Wood Fired Cups

I know it has been some time since I've posted anything...almost a year, so I thought I would try to keep up with what's going on in the studio on a regular basis.
I have been creating new sculptural work and have also taken some time to explore functional ware.
I have also been working on reorganizing/rearranging the studio to make it a little more efficient with what I am working on currently.

Below is a picture of a finished wood fired porcelain cup that I have been exploring surfaces with.  I designed the cup from hand and then created a three piece mold for the basic form of the cup.  The handle was created using another mold.  I had issues with the handle and slip casting it, so I had to use the two piece mold as a press mold and then created the handle using the two parts.  By doing this it helped to give more stability to the handle as well as a nice balance of the weight, in regards to the weight of the cup form.

I will be posting other glaze experiments over this form until I find a combination that I will explore in producing further down the road. Enjoy.

This is one of two cups:

This is cup #2:

Cups in Progress

Those of you who know me, know that it is very rarely that I dedicate time to creating pottery.  Recently that seems all I have been working on.  I still have other work in progress at various stages, but thought I would share some images of the forms I have been exploring as well as the design and feel of handles on the work.  I will post more images of the finished work once it is finished.

Ceramic Tile (Wall Piece)

I have been revisiting ceramic tile and design with this new piece.  I forgot how fun it is…and time consuming to put a piece like this together, but I really enjoyed the time spent on this piece.  The work is of a new design and I used two different molds that I created to make this piece work.  I used Terra Cotta and hand pressed all the pieces.  I then used my black bronze glaze and fired the work to cone 6, after I did an initial bisque firing first.  The work was then applied to a piece of plywood.  I dry fitted together the pieces after the glaze firing, so I could trace out the exterior of the form and then cut the wood using a table saw and a hand held jigsaw to mimic the edges of the tiles to be placed.

The piece measures 30" x 38" x 1 1/2", and is held to the wall using french cleats, which I made as well.  All the wood was sanded by hand and then I painted the edges and the cleats, using a black satin latex paint.

The piece is currently on display, so I don't have a final picture to show the work, so I will try to get a final photo after the show comes down.

Enjoy!

Hand Building with Molds

I have been busy with work, but in my studio I'm creating new molds for new work, along with creating new sculptures.  I had a bunch of stoneware clay, so I thought I would create some sculptures with it.  The images posted are of some things happening in my studio.  Enjoy.

I will update the progress of this work as it is created.  Pictured are five different pieces being worked on at the same time.

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.

Figurative work in progress

With classes winding down, it's been pretty busy.  I'll be doing a wood firing next week with the students, so a glazing frenzy has been taking place this week.  My time to work on my work has taken a back seat this semester, with being at a new school and all, I hope to get more work done hopefully this weekend.  Pictured below is an update of what I've done to add "more", to create a figurative piece that follows my sketches for this piece.  I'll continue to add more pictures as the progress continues.

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.

New Work-2013 (Remnant)

This piece is titled "Remnant" and is hand built using earthenware slabs, with press molded additions as well.  I fired the piece to cone six and used glazes as well as enamel paints.  I'm glad it's done so I can update my portfolio on my web page as well as concentrate on new work I'm creating at the moment.  I fired this particular piece multiple times.

New Work-2013 (Technological Dependence)

Here is an image of a new piece I finished up recently.  The piece is titled, "Technological Dependence".  I hand built the mechanical form using terra cotta slabs, along with press molded additions.  The phone is slip cast porcelain, which I Raku fired, with a Raku glaze I made.