New Work-"It's Complicated"

I finally finished up a piece that I have been working on for some time.  The piece is hand built using slabs and molds and was fired to cone six in an electric kiln.  This piece came to mind when I was thinking about industry and the role in history in which industry has had, when it comes to the creation of weapons used for offensive and defensive purposes.  Ironically the year I was working on it (2014-2015), new turmoil arose not only in the Middle East, but also in the annexation of Crimea.

The creation of weapons is closely tied to industry and technology and sometimes used in situations in which the technology was not intended for.  This idea was the basis of creating this piece, and although it is not new to us, it does deserve a moment of contemplation on the time we live in and how history seems to repeat itself.

Below is a picture of the new work titled, "It's Complicated".

America's Clay Fest III (April 17-May 30, 2015)

I recently found out that I had a piece accepted into "America's Clay Fest III".  Formerly known as "Feats of Clay", the exhibition is an international juried ceramic exhibit.  The Jurors for the exhibition are Tip Toland, ceramic sculptor, and Peter Held, Chief Curator at the Ceramic Research Center at Arizona State University.  The exhibit will take place at Blue Line Arts Gallery in Roseville, California.

For more information check out these websites:  www.americasclayfest.org and bluelinearts.org, for more information.

Pictured below is the piece "Possibilities", which will be in the exhibit.

teapots! 9th Invitational at Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery

I was invited to be a part of a teapot exhibition at the Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The exhibit runs from April 10-June 13, 2015.
I was honored to be asked to participate in the exhibit and those who know me, know I don't usually create pottery, or much functional work.  So, I had to sit down and create a teapot for the show.

It took me some time to figure out what type of form and then how the surface would later be developed.  I wanted it to be functional, although that was not necessary.

If you are in the area (Pittsburgh), you should stop by the Gallery to check out the show.  Here is the website for the gallery:  Morgan Glass Gallery

Below are some images of the teapot that I sent to the gallery.

SouthWorks 2015, 20th National Juried Exhibition

I had a piece recently accepted into the SouthWorks 2015 exhibition.  The show was juried by Will South (Chief Curator for the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina and Chief Curator at the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio).  The exhibition takes place April 10-May 8, with the opening on April 10 from 6-9PM at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, in Watkinsville, Georgia.

There were 425 entries for which Mr. South had to choose from, for the exhibit.
Pictured below is the piece selected, "Fossil Fuel".

For more information about the exhibition:  www.ocaf.com

Pottery?

I know it's been some time since I've posted anything.  I've been working on glaze development and forms for some pottery…yes, pottery.  I know it's not something I do all the time, but with teaching, I find it necessary to become well rounded in another spectrum of the ceramic medium.  I haven't stopped creating sculptural work, but have taken some time to revisit an old acquaintance…the pottery wheel.

I'm always looking at ways to mimic natural materials in life and came across an article by Steven Hill, a master potter, who creates glazes to mimic effects of high fire glazes (reduction), in an electric kiln.  I find this really interesting, since I myself don't own a high fire kiln.  I have been looking into glazes specifically for pottery and continue doing tests, until I can come up with a color palette and form I like.  I know this is all subjective, but it's nice to explore new areas that cause me to think differently about the work being created.  I can understand better the difficulties one encounters when creating pottery, which in turn is better for my teaching.

The images below are of some recent work and glazes that I created recently.  The pieces were all wheel thrown, and multiple glazes were used (3 glazes on each cup).  I fired the work in an electric kiln (oxidation), and fired it to cone 6.