“With These Hands”

To create with one’s hands, whether a painting, sculpture or other object, has always been  something that held me in awe. It is true I use my hands to create pictures, but in reality, I am capturing the images of objects that my eye sees. When someone takes a piece of clay and transforms that most basic element into a creative design, then that someone becomes an artist.

I visited an exhibit where two such artisans showcased  their work and also gave a demonstration on how they performed their skills. I talked to the potter, while he was setting up, and asked for permission to shoot his work. His name was Glenn Hudson and, how lucky can one be, he was also a photographer. We talked mostly about pictures and how he came to be a potter. Then as he started his demo, I was so entranced by how he became one with the clay. The process seemed organic and what started out slow, quickly evolved to reveal beautiful shapes. His hands and the wheel worked the clay into smooth symmetrical forms, right there in front of my lens. I found myself going back and forth with what was on his wheel and the anticipated finished piece. Often I hesitated to click my shutter in fear of disturbing what seemed like a magical moment.

His tools were his hands, but in reality it was his imagination and inner soul that exposed the clay before him. With his hands he created not just a bowl or pot, but a work of art…. ultimately an expression of heart, mind and hands.