Here in the desert, we have pretty much only two seasons, hot as hell and cold as hell, and it looks like whoever is in charge of the weather decided it's time to end summer and start winter, so the seasons change rapidly and without warning here.
But in the last few years, weather has been changing more gradually, and I have time to enjoy the beautiful mild mornings and warm but not scorching afternoons and work on my ceramic works. It really helps my mood and creativity that the sun is warm and light, and that it's not really scorching hot outside. I can get to work with my tools and create at my own pace.
But every season comes to an end and this time, we did notice a very slow but constant change on things, and I loved it. I started slowly noticing that the bees on my container garden were frantic to get their last loads of pollen, preparing for what mother nature told them. Winter will be coming, get ready to get cozy.
Our cats started loafing when they are outside, and they don't spend as much time enjoying the outside as before, as they started deciding to look trough the windows instead of playing with their community friends we happily feed and welcome to spend time with us.
But the final sign that winter is approaching happened yesterday afternoon, when we realized our potato plant has died. My husband planted a poor rotting potato we found forgotten on the pantry, more as a joke and to keep out youngest busy at the end of summer, and it was a real surprise that a plant actually sprouted from it, so we tended to it for a couple of months, until we found it wilted after the first freeze.
So, we did the reasonable thing to do and dug out our unexpected harvest. They are now sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for them to be washed and stored for a couple of weeks before we make a small dinner with them. We are grateful for the gift from mother nature and we will plant one next spring to continue with the new, unexpected tradition.
And this process of cycles of life and death, creation and destruction got me thinking about my work, and how I also work in cycles. Sometimes I am interested in painting, sometimes in dolls, and lately, in ceramic works. Without really thinking, I find myself planning a new cycle of creation on every collection I work on.
And probably the longer days and cooling temperatures got me inspired to create something to keep me warm on the coming winter nights, so I decided to work on a new series of animal inspired candle holders using hand pinching techniques to shape them. Candlelight scenes fascinate me, just staring into the fire is mesmerizing for me and I wanted to share that beautiful feeling with you. I imagine myself wrapped on a warm blanket, sipping on hot coffee while reading a book on my favorite chair, illuminated by candles held by a few of these.
They have a rough, naive and natural quality that I love in handmade pieces. They are perfectly imperfect and have a raw energy, I just can't get enough of it and I keep creating until I am exhausted and my creative self says, enough. Let's take them to the kiln.
So, I say a prayer to the kiln gods, asking them to be merciful of my creations and into the kiln they go for their trial by fire. No matter how many times i've done it, it will always be a gamble, hoping they survive the heat and stress that a ceramic burn requires.
After spending several hours at temperatures over 2,000 F, it's a miracle they come out fine, but they do because they are tough on their animalistic nature, full of raw untamed energy, just like the community cats we welcome at home.
And then, comes the process of carefully staging them to look at their best so they can soon go to forever homes.
Foxes, cats and a few feral girls will be available for adoption this Monday Nov. 21st exclusively on my online shop, danitaart.com
I really loved this collection, and I hope you find something you like to take home when they are released to the world to find new homes. A pre-adoption event for early access to the pieces will be available for newsletter subscribers only, so stay tuned for an email. and if you are not part of the newsletter yet, why don't you sign up now?
See you very soon on the pre-adoption event this Monday, Nov 21st!
Love,
Danita.