Full Swing in the Cave

Sculpture in progress

Production work has begun after a six week hiatus.

Bouli is my sidekick when I am working in the pottery cave.

When not asleep in the pottery cave, Bouli is a handful on the main floor: climbing, jumping, exploring, and breaking things!!! This past week I had to tape all the kitchen cupboards shut.

Things are humming along here. It's a good thing, too. I might have gotten used to that leisurely pace of only teaching and MFA work to contend with. I went back into the "cave" for pottery production a couple days ago and am starting to ready for the season ahead. I have some fairly hefty goals and want to be prepared so that I don't feel the usual "running around like a chicken with my head cut off" for opening of the shop.

The house is kind of upside-down right now. There is a slew of paperwork strewn atop the tables as I analyze previous business decisions and set intentions for the next year or so. The "cave", which was cleaned better than it had been in two years, is now splattered with slip muck and tools while mounds of plaster-infused clay that had been used for mold-making covets nearly every inch of workspace. Greenware pots are lining the shelves and sculpture is scattered here or there drying and waiting for the next step.

The living room has been turned into weaving central with skeins of lushly-dyed yarn calling to the warp. A tapestry in the beginning stages is tempting me away from some of my other chores. I know that I should first take care of the most urgently deadlined work, but on a winter's day it is hard to say no to the warmth of a nearby stove and view of swirling snow outside the window.

January and February used to be my "down time". Living in Lubec in winter the first seven or eight years could been likened to hibernation of an entire town. Everything was shut-down by 6:00 and nary a soul was to be found on the streets. The town has been experiencing a renaissance the past couple years and now there is always something happening between music, theater, and the arts in general. The new restaurants have bravely kept their doors open for winter folk, and for that the town is appreciative. It astounds me that I now have to, here in little Lubec, Maine, set aside specific time (as I did last weekend) to cut myself off from the hubbub. I think most artists understand me when I say that time alone, with your own thoughts, is crucial to manifesting artistic ideas.

Winter, the kind with snow, finally began here on Friday. It was short-lived though. I shoveled steps, decks, ramps, and pathways blanketed by six inches of heavy white stuff until my arm muscles turned wobbly. My mittens were stuck frozen to the shovel, and despite the frigid temps, my head under hat was laden with sweat. I felt like I had just finished an exhaustive hour-long gym workout. But like I said, the gorgeous winter snow was short-lived. Rain soon swept in and reduced the mass to about an inch or so of undulating ice. I have yet to try the car on the long downhill rink we call the driveway. A walk to the mailbox yesterday revealed coyote tracks, emerging from the woods into our drive and across the road. Bello, my feline walking companion, curiously sniffed the tracks, looking about with caution. I suspect that the coyote had walked as we did only a short time previous.

I love Sundays. I love how the world slows down just a bit, for just a while. I am going to step away from the computer and the chores and head into the cave, which has become the warmest space in the house since the new insulation was installed. Bouli will no doubt rest nearby, my guardian cat. Bello will occasionally saunter in, mewing and asking to go outside, perhaps to explore, but most likely to take respite from Bouli, who can't seem to leave him be for long.

I am grateful for my life. Grateful to be an artist. Grateful to view the world through artist eyes.

Back to Routines at the Homestead

Pomegrenade
Ceramic, encaustic, acrylic. metal, wood
Shanna Wheelock, 2011
(photograph by Leslie Bowman)

The American Craft magazine article about my work should be on newstands soon!
(August/September 2011 issue)
to preview the article go to:
"Remote Revival"

Playing around with encaustics the past couple days, I decided to make another pomegranate.
The smooth texture and color is luscious!

This sci-fi looking contraption by John McMurray is a vent!

Honey Pot
(not yet trimmed or fired, fresh off the wheel!)

Big bowl drying on a bat affixed to the wheel.
It's a workout for my arms to center such a big lump of clay.

Bello LOVES garden time.

Bello guarding the bean pole beans.

Bouli playing inside the factory sculpture.
I had been wondering why all the furniture was tipped-over on floors one and three.
Now I know.

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Lubec. The sun is shining, birds singing, sky blue, temps warm. I rose early the past two days and accomplished throwing tasks well before noon, and that left me with time to play with wax and do a few "chores" for the shop. It feels good to have a somewhat uninterrupted week ahead to get things done. Production has been a bit behind this summer for various reasons: bees, globe sculpture, travel, but overall, summer has been productive and pleasurable. I am going to put a request in to the weather goddess for an extension - maybe an extra month or two of summer if that could be arranged? Please and thank you.

The shop is looking a bit sparse of late, but that translates as good because it means that I have had good sales. I've been throwing lots of new work but the drying time is slow: up to three weeks. I finally managed a bisque fire on Thursday and am at this moment firing a second load. I plan to glaze mid week and am looking forward to restocking shelves next weekend. Inspired by the bees, I have begun to make honey pots. The final shape is an unknown until they are trimmed, but so far, I like them. The little lids are adorable!

The past few days entailed a routine of early waking (about 4:oo or 5:00 a.m.), pottery production in "the cave", then time tending to the shop, office details, and encaustic painting. We've enjoyed the company of friends from Cape Breton and Blue Hill. Also, John McMurray, our Lubec Arts Alive sculpture expert who also is quite the engineer, stopped by with a cool new sci-fi looking contraption that will act as a vent for the pottery studio. Air quality will be much better for our lungs! Thanks, John!

All else is going well on the homefront. Bouli is growing and becoming quite demanding. Yes, she seems to rule the roost here. Bello is making slow progress toward reclaiming his space on the feline totem pole but prefers to send most of his time with the beanpoles in the garden. Compared to last summer, the garden looks fantastic! I hear other folks in more southernly areas brag about their bounty of fresh tomatoes and squash, but we have only had a few peas, three cherry tomatoes, swiss chard, and herbs to pluck. Lubec climate is a bit cooler and this is probably why things are behind. I am hoping we can harvest plenty for canning and dehydrating before snow hits!!!! All else fails, we always have the apple trees.

I have a full schedule planned for this week - appointments, shop, production, and supply ordering. I can't believe that it is already August. The Machias Wild Blueberry Festival is in three weeks and I am going to try my hand at vending once again. It's been years. The time leading up to the festival will be nonstop busy in the studio, as well as the time following. Soon I will be back to teaching and taking classes at Heartwood. Each month through November has pottery events slated. Reality is sinking in...I best finish-up this blog and get to work!

On the Business of Being an Artist

Many people have a preconceived notion of what an artist's life is like. It isn't REAL work right? An artist gets to play with paint or clay and spend endless self-indulgent hours in the studio honing the fine art of fantasy. Spectators fawn over the magnificent creations and exclaim "how do you do that!" They roll out of bed at extraordinarily late hours to offset the night before that was no doubt filled with hordes of people gathering in a gallery toasting the genius of this talented super-human.

Um, excuse me, where do I apply for that job?

The truth is, while being an artist can be exceptionally fulfilling, it is also hard work. Yes, I said work. That four letter word that the non-artist community often thinks is in no way synonymous with the word art.

I have said before that a person doesn't choose to be an artist, rather, the art chooses the person. It is literally a calling. An artist feels compelled to create, much like a child who picks up a crayon for the first time and makes her first mark. From then on out, there is an obsession with making marks. For a two year old, they will make a mark with anything can they put their hands on. As children grow older hopefully this is nurtured and they retain some of that artist-self. For a few, that need to express outweighs life's other intrusions and that person becomes an artist as vocation.

So, what does an artist's life look like? How much of it is about "fun", and how much of it is about work? From my perspective, it is all work. That being said, it is work that fulfills me.

I am able to break my work as an artist into four categories.

Teacher:
I spend my full-time work week during the school year teaching. A lot of teachers claim that they are unable to be an artist while teaching because it is such a demanding and tiring job. For me, it is the opposite. Yes, demanding and tiring and wearing to the bone, but also inspiring. I have a job where I am surrounded by young minds creating all day long. Sure, there are school politics and endless amounts of paperwork, discipline issues, all those side things that go along with teaching, but, it is still inspiring to see the endless amounts of imagination that comes from these young minds.

Many artists that I know supplement their income with teaching. Maybe not all artists are naturally skilled with a patience and willingness to share trade secrets, but most that I know do enjoy sharing their knowledge and watching others' lives being transformed by the magic and power of art.

Visionary:
An artist is a visionary. They draw, sculpt, paint, photograph, dance, act, sing and compose a work that would never have existed, in a particular arrangement, without that specific artist's interpretation brought into physical existence. This is what artists, much like inventors, feel compelled to do. They have a vision in their mind, and they make that idea tangible for others to experience in the physical world.

Let this quote ruminate in your mind for a while.

"When I examine myself and the method of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge." -Albert Einstein

Activist

What is an artist's job? Is it all about self-indulgence and making marks that make us feel good? Or, do we have an obligation to society?

Doctors are expected to heal the sick. Lawyers are expected to defend the innocent. Teachers are expected to teach, and law enforcement are expected to protect. What is an artist expected to do?

On one level, we brighten the world. We fill museums with color, write novels and screenplays to entertain, and design clothes for folks to wear. We are architects who build inspiring spaces, photographers who capture a child's transition from infancy to wedding, and people who create music that makes others want to dance.

And, we are a voice that records the society in which we live. We hear and see what is going on in the world around us, and we translate that message in a way that people can understand. When visual arts transcend spoken language, the message becomes universally understood. With pictures, we help to make others aware of what is happening in our world, what we should celebrate, and what needs to be changed. An artist takes license to be the voice that speaks a truth.

Business and Marketing Specialist:
This is the least glamorous part of being an artist, but one of the most important aspects should a person wish to make an actual (financial) living at it. We don't create for the monetary rewards, however, to support the work of being an artist, money does come into the picture. Supplies are costly, and there are bills to pay. An artists time may be spent working at McDonald's to cover the bills, but it would seem a more fulfilling goal to spend those forty hours creating in a way that feeds the soul and then using the income from that to support the household. It is bittersweet to hand one of your creations over to another, since each unique piece is in a sense your child, but there is also this feeling of sharing a part of yourself and the knowing that something you created brings meaning to another person.

I estimate that I spend at least one quarter of my creative time on the "business" aspects of being an artist. I don't want to go into detail on every component, but will offer up a basic list of what I contend with on a weekly basis that is just pure old grunt work.

The List: cleaning the shop, cleaning up after making messes, painting walls, painting signs for business, updating consignment lists, delivering work to shops/galleries, creating postcard announcements, thank you notes, organizing sales binder, tax forms, insurance paperwork, photographing artwork, blogging, community art meetings, banking, making tags, printing, contacting artists, networking, advocating, budgeting, ordering supplies, researching ideas, traveling to purchase supplies, making lists, making phone calls, paying bills, and continuing education/taking classes.

I am sure as soon as I hit the "publish" button for this blog, I will think of at least ten more things I should add the the list.

And while I am writing this blog, there are at least ten other things I should be doing! The shop opens at 10 a.m. today, so I need to shower, eat breakfast, get the sign up, turn on the heat, lights, music, price a few items, then get back to painting the sculpture that I have been working on for the past couple months.

So, if you are an artist, you understand this all perfectly well.

If you are thinking of plunging into the world of "working artist" then consider yourself warned!

Hindsight, knowing all that I know now, how much work and determination is required, the blood, sweat and tears.....

I wouldn't change a thing.