Funny what constitutes landmarks–I was in a hurry to get some hooks set up for aprons–my husband didn’t understand this at first, but hanging up aprons signified in my mind that this is truly a working studio!
Studio–photos of aprons
Now if only I wore them regularly….
photos of gallery
The Firebird Gallery–video
Working with clay has been so therapeutic (if you don’t believe me, stop by and play with clay a while). So much so, I’ve named the business (my second life) Out of the Fire, referring to the phoenix–the mythical bird that renews itself. Fortunately, I didn’t have to self-ignite to start a new life! Anyway, following this theme, it made sense to dub the gallery, Firebird.
photos of gallery
The Firebird Gallery
Working with clay has been so therapeutic (if you don’t believe me, stop by and play with clay a while). So much so, I’ve named the business (my second life) Out of the Fire, referring to the phoenix–the mythical bird that renews itself. Fortunately, I didn’t have to self-ignite to start a new life!
Fellow glass/metal/clay artist Wendy Gellert, who built her studio a year or two earlier, advised us to add a “clean room.” Knowing my work style, I took her advice, though it added substantially to the cost of the building and construction timeline. I’m not complaining–I need that space, which has served many functions in the last year. To begin with, storage. Currently, it is a gallery.
Check out Wendy’s website and her wonderful work: http://www.wendygellert.com/
Following the Out of the Fire theme, it made sense to dub the gallery, Firebird.
The name serves many purposes and reflects my appreciation for word play. This clay-thing is a new life for me.
For you Harry Potter fans, Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, is one of my favorite characters. I love the scene where he bursts into flames, then is reborn and sticks his little bald baby head out of the ashes.
As I continue to challenge myself, I often feel that I go through a fiery rite of passage (you have to be there to truly appreciate it!). Once a piece is completed, there is a sense that all is well and I am refreshed (or does this sound more like childbirth??? There does seem to be pain involved….).
For you sports fans, my career in clay sculpture is a result of taking courses at Elon University with Professor Mike Sanford. (To learn more about Mike and see examples of his work, go to http://org.elon.edu/art/faculty.html# and click on his name) His technical explanation of the process is that I “got bitten by the clay bug.” That is an apt term and I have often wondered what a clay bug looks like, because if I see one hanging around, I sure don’t want to harm it!
photo of mike face.
Homage to Mike Sanford–the likeness was unintentional, but the likeness unmistakeable.
The whole thing stared with a phone call to Elon, connecting with Anne Simpkins, the Chair at the time, who graciously left Mike a message that I had called. And he called me back! The rest is history (well, except for the part where I almost made a pst of myself hanging out at the Registrar’s Office, waiting for someone to cancel, since Mike’s classes always fill up fast. A lesson in perseverance.)
Thank you, Michel! I have to get back to keeping up with my website–have been very active on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cindy.biles), and between that, teaching and much animal care-taking, the website has fallen behind.
I’ll have some new images to post and hope to be more consistent with my blogging!