Pot Party

Here we are in the throes of summer with not much relief in sight. With temperatures regularly in the nineties here in Atlanta, I tend to look wistfully at even overcast skies. Occasionally even a little bit of rain comes. It certainly gives more meaning to the food term 'fired green tomatoes' because I'm beginning to wonder if our tomato plants in numerous pots are going to make.

And speaking of pots : we are having a Pot Party at the ol' home base here in Grant Park, in Hotlanta. I've become interested in hypertufa and its sculptural possibilities so Ive started this series of pots I call The Tectonic Series since they look like the results of natural earth activity...well, some more than others and others less so. I have to say that I like them and I like making them. They seem to have acquired a zen-like quality wherein the process gets a slight shove from the conscious/unconscious pot-maker and the we are off and running, much like the throwing of more traditional ceramic or clay pots I'm supposing. There is alos a pleasing discordance between  the almost-formless (or form coming into being) pots and and the, at first glance, rather severe rigidity of the background structure. (I say, 'at first glance' because form is not always what it seems...as of course is true of 'formlessness' also.

The background structure came into existence in a likewise manner (even though it smacks of the Dwell mag design ethos): someone donated a large amount of heterogeneous material -- planks, plywood, etc -- and they 'naturally' fell into an order as I was rummaging around in them and they sort of fell together. It feels like a sketch for a studio shed rather than the real thing, maybe because it has no roof yet. Instead of a 'Potempkin Village' it's more like a Potempkin Shed: all frontage an no insides.  (what some have said of modernity in general--but that's for another blog).

another view:

The stainless steel rods I have from a previous incarnation...can't quite say why but the form didn't work right until the rods...as well as the rock held in suspension.

Ar any rate you are invited to the popt party and hopefully you will feel an unconscious urge to purchase one. I say also that you can always add a chin strop to them and use them to ward off a terrorist attack.