Art 112: Portfolio 1

What fun. A few intense weeks of drawing during the Maymester session at USC. (I really do think this is fun - no sarcasm this time around). Drawing was my first introduction to art, the most basic form of artistic expression. More than just a matter of hand/eye coordination, it is an exercise in seeing. How you break down the image that you see into parts. How you interpret value and texture and translate it to your drawing. Scale, proportion, perspective... the foundations of accurately depicting reality... the basic elements of a constructed rendering.

It was refreshing to be able to explore these basic principles again, and to think about them in a new way.

Gesture Drawing/Thumbnails
We focused on landscape drawing for the semester. Very appropriate! On the first day we went to the quad and produced 4 quick thumbnail drawings. Historically I have had problems with gesture drawings, for a couple of reasons. Mainly, the time limit. To produce a drawing that quickly you have to let go. You have to look at the object you are drawing more than your paper. You give up control, you have to let process and instinct guide you.

We then chose one of our compositions to develop into a larger, more refined drawing.  We used a view finder frame the scene.  In this composition we were to focus on proportion and scale and the relationship between elements.  We used a skewer for measuring and sighting.  I chose to develop the horizontal canna sketch.

I took this image of the scene a couple of days after I began the drawing, and many of the fronds had unfurled... so it is not a direct representation.

This is my final composition.  And I had to really manipulate the values to create depth in the drawing... otherwise the overlaps were the only way to judge distance.  I used charcoal, vine charcoal, and graphite.  

Everything Has It's Place

In this exercise we drew a layered still life, focusing on sighting, measuring, and proportion, and using a consistent view point with our view finders.  Only a line drawing, we were aiming to be as accurate as possible, constantly measuring and adjusting our drawings.  First we developed thumbnail sketches to choose a composition, then we rendered the final on bristol board.

my new direction

This has been happening slowly over time. And in truth it was always the main goal. I wanted to quit my full-time job as a landscape architect and do something else. It, the profession, had proven not to fit me in the way I had always hoped it would. So slowly over the last year I have been migrating away. First it was pottery classes in the evening, then an art class at USC, then a semester of part-time work and part time school. All things moving in the direction that I wanted my life to be about. And now, officially, full time art student, unemployed.

I know exactly what you are thinking, and what people are saying. I'm thinking it too.

In every way this is my dream, this is what I want to do, and more importantly, I feel like I'm answering a call. In many aspects of life you journey far, searching, only to find that what you were looking for was always there with you. The answer was beside you from the start. And this is how I feel about art. Perhaps I didn't start on that road in the beginning because the world told me it was impractical. I made the sensible choice; I chose a profession that could provide a regular paycheck. But here I am now, at the beginning.

I have such anxiety about the decision to leave landscape architecture. For almost 10 years now it has been a straight line for me. Get through school; do well in school; get a job; succeed in said job. The road to happiness and success was suppose to be that easy, right? I did everything the way I was suppose to do it and the end result was not job satisfaction.

I think the present anxiety comes from the fact that there is no straight line right now. If I were in a graduate program that would be a straight line. If I knew what came next, or what success looks like for an artist, then at least I would have a goal. But quitting my job for an uncertain path... the world tells me this is a poor decision. And although I know this is the right decision for me I can't help but doubt myself.

I am fortunate. I know, all too well, this is not an option for everyone. And this knowledge triggers the guilt. That even though this is a sound decision for me it is a luxury that not everyone can afford. Matthew has given me this gift, and my constant hesitance and struggle is at the point of insulting him.

So enough of this worry. My charge is to go forth and explore this avenue, to give life and voice to my art, to test the limits of my talents. My challenge is to see life, my path, not as a straight line, but beautiful in it's imperfection. Beautiful in the flaws and mistakes and unexpected blessings.

Finishing

I recently bought a matte cutter.  How daring you say, to attempt to cut your own mattes!  Every time I pick up that instrument I could feel the weight of the risk I was taking.  So I spent a little time practicing.  My black and white photography, a simple white matte, and a cheap frame I bought at Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale.  Not terrible results :)


These two pieces have been entered in the photo exhibition/competition at my church.  

Art 399: CUPS 91-100

All this talk about firing kilns... it is no small undertaking and a highly variable process. Even in an electric kiln, the easiest way to fire ceramics, generally takes 24 hours to reach temperature and then cool down.  Gas kiln firing to cone 10 (which is high fire, rarely are pieces fired above cone 10) takes 48+ hours to fire the kiln and then let it cool.  Gas kilns and reduction firing is such an involved process... I think it is what one of those things I am meant to learn in a university setting.  


At the end of the semester I was aiming to learn the process when the kiln we were firing set off the fire alarm at cone 3.  The sprinkler's went off, fire trucks came out, it was quite a scene.  I think in retrospect what happened was that we didn't plug the sides of the kiln door with enough clay, too much heat was escaping, and that caused the alarm to go off.  The kiln was also in reduction, which produces an open flame at the spyholes, and those flames could have also caused the alarm to sound.  I wish it had been a more positive experience.  Looks like I'll have more to learn in the fall.  


Here are a few photos of the kilns, just in case you have never seen one.  If you are a visual thinker like me it always helps to have an image.

We call this the 'Red Kiln' at USC.  Gas kiln, in this photo fired to reduction.  This is a student made kiln, so it is imprecise to say the least.

Electric kilns, most often used by ceramicist who build with low fire clay.  Very easy to use and program.  Many ceramicist who work out of their home use electric kilns.

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Ocean Green and Chun Clear, Electric Fired cone 6

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Ball Celadon.  Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.

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Ocean Green and Chun Clear, Electric Fired cone 6

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Cannon Ball Blue, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.

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Choy Blue, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.

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Emerald Green, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.  This is a brand new glaze that I made and I didn't do a test tile... and since the firing was interrupted I still don't know what this glaze is suppose to look like.  But the red accents are nice.  See cup 98 also.

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Cannon Ball Blue, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.

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Emerald Green, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.  No signs of green at all on this cup!

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Choy Blue, Gas firing interrupted at cone 3.

C   U   P     1   0   0

Chun Clear, Electric fired Cone 6.

That's it!  If you want a cup let me know which one and I'll set it aside for you until we meet again.  

Art 399: CUPS 81-90

C   U   P      0   8   1

Last cup made with porcelaneous stoneware.  2-part cup.  Interesting how the cup went off center after it was glazed.  Basic Green Celadon and Ocean green glazes.  Fired in reduction, interrupted at cone 3.

The rest of the cups are made of porcelain (the real stuff, with grolegg).  I always heard that it was difficult to throw with on the wheel... but I thought it was a little easier to work with than the porcelaneous stoneware.  What I wasn't prepared for was how much it shrank!  These last few cups all feel just a little too small.

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Porcelain, carved design.  Choy Blue.  Fired to cone 10 reduction 4-16-10.

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Porcelain, carved design.  Choy Blue.  Fired to cone 10 reduction 4-16-10.

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Porcelain, carved design.  Chun Clear.  Fired to cone 6 electric.  4-16-10.

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Porcelain, carved design.  Chun Clear.  Fired to cone 6 Electric. 4-16-10

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Porcelain, photo transfer to greenware.  Sana's Green.  Soda Fired to cone 10 reduction 5-1-10.

C   U   P      0   8   7

Porcelain, photo transfer to greenware.  Chun Clear.  Soda Fired to cone 10 reduction 5-1-10.  This is how I hoped most of the photo transferred cups would turn out.  The glaze is applied thick on the rim because the greenware was damaged and chipped in the kiln room.

C   U   P      0   8   8

Porcelain, photo transfer to greenware.  Cannon Ball Blue.  Soda Fired to cone 10 reduction 5-1-10.  This piece was also damaged in the kiln room, so I had to remove the handle.

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Porcelain, photo transfer to greenware.  Choy Blue.  Soda Fired to cone 10 reduction 5-1-10.

Handle also chipped in the kiln room.

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Porcelain.  Chun Clear over Ocean Green.  Electric Fired to cone 6, 5-4-10.

Art 399: CUPS 71-80

It might be time to talk a little bit about firing methods.  There are 3 basic ways to fire a piece: Electric kilns (oxygen always present), Gas fired kiln (oxygen is controlled, either reduction or oxidation or even), or an Atmospheric kiln (Soda, Salt, Wood, Raku are all examples of atmospheric firings).  In an atmospheric firing there are many variables... you never know how things are going to react with inside the kiln, and often, that is where the beauty and mystery comes in.


With soda and salt firings it requires a gas kiln that is dedicated to that substance.  Salt firing is a rather toxic process, so USC doesn't allow salt firing on campus.  But we do have a dedicated soda kiln.  So during the semester when someone was firing the soda kiln I randomly included a couple of glazed pieces to see how things come out.


I pulled this off the web about soda firing:  
Soda firing is an atmospheric firing technique where “soda” is introduced into the kiln near top temperature (2350°, ∆10). The soda that we use is: sodium bi-carbonate, also know as baking soda (the Arm and Hammer™kind), and sodium carbonate, which is also known as soda ash.... 
The soda vaporizes and is carried on the flame throughout the kiln. The soda vapors create a glaze when it lands on a piece (or a kiln post, or the wall of the kiln). Wherever the flame travels- so does the soda. When placing the pieces in the kiln during loading, you have to think carefully about when and where you want a piece to get lots of soda, or when and where you want a piece to be more protected.... 
The soda vapors aren’t actually colored, but they are reacting with the alumina, silica and iron in the clay (and slips) to create the various colors of flashing, and associated textures. The resulting colors can be a range of oranges with yellow and red tones, to rich browns, golds and tans. 


Google a couple of images to see the variation that can be achieved.  I really like the variation on raw fired pieces - the oranges and burnt color that is just a reaction with the clay.  So on some of these pieces I just glazed the inside of the cup and the rim.  But the oranges didn't  happen with the clay I was using (the porcelain and porcelaneous stoneware).  Not enough iron in the clay I think?  Anyway, review my experimentation.

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Resist Etching.  Ocean Green and Basic Green Celadon.  Fired first in Electric Kiln to cone 6.  Then fired Reduction gas kiln, but interrupted at cone 3.  

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Resist Etching.  Ocean Green and Basic Green Celadon.  Fired first in Electric Kiln to cone 6.  

C   U   P      0   7   3

Photocopy transfer on bisqueware.  Pete Pinelle's Clear glaze (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.16.10.  Glaze did not mature, soda fired again 5.1.10.

A photo transfer is a way of transferring a photocopied image onto a piece of greenware or bisqueware.  The photocopy process must be on a carbon-based printer, and the process is interrupted before the heat process, so the image is a powder.  Once you have the image it is a simple process of rubbing the image onto the piece.  Use a fixative to make sure it stays in place.  These were my first attempts, again, not knowing how they were going to come out, and I didn't glaze over the transfer image, afraid it would run off.  I thought the soda would be the best way of sealing the image, just using the soda as a glaze.

Also, Cups 73, 75, and 76 all looked like cup 74.  Tall, nuclear cone shape, with really nice handles.  A nice set of 4.  But the handles dried at a different rate than the cup, so all the handles broke.  !!!  Another lesson on drying rates and construction.  So I trimmed off the cracked rims and handles and used them as test pieces.

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Acero glaze (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.16.10.  Glaze did not mature, soda fired again 5.1.10.

C   U   P      0   7   5

Photocopy transfer on bisqueware.  Temple White glaze (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.16.10.  Glaze did not mature, soda fired again 5.1.10.  Photocopied image was completely lost in the second firing.  Dang!

C   U   P      0   7   6

Photocopy transfer on bisqueware.  Temple White glaze (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.16.10.  Glaze did not mature, soda fired again 5.1.10.  Again, image lost in second firing.

C   U   P      0   7   7

Photocopy transfer on greenware.  Tomato Red (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.29.10. 

On these pieces I used wax over the image to hold it in place... but instead I think the image just melted off with the wax!  Dang again!  I was really excited about these.... I really need to lower my expectations.

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Photocopy transfer on greenware.  Cannon Ball Bllue (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.29.10. 

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Photocopy transfer on greenware.  Chun Clear (inside).  Soda fired 4.29.10.  Again, this is where I discovered that the Soda kiln goes into reduction... instead of blue I got pink.

C   U   P      0   8   0

Photocopy transfer on greenware.  Choy Blue (inside and rim).  Soda fired 4.29.10.  Wax melted off the image.  So disappointing.

Art 399: CUPS 61-70

I was challenged during one of my critiques to find a shape that I liked and replicate it.  To make a series of similar cups.  So I chose this form, and added a simple resist etching design and a handle, and then I replicated it 12 times.  They aren't exactly identical:  some are taller, some are heavier, but they are close enough.

These cups are all made with the porcelaneous stoneware.  I had just learned a new method of attaching handles (pulled off the cup itself instead of pulling it separately and attaching).  So this was a good opportunity to practice this new method.

Though they all look similar as bisqueware they are all glazed and fired differently.  Again, this was a good method of testing glazes on uniform pieces.

All thrown in one afternoon, wet clay.

 bisqueware, cups 61-72

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Resist Etching.  Ocean Green and Choy Blue.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6 

I thinned the choy blue glaze (it is on top).  The blue isn't blue because it was fired in an electric kiln, which always adds oxygen.  It will turn blue in reduction.  I made tho ocean green glaze too, and I really like the way it looks in electric kiln, it has some really subtle purple hues. 

 C   U   P     0   6   2

Resist Etching.  Ocean Green and Choy Blue.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6 .  Then refired in gas kiln to cone 3 (the firing was interrupted).  The choy blue is almost blue.  Hopefully I can repeat a reduction cone 10 firing in the fall.

C   U   P     0   6   3

Resist Etching.  Chun Clear.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6  

This is the same glaze that went red in reduction firing!  This is what I intended: a pale blue with lots of glass former. 

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Resist Etching.  Chun Clear.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6

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Resist Etching.  Chun Clear and Ocean Green.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6 

Possibly my favorite glaze combination, and and my favorite cup, but it has a crack in it! 

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Resist Etching.  Chun Clear and Ocean Green.  Fired electric kiln, Cone 6  

 C   U   P     0   6   7

Resist Etching.  Choy Blue.  Fired gas red kiln to cone 3 (interrupted).

C   U   P     0   6   8

Resist Etching.  Pete Pinnelle's Clear glaze.  Soda fired 4-16-10.  The glaze did not mature, so it was refired in soda kiln 5-1-10. 

C   U   P     0   6   9

Resist Etching.  Acero glaze.  Soda fired 4-16-10.  The glaze did not mature, so it was refired in soda kiln 5-1-10.

 C   U   P     0   7   0

Resist Etching.  Temple White glaze.  Soda fired 4-16-10.  The glaze did not mature, so it was refired in soda kiln 5-1-10.