It is with a heavy sigh that I have to admit that summer is rapidly coming to it’s official end. I have just over a week and a half left before classes start, and I have a TON of work left to get ready for them, which m
eans I’m going to have to say goodbye to five full days spent in the studio/week- at least until Christmas break.
ssSSSIIIIIIIIGHHHHhhhhh!
(see? I can’t even write it without a forced sigh!)
Anyway, more for myself than for y’all (sometimes I need to convince myself that I actually did something with my time),here’s a peak at some of the projects I’ve worked on this summer.
My summer started with Art a Day in May, which I won’t review, since you can find all the images just by following the catagory link. But it did mean making a lot of little things, some more successful than others. It also gave me lots of things for my Etsy store- which I need to update (something else for the list).
I did enjoy making these small plates, and they have led to another series of platters, which is in progress, and I am keeping a lid on for now. (They are experimental, and I don’t know if my “plan” is going to work yet)
- A smattering of small plates
And, of course, I went to Indonesia. That was big. I’m still working on two projects related to this. One is a video piece which I’m not prepared to show you…yet. The other piece has to do with a few of these photos I took while I was there:
I don’t want to give the whole thing away, but suffice it to say there are about a dozen images, my feet are in all the photos, the piece has to do with “contextualization,” and the final product will not be framed photographic prints for the wall.
When I got back, I began working on a piece specifically for a show coming up in November. I have a
large wall to fill (15′ tall by 12′ wide), and I took for my starting point this platter (also made this summer). I love how this came out, although the background really surprised me. I started playing around with the idea of stacking images in a way that they seemed precariously balanced- a simple metaphor that creates tension and interdependence. The nice thing for me is that one can stack ceramic objects this way in a kiln. It’s called tumble stacking, and you typically do it in a wood kiln so the flames will leave marks on the ware as it eddies and flows around them . So far, the wall piece looks like this:
That plywood section of the wall is 8′ tall, to give you a since of scale. I have a bunch of pieces fired that aren’t on the wall yet (there are a few differences in the photos, the one on the left is the most current). Plus, I have to figure out the glazing. Busy busy busy!!!
I also started to explore the idea of adding more abstraction to the pieces I’m making (reasons for this are worthy of another post). It’s been, I think, a fruitful exploration. Here’s two pieces in progress:
…and that brings us to today. Oh, except for some bowls and mugs which I don’t have pictures of. Well, I feel better about my production. Now if I can just get all this stuff actually FINISHED…..
I think I asked this on Flickr about your control tower but don’t remember if you answered; I don’t get to Flickr very much anymore. Thus I’m still curious to know if it’s earthenware you’re using, and what you do if anything to prevent cracking in your dynamic sculptural pieces . . . .
I do use earthenware, but sometimes stoneware. I love a really groggy body, which does help with the cracking. I also slab build most pieces, and I have well aged-slip. Mostly that, and using a lot of plastic so things dry slowly (I usually keep pieces covered for several days or a week after they are finished), keeps most cracks away. I still get cracks from time to time, which I repair with powdered clay and water or vinegar, depending on how dry the piece is.
Also, not all clays are created equally. I used a commercial-made white earthenware with my class and it cracked constantly. So I would recommend trying lots of different things.
What part does the vinegar play?
This trick is an oldie but a goodie. If you have a crack on bone dry work, if you wet the crack with vinegar instead of water, and pack it with powdered clay (made from dried up scraps- I crush it with a rolling pin) you have a MUCH better chance of repairing the crack.
I have no idea why, but it works.