Professor Pickles profile picture

Professor Pickles

Ceramists... we play dirty.

About Me

Foremost, I'm an ceramic artist. Yup! that means me and a bunch of little old ladies sit around and gossip while we paint pottery... hehehe I'm only teasing. That seems to be what most people think of when ceramics comes to mind. Although I do have a knowledge of pottery and the techniques invovled in creating functional ware, I tend to work more sculpturally. Recently I've been developing a few tile lines which will hopefully pave the way into more large scale architectural projects.


Hmmm, come to think of it, does what we do really defines who we are? I have learned that being a ceramist has allowed me to freely explore my other, more broader areas of interest... design, illustration, philosophy, business, psychology/sociology, traveling, cooking, technology, crafting, etc...

Being "cursed" with so many areas of interests results from having been the "nomad" kid growing up. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to several cultures and adapted to vastly different environments. Living throughout parts of the US and overseas, I like to think, has made me openminded. What else could you expect from a kid who spends time in the Netherlands only to find himself several years later in a small, country Texas town.

I'm pretty laid back. I'm probably considered liberal by the conservatives and conservative by the liberals. I guess I just don't make a habit of labling stuff and then putting it in a box. Life is far too dynamic.

Some of the best moments are those 3:00am conversations with friends, chilling, drinking tea or cappuccinos, when everything one says is pure wisdom... laughing. AND I'm as simple as that... having fun and continuing to grow. :)


My Interests



    Art/Artist/Art History (of course!) Love travelling... it's exciting when you learn not only about a place/people, but about yourself as well. I dig browsing quirky designer's/illustrator's websites Dinner parties with buddies (cooking and hanging alway a good time). Reading... probably more non-fiction, than fiction Catching movies, but only if at some point we can talk about it... hehehe


praider -- [noun]:
A person of questionable sanity who starts their own cult of sock monkeys.
'How will you be defined in the dictionary?'- QuizGalaxy.com
For fun some quirky things I dig...
    the sound of fireworks, in particular the hollow thud as they launch into the air the smell of burning wood in a campfire or the glow from a 2200 degree kiln interesting textures from rhinosaurus skin to exfoliating birch trees kooky and whimsical doodle designs the fuzzy little hairs on the back of a girl's neck when she puts her hair up in a pony tail cheesy little notes left in random places waiting to be discovered ouuu and touch (working with clay I can't avoid being drawn to touch.) Texas storms when the clouds go grey and the sky flashes with lighting... scary, hehehe but cool nonetheless

I'd like to meet:

Education Killing Creativity



(20 min runtime) Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Robinson is author of "Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative", and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA) - More TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com

Hmmm I don't know... fun, quirky, intelligent, good humored, interesting people... message me and I'll let you know if I'd like to meet you ;) hehehe. I usually get along with everyone ... even dancing monkeys!

Bust it, little guys!!

I was asked to post some of my work... so here are a few photos of my earlier "sitting with the grannys" (in other words, the pottery) work.


These are a couple of glaze test. I was looking for a glaze that would give good variation in colors when applied thick or thin.

Music:

If I can hear the passion in the music then I usually dig it... everything from country to alternative to R&B, just depends on my mood. Specific artists...

  • Big Country
  • Butch Walker ~ his song Mixtape dig it!
  • Brand New
  • Dido
  • Sarah McLachlan
  • Alizee (french pop singer)


  • Jars of Clay
  • A Perfect Circle
  • Foo Fighters
  • Smashing Pumpkins
  • Zwan
  • George Strait
  • LeAnn Rimes
  • P.O.D
  • Keith Sweat
  • P.M. Dawn
  • Puddle of Mudd
  • The Killers
  • Finch
  • Incubus
  • Eve 6
  • Lisa Loeb ~ in particular "How"
  • Better Than Ezra
  • Goo Goo Dolls
  • Sara Evans
  • Sade
  • Damien Rice ~ totally dig his song Cannonball!


  • Enya
  • Robert Miles
  • Everything But The Girl
  • Abigail Zsiga

  • I really could go on for awhile... :P

    Movies:

    My tastes are all over the place. From romance dramas like...

      Meet Joe Black Braveheart Legends of the Fall Last of the Mohicans Donnie Darko (might even fit in here)

    To classic comedies like...

      Loverboy Groundhog Day Uncle Buck Better Off Dead Can't Buy Me Love So I Married an Ax Murder

    To indie/foriegn flims like...

      Lost in Translation ... had a wonderful pace and mood, great movie! Before Sunrise / Before Sunset (although the first one was better) Princess and the Warrior Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Hero House of Flying Daggers Intacto L'Auberge Espagnole Saw Tape

    I've found myself moving away from the big Hollywood cookie cutter stuff. I do dig documentaries as well...

      Corporation (is a good one) Step into Liquid Riding Giants Plane Crazy Super Size Me Devil's Playground (about the Amish communities) Startup.com

    but again everything has to be taken in doses. I can't ever get hooked into one particular genre eventhough I have my favorites.

    Television:

    Laughing...I've been on a sci-fi kick recently... catching Battlestar (on SciFi) the old Highlander tv series (DVD) and then my sister got me hooked on Smallville (although I didn't catch the fourth season so don't spoil it). Don't worry, you wont find me at any Trekie conventions... laughing. Really I try not to get hooked on too many shows although I've seen some episodes 30 Days which has been alright. Laughing... Comedy Central has a show called Con (that I caught the other night and was too funny in a messed up sort of way.) When the TV is on... for the most part it'son a Music Choice channel. Sorry reality junkies I'm out of the loop! :P

    Books:

    Can we guess that I'm going to have a wide range of interests here as well... hehehe. Always looking for interesting titles... if you have some suggestions? :)

    Heroes:

    Well... I can't really call him a hero, because that would probably feed his ego... but I think the biggest influence in my life is my brother. We get along really well, yet that doesn't mean we don't know how to push each other's buttons... *boop* *beep* *beep* *boop* :P

    My Blog

    Infamous Internet Quizzes

    ..> You scored as Neo, the "One". Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability t...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:14:00 PST

    Weekend

    Today has started off as a slow lazy kind of weekend. This morning I worked a bit more on a Design Program I've been putting together as a sort of brush up for myself, and to pass on to...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:51:00 PST

    Bring on the Nutribiotic!

    I think the weekend has caught up with me. It feels like out of the blue I'm getting sick. I never get sick! I can't even remember that last time I was sick!! It's started with a sore throat and now i...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:45:00 PST

    Could not agree more!

    The article does promote online degrees and eductaion. Nonetheless, I see eye to eye with the core information about a liberal arts background. For the Love of Learning  by Margaret W. Crane When...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:05:00 PST

    The Gherkin

    Learn something new everyday!
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 11:59:00 PST

    Independent Thinkers Out There?

    I came across an intriguing article in the latest issue of the New Yorker. It was about the creator of the hit TV show 24 and the impact the show is having on the public. I had never seen the show and...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 10:19:00 PST

    This is Great!! Office Linebacker

    I was dying when I caught this...   ...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Fri, 29 Dec 2006 08:49:00 PST

    Christmas Booty

    I didn't get much for Christmas this year, typically I don't get much every year because I'm the "hard one" to shop for. No one ever knows what to get me, at least that's what they claim. I think they...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:07:00 PST

    Photo Blog - Diam Chau & Pete Goldlust Sculptures

    I remember one of the biggest complaints from fellow art students, other than never having enough hours in the day to finish everything, were the costs of materials. Looks like a few sculptors out the...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Sun, 03 Dec 2006 02:35:00 PST

    Solaris, Darwin, & Choices

    The other day I caught Solaris with George Clooney. I had started watching it while the buddies were away during Thanksgiving and decided to finish it once they were back. In some ways it was better t...
    Posted by Underwear Gnome Incognito on Sat, 02 Dec 2006 04:04:00 PST