I think it's high time that I posted some of my work, no? I've been on a pasta bowl kick for a while. They're functional, frequently used, and they have a nice flat surface, the perfect canvas for whatever glazes and slips you can whip up.
After visiting Japan, I was inspired to start on a series of bowls with characteristic little notches on the rim. Kind of like a backwards spout. I like the outcome. With one purposeful little tweak, I'm actually giving the finger to my early days as a potter, when I insisted that everything be perfectly round and symmetrical.
Visiting this beautiful country--where nature is diverse and lush, the people friendly and prosperous--it's hard to believe that just a generation ago we dropped nuclear bombs on their land.
Who knows what the next sixty years will do to Sudan, Iraq, the Congo, the Holy Land, etc. I just hope I live to see peace and prosperity spread a little further across the world.
My heart goes out to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, to their families, and to all of us who abhor such acts of violence.
Being the sturdy, corn-fed, 5'9" American woman that I am, I worried that I might feel somewhat large compared to the Japanese. Surely I would tower above everyone. In my head, my visit to Tokyo played out somewhat like this:
So you can imagine my relief when my height turned out to be quite average among the men. On a crowded street, I wasn't just a disembodied head bobbing along on a river of black hair. No, no I was okay. Even in heels (which, incidentally, I couldn't believe had made it into my suitcase considering my state of mind beforehand.)
But that's not to say I felt like the daintiest pixie in the land. Oh no, most of the women were just as petite as I had imagined.
Especially the older generations
Now, I'm usually not one to recommend interesting articles from the Times, but there's an interesting article in the Times you ought toread.
It basically states that Japan is indeed going through a growth spurt. Its voice is cracking and it's starting to notice girls.
And that's more than I can say for New York. Friggin' Oompa-Loompas. I swear, when we got off the plane at JFK, they all sang the "We Welcome You to Munchkin Land" song from the Wizard of Oz.
I'm afraid at the rate things are going, pretty soon Japan will have us in a headlock and make us say uncle.
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