Millennia Antica: The Kiln Sitter's Diary

The Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:06:00 +0000

On February 8, I received this email message:

Aloha, Amma Vicki!
Your new works are an inspiration. They inspire me to make bold. We frequently serve a simple green tea to special visitors here in the press building, as you know from experience. But we have nothing decent for the gesture. What if we had a simple tea pot and four or five cups from your hand? I would feel so proud to bring them out. And they would carry your amazing gifts of design and finish. Something tropical? Or Asian? Or fusion? Am I too bold?

Om shanti, Palaniswami

By way of explanation, my youngest son is a Hindu monk living on a monastery on the island of Kauai for the past 11 years. Paramacharya Palaniswami is my direct contact there. He is one of the most twinkly people I know.

I accepted this request and have thus far begun 4 teapots. My hope is that when they are all completed, I can choose the best teapot and bring it with me when I travel there on March 3. I am working fast and I hope I am working smart.

You may wonder at the title of this post. This is a gift for me as well as my gift to the monks. There are times when the skill and love I put into what I do are just a titch (technical term) more precious than other times. This is one of those times and I am grateful.

I began with the parts of 2 teapots and 2 sample teacups.

I then continued with 2 more teapots. Teapots 2, 3 & 4 will have woven reed and willow handles. Teapot 1 will have a thrown clay handle.

To be continued….

Friday Cat Picture: The Kiln Sitter

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Technorati Tags: cats, Friday cat pictures, photography

This fellow watches over the gas kiln at the Moshier Community Art Center in Burien, Washington, where Vicki is an instructor, part of the “firing squad,” and also a resident potter.

While it is not Friday, the photograph was taken on Friday, January 30, on the occasion of the Empty Bowls event there. The folks there tease me over the number of photographs that I take and that none get to see. So here’s one as a promise of more to come.

This is cross-posted from Orcmid’s Lair because it is appropriate to a theme there. It was also my inspiration to post this photograph, as an earnest for more to come.

Oh, Pardon My Dust: Repainting the Office Door

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:58:00 +0000

There are still a number of steps needed to clean up this blog template and have it stitched into Millennia Antica the way we want.

Meanwhile, I finally noticed that I called it The Kiln Sitter’s Digest when I first created this blog for Vicki. It is not a digest at all, but a diary. So this post inaugurates the correction to the name. Not a big deal, but something to account for.

There are other irregularities around using tags and categories, but we’ll smooth that out with experience. The template is also not polished yet, with placeholders that need to be rearranged.

The biggest missing is regular appearance of photographs. Watch for that to change as we move into Spring 2009.

Wayyyy more Empty Bowls!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:39:00 +0000

We did it! Yes we did. It’s 10:26 pm on Friday, January 30. I am bowled (excuse the pun) over by the grace and generosity of the 800 (yup!) people who showed up at this event today – 20-40 minutes waiting in line during the lunch seating and not one complaint! 328 people and $4000 for the food bank.

The dinner seating began at 4pm. By 8pm 462 more people had come through the door, chosen their bowls, eaten their scrumptious soup and made their donations.

Ginny O’Flynn played the harp during the dinner seating, Janet Crawley threw bowls on the wheel during the lunch seating and I threw bowls on the wheel during the dinner seating. There was at least one set of parents who were amazed that their 7 and 9-year old sons were motionless and quiet for an extended period of time while they zoned in on the spinning potter’s wheel.

We proudly and excitedly presented the Highline Food Bank with over $10,000! Last year, the representatives of the food bank were in tears over the $4100 we took in. This year, it’s me – I am so moved and the tears are mine.

It was a very long day; a day filled with organizing, talking, eating, serving, cleaning, making bowls, seeing old friends and making new ones.

Thank you, thank you, everyone! Thank you to Gina, Jim, Janet, Esther, Rick, Susan, Missy, Barbara, Judy, JoAnne, Kris, Dana, John, Rochelle, Alisa, Alyce, Fred, Hilva, Maurice, Debra, Rose, Alex, Aislinn, Kendel, Gael, LaVonne, John, Linda, Nancy, George, Dianne, Denise, Kathy, Mary, Gayle, Joan, Victoria and at least a dozen others. We are all blessed.

Empty Bowls….

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:27:00 +0000

This will be year 4 of the Moshier Art Center Annual Empty Bowls fundraising dinner/event. With a lot of assistance from Moshier potters and a few folks outside Moshier, we have managed to produce over 1100 bowls. I am amazed.

This event is organized in concert with the Highline Food Bank and every dollar taken in goes directly to the food bank. The minimum donation is $10.00.

Last year, we figured that the 550 bowls we produced would be sufficient. 662 people showed up. We ran out of bowls and we ran out of soup! Some folks gave their bowls back so that others would have something from which to choose.

This year (well, beginning in February 2008) we knew we’d need to have many more bowls and began to question whether or not we’d be able to hold the event at the art center. Our fearless leader declared that we’d have 1000 bowls for the 2009 event. Some of us chuckled, and some of us got busy.

So, this year it was decided to have a lunch seating in addition to the dinner seating. Perhaps this would work to avoid some of the crowding (and folks standing around eating soup).

We are now set up with 75 gallons of soup donated by local restaurants, over 1000 freshly baked rolls, over 1000 freshly baked cookies, coffee donated by Cafe Vita, and other drinks.

Last year volunteers from the Highline Food Bank were in tears over the $4100 they were to receive as a result of the amazing generosity of the Burien community and the surrounding areas.

This is all happening tomorrow (January 30) and I cannot wait to listen to the conversations, and find out the results. Welcome to human being!

“We are makers of things..”

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Yes, I’ve spent most of the day watching this day’s events on CNN. I cried some. No, I cried a lot – from joy and from relief. We all watched and listened to this extraordinary man detail out for us what needs to happen in the days and years ahead, and WE are not only invited, but challenged to participate at a level unheard of in recent times.

In his inaugural address, President Obama talked about who we are as citizens. Here is an excerpt from the inaugural speech:

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.”

One of the things that struck me most was his statement that “we are makers of things.” My heart jumped and I knew immediately that he was speaking directly to me. I, too, am a maker of things – it is in my bones. As I listened to the unspoken, I heard the possibility of the return of jobs to America – jobs that I once took for granted: farmer, mechanic, auto worker, customer support (imagine!), craftspeople.

What does this say about the arts? I am an artist – a potter. I am a maker of things. I am inspired, and I am excited! Are you a maker of things? What will you do with this awesome possibility? I invite your comments.

Possible ways to look at cups…

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:03:00 +0000

A few days ago, I viewed a video about cups. A cup is a cup, right? No big deal. A cup holds liquid and we drink from it. Well, I watched this video of a talk by Pete Pinnell (one of my personal/ pottery heroes) on cups! It is fascinating. I recommend it.

He speaks about what is invoked when a cup is held. How a cup is held could easily be categorized in a gender way…or not. What are all the elements of a cup of which we, as consumers, may not be aware? What do we look for? How many fingers must we be able to fit around the handle? What will we drink from it? Is it comfortable enough to hold on to it while we consume the entire contents, or must we set it down between sips – lovely though it may be, is it not comfortable enough to hold on to for the duration? Perhaps that lack of comfort may promote something else. Maybe, instead of drinking all the coffee (or tea) without noticing and then all of a sudden, it’s gone, I’d be present to that I’m drinking, and what I’m drinking. Hmmm.

After many episodes of “I’m done with cups…not making them anymore. They’re so pedestrian,” perhaps there is more to the cup than I’d ever imagined.

Thanks for listening.

Some days are more interesting than others….

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:54:00 +0000

There are 2 things I do nearly every morning. First, I page to the current day in a book I have called “Wisdom, 365 Thoughts from Indian Masters.” The closeup photograph to the right of the “thought” is of a potter in India throwing a small vessel from clay. The “thought” by Swami Vivekananda reads “Brahman is like the clay of substance out of which an infinite variety of articles are fashioned. As clay, they are all one, but form or manifestation differentiates them. Before every one of them was made, they all existed potentially in clay, and of course, they are identical substantially; but when formed, and so long as the form remains, they are separate and different.”

Second, I boot up my computer and check out the Hindu Monastery website to find out what happened there the previous day. (Some of you know that my youngest son is a Hindu monk and lives at a monastery on Kauai.) I did that today and below is the photograph that appeared – a master potter with his apprentices. Amazing!

If you are interested, you can click on the link above to read the text that accompanied this photograph.

What does it all mean? Perhaps it is confirmation that being a potter and teaching others who want to learn is something that is valued in the world. It’s all really about life anyway, isn’t it?

You’re going to get up in the morning, so it might as well be a great day!

Happy New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:44:00 +0000

Yup, it’s January 1, 2009. Nineteen days until one of the biggest events of recent history!

And in my corner of the planet, conversations about new strategies are happening. This morning (actually it was around 1:30 this afternoon) at brunch, Dennis (my sweetie) and I had a conversation about how I might market my work more successfully. No question….my work is lovely according to folks who admire it. I’ve heard these words with my own ears: “Ooooh, I love Vicki stuff!”

I have a friend who is also one of my studio mates. Her strategy involves not only the kind of work she does, but a way of pricing it that seems to work well. I’ve been reluctant to follow her lead…..well, really I’ve just not wanted to “do it her way” and it has probably cost me some percentage of sales. Brought me up short? You bet!

I realize I’ve become quite arrogant about the kind of pots I’m willing to make and the colors I’m willing (or not willing) to use. The arrogance comes into play when I make my work real and the work of others less than real. Time to give that up and watch and listen to what’s not working for me and what’s working for others that I might try.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year!!

Looking for a break!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:08:00 +0000

The year 2008 is rapidly coming to a close. It’s been an amazing year in many respects. The country (and world) that we know has started to fall down around our ears economically – maybe not so amazing when you think about it. We elected the first African American as President of the United States – amazing, ground-breaking!

I reference these events because they are enormous. They ARE the grand scale of things.

On a much smaller scale, I’m wondering how long some of us can hold on as an artists and a potters.

It’s true, I don’t make things that people need. I do, however, make things that enrich the lives of those people who feel they must have them.

When it’s time for breakfast which lovely, hand-thrown mug will you choose from your cupboard today? Whose marvelous platter will hold the French toast you will make?

When someone purchases one of my pieces, I want for them to have something unique and beautiful; not only do they receive a personally signed thank-you note and probably a happy conversation with me; they get a part of me – a part of my heart and a part of whatever it is in me that I put into my work.

I watched people at our last sale as they carefully considered their choices of what to buy. Some of them walked through all the displays many times before they chose. Of course this is part of making a purchase of this nature, and at this time especially important. If one is spending money on something one does not “need,” careful consideration is truly in order.

So, I think we are all looking forward to 2009 with great anticipation and lots of possibility. I know I am!

Loving Vicki’s Pots: My Coffee Cups

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Technorati Tags: Victoria E. Hamilton, pots, pottery, potters, Millennia Antica

I love Vicki’s pottery, with special affection for the functional pots here in the household: plates and bowls, cups and mugs, and other utilitarian vessels.

Occasionally, Vicki offers me a new coffee mug to have as my favorite. The problem is her desire to take away the old one and, as she says, “put a hammer to it.”

So far, I have managed to tuck-away some of my previous favorites where I can still enjoy looking at them even though they are no longer daily favorites.

That must change. I am simplifying and re-organizing my home-office work space for improved productivity without the mess. All the accumulated bric-a-brac is going to disappear. Vicki’s study is already better-organized, and she is disciplined about organization at her studio as well.

Before the cups go, I will preserve them with better photographs than this as a way to improve my photography of Vicki’s work.

In thinking about categories for this blog, I asked Vicki for what terms help distinguish between pottery, the artifacts, from pottery, the activity of making those artifacts. Vicki reminded me that it is more confusing than that, since “a pottery” is also the term for a place where potters do their work. The term for the work of potters is “making,” including throwing, trimming, glazing, and firing. That will be the category here.

I love things that melt…..

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:45:00 +0000

So, I complained about the weather yesterday. My apologies.

I do love things that melt: cheese, butter, ice cream, glazes and (yup) ice & snow! It was lovely to see bare ground outside this morning – very encouraging. I’m betting we can get the car out of the garage and up that dang hill, even. This is good, seeing as how we have someplace to go this evening.

This morning, however, my friend Kris came to pick me up and we went to the studio – 1st trip there in about a week and a half. It was sooo great to get my hands in the clay again after all those days. I threw a dozen porcelain bowls for the Empty Bowls fundraiser that will take place on Friday, January 30 at the Moshier Community Art Center in Burien, Washington. Check out my website for all the details.

Well, how about the weather?

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:54:00 +0000

So, it’s been over a week since I’ve been in the studio. Why, you might ask, is that so? Snow, is why it’s so. So much and so cold that I can get the car out of the garage, but I cannot get it turned around and progressing UP the hill!.

So much for that nonsense (well there’ll be more later, I’m sure).

It’s the 26th of December 2008. All my pottery commitments but one are complete for the year. The one that’s incomplete has to do with my friend Joseph, who has requested a “leaky cauldron” mug that he’d like to send to a friend who has written extensively about the Harry Potter phenomenon. I made 4 of them so he’d have something from which to choose. I figured he could send one and keep the rest for himself. This means a lot to him, and to me. It’s my intention to come through for him. In my last communication to him I let him know that they were drying and waiting for the first firing. What’s needed now is for them to be bisque fired so I can glaze them. What’s in the way is that I still cannot get the car moving. The bus is running, I think, and a friend of mine may be coming to give me a ride tomorrow. Onward!

Welcoming Vicki

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Technorati Tags: Windows Live Writer, Blogger, Victoria E. Hamilton, Millennia Antica, potters

This blog is all about Vicki’s work. To start out, we selected a photograph to include in her Blogger profile.

This is the selection. It was taken on October 25, 2008 with a Nikon D80 and slight flash fill using a dialed-back SB-600. The backlighting is daylight. The image is cropped out of a larger group photo, with additional digital processing and conversion using Nikon Capture NX 2.

The photo is being uploaded at this time for confirmation that uploading is set up correctly.

Finishing the Scaffolding

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:29:00 +0000

OK, this is the last of the scaffolding. I am confirming that Windows Live Writer is posting to the blog.

That’s all that’s happening at this point.

Next, the page can be customized to be more appropriate to Millennia Antica. Along the way, we will also set up for posting of images as part of these web log pages.

Please Ignore the Hammering Sounds

noreply@blogger.com (orcmid) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:50:00 +0000

This is the initial post and notice for Millennia Antica: Kiln Sitter's Digest. I have nothing to add at this point. This is the first-post test to make sure that the blog is appearing. After that problem is solved, construction starts in earnest. So far, there is a minimum setup and a standard page format. The setup and the format will both be enhanced once this baby step is accomplished. Oh, and this is orcmid. I'm the technician, scrivener, and Boswell for this blog's star, potter Victoria Hamilton. She'll be along once everything is nice enough. It's one of her Christmas presents today.