I am so excited to have my kiln up and running again!
Starting a new project with porcelain which is very challenging. It is a commissioned work for a residential mansion so I can't just create whatever pleases me. I have to also take into consideration my client's preferences, expectations and needs because she is the one who will look at the art work every day - not to mention that she is also the one who finances the work! Finding the right balance could be tricky, but I am hopeful :)

Here are some snapshots from the first firing session. My kiln is small, it is a 'plug and play' top loading PotteryCrafts kiln called the 'Mercury'. It is capable to fire up to 1300ºC and is programmable with the electric controller. Now, the porcelain pieces are very thin, so to prevent slumping/shape deformation, I had to support them with kaolin powder. They are fired to 1280ºC and I am pleased with the result. It did take a lot of patience and effort to scrape the kaolin powder off of the fired pieces and it got somewhat stuck to them. All had to be done very very carefully because of the delicate and intricate shapes of the pieces. I think it took me almost 2 hours just to clean up a couple of the porcelain pieces! Next time I'll try different supporting method.



Well, this is just one of the many components that I will have to make to form the actual work which will constructed out of many pieces like this one. Each will be handmade one by one, so each piece will be different - although they all will still be within the same concept. More firing sessions are lining up!

BTW, the greatest thing about this project is that working on it has given me inspirations for my next personal project!

This is my latest favorite book! I regretted when I finished reading it because I wanted to read more! It is full of little stories about all those fonts whose name and look are so familiar and yet I didn’t know much if at all about their designer or how they came about into being. It is like reading about your dear old friends – so familiar – that you are so fond of, and yet knew very little about their life and history. It’s like getting to know your friends – that is, your favorite fonts – better. There are struggles, impressive feats and funny bits. You’d respect real font designers even more.

Simply put, it is entertaining and informative, a delight to behold too – set in beautiful fonts! If you like fonts, enjoy working with them, then get this book. You won’t regret it.

(Thanks to my thoughtful husband who gifted this book to me :). He definitely knows me very well!).

‘Balance’ is my word for 2011. It might look like a simple word, but it is a loaded one – very tricky to achieve, and even more difficult to maintain. Because guess what? It is not a static condition in which once you achieve it, you then could passively keep it. No. It is fluid, always on the move. It is something that you have to keep on nurturing in everything you do.

For myself, balance means to focus more into the process of things – of doing, of working, of creating, of living. That is, rather than focusing on the end result... Taking my time immersing myself in THE moment without worrying about the passing of time. Easier said than done, obviously. But we can always try, can't we!