What is Quartz Inversion?
No, it’s not a quart of milk standing on its head. It’s the point at which silica crystals in clay change their molecular structure during the rise and fall of temperatures in the kiln. Heat serves as a catalyst for permanent change. Very cool idea. I think of it as a metaphor for most things in life. The transformational power of art can change us at the very core. Our actions change the earth every day, for better or worse. The choices we make, the thoughts we have, and the words we say change us in every way at every moment--from the inside out. I like to think that I go through a quartz inversion on a regular basis....and once quartz inversion occurs, there is no going back.
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Monday, October 10, 2011

(It) Works on Paper.......


I still haven't figured out the whole inner dynamic that occurs when I work in a classroom setting that allows me to be less attached to the outcome and thereby results in a more open, free-flowing and daring work. There is a mental block of sorts, a certain trepidation that creeps into my studio work and causes me to work almost too carefully....too "neatly" shall we say. Being in class where there are no boundaries and no expectations, I just dive in a get dirty. It's been a long time since I worked that way. Probably not since my days in clay when I'd leave the studio covered head to toe in creative crud and feeling totally spent (yet elated) after an 8 hour studio shift.


Well, that is (almost) starting to happen again with these new collages on paper. Making a slight shift in materials always helps to boost my energy and sends a surge of new imagery through me and onto the paper/canvas/board. I find it's all about honoring your own individual process in the studio and not burdening oneself with expectations of what should or shouldn't happen. Expectation is the single worst enemy I can bring to the studio. It's just got to say goodbye at the door and let me play like a finger-painting 5 year old. And it's only then, when you lose track of time and space and you suddenly realize that hours have gone by without your even noticing it, that you have arrived back in kindergarten and you've created something so wonderful you just know that mom is going to hang it on the refrigerator door.......

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