I often talk about gripping the moving pen. I can’t force the words to flow out.  Lately I’ve been wanting to write, but then nothing happens. Instead, I’ve been creating pieces in clay, or painting on paper and canvas. 

About a week ago, I cut up a minnow and dropped it into the aquarium.  We have certain fish that like live food, or at least very fresh food. Right now I can’t find any worms.

One little fish tried to swallow a chunk that was too big, and he couldn’t close his mouth afterwards. He looked uncomfortable.  His mouth wouldn’t close. The next day, he still swam around with his mouth wide open. On the third day, he really seemed to be in distress. He just hovered there in the flow from the filter, swimming in a kind of jerky way, and his gills appeared swollen. I’d been thinking of intervening, and now I knew I had to. 

I netted him, which was easy, and held him in a gloved hand while I removed the offending piece of minnow with tweezers.

When I put him back into the water, his mouth was still open, and his gills were still enlarged. That was two days ago. He looks just fine now, and whenever I approach the aquarium he comes as close as he can to me.  I pretend he knows that I saved his life. 

I’m excited to open my kiln tomorrow, and find out what survived the bisque firing. My plan is to paint abstract paintings in stoneware glaze, kind of like I do with acrylic paint on canvas. 

I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while, and it’s kind of a long process. 

The pots have smooth surfaces for painting on, and I have all these new glazes I have never tried. This is a departure for me because up until now I’ve used mostly browns, inspired by early New England redware. 

I’ve been an affiliate member of the local artists league for a year or so, and now I’m joining for real. I intend to participate in their 100 Day Project. I create something pretty much every day, and it’s helpful to have a focus. 

I’m excited to connect with other artists and talk about our work.