mostly everything has wrapped up

It's all done! DAAPworks and graduation are over! It's slowly settling in that I am actually done with school for now. I received a Director's Choice Award for my installation of the bowls, here's my artist statement that accompanied the piece:

Looking at the process of mold making in relationship to the creation of product in the large scale, the artist uses a method of destroying and obscuring an established form to create something new. Focused on the non-function in something functional allows for an off-putting, yet intriguing formless bowl.

ceramics for sale

The ceramics sale opened last night and will continue running till Saturday in the Ceramics Studio, Room 4300 of DAAP.

Don't miss out on all the awesome work for sale and don't forget to also check out the seniors final work in the Reed and Meyers Galleries.

Sale schedule:

Tuesday, June 5th- 5-8pm

Wednesday, June 6th- 2-6pm

Thursday, June 7th- 2-6pm

Friday, June 8th- 2-5pm

Saturday, June 9th- 10-1pm

it's good to keep things fresh

The next thing I need to tackle is display and installation of the mass collection of bowls. I want to certainly showcase the large number of bowls I have made these past two quarters, but without simply throwing them into a pile. Since I have almost been unconsciously creating the bowls, I want to push myself, and the bowls, to create something new out of them. I will be creating a structured form with the them that hopefully builds up and is able to keep a set form. 

let's call it decadence

Untitled #750 (Bird Wedding Cake), 1993. Wax and mixed media. Gift of the Rothfeld Family in memory of Harriet Weill Rothfeld, and designated purchase funds, 2008.

                  Untitled #1103 (Daphne), 2002-03; mixed media; 77 x 83 x 86 inches; courtesy the artist and     Galerie Lelong; New York.

 Untitled #875S-96/7 (Atlanta Gal), 1996–97, mixed media, 67 1/2×55 x 38”.

Petah Coyne's work has always been an inspiration, but as of late I have been looking to the construction and sculptural elements in relationship to my thesis work. Coyne's pieces take upon a Baroque sensibility and the appearance of decadent refinement. The collection of mixed media comes together in this sculptural form, powerfully imposing on the viewer, yet allowing a close interaction. Check her work out!

the end is near

DAAPworks is getting closer and closer as it's just a few weeks away! The seniors in ceramics put together a little show card to give some insight into how amazing everyone's work is going to be. You really shouldn't miss it! 

Show runs June 5 - 9 at both the Meyers and Reed Galleries on campus. 

actually useful

So in the past nine weeks I have made nearly 250 bowls. From those, I have started glazing some of them a nice glossy satiny clear that contrasts the bisqued, rough outer shell. I am so happy with how the glaze turned out!

a bunch of bowl

Just a little look at some bowls I've been working on. Oddly enough, I'm still finding ways to change the appearance of each bowl, most recently by stacking. 

process, progress, production

Here is just a little glimpse into how I've been creating the most recent pieces. They are quite a bit larger and more difficult to move, but I'm enjoying the contrast they have to the paper thin

bowls I've also been working on. 

the light show

Alrighty. Same bowls, different location. Our ceramics class decided to put together a show to start off the new quarter, all with work that revolved around the word 'light.' I decided to make a pile of bowls as though they had fallen. Squishing them together in a haphazard manner. The opening was lovely and was a great way to start off spring quarter.

no thanks, I'm not hungry

The end of last quarter allowed for the fine art seniors to practice methods of installing their work in a gallery in anticipation for our final thesis show at the end of the year. This really allowed me to see the amount of work that I've been keeping on my shelves in the studio, as it was nice to see them all laid out together. As I had been experimenting with the possible inclusion of color, it came as a pleasant surprise to see this sea of subtle tones thrown about the floor. I reached my short term goal of 60 bowls, but am excited to make more than double that this quarter.

preliminary test

My work over the past few months has centralized around the idea of function, obscurity, and process. As I began working with these bowls, I have been examining the functional properties of how bowls are used and turning that around to the point of destroying their intended purpose. I find, ultimately, that the ability to change one form so drastically and in so many ways is how I work through a process of making. My emphasis on obscurity lies in the shift from an emphasis on the final form to the significance of the creative process, material, and technique. I am looking towards the accidents of ceramic mold making and how I can embrace the imperfections of a process while simultaneously revealing a truth within an uncertainty.

This was a quick attempt at hanging the bowls. I found I definitely needed a safer way of securing the bowls to the wall, but I enjoyed seeing them off of a tabletop and in a more sculptural form. 

irreconcilable differences

In moving along with my interest in obscuring identity within the figure, I decided to take my concept to ceramics. The issue I couldn't move past was actually the figure, the Virgin Mary, for I wasn't interested in the religious connotations even though they were ever prevalent. Yet, I'm really glad I kept progressing with this figural work, for I was able to do it, see where else it could go, and where it would lead me. 

creative method

When we look at work hanging on a gallery wall, we see only what the artists has chosen to disclose; the finished work of art. The process of creation remains a mystery. A Giacometti Portrait brings the viewer into the creative process and depicts the evolving making Giacometti goes through day by day. This ever-changing of a figure has been a fundamental in my own creative progress, for I continually shift, alter, and manipulate forms time and time again.

off with your head

Seba Kurtis

Ruth Swanson

Ben West

The majority of photographers I am inspired by and drawn to are those that hide identity, ones that may subtly darken the face or outright chop a head off. It allows for an anonymity that generalizes the subject and lets the viewer's mind wander.

Quiet Sensibility

This was a 4x5 project I did in response to Edward Hopper's paintings. I was interested in finding how the difference in mediums (paint/film) and color (black&white) would effect the transcription of American life. I wanted to study an alienation of individuals from themselves, the subtle interactions people have with their environment, and this overwhelming quietness that can often surround us.

Brazee Street Studios

I was fortunate enough to be a part of a show at Brazee Street Studios back in October with a lovely group  of ceramic artists associated with the department at UC, headed by Katie Parker. It was a wonderful opportunity and opened my eyes regarding the steps necessary for installing a show. I decided to display the progression I've had with this form and the development of the glazes.

The Start of the Molds

Last winter I took mold making in which I made this cliff-like, rock-like, angular object.  I enjoyed the process of mold making, the mistakes that are bound to happen, the forgotten keyholes, the misplaced parting lines, the undercuts that trap your piece, but I also loved the opportunity to make multiples. To have a mold in which you can alter the original form every time, if you so wish. The possibilites seem endless. So I began to think how I could create a new form from an original as well as incorporating the process of mold making into one project. I started manipulating my mold, deliberately using leaks to create a new shape, and seeing what I could do without breaking or adding to the mold itself.