It seems only fitting that the first piece that I should work on for my new collection of work should centre around Athena. May the wisdom of Athena whisper to me and help inform me in the creation of this body of work and my blending of techniques, cultures and design elements.
For ‘Athena – Wisdom’, I started the piece not realizing that documenting my process of creating these pieces would be an integral part of the work. To start ‘Athena – Wisdom’, I slumped some clay on an interesting shape to get the middle component of this vase, but did not take a picture at that time.
Once the middle piece of the vase was assembled, I began drawing out my design on the leather hard clay and then incising it in the clay. I threw the neck and the base on the wheel and allowed them to dry to a similar moisture content before attaching them.
One of the trickiest parts of working with different elements and combining them into one form is keeping consistent levels of moisture in all components.
For this I use plastic bags, and the power of intention.
This piece is part of a series of work called ‘Primythical‘, which you can learn about here.
From the flames of raku, a goddess emerges!
In Greek Mythology,
A little owl represents or accompanies Athena and has become known as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom in the western world, attesting to the long standing power of the Olympians. The whispers of Athena’s legacy are everywhere.
The symbology of the owl has often inspired my own personal journey. The ability to see through the darkness of life and find knowledge and grow has so inspired me that I have also made a collection of raku owls.
Athena sometimes used her wisdom to trick other Olympians, and in this case with beautiful results.
While making this piece
Athena and her owl have been instilling more creative sparks in my mind and have whispered other ideas to me, so I will be revisiting this goddess as the collection ‘Primythical‘ grows.