 These tiny buffalos rattle. They will be sagger-fired, which will bring smoky dug-up effects. With these, I've done the hand-building part of my preparation for this year's Sculpture in the Park show. The complimentary tickets arrived today and will be mailed to my customers and friends toward the end of this month. Please look forward to it.
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I gave myself constructional challenges with this piece. She is peculiarly balancing herself on top of a rock, but she can go head over heels any time. Life is sometimes like that.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. I added a spacer between the tabletop and the textured slab, and again between the slab and the figure. I think it improved the piece a bit. This is my first attempt to capture a floating image inspired by the rock garden of Ryoan-ji Temple. I intend to make a few more with the similar concept.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. I've been asking myself what I want to express in this series. Beauty in simple things we do in everyday life may be the answer. I'm using Little Buddhas to show it, but hopefully many of you are able to relate to the moments expressed here.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. A simple poem, framed pleasingly, was sitting on a bathroom counter at my friend's. It was about going forward in life with peace within. Between the lines, I perceived the poet's struggle to accept the way she was, while attempting to reach the tranquility. It resonated with my own. How could we embrace who we were and move forward? I created this little buddha, asking myself that question.
Click here to subscribe to this blog via email. I wanted to truncate the length of boat, so that it would fit in my kiln. I then thought what feeling and pose would go with the canoe with the separation. The figure turned out to be a little too big for the vessel. If I separated the cut by half an inch or so, it looked just right. The cracks will be filled with red or gold after the firing.
Spring is here! I'm happily busy working with mud (ceramic clay and garden soil). They nourish my soil. Enjoy spring weather, everyone!  My friend commented that a traveling companion for my previous piece was "extraneous." In this new piece, what he said is obvious. The squirrel appears unaccommodating. It will be removed. I am hoping to include some animals in this series. I'll have to give more thoughts to how to incorporate them....
 I'm still debating whether to add a little migratory bird to this piece. Lone travels were, for me, opportunities for self-discoveries. Having a traveling companion, on the other hand, gave me chances to nurture the relationship. I learned from both. Conceptually, the latter seems more appropriate for this little buddha, but I'm not sure if it is so visually....
 Oops, the maquette at the bottom left corner is more expressive than the actual piece. That's ok. I'm going to make another one. With a joint exhibit squared away, I am now preparing a bunch of small figures for a sculpture show scheduled in Loveland, CO in August. I'm thinking of calling this new series "Kokoro no Jizo," which can be translated "a jizo of your center" or "a guardian of the heart."
An year-and-half long preparation for the joint exhibit, which was just concluded at Prairie Arts Center in North Platte, NE, was filled with opportunities for me to reflect upon what were essential in our lives. Kit Watson and I, each, contributed 15 pieces - from a semi-e from 33 years ago to the most recent 3D work. Although Kit does not wish to tackle another show like this, I am going to continue to visit her. What I will learn from her may be expressed in my future sculptures.
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About This BlogThis page is an window for you to see my creative process. I would like to encourage you to leave your comments here. What kind of thoughts did my art provoke you? What viewpoint do you agree/disagree to? Your feedback will feed my art going forward. Thank you.
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Copyright © Yoko "Tenyoh" Sugawara Email: tenyohcreations@gmail.com Phone: (605) 787 - 1099
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