Things are looking up for me these days. I did do a bit of re-organization in the studio and some clean-up. That was good! But the most helpful thing I did was clear out a lot of pottery that I was not proud of but was hanging on to 'just because'. About half of what was on the shelves 'got the hammer' and the other half was boxed up and sent off to GoodWill. The empty shelves look GREAT! Don't know why it is so hard to give up the stuff that feels so good to be rid of! It feels a bit like the start of school in the fall--clean slate and new beginnings. And so, back to the potter's wheel.
Dale Neese, local potter, brought his Chinese friend, Jiansheng Li (alias Jackson Li), to San Antonio this past week. J Li offered us three opportunities to learn something of the heritage of Chinese ceramics. Tuesday evening he showed a film he made of men working in traditional (ancient) methods making and firing huge storage jars. J Li is dedicated to preserving the traditional crafts that China is know for both through a school he has established in Jingdezhan and tours he offers to visit other craft sites in China. ( If I were younger I'd be on my way to join one of his tours!) On Thursday he led a group from our potters guild through the Asian collection at San Antonio Museum of Art. The museum has a wonderful collection of Asian art--Mr. Li was very complimentary of the collection. I have spent a good deal of time wandering through the collection and I found J Li's remarks were very enriching. He also offered a workshop at University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday which I was not able to attend. All and all a very stimulating week.
