sale ad.

I took a stab at design tonight for the upcoming Ceramics Collective Sale. I'm pretty happy with the outcome, and hopefully it'll lead to a successful sale! Oh, I'm really excited about the logo too. I found the "C's" on a free template website and tweaked it a bit.

If you're in the area next week, stop by and say hi!

tots.

I almost forgot, in honor of Mrs. Virginia Brodd, I made tater tot hotdish last night, but with vegetarian meat substitute. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe, Mom.

new project.

As a part of my directed research, I had to somehow link my chemistry education with my work in the art department. Though its still a little heavy on the artistic side, I think I came up with a pretty decent project. Using software in the chemistry department, I made the oxides that together form kaolinite (clay). Then using a lino-cut method, I made a 15"x13" rectangle to print from. A dry underglaze recipe and some linseed oil were used to create a printable ink, and then printed directly onto a slab of clay. Finally, a hump mold was used to create the bowls and plates. A few more things had to happen to complete the pieces, but that's the general idea. Here's a few pictures...

A close up of the underglaze on the clay slab.

Underside of the pieces.

The mold that I use.

Leatherhard pieces.

And I decided to have a make-a-thon by myself, so I started making closed forms and vases. My studiomate Maggie taught me how to make closed forms, and that's all I want to make now. They're so much fun! I think I'm going to turn the spheres into some sort of molecule-related jar. We'll see what happens.

nceca part 2.

As promised, the remainder of the NCECA pictures. Enjoy!

Gerit Grimm's Candyshop show.

Malcom Davis gave the closing lecture. Some of the highlights include his talk about working with Martin Luther King Jr when he was a radical Pastor, only then to touch clay for the first time at the age of 40. Since then he has become a hugely influential potter, especially for his Shino glazes.

Super awesome NCECA dance. We watched middle-aged women dance the night away. Well, we only sat their for about 20 minutes, but this was quite a hit with most of the drunken potters.

It was Spring!

Whales! I can't remember the artists name, but they were made at in this park right before NCECA with raw clay. What you're seeing here is how the clay dried and cracked on top of the wood and wire supports that he built for the shape.

Val Cushing exhibit in the middle of nowhere.

Did I mention it was Spring?

Mexican Pineapple! I took a little one of these guys home with me. Last year sometime, my throwing professor showed us a video on how these pieces were made. Each one of those individual bumps is from a sprig mold which gets attached to the piece with slurry. They mix all the lead glazes by hand and then apply them by throwing the glaze, again with their hands, onto the piece. Its lead... LEAD! How crazy. But after watching this video, I realized that I wanted to make pottery.

A Kathy Butterly show that we walked about 5 miles to get to...

The Magic Gardens by Isiah Zagar. Go to the link to understand how incredible this man is.

There was a bird living in a ceramic tea cup! Can you spot the babies?

Still disappointed that this sculpture wasn't bigger...

Tourists at the liberty bell.

And finally, what the three of us had to deal with for 7 hours. The sound that the rotating door are not nearly as annoying on camera as they were in person, but you get the idea.

artist statement.

Part of the 5000 level ceramics class involves writing an artist statement. Here's what I've been able to figure out about my work so far...

Atoms are the building block of everything, and when joined together in a certain order they create something so complex it’s almost unimaginable. This idea is at the forefront of my work. Through iconic scientific imagery and the use of shape and multiples, this intangible concept is rendered more accessible. When viewed alone the piece is simply a plate, but when joined with its counterparts it becomes a complex set filled with layers of information.

Within each piece a perfect relationship between my chemistry and artistic background can be found. An unattainable microscopic view of scientific material is juxtaposed by a macroscopic and tactile ceramic form. Initially, my scientific background led me to conclude that an understanding of chemical relationships was inaccessible to the uninitiated. My goal is to make perplexing concepts such a nuclear physics approachable, and by placing them on a functional object they become manageable ideas, more inviting and appealing than if they were found in a 500-page textbook. The pieces then become vehicles that present larger ideas that can be accepted on the dinner table. My hope is that my work will give a glimpse into the mysterious world of science and excite the viewer, planting a seed of interest that remains long after the initial viewing.

my nceca trip.

Finally, here they are. Some pictures from my trip to Philadelphia for the NCECA conference.

At the clay studio - we found a floor to ceiling mosaic mural in the stairway done by local artist Isaiah Zagar.

Walking around Fishtown, the neighborhood we stayed in.

It was Spring there! 70 degrees!

This is a piece by one of the resident artists at The Clay Studio. Her name is Myung Jin Choi, and we had the opportunity to meet her that day. Each little piece is about the thickness of a bandaid. The clay is colored, avoiding the need to glaze the final piece.

A close up of one of her pieces.

Another resident artist, Ryan Kelly.

This street is right behind the clay studio, and is my new dream street. Its complete with a chair maker!

That's the apartment that I'm going to move to one day... Only $1500 for 2 bedrooms. Anyone want to chip in for the first month's rent?

Opening Ceremony with keynote speaker Terry Gross from NPR's Fresh Air. She was super tiny and really silly. I'd highly recommend her program as well.

A shot of the Expo. The outsides had tables and tables of grad schools and the inner rows were filled with everything a potter could ever need in their studio. Glazes, ribs, trimming tools, etc.

INSANE.

For two days of the conference, there were simultaneous demos given. Above is Kari Radasch and Richard Shaw, probably talking about decals. They took audience questions while doing the demos, and for some reason people enjoyed asking the same question about decals every 30 minutes. I know the saying goes, "There is no stupid question," but sitting in that room really made me question it. I did learn quite a few tips about handbuilding though. She uses an "applique" method where she adds a thin piece of clay to a leatherhard piece, and inspired me to add on some molecule appliques to my new work.

Here's Kari's work at the La Mesa show.

Anna Metcaffe! She was my professor for a summer class, in which she taught me how to silkscreen decals similar to what are on these pieces.

Urusla Hargens can be given full credit for teaching me how to properly throw. I love love love her work - it completely compliments her personality as well, which is part of the reason why its so great.

Later on we went to the NCECA Invitational, Earth Matters. Above is a piece by Roxanne Jackson, a Minneapolis artist.

Another one of Anna's pieces.

Nan Smith

I can't remember the artist's name, but this room was insane. The entire room was filled with this bug motif. In the center of the room stood a table which held a dinner set covered in the same design, sitting upon a hand-embroidered table cloth that matched the walls. To top it all off, we had to wear booties so our shoes wouldn't scuff up the floor. Insane.

Grabbing some lunch outside the Reading Market.

An exciting thing Philadelphia does to keep the art community thriving is First Fridays. On the first Friday of every month, studios and galleries in Old City stay open late to show off their new exhibition. Though you can't really tell from this picture, the streets were super packed with street performers, artists, and collectors alike.

The Wexler Gallery was hosting two shows. Downstairs was Adelaide Paul's A Peaceable Queendom. She once used ceramic forms to cover with leather, but now I believe she uses taxidermy models.

Upstairs, The Hermaphrodites was showing. From the website: The Hermaphrodites: Living In Two Worlds will focus on figural sculpture that both embodies the literal definition of hermaphrodites (encompassing both genders) and the conceptual nature of the term as it applies to sculpture that can be categorized equally as contemporary fine art sculpture or decorative art. The exhibition will concentrate on contemporary artists working with ceramics, who also adopt other processes, materials, and techniques commonly found outside of their discipline.

Above is a piece by Dana Major Kanovitz. If you could get past how terribly creepy this sculpture was, the realism blew you away. I swear she must have taken real fingernails off of some cadaver somewhere to use on her hands.

Gerit Grimm's work.

Beth Cavener Stichtner's Tipping Point #7

At the Alfred Show.

Adrian Arleo's Dormant Honey Comb Horse. This is made of clay and wax encaustic. I'd love to see one of her demos...

More images from the remainder of NCECA and some sightseeing in Philly to come!