Art Everyday @leepuffer - Tumblr Blog

As ceramicists we are tasked with harmonizing multiple elements, both physical and metaphysical. Of the physical- form, surface, and function are of primary concern. All of the principles and elements of three-dimensional design apply to creation and analysis of the work. Like any sculptural form, the elements and principles are the language we use to discuss the artwork, how it succeeds formally, and why. It is important to have use of this vocabulary as it helps us to understand our own responses to an artwork, and the responses of others, more deeply. #arteveryday #sodafired #ceramics #artspeak #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #shelfie #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CMhnAosjoYc/?igshid=t9jhky7pjnst

Clay is an ancient medium. Like math, ceramics is a shared language that that has no borders, no ethnicity. We are aware that humans have been interacting with clay and ceramic objects for many millennia. There is no denying this lineage. We accept that every form and function possible has probably been made before, somewhere, by someone. The goal, then, is to acknowledge this fact and innovate within that framework. Taking the vessel form as a point-of-departure for new work in clay places our contemporary practice within a continuum of shared human history. #ceramics #arteveryday #sodafired #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #ceramicvessel #pottery #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CMP8F3sjBUa/?igshid=1vkqbogscftez

We are no good. Our work sucks. We should give up. Things are not going as we’d hoped. Much has been said about perseverance and persistence. What about the value of frustration and confusion? We think these feelings should be avoided. If we feel frustration and confusion during the artistic process, we think we have done something wrong. Instead, I think it is time to reframe frustration as a good and necessary step in the development of new work, a sign of growth. The presence of frustration and confusion are an indication that we are leveling up. These feelings always precede a major breakthrough for me. Is this also true for you? #arteveryday #porcelain #sodafiredceramics #drawing #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #artistlife #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CMIc9J6Dd5s/?igshid=18hsqat6aae1z

As makers of things, we primarily want to make cool-looking stuff to amuse ourselves and others. The work ‘amuse’ may seem to trivialize the endeavor, but this is important work. To occupy our hands and minds to create something-that did not exist in this exact way before prior to our creating it- is powerful. And while making it, the feeling of industriousness is meaningful and valuable to the artist. There is meaning and value for the viewer as well, when a fellow human is amused on some level by the creation. For creators of useful objects, like pottery or furniture, there is the added bonus of daily physical interaction with the artwork. For painting and sculpture, there is the daily experience of surprise and wonder in the presence of the artwork. #arteveryday #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #acrylicpainting #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #abstractpainter #artpractice #abstraction #colorstudy https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4he8DD7vV/?igshid=1qv9fly0e1aqz

Humans have been interacting with materials, making art objects and images for millennia. There’s no denying the lineage of our medium and practice, whatever they may be. At some point we realize that every form and image and functions has likely been created before, sometime, somewhere. This is a good thing. The goal, then, is to acknowledge that fact, and innovate within this framework, placing our work and practice within this shared human history. The idea of the solitary artist making ‘original’ work is somewhat outdated. We are all part of a continuum, giving and taking from each other willingly. #arteveryday #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #acrylicpainting #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #abstractpainter #artpractice #abstraction #colorstudy https://www.instagram.com/p/CLHpWtkjQ3Q/?igshid=k1v7bxobollh

The general population thinks art-making is a pleasurable activity, and they are not entirely incorrect. Unfortunately, this perception somehow seems to diminish the importance of the work, and undervalue the artist’s efforts. There seems to be an unwritten rule that Work must be unpleasant. Like any gainful and meaningful work, making art is sometimes enjoyable, and sometimes awful. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that, as creators of beauty and experiences, our tools and materials are often quite sensual. At this moment, when touching anything other than a keyboard is rare, it’s time to reconsider the value of sensual pleasure. Paint and clay offer such tactile experiences, wet, slippery, pliable. There is movement. There is evidence of that movement. Intensely pigmented media offers a visual experience. Three-dimensional materials occupy our space, forcing us to consider our bodies. There are smells as well, linseed oil, the funk of the ceramics lab, sawdust and smoke. #arteveryday #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #acrylicpainting #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #abstractpainter #artpractice #abstraction #colorstudy https://www.instagram.com/p/CK6nIRMjAVw/?igshid=kdm1dxlijgfe

Every artwork starts with an idea, whether it be a painting, a poem, a performance. As the idea begins to take form as an artwork, that form must reference something the artist has experienced before. It is not possible for artists to create without an influence, no matter how obscure or minor. Sometimes the influence is obvious and acknowledged by the artist and the viewer. Sometimes the reference is mysterious, it’s origins elusive. Regardless, there is always a reference to something. Upon deeper reflection, an artist will discover/remember the reference. Sometimes the work becomes self-referential, and the origins of the original impulse is forgotten. Artists extrapolate, aggregate, and synthesize. It is in making connection between multiple influences and experiences synthesis, that original artwork is produced. Making connections is what the human mind does automatically. The artist makes this process manifest. #arteveryday #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #acrylicpainting #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #abstractpainter #artpractice #abstraction #colorstudy https://www.instagram.com/p/CK1gueSjZql/?igshid=i9l3tojgiu4v

If we have a successful body of work, people love it, and it sells well. If we continue to make this body of work for a period of time, you become a manufacturer, not an artist. Artists innovate. It is imperative to change and develop. Art life is progressive. While I espouse a structured approach, I am not suggesting a formula. It is a framework within which we can explore every possible permutation of an idea. As we work, the art naturally evolves. When we have exhausted the possibilities of the framework, we create new parameters for ourselves. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #watercolor #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #authenticity https://www.instagram.com/p/CAyhXqFjPAk/?igshid=386gwq3dns6w

Preparation could also be clearing the mind of negative thoughts, preparing the body with sleep and good nutrition. Stress can be good or bad. It can drive us to produce, or it can have us spinning our wheels. Worry is not a requirement of high achievement, but without a little edge, we may not perform at our best. So preparation for important activities should involve a little edge-producing stress. We push ourselves a little and we get better results. If we were not stressed, we may not have pushed ourselves enough. Over time we figure out how much stress is necessary to produce optimal results, while not indulging ourselves in over-stress or worry. Some people who worry carry a superstition that if we don’t worry enough, bad things will happen. There is a subtle but important difference between healthy, performance-enhancing stress, and superstitious worry. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #artonpaper #artcurator #abstractpainting #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #watercolor #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #worksonpaper #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporarydrawing #leepuffer #authenticity https://www.instagram.com/p/CAqvB49D9ho/?igshid=1if5liasn0wcj

In order to overdeliver, we must prepare. When we prepare for an event or activity beforehand, we can be more in-the-moment for that activity itself. Preparation can mean many things. I like tangible evidence of time spent. I want something to show for my effort; an object, presentation, or document. The artistic process requires a bit of production-less percolation, however. Mulling things over, playing with an idea, gathering materials. We plant the seed of the idea in our minds and let the sub-conscious work on while we sweep the floor. Or in my case, avoid sweeping the floor. Drawing is a good way to avoid floor sweeping while freeing the subconscious to do its work. I don’t think it matters what we draw. It may relate to the activity we are preparing for, it may not. The bonus is- there’s tangible evidence of time spent. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoHFGNHSMk/?igshid=1s36ovc86u3lr

Discipline and overcoming difficulty is the price of admission for high achievement. Some people make it look easy. Success, fame, creating beautiful things, fitness, high performance, all require grit and struggle. We rarely get to see behind the scenes at the hours and hours of practice, dirt, and boring work. Yes, there is luck, I’m sure of that, but there is also adversity. Both need to be dealt with. There is also sacrifice in single-minded pursuit of a goal. Other important things fall by the wayside. There are naysayers to be dealt with. A lot of work goes into making it look easy. Is it worth it? When you get there, let me know! (These little sculptures will be available soon!) #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfok71D9c-/?igshid=1eijp0j83e0dz

Looking through the lens of quarantine and what used to be normal, it now seems chaotic and obscene. All the driving and consuming and waste. All the stress and the meetings and the traffic. Pushing ourselves to do more, go more places, buy more things. Crowds of people seem weird. Eating anywhere but at home seems exhausting and scary. Shopping strikes me as absurd. Normal seems excessive and repulsive. Did we really need all that? When so many people have lost so much, conspicuous display of wealth and luxury feels offensive. Luxury now is the ability to give. Wealth is good health and access to clean environments. Don’t show me a Youtuber or Influencer or a Real Housewife or a Kardashian. Show me someone who is working with their hands, making something useful, lifting people up. Can we ease back into life wiser and more thoughtfully? We all want this virus to be over, but I’m not sure I ever want to go back to normal. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYVFdADu_C/?igshid=1ta10qzdo740k

Sometimes, I look at an artwork that I made years ago, and find that I am still interested in the same images and issues that brought that old piece into being. I pick up a series that I thought was exhausted, only to find I am able to bring it back to life with the new perspective time brings. I hold onto materials that appeal to me, even if I don’t know how I will use them. Years later, I find the reason for those objects or materials. No matter how much we grow and learn, we are always the same person, and that person extends into the future. I think our future selves are giving us little gifts now that will be important later. Accept gifts from your future self. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #artconsultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQY8_fDWVF/?igshid=1rv3fjbbbvhka

Is it time to double-down on a dream? To double-down means to strengthens one’s commitment to a strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky. Risky. What is risky now? During quarantine, global pandemic, things that never seemed risky, now are. Maybe the reverse is also true. Maybe things that were risky before are no longer such a gamble. We sense risk when we have something to lose. Many of us have lost so much already. I don’t think dreams ever die. Things that we love to do stay with us somewhere. We always loved horses or music or art or tractors. We always wanted to learn or build or experience that thing. I think it is time to dig out those buried desires. Is there a project or a business or an art piece that has been smoldering for a while? It might be time to double-down on that, pour some gas on it. Let it burst into flames. What have we got to lose? #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #art-consultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/CAI0N54DZOc/?igshid=1xsuqsfnsl434

This little baby is looking for a new home👶 #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #art-consultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-1k9tjjXW/?igshid=k3zw8qqijf50

When times are tough, we stick together. Even when we are apart. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #art-consultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8Gu_Sju67/?igshid=66bjo1fu9v95

I over-deliver. If I am asked to bring one sculpture to an exhibition, I bring three, or 10. If a curator asks to see new work, I’ll show dozens of objects in multiple media. I am making things all the time. For me it’s a numbers game. In art, quality and quantity go hand in hand. That doesn’t mean everything I make is excellent, quite the contrary. But without productivity, I wouldn’t make anything excellent. The volume of work is not the point though, it’s the iteration process. That’s what make the work better. #arteveryday #feelgood #befree #writingaboutart #dancingaboutarchetecture #icanhelpyou #beyou #makemeaning #makeitmeaningful #meaningmatters #makeart #artistlife #sculpture #artcurator #ceramicsculpture #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #creativelifehappylife #creativitycoach #porcelain #figurativeabstraction #artlife #markmaking #makeyourmark #smallworks #art-consultant #studiopractice #contemporaryceramics #leepuffer #abstractsculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/B_05GDJjP60/?igshid=16tyxnabw7dsi

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