Busy times

It seems that everything is stacking up this time of the year and there is a lot to get done! We have been splitting wood and glazing pots all week preparing for this weekends wood fire and I am very excited for this load. In previous firings I was hesitant and not sure of the wood kiln since I wasn’t experienced with it at all and did not know how to get certain results. This time around though I have taken a lot more risks as well and putting in a lot more pots, High risk and high rewards!

Aside from the wood kiln I have been making like crazy and really pushing myself with things I have struggled with such as larger and taller forms for my upcoming spacelab show in April. Between the wood kiln and NCECA I have been giving a complicated and limited time to prepare but things are coming along, compromises have been made, and goals have been set. I have successfully thrown some 15 lb. platters and bowls as well as some taller 8-12 lb bottles and jugs I plan to have used in my show

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I still have  to make about 6 more however these were a great start! Some of the big things I am working on for the show include a chandelier of sorts, different lights, a lot of serving vessels which I plan to place food on, some tiered dessert platters and possibly porcelain ice cubes and Ice buckets. I am very excited for this show and it will really lead into the next show I have at Gadabout Gallery off campus in August and help me to make some decisions on what I want to do. I will be posting flyers two weeks in advance of my spacelab show and making plenty of food so everyone is welcome!

Collaboration, wood kiln, and preparation for upcoming shows!

I’ve missed a few blogs due to the weather and school being closed however I’m back at it again now that things are picking up. There is a lot to go over in this post So I will try to keep things shrt and to the point!

Recently I had been working on some collaboration work and it was a great experience. Splitting the work load and really being able to play again allowed me to be much more gestural and explore different possibilities in my work which i feel may carry over to my current work now. Here are some of the collaboration pots we made!

This work leads perfectly into our next topic which is the upcoming wood kiln firing. With only a week to go we have been preparing for the firing, grinding shelves and posts, splitting and buying wood, and of course making work.

The last big topic to go over is the my upcoming space lab show april 20th. I have a lot of work to do and am trying a lot of new things. Some of these include larger thrown vessels, sets, ceramic lights, and thinking a lot more about the display and relating it to the dining room as well as the food served at the show.  I typically don’t throw over 3 or 4 lbs and larger pieces are hand built so for some of the forms desired I really had to step up my game. I have successfully thrown some 12 lb bowls and platters and although it was a struggle I prevailed and am very happy with my success. I feel like I am finally geting back into a productive work schedule this semester and am very excited.

Aside from the busy school and potters life there is some other great news! I had 2 out of three pieces accepted into this years mug shots show at the lux center and it is a great honor considering how much my work has improved. I feel like I am improving massively in between every firing which i typically try to fill myself and with this said the work accepted has only gotten that much better. I cannot wait to prepare for next years shows as well as the next nceca juried art show!

Here is a link to the show!

http://luxcenter.org/gallery/7th-mug-shots/