Hi there
Thanks for popping in. Thanks for joining in yesterday evening for the Moment of Clarity if you did. We had about 160 guests, which is great on a Friday night! Those Doodle Discs and Tiles, designed by Tina Cox, really are a pleasure to play with. Here is the simple card I made, and a link to the video. Plenty of tricks n tips methinks…
Our stats tell us there is a swing in numbers from Facebook viewing to YouTube viewing. My guess is that you can watch YouTube (LIVE too) on your smart TV. Also, I suppose some folks just don’t DO Facebook. The other thing our stats tell us is that our Americans friends use YouTube more. I certainly do too, when I am watching LIVE streams or recorded tutorials/demos. YouTube is amazing like that. God knows how many hours I have spent watching Japanese Pottery, printing and craft videos! Can’t understand a word, but to watch these masters at work is not only super interesting and informative, but also humbling. When you see the modest tools they work with, and you have a rough idea of How it works, then you really grasp the genius, and the dedication to their artform. But when it comes to pottery, my absolute Go To Expert is the English guy, Florian Gadsby. He has such a superb, gentle way of explaining, and is so generous of his knowledge. Oh to be a disciple, an apprentice, in his studio! Ironically, he honed his skills in Japan, working under one of the great masters. His work reflects that too.
Last week I went back on the wheel after many, many months. I was trying to build some stock for the Open Days! (Now I’ve commited to selling some of my work there, I need to make a few!). My first attempt was pretty ropey, and it all felt a bit alien to me. None of that “it’s like riding a bike” flannel. I fell off! So rather than persevere, I stilled the wheel, wiped my hands clean, made a cup of tea, and sought out my trusted friend Florian on You Tube, to ground me, calm me down. “How to throw a bowl”. Back to basics. After watching intently and listening carefully, I returned to my wheel, and tried again. Much MUCH better. A day later, I watched him again, “How to turn a bowl”! It’s not that I don’t know how to do these things; I just wanted to watch somebody much better than me, and soak up some of his creative talent.
When we visited the V&A London on Thursday (V&A stands for Victoria and Albert Museum), we were enthralled by the Renaissance Sculptor Donatello exhibition. Such emotional sculptures! I was moved to tears. It was the eyes. I stared into them, and they spoke volumes back at me. I left the exhibition wanting to try to emulate those eyes in clay…
Then Dave and I picked one area each, which we would like to investigate together. Dave picked Buddhism, and guess which room I picked. Go on. It’s a no brainer! Answers below….
Quote for the day, something that my Mum often says to me. It is in German. Loosely translated it reads, we never stop learning, even when we get as old as a house.
Man lernt nie aus, und wenn man so alt wird wie ein Haus
Let’s have some fun all you non speaking German peeps! I will write it as an English speaker would say it. Ready?
Munn lairnt knee 'ouse (like House without the H), uunt ven munn zo (like toe with a z) alt virt vee I’n (like I’m but with an n) House.
When you come to the Open Days we can check it – and surprise my Mum!! She will love it!
See you on TV tomorrow! 3-5 Create & Craft. I’ve drawn two really nice additions to our SHAC flower panels. Actually, I drew them as a treat for the Open Days, so that Tina Morris and Sonia Goodliff would have new stamps to use at their Make n Takes, and then we decided to launch them on Telly – to make them extra special and share the love !
Love always
Barb x x x
