I'm not Holly the author this morning, but rather Holly the student. Yes today was my first day of school in decades. Oh, I've had classes, but not ones where I would be graded. Not one that came with a syllabus, tests and project deadlines. And not one where I anticipated being the oldest student (I wasn't). I've always taken pics of the kids' first day of school, so in all fairness, here's mine...
I'll confess, I mainly loved school (except chemistry and I still maintain it was more a teaching issue than me) and I tend was always addicted to the new book smell that first day, but there was no book requirement for the class, just a hefty handout along with the syllabus. Though I didn't have that new book smell, it was clear and concise as it laid out assignments and requirements. I'll be making a pinch, a coil, a dwelling, a shoe/boot and a narrative sculpture (or teapot). I know you all will be shocked to know how utterly excited I am. (Yes, because I'm known for my calm, unflappable demeanor, right?? LOL)
Here's the studio...
The professor (you know how I feel about people's privacy, so he'll just be Prof. H. here this term) was very nice as he walked us through the term, his expectations and the class requirements.
Let's not mention to the other students, but I'm sort of jazzed that we're doing a class presentation on a ceramic artist. I'll confess, I'm inspired by Susan Shie, though she's not a ceramic artist. I saw her presentation at the Erie Art Museum and blogged about it here. I loved how she turned her textile art into a narrative. I already know that I want to find someone doing something like that in ceramic arts. Anyway, I'm going hunting for my subject. I'll report back.
I know I'm going back for purely enrichment reasons, but I also know that many people go back to school out of necessity. If you're considering going back and you're nervous, don't be. My university has been amazeballs. The adult ed people were totally helpful and though I know I'm only one day in, so far so good! I'll keep you updated as the term goes on!
If you want to follow my back to school adventures, there's a follow by email to the right you can sign up at!!
And in case you missed them, here are links to My Novel Freshman Experience Part 1, Part 2.
Holly
PS.
I wrote about pottery in Just One Thing. Someone who is a potter asked if I did pottery because of this scene...
It felt good
to be back at the wheel. This was my true talent—my true art. I learned about
and dabbled with other mediums, but pottery . . . I don’t know that I can
describe it, but it’s home. There’s something so primal, so tactile about
wedging the clay, a sort of kneading motion. Then shaping it into a ball and
placing it in the center of the batt.
But what I
really love is the forming of the object. What was once a lump of clay, through
the power of my hands and inner vision, becomes something else entirely. A bowl.
A plate. A vase. Some might say there’s more artistry in the glazing, but to my
mind that’s just the frosting. It’s the pottery itself that’s the heart of the
creation.
A bonus scene...my potter heroine's Halloween costume.
I took off my jacket, untied my striped scarf, and let my wild,
teased hair loose. Then I carefully put my glasses on and took the unglazed
clay pot out of my bag.
“Harry
Potter?” Jerry asked.
“No, she’s a
Hairy Potter. H-A-I-R-Y.”
Jerry looked confused so Sam explained. “She does pottery. She’s a potter.”
“But there
are no universal potters I could think of, so I went for—”
“A hairy
potter,” Jerry finished. “That’s a good one.”
“Well, it’s
only good if people know I made pottery. Otherwise, it requires an
explanation.”
It turns out, no one is awake on a college campus before eight am on a rainy, Sunday morning! Go figure. I think this might be my new favorite time to work. I went up this morning to work on my Kiln God...er, Goddess. Now, I had no tools. The point was to make it totally by hand, so the flowers in her hair makes her look a bit Medusa-like, but given my own hair and it's Medusa-like qualities, I left it. LOL It's hard to see in this picture, but under that pot of flowers she's holding, there's a hole to represent a kiln door...that's because her body literally is a beehive kiln. So, she's a classic Mother-Goddess figure, but she's also a kiln. I loved the symbolism. She's got small pinch pots at her feet. Yeah, I know, I'm very new but I think with some more experience and tools, I'd have done a better job. But I was actually pretty happy with the flowers overall.
I think it's definitely better than my first two.
