The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 28, 2001 - C7 Playing with clay unlocks creativity By M arguerite Broten As a potter and pottery instructor at the Oakville Art Society I am often asked what motivated me to begin and, two-and-a-half decades later, what still motivates my desire to work with clay. I believe that play is an element in jthe work of most potters and clay work ers. Yet, there seems to be a strong resistance to letting the idea of play relate in any way to what we do and how we describe our work. Many o f us believe that play is inappropriate in the routine of our daily lives and is only suited to unique or creative endeavours. As children we have all experienced the intense "effort" o f playing. Absorbed in concentrated fantasy, we have focused on creating new worlds in a sandbox or on paper with crayons or acting with stories. Unfortunately, we "grow up" and set aside the notion o f play as something children do, fail ing, I believe, to realize that play is an extremely effective tool for generating and exercising the creative mind. Play is a process that can be culti vated by everyone. Firstly, it involves risk, and one has to be willing to accept that. Secondly, it means finding ways to abandon preconceived ideas that thwart movement in uncharted path ways. Play is about focusing on the GOODNIGHT GOODMORNING A K V IL L E RT O C IE T Y A forum on art in all its forms process as it unfolds; watching the cas cade of events that comes from the unconscious. My students have permission to play in class, which means they can make mistakes and take risks. They need to fail with an ease that will allow success to happen. The result is work that reflects how playing effectively "allows" fresh, fully formed ideas to emerge. Implicit in play is the need to watch, to view the process with a fresh, nonjudgm ental eye, allowing the events to unfold in front o f you. That is where stuff happens, if you pay attention. Seizing mistakes as they happen leads to discovering new ideas. Rote routine is not likely to result in creative insight or a new discovery. Somehow fresh ness must be nourished. Learning the fundamentals o f the craft is necessary, of course, but it is only the foundation, not the art. To play is affirmative, and is not the opposite o f being professional. We need to teach ourselves and ultimately our customers that play is an essential part of art making. Too often I hear artists complain o f "burning out," of a reluctance to get back in the studio or of being bored and fighting routine. I wonder if these grievances are just symptoms of "no play in the clay." We needn't apologize for recogniz ing play as part of the creative process. Nature intended it as a way to learn and create. Unfortunately, custom rele gates it to children's activities and we, as adults, have forgotten how to do it. It is time to play again. The numerous classes offered at the Oakville Art Society throughout the year provide everyone in our commu nity with an excellent opportunity to experiment with play in different art forms. Various members o f the Oakville Art Society write this column, which appears in The Oakville Beaver every second Wednesday. Comments can be forwarded to the OAS at 560 Bronte Rd., Oakville, Ont., L6L 6S1 or at info @oakville-art-society. com. #1 Lingerie Store ADVERTORIAL With over 75 per cent of women wearing the wrong bra size, it only makes sense to go to the professional who will make sure your next bra will be the right one. GoodNight GoodMoming fine lingerie boutique has an incredible selection of styles and sizes in bras from Canadian and European designers. They have sizes from petite to full figure and cup sizes from A to J. Owner Anya has years of experience in bra fittings as well as in fashion design and wants to make sure that every customer is fitted properly and gets a bra in the right size which will compliment their figure. At GoodNight GoodMoming you will find the newest and most fashionable bras, as well as your favorite styles from manufacturers like Lejaby, Chantelle, Simone Perelle, Barbara, Triumph, Piege and many others. The store is also known for having a great selection of sleepwear and loungewear from the most elegant silks to everybody's favourite comfortable cottons. Come in to have a look and become one of the many satisfied customers at Goodnight Goodmoming 100 Bronte Rd., Unit #3, Oakville 905-847-1512. Local twins win movie-making award ` Twin brothers Eli and Joseph Cull, J l, received the LEGO Studios MovieMaking Award for their age category at the Backyard National Children's Film Festival held in the Los Angeles Center Studios this month. | In their movie, Where Does All the l£ G O Go?, the Oakville brothers won der what happens to LEGO creations when there is no one around to watch. · Their movie depicts a LEGO wizard who rallies the LEGO people to disas semble a tower and build a helicopter in which to escape while the twins are off eating lunch. When they return, Eli and Joseph find their LEGO world isn't how they left it. As the global winner of the LEGO Studios MovieMaking Contest in their age category, the Cull brothers will return to Los Angeles next year to attend a Hollywood premiere. They also receive the LEGO Studios Global Award and $ 1,000. Winning films were selected on orig inality and imagination, technical execution, and creative use of LEGO ele ments. More than 700 entries were sub mitted. The participating filmmakers used various tools to create their films, from camcorders and cardboard backdrops to the flagship product in the LEGO Stu dios line - the LEGO and Steven Spiel berg MovieMaker Set, which allows kids to create real movies with the help of their computers. Only one element was common to all entries - LEGO bricks. Let Robin G arvey and her associates a t O akville Kitchen C entre m ake your dream s a reality with e xciting kitchen a nd b a th designs. VISIT our showroom or call to set up an a p p o in tm e n t OAKVILLE KITCHEN Sc BATH i ja rte ra ft k ilclio n s 599 Third Line (9 0 5 ) 82/«46i - WHAT TURNS YOU ON? - Mach 3. G-Force. Land speed records. Feeling the wind in my hair. ® HighSpeedlnternet TW ICE AS FAST as high speed phone SAVE $ 120 over six months FREE professional installation To feel the rush of High Speed Internet, call 1-888-6-COGECO visit cogeco.com Offer ends January 31, 2002. Download speed based on transfer speed of 2 Mbps for COGECO vs 1 Mbps for high-speed phone. Valid for new customers only (disconnect >90 daysl. Residential service only. Not available in all areas. Some restrictions may apply.