Working Consciously

Serving Bowl by Craig Bird

Working Consciously

It seems strange, but we often work unconsciously. The objects we produce have a familiar form, but we are so involved with the techniques and embellishment that we often over look the fundamentals of the object in our conscious decisions as we work. After receiving this bowl, I had a conversation with Craig Bird about it and the details of it's construction of it prompted me to think about working consciously.

Craig throws his pieces beginning with the base size already established. While this could be more easily added, he likes the fact that the form all flows from this starting point. It requires mastery to pull such a thin wall out this way. The extended lip adds to the delicacy of the piece, but also provides a sure way to handle the vessel especially when it is hot and full of food. The cover sits firmly on a recessed rim providing a good seal to hold in the heat and aromas. The handle on the cover is shaped so that it can be grasped even with an oven mitt and held securely. These were fundamental decisions he made, criteria established from which he then made aesthetic decisions about the form and decorative language. This piece is fragile enough that one must be careful when using it, but that too is a way to involve the user in the object and in a way allow them to respect and appreciate the object. I am grateful to own this and it will add to the richness of my life by its presence during our meals.

This conscious attention to detail is often missing from the crafts. We have jewelry that is too bulky or heavy to actually be worn; furniture that is uncomfortable to sit in, fabric too delicate to be touched; knives that feel awkward in the hand. There seems to be a need to move further from the functional in order to be perceived as creative and artistic, but sadly this work is often neither artistic nor functional. It lacks a reason for existing.

Perhaps this is cultural, a sign of our times that you have to shout to be heard and in our desperate desire for attention we add more glitz and more googa to be noticed. We have forgotten that expression begins with having something to say and that if what you have to say is valid and honest then it will be heard even in the din of blather. We have to have faith that if we work consciously and honestly, the objects that we create will have their own energy and they will attract the attention of those who are sensitive enough to understand.