Last week I attended my first meeting of the local artist group that I just joined called Artists of Rubber City. We met at the Zeber-Martell studio and gallery where the owners treated us with drinks and appetizers and shared with our group about the use of their gallery for the Akron Art Prize show that I was a part of last summer. My work was displayed in their upstairs gallery and that was a great event that I hope to participate in this year again!
They also took us behind the scenes for a tour of their studio. I felt at home there, and the smell of clay in the air paired with gazing at the freshly thrown pots made me yearn to sit at my wheel. I have set aside ceramics until my little guy gets a little older because my life is too stop and go right now to be committed to ceramics. Working with clay is so different than other mediums because of the ongoing attention that it needs. It is like having a baby... instead of feeding and changing diapers, every few hours you are either checking your pots to see if they are drying evenly, or checking the temperature of the kiln, etc. I have ruined too many loads of pots because I was busy pulling dinner out of the oven and burned too many dinners because I was pulling out the pots! I know that I sadly do not have enough attention right now to give my pottery what it deserves.
As I talked with the fellow artists in the group, being the youngest person there, I realized that I will still have plenty of time (Lord willing) to get back on the wheel again and throw pots to my little hearts content. These artists have gone through my season and are now on the other side, able to focus on their craft and fully commit to what they are doing. I am so excited to glean wisdom from these group members and learn from them! I think it is so important to hang with people that have already been where we are for so many reasons. For now, I am looking forward to our next rendez-vous!
