A Dreamers Piece

Its been an interesting time working with the ceramicists at the U. I have had a lot of exposure to some great artists and have kinda found a little bit of my style though out the experience thus far. Later on I will  truly find my style and when I do I figure that it is going the be a good day! 

So I never figured that I would be in this kind of position in my life. Five years ago I found myself playing with the idea of ceramics while registering for classes in High School and it kinda become something I loved to sit down and do. Now I don't know if it is something that I will pursue with a life long goal or just revisit the art time and time again throughout my life but all will tell with time!

And so the story goes!~

Here are some of the pieces that are apart of the University Art Show that I threw through out the years.

The two bowls in this one

 All of the pieces here... The vase in the middle was from 12th grade! :)

 Ode to the flower dish! These were fun! I made a bunch of them for fun and they turned out pretty cool! Figure they can be used as jewelry dishes or somthing

Mugs Mugs Mugs... I do love making a good mug!

The vase with triangles...

There are alot of pieces that I could not put up for sale though... Its kinda like there is too much memory and feelings in some of them that I just can let go... Well either myself or my Family...

Here are some that are not quite finished yet but are close!

 This is mommas casserole  for enchilada nights and stuff! Figure she will like it! 

This one is kinda an experiment were I am going to try and float the top section... I will be pulling the supports out so the handles will be the only thing holding it up but I still dont know exactly how its going to react in the kiln so... Cross your fingers!

 A little butter boat!

Another casserole a bowl and a lidded vessel getting ready for the Wood Firing

This one we actually decided to keep... Its one of my favorites!

All in all this last semester has been a riot! I hope to be able to keep throwing as long as I can and maybe one day I will produce something that truly is what I like to call "A Dreamers Piece".

These are the last pieces that I was able to get out this semester... I will be able to play again here in a while but for now this is what I have! Hope you all like em!

Butter Boat! Finished!

Casserole! :) Finnished

Huge Platter! This one was fun!

Another Platter but a little smaller

Another Casserole!

A little teapot I still need to finnish!

Flower Basin

Another New bowl

Again a Caserole

The experiment was a success

I also want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the years! :)
YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!

Always more to come!

-Nate ~

Sending Off Friends

Its a really strange ordeal when you watch your best friends in the world drive off in some sort of vehicle that is plated with the words "just married". Its like saying hellogoodbye all at once when it happens and you know they are off to something so much better then they have ever known. Today I sent off my best friend Nathan O'Gwin who married another best friend of mine Sagan (Brimhall) O'Gwin and during everything I was in a state where I didn't know how to be or what to do. All I could do is sit there and smile and watch as they fell deeper into that life of "Theirs". I gave them a toast and said the things in which came to mind... It came out as a jumble and didn't make much sense but it was something and it came from my heart so I guess thats all that matters. 

Any way on the drive home I couldn't help but feel a bit of lonely in the ol' heart. Lonely because I, as most humans do, want what they have found. Companionship, Trust, and a pure knowledge in another. Then I got to thinking about the same feeling when Tyson got married to his little hunny and you know what for a time I felt so happy and sad in a mix that it just kinda pushed me into a flurry of thought. Its emotion that sits in the midst of heart only to come out to remind me of thoughts of the friends that have had an impact in my life.

Any who life goes on and school goes on and work goes on and change is something that is craved and will one day come.

Here is to marriage and the happiness that my best friends have found in their lives. And here is to the greatness of companionship and love between lives. And here is to the next day that maybe just maybe some special thing might change the next second and minute of this life towards that which the heart craves for the most!

To Nathan and Sagan O'Gwin

and

Tyson and Michelle Riding!

Cheers!!! 

Weekend Like No Other

Its those weekends that you cant keep up with but happen to get everything you ever wished to accomplish done.  All in all it ended in a accomplished feeling falling asleep on Mom and Dads couch...

 Friday night I spent at Battle of the Chapters with my Fraternity. We were the Purple team along with the sisters of Gamma and Psi. I had to get my Purple on so I headed down to the local Generation X and they took care of me with a nice set of Purple laces, a bandanna, some 70's sunnys,  and a ghetto T. It turned out pretty legit and in the end we did well in the competition. The GREAT thing about it all was the fact that we all raised around 20,000 cans of food for the food drive in all. After it all went down we headed to blizzard for some late night grasshopper ice cream; really delicious I do say. SO Great night all in all and by the time I got home it was 2 and my Grandpa and I planned on going fishing at 7 at Deer Creek. An 6 am wake up and I bailed out of my place in the SLC and headed south. We set up and hit the lake around 7:30 and fished till the wind was too cold to handle and packed up and went home. Only one fish but we are still trying to figure out lake fishing with Flys. Great Company tho!

From there I was able to sit and spend some time with my Grandparents which is now I believe is a very precious commodity. Even tho I am able to see quite often, it is  rare that I get to sit down and just be with them. Telling stories and eating everything Gram makes; I am talking the cookies and the hot coco and the cookies... You know what I am saying!


Any way a new thing my Grandpa is teaching me is Fly Fishing and everything involved. I do say I have taken a new love for the technique and have even started my own little Fly Box.

We spent all day making bugs of all sorts and shapes. I looked through his books and found a bug I wanted to build.









This one was called the prince (the ones with the purple tails and white wings). They say if your going to make one you better make two... and if you make a second you better make a third so I did and in the end got it to look pretty darn good. This was the last of the bunch and am excited to try him out the next chance I get.








Any ways I spent the afternoon indulging in my Grandparents company as well as Grandmas cooking and Grandpas knowledge and stories. AH the best I would say! I needed to get back up to Salt Lake as soon as I remembered that it was the semi annual Ceramic Throwing Marathon at the studio and the fact I still had 50 lbs of porcelain to throw.

It was complete mayhem on the roads when I went up because in the time I went from Provo to Salt Lake a storm came through and laid a good 4 in of the fluffy stuff on the road and it always seams like when it first snows no one knows how to drive. I finally got up to the studio at 8:30 pm and grabbed a quick bite of some supreme ribs one of the professors cooked up. Then got to work...

 

The Christmas Mugs for some Christmas Presents and the best part about it is the fact that they are larger then normal and big enough even for a bit o Soup

Some Jewelry basins for my Moma and Grandma. These were pretty fun to make cause I have never really maniplated a form before like this! An adventure indeed!

A nice little serving bowl and a vase that I need to carve out. I have been making a lot of carved vessels like what this is going to be and they look pretty cool with a candle in them. 

Two of the serving platters that are for big ocassions. My mom and Grandma always wanted some big ones so I figured I would figure out how to make em. The first is about 20 in and the second is about 24.

Got started on a few more pieces in prep for next week. Then done!

It was an awesome night and was able to throw all 50 lbs in about 5 hours which left me a little time to chit chat with the rest of the crew that was there and then head home in the crazy result of the first part of the snow storm.

This is my inspiration tree and it looks out into most of the Salt Lake Vally. Its were I go when I need a little time to situate my ideas and on this night is was more inspirational then ever.

This is the end of that day on the way home at 2 am Sunday morning. I hit the sac like a brick and set the ol alarm for 8 so I could get back down to Orem for Sunday Morning breakfast which is the best thing ever. Once home I gave Ma Pa and little Wudit a hug ate an amazing brekee and then ended up on the couch watching the Nascar Cup race. I watched the start and woke up 20 laps from the finnish. Had some spaghetti. The day went on from there and I would say it was one of those weekends like no other!
          

That Whole Age Thing

   Today is a very special day! One of my best friends, Ol Tyson Riding, since 7th grade in Lungo's class is getting married to what seems to be his perfect match. Even MORE awesome is that another one of my best friends is getting married at the end of this month (that one I called since the 8th grade so no surprise). This whole subject kind of freaks me out a little cause ya know what... Were growing up. Yes I said it even me the kid with his foot into everything. Now this has been a continuous revelation of mine for honestly the last 3 years. (Its kinda like that song... "I thought I loved you then", except its more like "I thought I grew up then"). Ya strange thought process I know but hey its just what I do. Ok so the most current revelation came on from many more things other then the whole marriage thing.

Take this one as a slap in the face:

To

  

 In less the 2 months... I would say thats like going from 18 years of age to 30 in no time flat... Zing! Haha no but really if you think about it its like I am aging like 1.5 years per week... WOOF and its even more wild when you think of it the other way when shaving it off... turn on the razor and poof 12 years younger. All in all this is I would say something that I take pride in BUT for the last say 4 months I have not been clean shaven and I was sporting a pretty solid beard. Even asked some girls last night how old I thought I looked and they spotted me at 24. I was happy about this cause ya know what sometimes its nice to look and present as older.

TANGENT

MY Mind and I believe the minds of most others.

Looking older = Wiser, More Respect from People in Power Positions, The Ability to Portray a General Understanding of the World, More Respect.... and ya...

Now I am talking about looking older then 20 and under say 65 or so. I am talking in LOOKS as well! SO anyone who is like *STUPID KID I am 68 and I am wiser and have more respect then you do!* Well your probably 68 and look like your 40 so no worries! And the fact that there are some 40 year old people that look like they should be dead... so Ya ;) Plus the way my age correlates with my beard I figure I could "Gain Respect" up until about a year of growth... then they would be asking me for my Senior Citizen card at the movie theater and telling me that my date is too young for me.

ANYWAYS

    Today I shaved for the first time leaving just a little soul patch to put at least a year on me and keep me from looking like a high school student again all in the name of Marrage. I hope I look Dang Good tonight cause if not (   :(>!!! <- soul patch ) SAD DAY! Its all good it will be back soon enough! :)>

   Other things are well friends are getting home from missions, all the good lookin girls who are potentially marrage status are leaving on their missions!! (Which is a whole nother tanget I have), and well friends and brothers are starting their own families... Heck I have a Niece (which is cuter then your niece) (I have proof)

Told ya...

So there is a much larger story that goes all along with this story but I guess you will be able to connect em all I would say in about a year or so when I actually have a little library of my life on here. Its time for the wedding to take place... Heres to Tyrone and Michelle Riding!

Pics to come!!! :)>

At Last

  It seems like very day I find myself looking back on what has happened in my life. Heck I might even want to write it down every once in a while. I figure that this can be that paper and pen I need to remember and recognize what exactly I have become thought out the years.

  Its like the term At Last comes into play around most every part of my life: The Past, the Ever Present, and the Future... Looking back and finding out exactly what happened and seeing something that changed, At Last... Working thought that subject you find to be the most fascinating but the most frustrating and in one moment realizing you figured it out, At Last... And finally knowing that one day everything might end up in a place where you have dreamed of since childhood, At Last. Well my name is Nathan James Last and I have lived a most precarious life up to this point. Here I hope to share a little piece of the life I had. Like many famous guys once said: Grab my shoes and leave them out in hopes that one day they might be found to give em a chance at my life for a while. 

So all in all... Heres to Life. One step at a time!