… are amazing.  I can’t wait to make the Uncertainty Principle piece, including the Mind’s Eye with Astigmatism.  Here’s what I think it looks like. I’ll post pictures as soon as it’s done.

I picture the points of measurement- the measurement of place, and the measurement of velocity- as single shapes but with different sides, kind of…  Like the points will come to points, within a sea of chunky clay and dark colors, but out from under them will come these stretched waves, pulling up from underneath, encasing the sea.  I hope they come out looking fast and embodying urgency and maybe just a little overwrought.  I want it to indicate immense speed and force.  But not without control/grace.

Shapes are completely bewitching.  And there is some kind of obsession that happens chasing them.  I know when I’m close to the ‘right’ shape, but usually have to stop and come back, because you can keep pushing it and pushing it, and get somewhere.  But if you come back fresh, chances are you’ll see the exact point that needed to be pulled under or curved up to make it live.

This thing with control reminds me of something I spent a lot of time thinking about a few years ago, and I think finally became part of life after a while.  Which is:  Without strength you cannot have control/grace, and without control/grace you cannot have skill, therefor, strength and skill do not equate.  I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I know the best pieces I have made have included shapes based from that strength, both inner and physical… To make what I consider a decent curve or shape takes strength to hold the precision, and grace to perceive the fine points, to pull out the tiniest details that make a piece sing, and skill to bring it to completion.  It takes more than brutish effort to make a piece that has its own being.  And that’s what I’m after, hopefully without being brutish.

Actually, upon further thought, my little ‘line’ I thought about was, “Without strength you can’t have control, and without control you can’t have grace, but just having strength doesn’t equate to grace, and just having grace, doesn’t equate to control.”  So there’s that, but right now I have to go check the kiln, so the parallels are yours to draw.

The more precisely the position is determined, the less precisely the momentum is known in this instant, and vice versa.
–Heisenberg, uncertainty paper, 1927

This is a succinct statement of the “uncertainty relation” between the position and the momentum (mass times velocity) of a subatomic particle, such as an electron. This relation has profound implications for such fundamental notions as causality and the determination of the future behavior of an atomic particle.
(http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p08.htm)

I really, really, want to see what happens if I try to make a Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle piece. Also, it has been suggested that I should make a piece about someone’s Minds’ Eye with Astigmatism, because they can’t imagine what an Uncertainty Principle tile might look like. This makes me laugh, and I think it must be done.

Also, its almost finals week, so this might happen sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

This seems similar, from what I remember of this day:

So, it came to my attention on April 19 that someone had copied content from my website and posted it on their own site without asking and without attributing. Their site appears to be a site comprised mainly of other people’s content. Aside from the appalling lack of creativity on their part, it appears to be a site publicizing some wackadoo financing book… Um, independent artist = financing? So, whatever. The point is, that as I was trying to figure out what to do with this, I contacted WordPress, who I incorrectly thought was the host of this fake site. They aren’t and were very clear about their position on that, but they sent me links about Web Plagiarization and how to make a report to the actual host of the infringing website. So I have. I feel pretty bold right now. Props to WordPress for being amazing and supportive, even about things that aren’t their problem at all. Thank you, guys!

This may or may not be interesting. But, as this semester has rolled on, I’ve been doing many more overnight firings, and many fewer all-day-on-Sunday firings. It seemed like a terrible plan at first, but has proved quite useful. I can often spend at least Sunday afternoon working at home or catching up on other work, rather than spening all day tending the kiln.

And the over-night time is interesting. It’s very dark, as you might have noticed. But it’s also full of creatures running round, and various student antics that are both entertaining and heartwrenching. And I’ve managed to scare a few pretty badly, popping out from the kiln shed. Sorry, guys.

So, as it’s Monday, and I’m staring down the barrel of two weekends in a row with Saturday all-nighters involved… Huh. I have no idea what I’m doing. Stocking up on sleep? But it’ll probably be pretty fun. Last time I made a bunch of cups and bowls. This time I should really mix like 2000lbs of clay and get to work on some tiles. Good times. (That would also hark back to the olden days when I spent lots of time mixing lots of clay. My back can attest to this. That post-clay-mixing feeling is the perfect combo of invincible power and utterly broken.) Roar.

‎”Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” -Mary Oliver

I got my first ever blog comments.  (Thanks, Toby and Beth!)  This is bizarre and exciting.

Also, I’m about to embark on the big commission I confirmed in January.  God, this is something.  And also vulnerable.  But what I’ve been thinking about is: Why do I feel so much more vulnerable and shy putting the written word online, than I do in putting what is really a very close representation of my core self, out in the world, permanently, in clay?  Why is one un-nerving and the other exhilarating?

Also, I picked up this little wheel yesterday.  Super excited about this.  This summer will be the season of garage set-up, complete with kiln, wheel, and pug mill.  Though I will have to wait to get power and gas.  But, heck, yeah!  It’s like arranging furniture.  Good times!

Also, blessings to NewtonFreecycle, I picked up this corrugated tin a few weeks ago, so that someday I can build my kiln shed in the back yard.  Let’s all keep track of how long that will take!  But it’s here, just waiting for me.