Playing with Clay

Recently I'd signed Jeff and me up for another clay-related night class. Last January, we took our very first pottery class and I really enjoyed working with the clay. I was keen to take another pottery-type class this fall and I found several courses offered through the Port Moody Arts Centre. The one that caught my eye in particular is a bas-relief tile class. There's something about tiles. I dunno what it is, but I'm attracted by the thought of making my own. So I eagerly signed both Jeff and myself up. (Jeff's such a good sport)

Last Tuesday was our second class. The pics below depict my second project which is a panorama scene sectioned over four tiles. You may recognize the chosen scene from the photo I took last Sunday depicted in my previous post. The two shots below are showing the very early stages of the work. In preparation for this project, I "simplified" the image in Photoshop by applying a stylize filter. Next, I sectioned the image into four parts (one for each tile), sized each section to 6x6 inches and printed them out.

When I arrived at the class, I prepared the clay and pressed out four half-inch thick tiles. I then placed the printed images on top of each tile, and with a pin tool, traced the contours of the image into the clay. To further delineate the lines, I used a rubber sculpting tool to press into the clay more deeply.

The next step will be to carve into and build up the forms on the tile. Stay tuned! :)

** I also have an earlier project on the go from the first class... I created a single 12x12 inch tile, but I won't show it off just yet as it's slated to be a gift. ;)

Which Way Up?

"Water, Mountains, Sky"
Pitt Meadows, BC
Photo by Kay Darby (Sept. 2006)

Jeff and I took a lovely stroll along the Pitt River dyke today and the weather was gorgeous. I felt inspired by one particular view and just had to capture it on camera. I later cropped it into a panorama-style format for greater effect. Another appropriate title for this photograph could also be "Which Way Up?". :) The water was as still as glass.

Yes. I do indeed live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Idyllic Places

"Island Vista"
An Idyllic View from Salt Spring Island, BC
Photo by Kay Darby (July 2006)

I think most if not all of us dream of living in "utopia" in some form or other. For me utopia is a place that is quiet and natural with a temperate climate (and horses somewhere in the picture). Here's a little self-motivational write-up I did that illustrates my ideal situation; both geographically and professionally...

We Made It

Here we are; Jeff and me. A mild late afternoon breeze caresses our faces bringing with it the fresh earthy scents of mid-summer.
We’re sitting on our cozy covered porch overlooking the lake. The water is as still as glass.
I hear a horse whinny off in the distance; one of our horses calling over to another. I’d just finished a pleasant ride through our forested trails on the property. Jeff had just finished his latest toy figure. This creation is going to be as great a hit as the others. I have another horse sculpture in the works. It’s almost done and there’s a long list of people anxiously awaiting its release. All in good time however. There’s no need to rush.
Our real estate investments are all performing marvelously; generating lots of passive income for us. This combined with our solidly successful toy, game and sculpture business has us living a secure, comfortable and very pleasant existence here on our lakeside acreage.
My parents live on the property with us in their own little cottage. We also have a guesthouse that accommodates the regular visits of friends and relatives.
Jeff and I are both in excellent health. We are fit, well-rested and stress-free. We look forward to many more happy years together as we continue to enjoy this wonderful life's journey.

Ah yes...now if only I could be living that idyllic lifestyle THIS VERY MOMENT. All in good time however. Jeff and I are on our way.

Verse for the Worse?

Tonight I took a trip down memory lane. Many years ago, my father gave me a black briefcase that I assigned the special role of Custodian of Priceless Artifacts. Over the years, it served as my treasure chest of special notes, letters and other odds and ends. It's a bizarre time capsule that holds little artifacts from my childhood through to my twenties. I'd stopped adding things to that briefcase years ago and it's been a few years since I'd last delved into it for an indulgent trip back in time. It was so nice to revisit earlier eras of my life and it gave me some perspective about the life I lead today. I may at times feel disgruntled about the present, but when I look back at my earlier years of innocence, insecurity, indecisiveness ...and restlessness (okay, I still possess that) I'm made to realize that things are actually pretty fine. Being young has many advantages, but being older, wiser and more established can be pretty darn good too. Maybe even better.

Anyway, one of the things I rediscovered in my little black briefcase was an envelope stuffed with a bunch of poems I'd written in my late teens/early twenties. My creative contribution to this blog posting will be one of these poems. Here it is:

"Restless Soul"

I lie awake with thoughts still churning,

My restless soul keeping sleep at bay,

I know not what it is that I'm yearning,

My patience is beginning to fray.

Frustration builds, yet I know not why,

My agitation I can not place,

These feelings are quite hard to deny,

And solid logic I can not trace.

I'm a woman who ponders too much,

Upon things that others ignore,

To wisps of dreams I constantly clutch,

And I am always questing for more.

Perhaps this trait belonging to me,

Is an integral part of my soul,

To realize hopes and dreams is the key,

So I may finally become whole.

The most I can do is bide my time,

And make an effort to shape my fate,

My road to success an upward climb,

How long for fulfillment must I wait?

I wrote that on September 3rd, 1993. I was 21 at the time; full of angst and longing and in prime bad-poetry-writing state-of-mind. :)