Uppity Women

It’s been fun getting comments from so many of you who have seen the show at Fox Fine Jewelry!  I’m always glad to hear that someone recognizes my work, and enjoys it.  Just this week a friend from Ojai, and the young man who washes windows for me, each said they had recognized my “uppity women” in the window at Fox!

And it continues to be good for me when I get to spend time in my Studio.  Right now I have two pieces waiting to be fired, and two more maquettes (studies for a bigger piece), waiting for me to see if they really want to be bigger or not.  Sometimes those ladies seem to have a mind of their own!

I started using a new terra cotta clay this week, one with a little less grog in it, so it could be a little smoother.  I’m anxious to see how it fires.  And I continue to try to incorporate some of the things I learned in the three day workshop in Sedona a few months ago.

A happier me

Here’s a picture of me holding “Big Mama” before the show.

It feels so good to have the clay finally begin to feel good in my hands again.

“Dancing in the Sunshine”, currently in the “Land Shapes” show at Fox Fine Jewelry in Ventura, was the first ‘happy’ piece  during the past year. Then a trip to Sedona to take a sculpture class encouraged me to try a few new techniques, sort of gave me a new incentive.  So now I let the clay get a little firmer, use larger slabs, and make liberal use of the paddle!  Small things, but it makes me work differently, and hopefully, better and happier.  “Big Mama” and “Twinkle Toes” are the direct result of a couple of new techniques, and a happier me.  (The good news is that “Big Mama” has sold!)

Women can celebrate who they are, no matter what their size or shape

After years as a mother, teacher, and politician, working to shape lives and county policies, I have at last found time to shape clay.

Working in clay was a “pre-politics” hobby, which has now turned into a full-time passion.  Influenced by the works of Mexican sculptor Francisco Zuniga and Italian sculptor Felice Vatteroni, I have found myself creating female forms: small, large, happy, sad, strong, voluptuous, heroic, resigned, young, old.  The clay seems to lend itself to these expressions.  There is a great deal of satisfaction in shaping these women and their feelings.

It is the tactile process, the feeling of the clay being molded in my hands that excites me; I hope your response will be to want to feel these pieces, to touch them, and experience what they can mean to you.