Dark Winter, Portland Maine

I would like to share some photos with you. I took these on a walk with two friends you may notice in the images. This is winter in Maine.

Ceramics Internship

During January-term I have been interning with a potter named Siem van der Ven at his studio up in northern Maine. It has been a lot of work, mostly pugging clay, making glaze, trimming, glaze testing, cleaning, throwing, sanding, and waxing. It has been a really serious internship that I have enjoyed a lot. Siem challenged almost everything I said which was both uncomfortable but fascinating as it usually resulted in expanding my understanding or definition of a concept.

One of my favorite cups by Siem:

I managed to meet up with Autumn Cipala, my teacher from last spring who introduced me to clay in a hand-building class. There are so many potters and artist in general on the northern part of the coast of Maine it's almost ridiculous  After much contemplation I believe it is because there is such interesting light and natural beauty, as well as some decent conditions for an artist community. I'm sure the flow of tourist in the spring and summer to boost sales does not hurt either. There really is an art scene going on in Maine, I wish to see it develop further and hope that I can contribute soon.

This is my current studio.

Bernard Leach

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ceramics videos including an artist I have recently been very interested in: Bernard Leach. This video is a good introduction to him, part 2 and 3 are on youtube if you want to keep watching them.

Also, I would like to share this video Colour in Clay, a look at british production ceramics in the day. There are some bizarre lines in this video, nevertheless it's very interesting.

Watching the Animals

As ridiculous as this seems, I think the dog/cat sitting deserves a blogpost. It has been a lot of work even though there has been only one accident of peeing in the kitchen. I write this with a dog in my lap. I'm watching two dogs, two cats, and helping out Rebecca, my younger sister, with rides to school and my attempts to cook dinner while doing an internship and throwing in the basement if there is any spare time. Things mostly go smoothly.

I can tell the dogs are getting cabin fever. I feel bad, I want to walk them, but the recent arctic winds that freezes that harbor over at low tide tells me they would disapprove. In fact, they don't like to ride in the car with me anymore because it takes 15 minutes to heat up. Ollie violently shivers and stares at me in anguish while we drive around town.

I keep all the animals except Rebecca in a room with a heated tile floor at night incase of accidents. At 6:30 I open that door and there is a canine explosion that runs out followed by relaxed and bored cats. When I feed them their hot and still partially frozen meat pellets out Ollie nearly takes my fingers, once he bit the plate.

Mabel has continued to worshiping her satanic corner in our living room, there are probably mice, but I love that she just stares at a blank piece of wall.

At midnight I let them out one last time and then literally swaddle them with a blanket in there bed in the tiled room. Ollie usually howls for half an hour then goes to sleep.

New Years skiing adventure at Jay Peak

Happy 2013.

Dad, Oliver (my brother,) and I shot up into New Hampshire and stayed at Traci's (my dad's girlfriend,) for a night then continued another hour and a half North West to Jay Peak in Vermont. The first day was brutally cold at 7 or 8 degree fahrenheit with blasting winds bringing the temperature far below that.

We took the tram all the way to the peak disappearing into a snow storm at the top.

Top of the tram.

Tram cables reaching to the base.

There was an absurdly large and absurdly American indoor waterpark at the base of the mountain. I have to say the slides were really fun the first twenty times. 

I have not made any new years resolutions, but I hope to post a lot and continue my education.

Animals

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.

A moment of zen with Mabel.

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. 

There was only one hat.