Tuesday, August 16, 2016

USU Grad Student at Clay Gulgong - Australia - 2 (April 15th - 21st, 2016)



Fun times at Gulgong



Khusboo and Hillary



Hillary and myself

Torbjorn Kvasbo's work

Yuri W. standing next to Torbjorn's








Paul Davis, Calligraphy...


Akira Satake at Marquee in Red Hill EEC,
demonstrating teapot





Jack Troy making a bugle






Owen Rye, John Hughes and Jack Troy in a panel.



Akira Stake playing Banjo after his presentation



Rowley Drysdale, Andrew Bryant and 

Ursula B, Neil Hoffmann and Keith B. Jones



Best times - panel..



Alessandro process presentation


Hillary watching Rafa Perez



Exhibition curator Yukie












Exhibits -



Ingus (Lambu) and Tom



Ray Cavill, introducing John Neely



Ian Jones at the demo marquee





Jack Troy presenting, probably reciting Rumi's poem









Monday, August 15, 2016

USU Grad Student at MARBLE/marble Stone Carving Symposium (August 4th, 2016)



A Special moment with Self.



Nature is beautiful everywhere, yet there are some moments in time, which are not repeatable.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

USU Grad Student at MARBLE/marble Stone carving symposium (July 29th - August 5th, 2016)




I had more than a wonderful trip to Marble, Colorado
 Started out on July 28th, at 6AM. Myles and Mark picked me on the huge truck of Myles and we were headed south east for 487miles!! via Ogden, Salt Lake City, Spanish Fork, Price, Inline image 1
after which we entered the state of Colorado. No greenery.... Only clay/mud/earth colors that changed from ochre to light and dark browns to iron rich reds....
Inline image 2 Inline image 6

Long straight roads, Inline image 3
clear blue skies and great conversations. I got to learn about my colleagues in the sculpture department, as we talked and talked as we drove. I did sneak in an hours nap through this time. We had tacos at Grand Junction. And leave me aside, we made an important stop at the liquor store for refreshments through the stay at Marble!! I find it fascinating to see these responsible people. 'Alcohol is not the culprit, its our approach to it'. I am telling myself here!






We reached our destination 8500ft above sea level. camp site, through beautiful meandering roads, Inline image 9

as the Bell mountains, 11000ft high were on and off our view. Inline image 7








The area for setting up tents to stay had lots of trees, with small cleared out patches for camps.
  Inline image 8

Soon we set up our camping tents, and made sure we had all the protection we needed for keeping dry, in case of rain, they said could be treacherous. Then we rolled down hill to see our work tents and set up our things for a geared up start the next day. oh! and the very important .. large restrooms and open to sky showers were the things that made life very easy, for this lady camping in the US for the first time!! Then we were lead to the kitchen and it was dinner time. All meals were taken care of. Dinners were the warms meals, leftovers for lunch. Breakfast had cereals, bread and eggs all available, one could choose and cook whichever one wanted. In the next days I found my rhythm to have an egg with bread every single morning!!

Anyway! After dinner I was introduced to the beautiful Yule Marble by Cathy! So, it was after dusk and had gotten dark so we had our head torches to walk to the stone pile. Cathy stuck the torch on the corners of rocks. Some of them had a beautiful glow.. some didn't. She explained - Essentially if you have a sculpture in Yule marble, placed next to a window, it may have a glow because it lets light pass through it. Isn't that amazing. you want to get the right one - she said. I missed to take pictures of that, but I hope that my sculpture, once finished will be an example for it.

Morning of 29th, we all gathered at the central spot nearly 30 participants and 12 team members. Madeline the initiator, head and the reason we were there, introduced the team, we could bug them with all that we needed for work, stay etc. It was an enthusiastic beginning to the third session of the 28th year of Marble/marble. 
Ryoichi, my teacher suggested that one of the team member Petro help me choose a stone to carve. I had three different macates to help decide what I might carve. Well, tetrarc won the deal and less than three cubic feet stone was moved by the manned forklift to my spot.
Inline image 18 
It took me the day to figure out how I would fit the sculpture in this stone. In between there were workshops about safety with directions about the way to use the machines, a demo and practice of using them under supervision. Each day we were given more information about the process, material and execution. 
Fantastic way of learning and creating dust!!! which continued all the way until the last day.








It was fun to meet two Indian sculptors. Ravinderji from Delhi and Sumant from Bombay. 
Inline image 10

They were making some amazing sculptures. I mostly talked to them in Hindi! Which was a LOT of fun. Got to learn a lot about techniques used for stone carving from their experiences as they were generous in sharing it. 





Madeline the initiator of Marble/marble is a genuine, generous, ambitious and a very nice person. She encouraged me in my work along with guiding in the process. The team of instructors - Joshua, Jade, Larry, Chet, Petro, Nathan, Scott made this first time at stone carving enthusiastic. 

The venue is in a deep valley. Approach road runs approximately north south. As we took right off the road, i caught a glimpse of the textured, layered, almost sculpted vertical, absolutely stunning rock face staring at me.Inline image 12 
In time, I mean after setting up the tent for stay, when I walked down to the central spot - where we met for the beginning, workshops, slide show and the end, to the kitchen and the work tents; this cliff came closer to me, revealing more of itself, in turn was I able to see myself better?
Inline image 14






My days would begin with sticking my hand out from my sleeping bag to analyze how cold it was. After being brave to unzip myself out of the warm I would get into my dusty work clothes and go down to freshen up and go further down to the kitchen. Then the cycle to kitchen to work station trip would begin. After breakfast, get geared up for turning up the machine and creating dust. By gearing up I mean - having covered my head/hair with cotton towel, putting on respirator as sealed as it can be, eye protection and then ear protection. Plug in the grinder and then make loud noise, when the blade would touch the stone, it would sound a bit different yet loud...  AND make some dust. Well, I am saying 'some' but it was quite a LOT of noise and a HUGE amount of dust and at times chips of stone. Take a walk to the kitchen for lunch and return to this, same with dinner. There used to be light until 9:00 or so. Dinners were served sometimes at 6:30 or 7:00. Even if it would be dark, I would take a long shower to get rid of as much dust as I could, before going to bed. Phew!! 
Inline image 13






I should not forget to mention, that at the end of the day when I would be walking back up, I could hear the sound of the river so vividly. It had a soothing and a healing effect after an intense day.

The river was further down hill from the work stations. One evening after dinner, I went down to the bed of the river. The cliff revealing more of itself. I was the closest that I could possibly get to it, until I waded the water. I think I save crossing the river for next year. A few moments, when I laid on the big block of marble placed right at the edge of the river, with closed eyes... the quaggle of the river, louder than the remanent noise of carving grinders... a rain drop brought me back, as I saw a fleet of birds at the top of the cliff when the dark clouds came chasing them. By the time I jumped up it started raining hard, and I ran up the stone steps, very carefully, passing by the small marble sculptures that flanged the edges of the stairs, only to have a brisk fall on the third last step. ha ha haha ahahhaaah! I made my way to the work tent to unplug the machine and make sure that the plug was above ground which will get wet, very soon. Contradictorily the rain stopped and the evening turned beautiful with the eastern sky ornamented with a big broad rainbow!!!!!!!
Haven't seen one as translucent as this one in thirty-nine years!! The icing on the cake of this experience was reading my brothers poem, when I struggled yet could log in to the slow internet that night! 

The Rainbow-maker
My dad had a workshop where he crafted rainbows.
He crafted them in bold assertive strokes full of wonder
He could find a twinkle in the remotest of eyes,
Eyes that longed for wonder in caged misguided lives,

"This girl's twinkle is Violet and music is her wont,"

"I shall craft her a violin with notes of violet joy"
Sure she got next Monday morn, a violin and some cords and as she landed the bow across...
Enchanting notes of violet joy went soaring across the skies

" This man's twinkle is indigo and dying is his wont"

" I shall send him to Benaras to meet a dying craft."
Sure next Tuesday he was on the train ,  a hug said it all.
He returned next summer in indigo smarts with a smile beaming across the miles.

" this child's twinkle is blue in shade and flying is his wont"

" I shall talk to my pilot friend for a gratis flight if he can "
By Wednesday next the child had seen his  thatched home from the skies, his jump on touchdown is frozen in time as he jumped from Earth to Mars.

" this women's twinkle is green, adventure is her wont"

" I shall convince her possessive mate to send her to the wild."
By Thursday next she kicked her bike as her long faced mate waved bye. Soon she came back to an admiring mate, who was green in thought not eyes.

"This hesitant team's twinkle is yellow, and compassion is their wont ."

"I shall put them in contact with my friends at Lepers Home."
The hesitant team trudged gingerly next Friday as was planned,but once they were touched by the once tender hands their compassion knew no bounds..

" His  twinkle is orange and strength is his wont"

"I shall set up a gym for him to guide his strength to serve"
By Saturday next a gym was there,with weights and bars and balls, and  yes a message was hung there "build your strength to Serve."

"This lady's twinkle is red and determination is her wont"

" I shall find out her aspiration in line with her determination. "
Sure came Sunday and a long hearing gone, she discovered in her depths, she wanted to be.....
A Rainbow-maker like my Dad.

My Dad has a workshop were he crafts Rainbows.

Neelratn
:)








The following days, it poured, and yet we continued making dust. 


We were suggested to make a bowl (theme - think magic) in marble to offer it to the river. 
Inline image 15

And so On the closing night of 4th, we gathered to Thank the team and the participants. 
Inline image 16 
Madeline in yellow rain jacket, her son Joshua, daughter-in-law Gia and grandson Anders standing to her right in shades of blue.




Inline image 17
Ryoichi in yellow jacket, standing farthest.

In pouring rain, we went to the edge of the work station level, close to the river and tossed our bowls, this was an event. 

It was the party night. There was a band playing, and we moved the big canopies to right in front, which formed the dance floor, and we danced. If I remember correct after my college days this was the first time, when I felt I could resonate with the music, felt comfortable with the group and danced until the music lasted. 






Gave myself a good ten hour sleep, to wake up to more rain. It was still early, 7:30 at the breakfast. This time after my tummy was full, I walked back up to pack my bags. Did check outs as needed. 
Got our stone sculpture loaded!! Nearly 1200 pounds - Myles had a 6cft piece, Mark and I had 3cft sculptures!! 
Inline image 20
And last thing was to fold the tents and pack the truck. We helped each other in packing and staying as dry as we could, which we weren't very successful at! At all : )  









Anyway, we bid our Final goodbyes and hit the road 12:30PM. 

Inline image 19

Of course the drive home seemed so much more longer than the drive up. We kept up our spirits with talking, listening to music, making fun of the great times we had at Marble. Inline image 21

The landscape seemed renewed, the skyscapes were inspiring, very difficult to catch on the camera. Returning to the beautiful Utah sunsets, happy to be back, making plans for next year we reached Logan by 9PM. 











I am slowly letting the whole experience sink in.

Thank you - to - Michael & JenniferJason, Chris W and Jonathan & Kirsten for lending me the camping gears. Myles for driving safely to & from, plus all the help and guidance with the symposium and carving. Mark for keeping great company. Ryoichi for making this possible to attend. Marble/marble to happen, at/is such a special place.