Don't forget to vote!

Check out this video. Seriously, it's great.

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

Raku Pictures (and thoughts)...

So I never got around to putting pictures up from my Raku firing. A couple pieces came out well. One of them is on view at a Prudential art show in Newark - giddy up.

I've been giving quite a bit of thought to the overarching pottery and faith theme that will become a part of my final project for Drew. There's a lot more to do, but what I'm learning is that pottery has become a way for me to embody my faith. Religion for me has always been a very academic undertaking. It's been very cerebral.

I think this is where the evangelical traditions have a much stronger understanding of a holistic faith than the frozen chosen (i.e. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, etc). You're much more likely to find us with our hands crossed in prayer, polite nods and genuflecting on Sundays. There are other faiths who dance, sing, clap and raise their hands in praise. That just isn't me. It doesn't work for me. But I realize that I'm missing that aspect of embodying what I feel in my faith.

I've been doing pottery for two years now. Pottery has become both a creative and a spiritual experience for me. I'm slowly coming to realize that this is helping me to embody my faith. A part of my spiritual development that I didn't realize was absent is slowly coming into focus. I hope to continue to grow into this aspect of my faith.

Who knows, maybe it will actually turn into a recommendation that we all find some activity that helps us begin to see experience the incarnation of our faith.

This is the scene when I arrived at 8:00 am. That big think is the kiln. There is a smaller, unassembled kiln to the left.

This is around 8:00pm. Yes. That is twelve hours after I got there. There is a pot in front of them that was removed from 1800+ degree kiln and put on a pile of sawdust (hence the fire), then covered by the aluminum tin. It gives the piece a black (the carbon from the smoke) crackled finish to the glaze.

A look inside the kiln.










The fiber kiln in use.








Me, all dolled up in fire-resist attire.








That's one of my pots.







This is an interesting video. It is one of my pots that has been out of the kiln for about 20 to 30 minutes. It has been set aside to cool. You'll see the sparks and heat continue to act inside the piece. It reminds me of when we are done with some important act in our lives. When we've completed some major event. We think it is over - but I believe it is then that God continues to act in our lives - transforming that event into something even greater.

The Results!

I'm still waiting for pictures - our parish-famous photog, Chris K, had his camera in tow all night. However, we raised about $22k for the Youth of St. Paul's.

It was amazing. Your standard parish hall was transformed into an 'open-air' country western-fest. The ceiling was strung with hundreds of white lights, resembling the big-open Texas sky. Flags of western states and old-time country western flick posters were all over the walls. Candles flickered in country themed beer bottles. Ribs, chicken, pulled-pork, potatoes, salad and apple cobbler filled everyone's plates.

By all accounts, the evening was a huge success. Photos to follow!

Why Not Come to Chatham and Join Us...

a fundraiser to support the youth of St. Paul's

SADDLE UP!

for an

Evening in the Wild West
St. Paul's Auction and Barbecue

Saturday, October 18
6:30 p.m.

Join us for an evening of fabulous food, spirited friends and
glittering treasures!

Love to travel? Bid on glamorous destinations such as Hawaii, Jackson
Hole and Williamsburg, and valuable merchandise in our silent
and live auctions. Gifts include vacation homes, sporting events, fanciful baskets and gourmet dinners delivered to your home.

Cost of $50 per person includes a western barbecue dinner with wine, beer and soft drinks.

Call the church office at (973) 635-8085 for reservations.
Seating is limited, so reserve now!
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul
200 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928

Raku tomorrow!

I'm waking up before dawn tomorrow and heading out to a pottery studio in Pennsylvania. Over the last several weeks I've been throwing and trimming pieces of pottery I've made with raku clay. I've even done a few pinch pots (this is new ground for me).

This is a major part of my final project for my MTS (Masters in Theological Studies). I'm going to be taking lots of pictures and video for use in the presentation. I'm doing this with a prayer for Holy Week in mind.

Raku is a firing that is done outside. You fire the pots for a short period and while they're still hot (VERY hot - 1850 degrees I think), you remove them from the kiln and put them in a large container with combustible materials - which, without surprise, combusts. The piece is shortly thereafter plunged into water to cool and halt the firing process.

My imagery for raku firing combines my love for pottery with a deeply spiritual element. Taking a vessel formed from the earth and exposing it to intense heat and fire, then water is a rather violent act. My exploration between arts and spirituality keeps bringing me back to this violent act of art and understanding how that speaks to me in the context of Holy Week. I have worked for years to understand the violence of Good Friday and I wonder if there is a way to understand this violence in the context of creativity and imagery.

The image of smoke and ash billowing around the pots and the potters reminds me of the ash we impose on Ash Wednesday. These images have been recent reminders of the quote we all hear as ashes are being placed on our forehead, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

I think I start my march toward Good Friday early this year.

Only in the age of the internet...

Can you find the intersection in two things you feel passionately about.

On October 15th, an online exhibition will go live as a fundraiser for the Barack Obama campaign for the US Presidency. Twenty-seven ceramic artists have joined in creating Obama/Biden-specific work, much of it limited edition, in an effort to raise money in support of Obama in this crucial election.

Here's the link. You can check out the pottery now - prior to it being auctioned. It's amazing work.

http://www.ayumihorie.com/obamaware.html