Buckethead

My first teaching job was as an art teacher at an unnamed junior high in southeast Tacoma, Washington. It's hard to believe it was twenty five years ago. I was a struggling young teacher and hadn't seen a lot, so I was up for sampling other teacher's ideas and suggestions, visiting other classrooms when possible, etc. Upon visiting an unnamed math teacher down the hall, I was surprised with a new discovery in educational practice. I noticed a five-gallon bucket with round notches cut away from it's rim in the front corner of the room. I asked what it was for and the teacher explained in a hilarious (as was his way) and slightly disturbing manner. When a student became  disruptive or a general nuisance he/ she was required to sit on a stool in the corner of the room for the remainder of the class. Additionally, said student was to wear the bucket for the duration of the class. Students then earned the honor of "buckethead". Many students wore the title with pride, being a member of the buckethead club. Times certainly have changed in the educational world. Not that I endorse such a technique for dealing with unruly students but that certainly wouldn't work in today's classroom. A teacher trying something like that would get fired in a nano-second (but not before the student finished texting all his friends). Ahhhh....nothing like the good old days!

First Post!

          Let's start here...here's an old piece, a teapot that sold a couple of years ago. This sgraffito and underglaze decorated teapot was slab-built with a  stoneware clay body. I've made a series of vessels (teapots, vases, platters, etc.) that are based on phone conversations. They tend to deal mostly with relationship issues and misunderstandings. Aside from the obvious humor, I think I most enjoy the randomly changing font/text....I'm never sure how much of my narrative (that I write ahead of time)  I'll be able to fit on the vessel before I run out of space. I sell my work at "Good Earth Pottery" in Bellingham Washington.