongs to the artist whose name is listed above each set of images. Contact info for each artist is given below.

- Alejandra Almuelle
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Almuelle.html
    www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/style/02/9makinit.html
    alejandra_a@hotmail.com

- Carl Block
www.texasclayfestival.com/Block.html
baithousestompersmusic@yahoo.com

- Chris Campbell
www.chriscampbellpotter.com
www.texasclayfestival.com/Campbell,C.html

- Diana Kersey
    (210) 573-7418
    www.kerseyceramics.com
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Kersey.html
    diana@kerseyceramics.com

- Eye Of The Dog Art Center—Ty Johnson
www.eyeofthedogartcenter.com
www.texasclayfestival.com/Johnson,T.html

- Linda Gossett
    2505 Martin Luther King, #11C
    San Angelo, TX 76903
    (214) 240-7229
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Gossett.html
    lggossett@gmail.com

- Lotus—Lotus Bermudez
    School of Fine Arts/Ceramics Studio
    University of Houston
    4800 Calhoun Road
    Houston, TX 77004
    www.claymatter.com
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Lotus.html
    claygirl_bermudez@yahoo.com

- Luling Icehouse Pottery—Charley Pritchard
    1115 East Davis St
    Luling, TX
    (830) 875-6282
    www.texasstarstoneware.com/studio.html
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Pritchard.html

- Milagro Del Rio—Hank Drennon
    253 El Monte
    San Antonio, TX
    (210) 930-4832
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Drennon.html

- Randy Brodnax
    (214) 232-0980
    www.randybrodnax.com
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Brodnax.html
    brodnaxpottery@yahoo.com

- Shikha
    8022 Whitworth Ln
    Round Rock, TX 78681
    (512) 828-0129
    www.potterybyshikha.com
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Gupta.html
    potterybyshikha@aol.com

- Sleeping Dog Studio—Billy Ray Mangham
    405 Valley View West Rd
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    (512) 754-8171
    www.zzzdog.com/billyray.htm
    http://www.texasclayfestival.com/Mangham.html
    billyray@zzzdog.com

- Starkeeper Pottery—Roger Allen
    2505 Martin Luther King
    San Angelo, TX 76903
    (915) 653-4936
    www.chickenfarmartcenter.com/Roger_Allen.html
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Allen.html
    allenclay@netzero.net

- TerWare—Mike & Teri Hubbeling
    1331-1/2 Bonham Terrace
    Austin, TX 78704
    (512) 447-8852
    www.texasclayfestival.com/Hubbeling.html
    terware@sbcglobal.net

• SangerM • Permalink • Observations • [Back to Top]

Posted Saturday, 5 December 2009, 8:48 pm

Advice for Newlyweds

In June of this year, one of my sisters’ teenage sons was married. I wrote a short letter of advice to the newlyweds that might be useful to other young people who are just starting a life together, and so to that end, I’ve included here a copy of the original. It has been edited only for anonymity and to correct a few errors of grammar and style. Please feel free to share it with others.

Dear Newlyweds,

Please pardon this typed note. My handwriting is atrocious and would likely make for no end of amusement as you tried to decipher it. That said, I am writing because in addition to the sentiments expressed on the card, I wanted to tender a small piece of advice. I suspect you’re both full-up of advice right now, but don’t fret, this is easy and simple—and it’s important to hear now, as you begin your life together.

Basically, as you both become truly independent of your parents and part of a new family grouping—casting off in your own ship, so to speak—it is very important that you never forget that you are and will always be independent people. I don’t mean independent of one another, free to do whatever you care to without regard to your partner, but rather that you are individuals, neither owned nor owning the other. Marriage is not about surrendering who you are to be part of something else, or about remolding either yourself or the other person to your vision of what the partnership should be. It is about finding ways to mold your separate and unique personalities and your individual wills to the common good of your new family. Although this may sound counter-intuitive, the truth is that people are not attracted to one another mostly because of their similarities. True, similarities do create common frames of reference and provide a foundation upon which relationships are built, but people are more often drawn to one another by the uniqueness of their personalities and their character, flaws and all. The differences are at least as important as the similarities, and sometimes more so.

I know you have been together for a long while and probably feel you know yourselves very well. Likely you do, but never forget that people mature and grow through their lives, and neither of you is a finished product—few people ever are. You know yourselves well enough now, but you will become different people many times over as you encounter and overcome the many challenges life presents you, and as you grow together and individually. As that happens, the greatest challenge will be to find room in yourself for the changes you will see in your partner, and to learn to accommodate those changes while remaining true to and satisfied with yourself.

Essentially, it comes to this: You came to love one another for reasons that transcend money, ambition, calling, hobbies, or religion. Never forget those reasons because they are the core of what makes you a family of your own. And make yourself remember those reasons whenever money, ambition, calling, or any of the other competing and divisive pressures of life start to push you apart. It is my greatest hope that you never find yourself distant from each other, but if you do, it will be the memory of the reasons you married in the first place that keeps you grounded and connected. Add to those memories whenever you can, at every opportunity. Do not allow the drudgery of life to keep you from doing things together, from spending time traveling, dining together, reading to one another, or just spending the last minutes of your day talking about things.

Never forget that you are both individuals trying to make a life together. This will help you understand and be tolerant of one another’s idiosyncrasies, but also never forget the reasons you decided to get married because that will help you see past the challenges of the moment. And of course never forget God because sometimes your own strength and wisdom and understanding will simply not be enough. He is always there.

And with all of that said, I’ll close. Of course, we all wish you the greatest joy, and we will pray for your health and happiness.

God Bless & Congratulations!

~~~~~~~~~~

Minor changes were made to this essay on 6 Dec 09

• SangerM • Permalink • Ethos • Living & Dying • [Back to Top]

Posted Sunday, 25 October 2009, 12:46 am

Image Gallery Update

I recently changed the watermark on the larger images in the gallery so they don’t obscure the photographs as much. If you’ve visted the gallery before and were put off by the watermark, you may find a re-visit worthwhile. I will also be posting new images in the near future. As always, if you’re interested in a copy of a specific image, or in something new, just ask.

• Admin • Permalink • Site Admin • [Back to Top]

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