This week gave me a much needed break from the studio when my parents popped into town for a visit. They had been traveling throughout Australia and New Zealand and spent their final week on the road with me in Taiwan before heading back to the States. Dad & Mom hadn’t been to Taiwan in 25 and 50 years respectively, so a lot had changed! We roamed Taipei taking in the sights and the food. They also got to meet my studio mates, see where I’m living and working, and see my work in progress.
After my parents left, I spent the final days of this week contemplating the things that I’ve pulled out of the kiln – this was my second bisque firing since I’ve been here – and I’m pretty happy with the progress I’ve made. I’ve discovered a better way to build these forms and I’m getting a higher success rate with less cracking overall. I just keep trying different ways of working with these very thin pieces of porcelain and see how far I can push the forms. Once they are fired again, I’ll start the experiments of embedding them into resin. I’m hoping that will lead to some interesting results for future projects.
I also had the opportunity to assist my fellow artist-in-residence Ruth Li install her solo exhibit at the museum. Her gorgeous work of abstracted flower arrangements in cold white porcelain are delicate and graceful against the deep blue walls. Helping her build the ephemeral arrangements that will slowly dissolve under dripping water during the exhibit was a treat. Looking forward to the opening reception this weekend.
