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)