New Wall Piece Underway-2016

I usually am working on multiple pieces at a time and thought I would post a picture of another piece that I am currently working on.  I have played with creating a press mold and a slip cast mold for the tile design, but thought I would use the press mold to use with hand building.  I am using terra cotta and have been piecing together the tiles onto a  1/2" inch slab.  The wet diameter of the design is 11 3/4".

I will go back and clean up and fill-in any joints and areas which will need attention and possibly make a slip cast mold from the finished prototype.  I'm still not sure about the gears as they are, and may change that portion of the design…I'm just not sure yet.  I am thinking of creating anywhere from nine to twelve, maybe more, to create a wall piece.

I haven't decided on the surface treatment just yet, and will be exploring glazes through tests that I will be doing shortly.  I know it is only one picture of the design in its early stages, but I thought it would give an idea to the time behind the process.  Enjoy.

New Work Underway-2016

During the school break I have been able to get back into the studio and get some new work underway.
I am still working on creating some new molds for slip casting and have also been hand building some new work as well.

Pictured below is one of the new pieces that I am currently working on.  I have bisque fired the piece and will post that image soon, before I start the glazing process.  Enjoy.

New Work, "Ingenuity", 2015

My time is usually spent working on sculptural pieces, but for last four months it seems all I have been working on most of the time is wheel thrown work.  I finally took time away from the wheel to get back to my first love…sculpture!

This piece, "Ingenuity", is a sculpture that I had been working on for a short time.  It took me seventeen hours to create this piece, minus the multiple firings I put it through and the build up of multiple glazes. The piece is hand built with press mold additions, and is made from earthenware clay.  It is hollow and was built "life size".

With my exploration into the "object/artifact", I came upon an old 1921 gasoline welder, that my dad had found up in his attic above the garage.  I instantly fell in love with the piece and found it to be perfect to try and create with clay.  I used slabs, coil, and the pinch pot method to create this piece.

The piece was fired to cone 05 bisque and then I used glazes that I created in graduate school, at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.  I hadn't had an opportunity to use the glazes, beyond test tiles, and was happy to finally find a piece that I thought the glazes would compliment.

The glazes are low fire as well, cone 06, and really help to make the piece look like the real thing, only with more rust and decay.

Pictured below are pictures of the piece in different stages of the making process.  Enjoy.

KACA Material Mastery Exhibition-2015

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will have some work being displayed at the Kansas Artist Craftsmen Association National Juried Exhibition, Material Mastery, in Wichita, Kansas.  The exhibit was juried by Margaret Bohls.  The exhibit runs from November 2-November 7.   The Exhibition takes place at the Grisham Marilyn Fiber Studio, in Wichita, Kansas.

Pictured below are the pieces being exhibited.

 

Remnant, Terra Cotta, Glazes, Enamel Paints, 2014.

Manual Labor, Terra Cotta, Steel, Wood, Plastic, Glazes, and Enamel Paints, 2011.

Some New Wall Work

I've been working on some new work and have multiple pieces being constructed at the moment in different stages…it's finally summer!

Pictured are three new wall pieces I put together recently, revisiting my tile work and incorporating some slip cast work.  I played around with glazes and surfaces, but stayed true to the form and idea.

I'll be posting some work in progress tomorrow.  I'm glazing tiles for a new wall piece and have to get them into the kiln tonight before I go to bed.  Enjoy.

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

Wood Kiln Firing at University of Saint Francis

This week I helped fire a wood kiln at University of Saint Francis, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I was lucky enough to get to put in a piece and hopefully it will turn out…at least interesting.  While I was there I got to meet Steve Smith and his two assistants.  He used to be the Chair at Defiance College in Ohio, and now is a full-time production potter and sculptor.  His studio is up in Angola, Indiana and it was a blast hanging out with him, and feeding and stoking the kiln Tuesday morning.  I returned Tuesday night for a later three hour shift and left with the kiln firing even on the top and bottom (2136).  I can't wait to visit Steve up in Angola and check out his studio.  Pictured below is the kiln we were firing at University of Saint Francis.  With help from the ceramic students, I'm sure the firing went well.  Ryan Bredlau is currently teaching the ceramic students at Saint Francis as well as being the Art Department Technician…he's a busy guy and it was great to help him out.  I'll be teaching at Saint Francis next semester, so it was nice to meet some of the students as well.

Pictured below is the kiln we were firing.