Thoughts, Musings, and Present Work.

I have had an incredible time here at Pendle Hill thus far. It started by joining a Young Adult Friends (YAF) Conference that was called the Continuing Revolutions: Integrity as a Radical Act. I met many incredible people and have made some new friends. There were many great talks, workshops, and activities. A theme that kept coming up was that of seeds and nature. There was a particularly meaningful talk at meeting one morning by Cody Hersh that mentioned how a seed will never grow into the wrong plant similar to the way that no person will become anything other than the person they are meant to be.

I recently came to the realization that I value the communal aspect of spirituality. The way that it manifests through my pottery is that I do not feel a piece is complete until it has found a home. I hope that each of my pieces will become a part of somebody’s regular routine and potentially enter into their spiritual practice through mindfully eating or having a cup of tea/coffee.

I realized that pottery is completely connect to all of the elements. Creating a piece of pottery takes advantage of the fluidity of water mixed with the structural strength of earth. After the piece has been formed into the proper shape time and air will dry it out. After all the moisture has evaporated the piece of clay becomes bone dry and very brittle. It shows how delicate earth can be. It takes fire or extreme heat to harden the clay to the point where it resembles stone. It is the unique order and combination of the four elements that creates a final piece of pottery.

I have been exploring various textures techniques. My main inspirations have been nature, the fluidity of clay, and putting patterns that remind me of quilting. Growing up I was surrounded by wonderful quilts made by my mother or family friends. I have always appreciated that squares could be made by different people and combined to create one wonderful piece of work. I have been working with various textures to create a single piece such as the bowl below.

Stay tuned for more updates on my journey, photos of my work, and Pendle Hill.

-Owen