Jack Hutton Celebrity Portrait

The Bohemian Art Gallery and Cafe hosts a charity called The Celebrity Portrait.  Tammy, the owner picks a local celebrity and 5, this time 4 local artist do a portrait of the person. The portraits are silent auctioned off and the proceeds go to the charity choice of the celebrity. 

My great great grandfather carved statues and monuments of people and head busts of people from stone.  I have made many animals and wondered if I do a head bust from clay. 

In June four of us artist met with the celebrity Jack "eyebrows" Hutton, who entertains people with his piano on our local cruise ships and other places.  http://www.bala.net/museum/jack-hutton.asp.
We all snapped pictures of him then went back to our studio to create.

My challenge was his eyebrows.  His long hairs would have broken off with clay, so I made thick ones instead.  

 I wanted to include his piano but laying it flat underneath did not appeal to me. Then I thought surrealism. I was going to wrap the piano around him as if he was swallowed up by it.  Some times our gifts swallow us up.  Having the piano all around him would have covered his face. The piano became a collar. 

  I took out the porcelain and shaped and sculpted. After he a was sculpted I had the daunting task of cutting him in half to hollow him out.  The clay can be no thicker than 1", the thinner the better.  This allows it to dry .  Wet clay will explode in the kiln as the moisture boils.

The piano keys where the only colour I was going to have on him.  Once finished the eyes looked dead, they needed life.  Before I fired him I painted the eyes in under glaze. 

The time came for me to put him in the kiln.  As Tom Petty's song says,  the waiting is the hardest.  Three days latter I unloaded the kiln.  Had he exploded?  No, he was still in one piece except a chunk came off his scalp.  I patched this hole and painted the hair to camoflouge it.  Fortunately it was at the back. 

I had made my first head bust. 

On Friday, September 21 we met at the Bohemian https://www.facebook.com/tammy.gravina for the grand unveiling.  Jack is allowed to pick his favorite piece before he knows who did what.  Since I was the only one who does pottery it was obvious which one was mine.   The artists were then revealed as to who did what. 

The silent auction runs for one week at the Bohemian Art Gallery and Cafe.  The charity of choice by Jack Hutton is The Mustard Seed Foundation which helps out homeless people.  

Be Happy Don't Worry

Several years ago some one told me my life would be joyful and that is why God has called me Joyce.  The interesting thing about this prophetic word was I was in deep depression and suffering from bipolar at the time.  How could this be true I thought.  But as Peter said to Jesus when he told him to cast the nets on the other side of the boat.  "Master we've fished all night and caught nothing, but if you say so let it be."

Almost 20 years down the road and there's been a lot of water under the bridge. 

The other weekend we were at a off road vintage motorcycle enjoying lots of laughter and good times with friends. Many of our friends are Christians and I noticed that not once did I hear the Lord's name in vein by saying the popular "Oh my ______" expression. We as Christians need to laugh more when we get together and when we are in the world, even at studies, social times, and church.

I was reading Colossians chapter one and and what struck me was how God wants us to be passionate for him. Guess what the sermon at church was, the same thing? Don't you just hate it when God's gives you the message twice?

I was on worship, playing drums, and I decided not to be nervous but to enjoy the worship time.  I'm just beginning this.  I enjoyed myself and the pastor said that was the best I had played.

So what is it like to be passionate for God? In chapter 2 Paul explains.
1. We need to see things from God's perspective.  He's has a great sense of humor and Jesus loved to party with food with his friends.
2. Don't go by our feeling and emotions especially when some hurts us, but go by what Jesus would have done, forgive quickly.
3. Don't try to get the lime light.  Don't try to push your business or get the most attention in group studies.  Like the movie Field of Dreams, build it and they shall come.  Enjoy what God has called you to do and let him put you where he wants you.
4. Get along with others, stop complaining and be thankful.

When I have a troubling situation I looked for what I can be thankful for. Did I learn and gain wisdom, did God give me the strength to endure it etc?

Near the end of chapter 3 of Colossians it said "  sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives-- words, actions, whatever --be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

A plate I'm enjoying making for the YWCA

To be passionate for God is lot of things but for me now it is to enjoy creating pottery, sing my heart out in worship even when I am on the drums.  When I am feeling down sing to the Lord. The other day I was feeling lonely and down then a worship song came in my mind.  I started to sing it and was lifted out of my pity party. I realized I was letting Satan put negative thoughts in my mind. My drumming last Sunday at church went better because I followed Colossians. While singing my heart to God I was happy and didn't worry.