Art 220: Project 2 "The Trophy"

You are to create a trophy to symbolize a personal achievement or something you are proud of; to honor a person, animal, ect. who has greatly affected your life.

What I learned:

• This project focused on coil building, starting with a slab base, introducing slipping and scoring method to join surfaces.
• Developed understanding of clay's properties and working in the round.

Obviously, this piece is for Matthew.  It seemed appropriate, as so much of our life together up to this point has revolved around his worthy profession.

The sketches are simple: a chalice like form, with the handles being depicted as the arms of a stethoscope.   I chose to go with the form that stands tall and slender with a wide, shallow bowl.

This is essentially a piece that I think I could have achieved on the wheel.  One would throw this in two pieces, the pedestal and then the bowl and slip and score to join.  I have not yet thrown a two part piece, but I have seen it done and seems rather straight forward.  However, using a wheel for this assignment would have been cheating, since this course focuses on handbuilding techniques.  And so I began the rather difficult task of trying to create symmetry with my hands.

I began with a round slab that would serve as the floor of the piece and began building the form with a series of coils.  One blends the successive coils together to create the desired form.  The tricky part with this form was beginning with a wide base and then bringing the clay together to create a narrow pedestal.  I was (I now realize) overly concerned with the smoothness of the surface and the uniformity of the form.  I spent too much time editing my piece, chiseling away to achieve an even surface.  Between classes my piece dried too quickly and all my whittling made it dangerously thin.  I think I was stalling, unsure of how to attach the upper section.

Eventually I attached the top bowl piece, which I had made separately, by slipping and scoring.  This was the moment of truth, testing whether the fragile, dry stem would support the weight of the bowl.  Everything seemed balanced and strong, but as I was placing it on an upper shelf to dry the top half comically (and cruelly) fell back on my head before it smashed, flattened, on the floor. (!)

It was all too much to deal with that evening alone in the studio.  Exhausted and defeated, I tried to do a quick mending job before leaving for the night... but when I returned to class the next day the top half had fallen over again.  My professor, Renee, who had been discouraging all the whittling, quickly went to work reattaching the fragile stem.  I'm convinced she used a special slip.

By the end of the class it was still standing, and she had given me specific instructions to "stop messing with it".  This tortured me because the bowl piece she reattached had not been reformed well after the fall, and the surface was terribly uneven.  As well as the stem she reattached!  It was not square at all, which is enough to drive any architect crazy!  (The stem appears square in these photos, but a view from the side would reveal how the piece leans forward).

The next class I completed the remaining decoration, pulling long, narrow handles for the arms of the stethoscope, and forming the listening piece and attaching all of that to the main form.  I took a photo of it before it was fired because there was a good chance it wouldn't make it through the initial bisque fire.  But it did!  I glazed the trophy using a copper oxide wash and an advacado 'Gloria's Ace' glaze.  I was trying to go for a classic, weathered, aged look.  I was very happy with the way the glaze fired and the overall look of the final design (despite imperfections apparent only to the artist).  It sits on our mantle.

A few worthy points to mention:

• Though I said I could have thrown the main body of this piece the final result would not have been the same.  For have not had luck building a piece so tall on the wheel.  Perhaps it could have been achieved in miniature, but this sculpture stands 13" tall, and 9" or 10" is the maximum height I can achieve at the wheel.   
• When Renee was instructing us on how to build our piece, she said "Your hands will do what your mind sees".  It is such a wonder!  That very much is my experience with the process of sculpting.  It was very interesting how closely my peers initial sketches' resembled their final work.
  

March-April 09, Southern Pottery Session No. 2

Blue Series

When trying to learn a craft practice is paramount.  After one session my shelves became full of pieces that I weren't particularly proud of.  Not proud enough to give away.   And pieces that weren't functional.

So in this next session I focused on the end user and the craft of each piece.  Mostly, these pieces are lighter (weight).  I was testing the aesthetic of different forms and profiles, testing the bounds of what I could achieve with the clay.  Also, testing the shape of the handles in relation to the size of the mugs.  Trying to reconcile the aesthetic of the handle with the form it is joined to.  Unfortunately the shape of handle I prefer doesn't function with the piece well.  Still figuring out this trick.  I did succeed in giving away most of these pieces and I believe that most of the mugs are used.  

Blue.  Either layered with 'Gloria's Ace' (which creates the brown and greener hues) or with black.  I really like the blue and Gloria's Ace combination... the problem is that when you completely layer a piece in these two glazes the coating often becomes too thick as the glazes run to the bottom and this looks really messy.  I continue to run into this problem.

 

(I love the center mug the most.  The handle is a bit angular and thin... but I achieved a compromise between form and function in this piece.  Its glaze is the Gloria's Ace with blue on top combination.)

This final piece remains one that I'm very proud of.  It was made as a wedding gift for Adam and Kristen Strength, Adam being a very good friend from the University Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge.  I wish I had measured its height before I gave it away, I think it measures around 10".  I made this piece relatively early in my career and I don't think I've ever made a piece larger than it.  hmm... one would hope that skills would improve with time...  The fern pattern is achieved with a wax resist method (glazes do not adhere to surfaces that are coated with wax).  Therefore the orange color is just waxed clay.  The handles are a miracle:  relatively the same size and shape, in a piece where the balance of those elements are important.  The smaller piece pictured above was a study in form and proportion before I made the one below.

Art 220: Research Project

To familiarize ourselves with past and present functional and sculptural ceramics, we were required to produce 50 drawings/sketches of ceramic work of 5 different styles:

• 10 drawings Tribal Ceramics (I chose Native American Pottery)
• 10 drawings Asian Ceramics (I chose to focus on ancient and current Chinese pottery)
• 10 drawings American Pottery (I focused on turn of the century Arts and Crafts era work)
• 10 drawings European Ceramics (my drawings show the influence of European designers on manufactured pieces, as well as some ancient works)
• 10 drawings Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture (All the works I illustrated are pieces constructed of porcelain)

I really liked this assignment and quickly remembered how much I enjoyed drawing and sketching.   I guess that is where my interest in art began; it was nice to return to that basic place.  All drawings are pencil, in my sketchbook.  

Tribal Ceramics

 

Asian Ceramics

American Pottery

(featuring the work of Newcomb College Potters of New Orleans and Greuby potters of Boston) (both among my favorite ceramic artists, and also, my favorite drawings).

 

European Ceramics

 

Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture

 

Garden View

I really find I like the fall colors of my summer garden most.  I bought a  few cannas at an 'end of the summer' plant sale.  The butterfly gingers (whose bulbs I planted in April) are finally in bloom, though not as large as I would have liked them.  The lantana is forgiving, as it thrives on neglect.  The fall veggie garden has brought an abundance of bitter lettuce and aggressive predators that have destroyed my swiss chard and broccoli.  It is all an experiment.

Bag Lady

I bought the first bag on my journey to Thailand in fall of 2005.  There are so many things I like about it: the color is perfect; a blue, no, its gray, with a bright coral undertone.  It changes in the light, I love the contrast of the liner (a vibrant pink/orange).  I love the subtle texture.  It's not too big, or too small; it has 4 comfortable pockets.  Its well proportioned, I've measured is dimensions, diagramed it, and studied it.

The only problem with the bag is that it is so fragile I have more than gently used it.  Now it slumps over, frayed and spotted.  So I have sought to recreate some of my favorite features in these designs.

The first design, in November 07, began with the fabric.  The color was that illusive gray-smoke-blue, as well as a subtle texture.  I like the lines and design of the bag, but it retrospect, it doesn't relate to the geometric, grid of the fabric.  Other problems:  I lined it with a fine wale, darker steel gray corduroy, which became very bulky.  Also, the design was too deep, and with the dark color, I felt like I was always loosing things in the bottom of the bag.

Then the recent sewing marathon: 2 bags designed and constructed in two weeks (Matthew's been working nights...).  Again, it began with the fabric.  Duck Egg Blue Dupion Silk.  A blue/green with a yellow-ochre color change in the light.  When searching for the perfect contrasting lining fabric I found the 2 other fabrics: a deep brown eggplant, the reverse side a dusky ochre, and the bright coral/orange silk.  There was so much potential I bought them both, and hastily developed two different designs.

And now the best part of this process - I constructed them each within 3 days - a creative satisfaction that I am deprived of with my profession.

I made the brown and coral bag first.  It is reversible and small.  I don't like it because it easily looses its shape.  It is too open at the top.  It was very difficult to construct (my fault) and towards the end I became so disappointed with the look of the bag that I got lazy with my craftmanship and the stitching gets a bit messy.  I get very impatient to finish the projects.  There were probably a few things I could have done to improve the design, but I was too anxious to finish.

I think the final design is most successful.  It is the finest fabric.  There was no pattern or texture to the fabric and I needed an opportunity to show the variation in it's color.  I had fun developing the pattern, though it took some experimenting.  I am no pleased with the lining.  It turned out slightly larger than the outer bag, and again, I'm too impatient to alter it.  And I'm not really crazy about the color contrast.  Oh well.  We'll see how it wears tomorrow.

Neither design is as nice as the original bag I bought in Thailand... but I've enjoyed exploring these alternatives.  I have admired the colors of the original piece for years and as I was photographing these bags I couldn't help but notice how that had influenced my home decor... I painted my dining and living room the steel blue-gray, and I have a contrasting red couch... deep brown accent chairs...

Process:  I sketch all the designs, draw my own pattern with drafting paper and construct them myself.

My mother taught me how to sew when I was in junior high - I use to compete in clothing competitions in 4-H.  I use my grandmother's sewing machine (Doris Tietje).

Jan-Feb 09, Southern Pottery Session No.1

These pieces are my earliest work in South Carolina.  It bugs me that these posts will not be in chronological order, but I want to create an archive of my work that I continue to build on. 
  

January-February 09

For Christmas 08 Matthew bought me one session of classes (2 months) at Southern Pottery.   Instruction focused on wheel-thrown ceramics.  The class was mixed with beginners and intermediate potters.  The format:  one weekly night class of 2hr instruction, then open studio on Saturday from 12-4pm.  Low-fire clay and glazes were provided by the studio.

I had some experience with throwing on the wheel from my time at Montreat.  The basics came back as I struggled to center the clay and make basic forms.   All these are all from the second half of my first session.  And all these pieces are rather heavy... I tend to create thin walls and the bases remain heavy.  I was (and always am really) experimenting with different glazes.  These pieces have alot of dripping... which I don't prefer... it seems messy to me.  I almost always like my work more before the pieces are glazed - I still struggle with this.

I learned alot in these early classes about size and construction.  Clay shrinks about 20% when it is fired, and that makes it difficult to make, say, an appropriately sized coffee mug.  Also, the trick of handles - how to position them in a way that is comfortable to pour and/or drink from.  Most of these pieces look nice but aren't really functional for daily use.

ART 220: Project 1 (b)

The second series of pinch pots were based on the concept of a daffodil. These pieces are thinner, smaller, and perhaps more cohesive as a set when stacked. 

Though perhaps the forms are more obvious and less interesting. At least in concept.

ART 220: Project 1 (a)

The assignment was to create a series of 5 pinch pots that fit inside each other. On some of the pieces texture was required. Each piece had a perscribed surface treatment, meant to introduce us to different techniques in glazes, slips, oxcides, sigulatas, ect.

I built two series of pinch pots. Mainly because I learned so much about the clay and this hand building technique and I wanted to see the extents to which I could manipulate the clay.

My first concept was leaves (big surprise, I know). Each leaf related to a different place I have lived, a plant that spoke to a certain place.

From smallest to largest:

• 1 Birch :: Atlanta (the tree outside our apartment window)
• 2 Dogwood :: Jennings (the first tree I remember dad teaching me in the back yard in town)
• 3 Dogwood :: Baton Rouge (a plant that had such seasonal change I had difficulty identifying it on plant quizes)
• 4 Sourwood :: Montreat (a plant I loved to identify to hikers on public hikes, then I would make them chew on it to reveal its characteristic sour taste)
• 5 Redbud :: The Tietje Farm (there was one growing by the old canal at the farm, I would watch it bloom every spring from my bedroom window)
• 6 Gingko :: Columbia, SC (the first plant that stood out to me on my visit to the state capital building where there are several large specimens)

Day One

My mission is to document my creative projects: to learn, reflect, and share. My creative energy has become such a force... it needs to exist somewhere else besides my head. I hope to identify a common thread in my work to better understand my process. And to better understand my goal in a piece. To acknowledge my need to create and to find my voice as an artist.

Forms ::
I rarely work on only project at a time - I tire of projects that linger longer than a few weeks. Expect anything. From my vegetable garden design to a quick sewing or knitting project. Always there is architectural design. Ceramics is becoming a serious pursuit. As is my experimental yard design and plantings.

Themes ::

• Much of my work is inspired by nature and natural forms. So much so that I chose to study Landscape Architecture, unknowingly an attempt to better understand my primary subject.
  
• Simplicity, of both form and function, is always a primary goal.
• Function is important to me. This is perhaps why, despite my skill, I don't place much stock in simply painting or drawing or sculpture.
• The cohesiveness of a composition is essential, that all elements of a piece speak and relate to each other. It must be of one hand, one voice. A unified vision.

And so I begin. Thanks for listening.