More candy please

Once upon a Hallowed eve, Snow White and a friendly lion went out in search of candy. 

Snow White, who was older and more experienced in retrieving candy from adults, was keen to teach the friendly lion how it was done. 

It did not take very long for the clever little lion to catch on and he himself became quite astute at filling his bag full of sweet treats.

Along the way, Snow White and the lion discovered many others that shared their love of candy and were happy to join in on the quest. 

Snow White was the happiest she had ever been, dressed in sequins, amongst friends and a bag full of all the candy she could ever dream of eating! Even when it came time to go home to bed, she made no fuss, having had her fill of chocolate, and happily drifted off to sleep clutching her candy bag.

The lion on the other hand was not as happy to call it a night!

BRRRRRRR!

It was the perfect day for the annual fall Chili Bowl sale. We woke up to an inch of freshly fallen snow yesterday morning after a storm had moved in some time during the night. The snow kept up throughout the morning and I bundled the kids in their snowgear and winter accessories to meet Robin for lunch at the university and check out the event.

Each year around this time the ceramics students make a series of bowls to sell as part of a fundraiser for the USU ceramics guild. Along with your bowl, you get a serving of hot chili and the event is held outside of the student center here on campus, hoping to attract plenty of hungry students as they head over to the food court for lunch. Last year the event was so successful they actually sold out of bowls. 

Isla picked out a bowl of Christa's that she fancied and we managed to get a quick lunch in before both kids started complaining of cold hands and overdue naptime. The rest of the afternoon was spent anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Lady Slipper Rig! My mom and Sam arrived in Logan just around suppertime last night, but we were forced to wait until morning for our first tour of the 'house on wheels' as Isla refers to it. Sam and my mom are enroute to Mexico again for the winter, but this year they've decided to change things up a bit and instead of their regular timeshare condo, they'll be mobile with all the luxuries you could ever imagine. 

The kids and I got the grand tour and even took a ride in it this morning. We buckled up in the back, riding easy on the leather couches and went for drive. Isla was impressed to say the least, Roscoe was not quite as sure of the moving part and kept a good grip on his mama's sleeve while in motion. This unit has so many switches and compartments, I am sure Sam and my mom will be kept busy all winter long just trying to figure out what does what! 

What to do about the flu?

Ahrrrr! I'm starting to get a little freaked out about this whole flu thing. People are getting sick all around us it seems, there is tons of media hype about the H1N1 virus right now, yet the vaccine seems still evasively unattainable. Besides, I feel like I'm still sitting on the fence whether to even get the darn thing. Right now only the kids would be eligible regardless of whether we all wanted to get it or not. The health department here, just like all over this country I can imagine, is experiencing a slow rollout of the vaccine and is limiting eligibility to those in higher risk categories. But with schools closing down due to mass exposure to the virus, and mixed stories about unforseen risks associated with getting the shot, I'm feeling a tad confused over the whole issue. 

We haven't quite barricaded ourselves in our home just yet. Although I admit I have been way more cautious in terms of selecting what social outings and public gatherings to attend this past week. We've been hanging with our pals that are all reportedly healthy and have had some fun with pumpkins this week as we lead up to Halloween this coming weekend. 

The kids and I biked down to the North Logan Pumpkin walk and met up with some friends to check out this annual pumpkin extravaganza. Last year we went at night in order to see it all lit up, but chose to see it by day this year so as to not have to deal with crowds and/or cranky children. This event draws people out by the thousands apparently, which we witnessed last year. But by going during the day, the kids were able to run around and even get some playground time in. 

We also acquired our own pumpkin to carve this week and took it over to Kate and Mike's place for a carving party. Funny how the idea of 'carving pumpkins' is seemingly a child friendly event, when really the whole aspect of preschoolers wielding large knives is perhaps not really that great of an idea. The kids vanished anyways and went off to play after a few minutes of getting their hands goopy and we parents were left to hack away at our artistic leisure. It was a fun night of eating chilli, making faces and talking about the swine flu!

Meet Megan

Meet Megan. Megan is a first year graduate student here in ceramics at USU. Rather I should say she is the first year graduate student in ceramics at USU, because unlike the other grads, she wasn't paired up with another applicant for the 09-10 school year (they typically accept two per year into the program) for whatever budgetary, administrary, unforseen circumstances that played out last spring. And much to her credit, Megan is charting the waters of being a first year graduate student alone and doing a fine job of fitting in with the existing motley crew that is USU.  

Megan Mitchell, originally of New Hampshire, moved to Utah this past summer equipped with a fine arts undergraduate degree from Carleton College in Minnesota and plenty of life experiences in the world of clay.  Her devotion to a life of clay first began while living in Montana, which continued to evolve upon moving to California to work at the Hoyman Browe Studio in the Ukiah Valley in Northern California as a potter for three years before deciding to take on graduate studies. Megan knows more about a chainsaw than anyone in the entire ceramics department at USU. 

Why clay? 

My undergraduate degree was actually in print making and painting, and it wasn't until after I had graduated that I really got into the medium of clay and  became more interesting in working with it. It was at the Northern Clay Centre in Minneapolis that I first became inspired and became aware of the potential of working with clay. I then moved to Montana to take a job working on a trail crew, and because of the seasonal nature of the job I had winters off, so that was when I really started up with an actual studio practice. In 2003 I took a job in Whitefish where I fired my first wood kiln and the experience brought my two worlds together - I was hooked! 

Where do you fit on the scale? (Clay Obsession scale)

I'm an 11! 

Megan is a first year after all, and seems to suffer from first

 year graduate student syndrome. Her symptoms include: working at all hours of the morning, day and night in the studio and has to be told when to go home by other graduate students and/or faculty, dressing up for gallery openings only to find herself amongst her peers all of whom are still donning clay stained studio garb and often finds herself awake at night obsessing about what she is going to make next and how to solve her latest clay-related conundrum.

 

Why USU? 

It really came down to the faculty, other students, and the facilities being the strongest. Logan also offered me an affordable place to live.  

What do you consider your schtick?

I don't have a schtick, no wait, I guess you could say I'm a press mold junkie.   

What are you making right now?

I'm trying out new processes everyday. Trying not to box myself in. Right now I'm working on a series of plates that have combinations of patterns and images. I've been hand building too, coil building. I also have been incorporating various printmaking processes in my clay work, like stamping and silk screening.   

Inspired by?

My immediate environment. I'm drawn to patterns in my surroundings, mostly architecture, like doorways, windows and fences. I'm really into boundaries or openings, such as a view into the intersection between an inner space and an outer world.  My ambition is to somehow convey the feeling of distant space. I really like that about Logan, the view, and how far you can look out on the horizon. 

What's next?

Well, I have to saw that I have three years of grad school ahead of me and I am very excited to not have to think beyond that right now because I have spent a lot of time the last few years doing just that, planning for what's next.  

What do you miss the most about your former existence? 

My dog Rocky, named after Rocky pond, where I used to swim as a kid. He's one of those mystery breeds, but my theory is that he's an Australian Shepherd, lab cross.

 

International Wives Club

Today I stepped up to a podium to give a 15 minute presentation on my home and native land, flashbacking to grade three Social Studies as I rattled off the names and capital cities of each province to a group of 20 or so women from all over the world. I hardly consider myself the targeted demographic for this group I was recently invited to join - the USU International Wives Club -  but was highly encouraged to attend by the organizers, and curious to say the least. I was intrigued to get the initial invitation about a month ago to come out to their meet and greet, which I did and thoroughly enjoyed. 

I have met women from Sudan, Iran, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Ghana, just to name a few. All of these women have come with their husbands, some with children, and are tied into the university to study or teach. The weekly gathering offers childcare and an opportunity to network with other women, but primarily has been organized to help these women learn english. 

Although I sometimes feel slightly impostor-like at these meetings, they all seem to have accepted me for whatever international flavor I have to offer and today was no exception, as they had several questions for me about population, weather and unique Canadian cultural traditions. 

What I have been most impressed with is the level of education and breadth of experience each of these women have, many of them putting their own career goals on hold while their husbands are here to further theirs. I find myself cheering them on, for their supportive role, and I admire their courage because it far outweighs mine. I haven't met any other Potter's wives, but there are several Engineer's wives, Scientist's wives and even an Agronomist's wife! 

Go Wives Go!

The Weekend Report

Nothing like a brilliant and fun filled weekend to get you out of a funk. Seemed we crammed in as many outdoor and social outings as we could manage the past couple of days. With the fall colours in full splendor here throughout the canyons, and warm enough temperatures that you could practically be in shorts, it was great to frolic in the leaves with friends and go pumpkin hunting. 

Robin was participating in a visiting artist workshop all day Friday and Saturday but we were able to sneak him away for a couple hours in the afternoons to enjoy the weather together. Two of the closest canyons to our place are ablaze with hues of red, orange and yellow. 

We also attempted to find ourselves a real pumpkin, and drove out to the same orchard and pumpkin patch that we picked our winner from last year. But sadly all that remained were soft and starting to go off. We've got another lead on where to get a good one and hopefully that lead turns out or we'll have to settle for our artistic renditions...

George McCauley http://www.georgemccauley.com/pottery.html , was the visiting artist, down from Helena MT to share some insight and offer up some demos to the clay students. George left a great impression on several of the students, many of them happy to have given up their weekend for the extracurricular workshop. I got the chance to meet and visit with George at a potluck at John Neely's place on the Friday night and then again at Dan's place Saturday night. 

Thankfully our friends Donna and Trevor offered to watch the kids the first night, so we didn't wear them entirely out both nights in a row.  

A ray of Sunshine

Today is a better day. The kids seem well rested and happy, it's a warm and beautiful fall day and I'm stoked to have my first USU interview ready to post. Fellow grad student Sunshine Cobb is in her final year of her MFA here at USU, so we got to know her last year and we're thrilled she's going to be around for this one too! Besides having an obsession with clay akin to Robin's, she's also been a great knitting partner and pal for me. And the kids love her to bits.  

Thanks for being the first interviewee Sunshine!

Sunshine Cobb is a third year graduate student in the ceramics dept at USU. Hailing from California, she mostly misses lemons and long walks on the beach with her pina colada road soda. Sunshine is her real name and she moved to Utah in August of 2007 to pursue an MFA in clay. Since moving to Logan, she has developed a love for long winters and a recent passion for printmaking. She also likes goats and hip hop music. Here's a bit more, in her words......

Why clay? 

I think it's a really useful medium. I like that it offers an accessibility to making functional objects that fit into people lives. I feel that through clay, my creative energy is channelled appropriately, in a non-ego driven way that can have a voice and make an impact.  

Where do you fit on the scale?(Clay Obsessionscale)

I'm a #10, for sure. 

Why USU? 

It's potter friendly. When I visited the program before being accepted I could see that the ceramic community here is really great. 

What do you consider your schtick?

Functional pots. My aim is to become the world's best potter.  

What are you making right now?

Basins. Apparently calling them bowls, isn't good enough. 

Inspired by?

architecture, urban decay, rusty cars and peeling paint, landscape

What's next?

incorporating more old time craft into my vessels, like wire handles. 

Why goats?

They are kind of naughty, they have square pupils and have such inquisitive faces. 

This photo would brighten anyone's day, eh?