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".

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

New Work-2013 ("Possibilities", Circular Hand Saw)

I finished up another piece and photographed it with the other new work recently.  This piece is titled, "Possibilities".  It is hand made using slabs of earthenware as well as press molded additions.  I fired the piece to cone 6 and used glazes, tool dip, as well as enamel paints for the surface.  I'm interested in exhibiting this piece, but haven't decided which exhibition I should try to enter it yet.

Summer Work for the Nephews-Using my skills as an artist

I know I didn't post much over the summer, but the summer for me is a time when I'm not teaching and time I have for myself and family...catching up.  My nephews are very young and are into cartoons, as I  once was.  I remember wanting to learn to read because of the comic books dad would buy me from time to time and how amazed I was at an early age with the illustrations in those books.  I know I used to doodle...a lot as a kid, creating my own version of those comic books I loved.  I was given a good opportunity of the use of my artistic skills over the summer to create an inviting environment for my nephews bathroom.  So I took a break from creating the art I do, to use my years of learning my craft for the next generation.  The pictures posted are of the large scale Spiderman I did in their bathroom over the summer.  It was a blast to create outside of my current medium and get back to what got me excited about art at an early age.  I know they enjoy it, so it was a great time for all of us!  They helped paint in some of the areas as well, so it was a collaboration between just us.  It's great being an uncle.

The images posted are of the progress of the bathroom wall, of Spiderman, which they asked me to do for them. It was a nice break from the norm, and a lot of fun!