C'est fini

If you're friends with me on facebook, you haven't escaped knowing that, over the last year, I've worked on an ocean themed ceramic set to be displayed at Nani's and Michael's wedding.  The wedding came and all twelve pieces made it unscathed!  :)  The set up turned out phenomenonly. 

A thirteenth last minute item, a write up about the project and me (written by me), was printed and framed to be displayed with the pieces.

For anyone who is interested in that writing:

​The dusty, messy, unmanageable earth has an unlimited capacity to fascinate me.  In my life, I’ve felt perpetually compelled to touch muck: silt at the bottom of a pond, broken shells mixed into wet sand on the shoreline, or mud that forms in the divots of front yards after summer rain.  It’s not surprising then, that my love affair with ceramics is unrelenting.

 

​I returned to the studio about eighteen months ago; six months into my return, Michael and Nina were engaged.  Shortly after their engagement was announced, they asked me to incorporate my work into their wedding reception.   At the time of the request, Michael and Nina had few specifications, and any time I asked them for guidance, they assured me: “We trust your vision.  Do it how you see it, and it will be exactly what we want.”

 

        How’s that for pressure? 

 

​After considering the options, I set out to design a new series for them that would encompass a celebration of the love affair these two have with each other and life; a love affair, it seems, that is not unlike mine with the earth. In preparation, I spent several months thinking about the two of them, and not about the series.  What do I know about them?  What do they love about each other?  How do they live their lives?  After searching, I realized the answer was always the same; they adore adventure.  

 

​Their newest adventure before the engagement was a recent relocation to Miami, and the most consistent part of their lives after that move was a tremendous amount of time spent on the water.  It seemed my baby sister and Her Love found peace kayaking, sailing, spearfishing, and snorkeling; the two were clearly drawn to the ocean.  

 

​Therefore, this series came into existence as a nod to their seafaring; it is twelve structures depicting a coral reef, complete with the fish that swim through them.  The vagueness of form is intentional, a gentle acknowledgment of the ocean rather than a realistic replica of their Miami sea.   As we celebrate the beginning of Michael’s and Nina’s new life, their willingness to take risks, and their ability to move through the world on their own terms, I invite you to explore these pieces as you wish; please find the wonders of the ocean as they emerge from the muck.

 

​Michael and Nina, I thank you for trusting me with this project.  Congratulations, and may the Gods and Goddesses of the sea always bless you.

 

With tremendous love,

Manisha

Congrats, Nina and Michael!