Thursday, December 27, 2012

Animals

Visiting Theo
Posting about pets. So many somewhat tamed animals. Left is Theo, not to mention Gus who are two very playful creatures in Portland. Below is the four creatures that reside in Camden: Sniffers, Mabel, Ollie, and Safi. I enjoy their strange company immensely.







Sniffers.Mabel

OllieSafi, Rebecca's cat. Cat crazy for sweet potato.


A moment of zen with Mabel.

A zen moment with Mabel.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Early Winter in Camdena

The Camden Snow Bowl is a gem of Maine with a rather pleasing retro appearance. Unfortunately we are still waiting on getting a major snow storm on the coast, which should arrive tomorrow. 

Possibly my favorite aspect of the Maine aesthetic is the handcrafted machinery abandoned in the woods, rotting barns, or in a field with flaking paint and deeply rusted engines. The splashes of small lakes are colored an enticingly deep blue, which is so interesting against the white snow and stripes of the tree trunks as they steadily rising upwards into a green and grey forest. This is what I observed today when peering out the window during a joy ride, the trees are still flicker by in my eyes. 

Camden Snow Bowl

There was only one hat.

Trio of brothers and one hat.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tragic Chinese E-mail Spam

The following is a spam e-mail I received from somewhere in China, I could not figure out who and it was not signed. I find this interested because it's almost poetic, it's a tragic tale of a couple, and it's an insight to how they chinese use language as well as their culture and humor. 

What follows is the entire message:

Looks bad, she is as Lai bad character, character bad bad career, her friends bad, you now have a slouch, you rely so the rogue! Wife children accompanied her husband in the delivery room. When children are born, husband excited, shouting: "my wife, we had a boy!" The nurse said next: "look again, that is the umbilical cord!"

'If the two long' classmates: the two married. McDull said: not happy sleep, but let that pass. Sad Fortunately, Shangwei the bad. McDull said, to know how to cherish guardian, and everyone around him, Past and wring the neck Looking back only in exchange for life encounter. McDull thing is to speak out, not waiting for the other to comprehend, because the other side is not you, do not know what you want to wait until the last can only be sad and disappointed, especially feelings.

Wife children accompanied her husband in the delivery room. When children are born, husband excited, shouting: "my wife, we had a boy!" Nurse said next: "look again, that is the umbilical cord!" A male to a female for advice: Let's rent an apartment to live knot married to save the money to buy a house? Female A: I might as well rent husbands.


Do not expect the perfect man, not because you can not find, but there is no perfect man. New Year approached, and before that to save money when I have a penny not saved; really saved, not worth the money that traces of sadness in my heart, no matter how fill will leave pain Shuisi in bed my dream she was fat my thighs are twisted, but her arm. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Rice and Clay Studio

I have just finished piecing together a side blog for my pottery called rice and clay studio. Check it out if you want to see a bunch of ceramics I have created in the last year.

Wabi-sabi Teacup #1

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Nature Photography

Since my roommate had gone home for the weekend I had a really quiet saturday full of meditation, yoga, and photography. The following two images are interesting because they're upside-down. Notice the ripples in the second photo.

Upside-down #1 

Upside-down #4

I found a frozen, dead, or sleeping salamander. I balanced on this log that floated out onto the lake and took some shots of the lively salamanders under the water.

Frozen Salamander 

Salamander #4 

Salamander #8 

I've been experiment with depth of photos, the easiest way is to take pictures of paths.

The road around the lake.

The Road Around the Lake

Path to Cob House.

Path to Cob 

Slate Shingles

Slate Shingles 

Salamander #1.5

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

At the end of semester three...

I got back to school after a lovely break and seemed to immediately go on a field trip to Zen Mountain Monastery located an hour and a half from Hartwick. Originally the main building was built by Christian monks, later over taken by communist who tore out the jesus seen below, briefly became a summer camp for kids, then the godless buddhist came and restored Jesus to his place on the front. I loved this trip, the main abbot is a potter.

Zen Mountain Monastery

Below is much of the work I cranked out before break.

Max Holden Ceramics

I eventually took the artist statement out of the middle as it was hard to look at. This is my sophomore review -minus a few pieces- it's a major review which I had two weeks to prepare for that is required of all art majors (which I decided to become two weeks before this review.) Currently I am double majoring in art and religious studies.

Sophomore Review

Meanwhile, in the foundry, students were pouring hot aluminum...

Pouring aluminum.Pouring aluminum. (2)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Thanksgiving Break 2012 pt. 2

Mabel!
Heading further North I continued to part two of break. My canine friend had patiently waited to see me along with my cat who is still the boss in his old age. The day after Thanksgiving we harvested a tree which is somehow still a cultural shock evening though I'm a raised Unitarian (now a Buddhist -not a huge jump.) 



It was nice to see that my mum and Paul had made some major progress on fixing up the old farmhouse. I look forward to when they get their studio running in the barn.

Harvesting a tree. Crimbus craze already!

Camden

Camden #2

Zoë Drinking Coffee #2

Put Away for Winter

Docks out for the winter.

Docks

River meets Ocean #2

Taking Photos #2

Camden Harbor B&W

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Thanksgiving Break 2012 pt. 1

It snowed at Pine Lake, suddenly it was time to return home for a few days.

Snowy Strawbale

After a weekend of wheel throwing (the deadline for wet clay work was right before break,) I loaded up the electric kilns for a bisque firing and left with dry, cracked, occasionally bleeding hands -luckily they quickly recovered.

Dry clay hands.

At home I got to admire Oliver's basement museum of high school art and got really excited to see what was going to come home from San Francisco 

Oliver's Basement Gallery

I had patiently waited three months to see the ocean, this is at Wolfe's Neck State Park, I'm always amazed by how incredibly clean the ocean is on the Maine coast. For some reason, this broken coastline has a different feeling unlike any other.

Coast of Maine

Sunset #2

I made this piece I call Pagoda, it's constructed of discarded railroad bits left behind when the track near my house was repaired for passenger trains to run on.

Railroad Bits Pagoda