empty bowls

Each morning, after formal meditation, I consult the I Ching—asking, “What is my practice today?”

For a stretch of days, a trusted interlocutor—one who helps me interpret these responses—kept pointing toward bowls. Not metaphorically, but quite literally: empty bowls, open bowls, still bowls, offering bowls.

That insight first found form in painting. But not long after, I felt an urge to try shaping the bowls themselves.

These are the beginnings. Each is hand-built—no wheel, no molds. Just clay, breath, and attention. The only aim was to make something quiet and true. A form that might hold space, or light, or nothing at all.

There will be more.

Note: This image of my first empty bowls is actually taken before I’d finished it. The final shape is the same, but the bowl’s walls became thinner. However, I delivered it to Andy’s studio to await firing. As with the Jizos, I will update this picture once the bowl has been fired.