Thank goodness for February and its mercifully short stay. The last winter month gently easing us toward spring and bringing the modest but welcome gift of a few more minutes of daylight. During this mild season there have been days where you can just about smell the ground beginning to thaw. I imagine the bulbs beneath the front and back yards are deciding when to reach a tentative first root into the cool soil. I cannot overstate how excited I am for my garden to flower. I only need to make the many vases from my sketchbook in preparation for all of the arrangements I hope to create.
This month has seen my pottery practice pick up again after taking nearly two months to replenish what had been drained by 2022. I was away for long enough to now count each coil a win, and I feel a newfound generosity toward letting greenware take its time to dry: whatever it needs so as not to crack under stress.
Perhaps it was a statement (mostly to myself) when I chose to sculpt a torso-sized vase as that "comeback" piece, then moved immediately onto a second and third of the same scale for emphasis.
Building big emerges as a theme this year. Let's see what comes next.