Sheer Stubbornness

In my last post, I indicated I was "incubating." That includes reading excerpts from the blogs of other artists, signing up for RSS feed and e-mail notices.

One artists is Lesli Kathman of Blackberry Lane Pottery. She makes molds of her incredible horse sculptures.

Check out her blog at:

http://blackberry-lane.blogspot.com/

Now I've had a little experience in mold making, but nothing like this. And I'd never say "never," but I don't see myself making multi-part molds. (I can be patient about about a lot of things--this is not one of them) Still, reading her blog has been most educational and awe-inspiring. Lesli is very generous in sharing her techniques and things that go on behind the scenes (so much about the process is not just the making of art, but preparing, cleaning up, experimenting and learning). Perhaps someday I'll get to meet her.

In her January 24, 2010 post, Lesli discusses the steep learning curve of mold making and how so many aspects of the ceramic process require a lot of knowledge and experience. Her last phrase really resonates--

"the most useful trait for someone taking up ceramics is just sheer stubbornness."

To that I would add practice, persistence, and a good sense of humor.