Talked with a potter at the Tacoma market about color

I was setting up next to her stall and we got chatting about how she mixes her glazes. She said she thinks of her clay as a quiet friend that holds the color, not just a blank canvas. That hit me because I always fight my glass to get the exact shade I want. Maybe I need to work with the material's mood more, not against it. Anyone else had a chat that changed how you see your medium?

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christopher_wilson6mo ago

Honestly I used to just see my wood as a blank slate, but that makes me want to listen to it first.

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martin.margaret6mo ago

Yeah, that reminds me of a weird piece of maple I had once. The grain swirled in this knot that looked just like an eye, so I ended up carving this little owl face around it. Felt wrong to just plane it flat.

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avery6295mo ago

Felt wrong to just plane it flat." That's it right there. Wood tells you what it wants to be. Had a piece of cherry once with this wild flame pattern. Looked like a river at sunset. Couldn't bring myself to cut it into regular boards. Ended up making a mirror frame that followed the grain. Let the wood win.

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