Work in Progress: Holiday Sale

I know, I'm a little early to be thinking about the Holiday Sale (which isn't until Thanksgiving) much less making items for it. With the start of a very busy semester just over a week away, I decided to get a jump on my commitments for this Fall. Since I'm trying a few new color layering techniques, I wanted to give myself time in case of failures. I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to make work and hope for the best. This way, if they don't work or disaster strikes, I have time to redo and try something else. And, too, if these techniques do work, I will be that much farther ahead and can then incorporate them into new bodies of work for other projects. I'll let you know what I discover. As nerve wracking as it can be, I just love the uncertainty!

Last Rush of Summer

It has been a busy Summer here on "The Hill". From workshops to cookouts and all manner of weather, it has been fun. The picture above (from outside my studio toward the rest of ceramics) is one of the many storms we had this week. Unfortunately, Summer is almost over with the start of school just over a week away. The students move back in on the 27th bringing with them the excitement of a new school year. The studio will start to fill with eager students and the craziness will begin. As much as I love the quiet of the studio in the Summer, I am looking forward to having energetic students around. It will be a busy Fall semester for me. In addition to my resident duties, I will be teaching three-dimensional design for the university and evening workshops for the community. These are usually great fun as the students are most enthusiastic. It being the Fall semester, we, the clay department in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity in Cookeville will host Bowl-a-thon. No, not that kind of bowling. We will make bowls one Saturday in September which will then be finished for the main event, Cookin' on the Square, in October. All money raised goes to Habitat for Humanity. I'm looking forward to it, although I will relish these last few days of quiet.

Process: Finished work

Finally, the finished work. I tried a variety of surface masking techniques such as wax resist and tape. I am fairly happy with the results except for the slip dots popping off (you can see it on the base for the sugar/creamer set). I first noticed it when I took the work out of the kiln. Then when I unloaded the work for the photo shoot, my container was littered with them. Now days later, they are still jumping off the forms. I don't know what is causing it. I haven't changed anything except the glaze application process. I sprayed the glaze instead of my normal dunking or brushing methods. There was no indication after bisque of the dots wanting to pop off. I'm wondering if my slip was a little too watery when I applied it. I'm going to try it with a little thicker slip, on a little wetter form next time. I might also try drying the work slower. Examples of the tape resist are the matte lines in the salt and peppers. I used several widths of tape designed for painting automobiles. It was fun experimenting with it. I love the crisp edges it left. I used the wax resist to cover broad areas, and as in the blue tumbler to make dots. All in all, I'm happy with the forms and color combinations. The search continues for better surface designs.

In the Mail

I've been applying to shows, both sculptural and functional, like crazy this summer. The notifications have started to roll in and yesterday's mail brought a mixed bag of news.

The bad first: I was rejected from Strictly Functional. As there were over 1000 entries from 500 artists, with only 109 objects being chosen, I don't feel too bad about the rejection. There is always next year and other shows.

The good news: I was accepted to the Wichita National All Media Craft Exhibiton 2009. I entered three sculptures and Solitary Dinner was accepted. Kathleen Royster Lamb, Assistant Professor at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, was the juror. She will select award winners upon installation of the works in September. The show runs from September 4 to October 18. The opening reception will be September 4, 5pm-7pm. As much as I would like to attend, the schedule will not allow me to do so.

I'm awaiting a few more notices. When I hear something, I'll post.

Process: Beginning/Middle

I thought I would post a few in process pictures of new forms. They are sugar creamer sets with bases and a few tumblers. My roommate and fellow AIR refers to them as my Alice in Wonderland sets. They are slightly over-sized, but I figure shrinkage will take care of that issue. The challenges of these sets are numerous: lid design, handle and spout placement, and my re-occurring stumbling block, surface design. I am happy with the overall forms, but have other ideas for handle placement. As for surface, I have ideas. I'll post those results when they are out of the kiln. Until then, the pictures are of the raw forms, and then the next step with underglazes.

Update on Summer Workshops

Summer workshops are winding down here at the Craft Center, and the last two weeks of classes have been canceled for a variety of reasons, most notably lack of enrollment. It seems the summer classes are yet another victim of the economy. The good news is ACC is still accepting registrations for the September weekend classes, see catalog for specifics. The dates are September 11-13 and 18-20. I will be teaching a hand building class focusing on the drinking vessel. We will explore cups, saucers, mugs, and tumblers. Call the Craft Center today to register.

I Got In!

Good news arrived in the inbox this morning. All three pieces above were juried into the exhibition Dining In: An Artful Experience. The exhibition will be held at 18 Hands Gallery in Houston, TX in August 2009. It sounds pretty neat. Here it is from the prospectus: The exhibition will feature hand-made items that might be found on a dinner table. The final show installation will consist of 5-10 fully appointed dining tables.