January R.E.P.O.R.T

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Two weeks into February but this is another way to keep myself just a bit more organized, so my brain doesn’t feel so cluttered. I thought this little concept ive been seeing online was nice, i decided to take the general concept of it and personalize it.

Important: I recommend reading up on the “conflict” how it started, who started it, Palestinians deserve land back and an end to this occupation.

Ahed Tamimi is a great place to start to find insight on the occupation from a 17 year old and her families personal history.

Clay Talk

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I left the studio i was at back in January. Before i left, i finished a collection of objects. Self-described as Nomsters, of all shapes and sizes. Nomsters of gods and blobs and things.

I started school again, after about 6/7 years… I’m taking a handbuilding class! So far its been good, I think its something that forces me out of my comfort zone a bit. Having assignments and objectives has pushed me to step into more logical thinking and planning. Planning is not something ive been doing with clay for the last few years, ive let it speak through me and let the ideas flow out of me as i go.

Ive updated the Day Ceramica- Process page with a bunch of work in progress photos at different stages of the clay process. I’ll be updating the objects page soon with some shots of the final forms.

Pieces in progress-green ware pt. 1

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What a special medium. Ive been working with clay for the last 4/5 years, it has remained dear to my heart ever since. I started connecting to it instantly and felt a part of myself start to speak through it. Im coming into my puzzle of an identity more and more the longer i create with it. I feel all the faceless ancestors of mine teach me.

This medium goes through fire and dryness and unpredictability in such a consistently magnifying way. It’s beautiful in each of its stages. A wet maleable dough, a form that starts to hold its shape, it can be carved into and added on to until it reaches a state of fragile strength, its put under fire, forced to cool, and painted with liquid that burns into glass for its final form. All while being in an uncertain state. Your final piece may not come out exactly as you expect it to, it may come out in pieces, it may come out fully intact. The beauty in that is so powerful and has been my biggest teacher since i started.

This collection, like all my pieces, are a connection to me. I expect nothing and receive everything. I wanted to record a few of the pieces ive been making in its earliest stage- pre-bisqued and raw.

I’m excited to play around with not only functionality but making them come alive through the shadows they create, I noticed this pattern when I first started making this collection and I’ve been chasing different shadows in some of my pieces ever since.

June & July Journal

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June & July

I finished A Very Easy Death by Simon De Beuvoir. Its a fast read that took me a long time to want to pick up. I have grown up taught to except death as it comes. Within my family there are health conditions that have seen better days in the recent years and its not an easy thing to experience. So you could imagine picking up a book about the last few days of the authors mothers life was something I was a bit uncertain I could handle. But I got through it and it was a beautiful telling of pain and comfort in family that spoke directly to me.

For my birthday I got myself Ed Templeton’s 87 Portraits, from the Arcana bookstore. I missed the day he had a book signing but luckily they had some more shipped in.

My sweet sweet Sol sent me a card game for my birthday, I haven’t played it with friends yet but it looks exciting!

Plants pictured: A pothos plant I grew from just the nodes of my moms 40 year old pothos! A pink syngonium, and a new Pothos N’ joy I got from leimert park.

Many many beach days, as many beach days as I can get in a week! This is something very very new to me and I plan on writing a bit more about it but being at the beach in a bathing suit, just loving myself and not hating my existence in this vessel is something i’ve never experienced until this year. Ive struggled with body dymporphia my entire life, from outside perceptions of me that have distorted how I see my body. Its a beautiful thing to feel more comfortable than I ever have.

I had a glaze day at the studio, got some pieces out of the final kiln and built this nomster planter!

and last but certainly not least, I rode a bike for the very first time in my adult life, invigorating to say the least. Also, terrifying but I felt like my childhood traumas were healing.