Mid-term work Fall 2010

The first picture is of a piece I was working on since mid July and went under more heat than I wanted, but I guess that's part of learning how the different gas kilns around here work.  The second and third photos are of a piece that is in the bone dry stage and will be put in the electric kiln for a bisque firing next week.  I have ordered some commercial glazes that are cone six.  I decided to order the glazes versus making them so I could save some time and work on my work.  The last photo is of a large sculpture that I am working on.  With this piece I am exploring scale as well as repetition to create a larger piece.  The glazes fired on the "grate" area is a cone 6 glaze that I made up from one of our shop glazes.  All the pieces were fired to cone 6 in oxidation (electric kiln), after their initial bisque firing in which I fired them at cone 08 in oxidation.  All the work is built by hand using slabs, except for the screws on the outer rim of the grate area, which were made using a press mold and then attached to the form after scoring and applying slip to the scored areas.  I also made up a cone 6 porcelain casting slip that I plan on casting next week.  I'll post images of how that goes in my next blog.

Progress in the Studio

Well, it's the end of the third week and time to update my blog.  I've been really busy working on a piece i showed earlier in a blog and just wanted to update some photos for it.  I have three of these completed so far and the images represent the pieces for #4, #5, and #6, of the modular forms I am creating for the sculpture I am working on at the moment.  Besides that little project, I did a demo this weekend at the Albion Fair with Lee Rexrode in the Arts and Crafts building.  I really enjoyed the public, and having them ask questions to help better understand the material I love so much.  It really felt good to give back to the community.  On another note, I entered a contest for Coyote Clay and Color during the summer and found out recently that the work I entered was chosen as one of the winners among the total of five that were chosen.  The piece will be mailed off to them Monday and will be used next year in their advertisements along with the other winners throughout the year, in Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines.  It is really an honor to have my work be chosen to represent Coyote Clay and the excellent glazes that they manufacture.  If you would like to see the piece selected, you can check out their website at:  www.coyoteclay.com.  Well, I'll keep updating the progress of the work as it starts to come along.

Update on the progress in the studio

Here are some updates to the work that I have been working on this semester.  The skull which is pictured has been saggar fired to cone 08.  The pieces drying go along with the skull and vice as well.  I plan on doing a bisque firing next week with the vice and it's parts.  The last picture is my second form that I'm building, to go along with other multiple forms I will be making to create a large sculpture with.  I'll be back in the studio tomorrow and get back to the grind, hopefully by the end of next week I'll have numerous forms ready to be bisque fired...I'll keep updating the work as I produce it.

New work in progress, September 2010

Well it's the first week back at the grind and I'm already up to my elbows in clay.  I've taken some pictures of what I've been working on lately(new work), as well as a picture of an update on a piece in its drying stage, that I've been working on since the middle of the summer.  The mechanical form, with the gear/grate,  is just a part of the overall piece that I'm currently working on.  I'm exploring size and repetitive form to create a larger sculptural form.  I plan on making 15 of these forms to start with;  alterations on the grate area, by adding some symbolism on certain forms.  I hope to instill a sense of something known subconsciously by form with that of a past or future civilization.  I guess we'll see how it works once all the pieces are put together...I'm also starting to think about the surface treatment at this time and researching works in the same genre within the ceramic field.  Hopefully my visual idea will be as successful as it is in my mind...I guess we'll see after spending some major hours in the studio over the next couple of weeks to see this idea come to light...I'll keep posting updates as the work progresses.

Images from the show, "And Now for Something Completely Different"

Here are some pictures from the opening of the show on friday the 27th of August, at the Gallery at ArtWorks up in Erie.

Upcoming Show

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately...I've been really busy getting a show together with six other artists  in Erie during "Art Walk".  The address is 1501 State Street, The Gallery at Art Works in Erie.  The opening is this friday, from 7-10pm and is titled, "And Now for Something Completely Different...".  The show will be showing the work of Patrick Falzone, Cara Jung, Courtney McMannus, Kevin Rohde, Eric Thayer, Sean Wayling and myself.  If you are in the area stop by and enjoy the other great shows that will be going on at the same time.  Our show is on the trolly tour and is one of the stops, so if you don't want to walk you can catch a ride to all the galleries participating for this event.  Hope to see you there and if you can't make it, I'll post some pictures of the opening.  The show will run until September 10th.

Sculpture in progress

The new work is coming along with a few new additions since the last time I posted.  I started with a solid form of clay and then carved the skull by hand using modeling tools.  Once the skull got to a drier stage, I cut it open and hollowed it out by hand.  Then I re-attached the top of the skull by scoring the cut line and using slip to connect the pieces.  The screw part of the piece was also carved by hand.  I started with a coil of clay that I rolled out to about an inch and a half diameter and then started the relaxing part of carving...which I really enjoy.  I currently am in the works of creating the handle for the top of the piece.   I hope to have those pieces done soon and will update the progress on my next post.