Today as I played with different approaches to handles for my teapots I reflected back to when the mountains were still cooling and I was in Grade 10. Grade 10 was not a good year for me. I had skipped Grade 4 and started school early so I was 2 years younger than my classmates. I hated school and in particular Ms. Bertha Andrews my Grade 10 French teacher. She would ask me a question and when I didn't know the answer she would crack me on the knuckles with her yard stick and scream at me "That is just truck and silly nonsense.
My Dad helped me with an Art project were we burned images of the Eiffel Tower, The Champs -Elysees and Notre Dame on cork and Ms. Andrews loved them to display in her classroom. I passed Grade 10 French with a grade of 52.
I hated Mr. Shore my math teacher too who also hit me on the knuckles. My dad came one day unexpectedly and sat at the back of the class to see why I was not doing well. I was embarrassed but in retrospect my Dad had my back- always.
As I played with clay today I kept thinking this is so fucking great to be doing truck and silly nonsense and someone will actually like it. If they don't like it then they can go take French lessons. I've made a living for 40 years doing truck and silly nonsense. So far so good.
Tell me I can't do something and I will. Crack me on the knuckles and I will shut down.
It's great to be back in the studio again. Other than these words it is my way of expressing how much I love what I do.
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| Truck and silly nonsense |
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| roundies |
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| don't know what it is but i get more expression in small cups. |
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| darting a bowl |
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| darted bowl tomorrow handles of course. |
Comments
He would never deliberately set about destroying the ego of his students - he simply encouraged them to think things out for themselves and to keep their standards high.
and the influence that teacher has had that is still appreciated many years later.