HGBlogger

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted. Time has flown by, but not without incident! About a month ago, I fell prey to the flu bug that has been flying across southeastern VA. It took me a week or so to recover after sleeping for three days in a row. It was highly frustrating after throwing for weeks in a row to stop and do nothing until I was at 100% again. I wasn't in the mood to read, there were no movies that appealed to me, so in order to help myself rest and not drive myself crazy by regretting not being able to throw, I checked out what was on TV. Being new to cable, I never really knew about HGTV. Well, let me tell you, that is what kept me sane while I reclined on a couch waiting for my body to battle the bug.

I have been trying to figure out a way to gain more space and hopefully get a studio so I can accommodate all the pottery I've been making. while watching home improvements and redesigns, it was like the proverbial light bulb went off in my head. We have a finished room over the garage. It is about as old as the house though and had fallen prey to bad weather, bad carpet, bad walls, bad . . . well you get the idea. It had become nothing more than an ugly junk room. I realized that with some determination we could transform it into the space I need to get the ball rolling on my creativity. After talking it over with the parents, I set into motion my first ever home improvement project. I have learned so many things, experienced so many surprises, and am very happy to say that I will soon be blogging again about what wonderful new things are coming off my wheel. This has been such a wonderful creative endeavor and I believe it is just as important to have a space that is beautiful to work in as it is to have beautiful work to present. There are still a few things that I have to take care of and rearrange, but until it's exactly what I want it to look like, I can't post pictures of the finished product. I can, however give you a link to check out the before pictures. Take a good hard look b/c you won't recognize it once it's done! Here is the link for the before pictures:

Frog pics: before


Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave your comments!

Great Happenings on the road to a Portfolio!

If graduating wasn't enough of a frightening event, the following year was much more frustrating and scary. There were several times where I doubted my purpose, wondered what direction my life was really headed, and threw many pieces of clay in frustration on my wedging table after seeing them fall apart on my wheel. I waited for about four months out of last year to hear about the next step I was sure my life was about to take to find out that there were other plans and mine were not about to happen. I lost many relationships, formed new ones, and spent most of my time away from work and the studio at Barnes and Noble, contemplating the direction my work is taking. I faced numerous fears and anxieties and grew in leaps and bounds that only now am I realizing.

I know it's a bit late for new year's ponderings, but it has taken a couple of months for me to realize just how far I've come. It didnt' hit me until just last week when I spent three hours throwing and only had two small casualties. It seems to me that trying to balance my creative life with my working life has forced me to sacrifice my creative work. When I finally set my nose to the grindstone with the purpose of creating as much as I can in the free time I have each week, I was met with frustration after frustration. My wheel was off balance for about three days before I realized that It wasn't my fault I couldn't center. My clay was too soft for about two days before I noticed that I needed to let it dry out a bit. Then it dried out too much, etc. etc. Finally, all the hard work, sweat, and tears paid off in one day where I not only threw one pot after another with no hitches, but I threw bigger and better than I have in the past year. It's as if my porcelain and I have finally gotten to know each other and decided to shake hands and get along after all! Last year, I threw only functional pieces with the intent of being used. I added no surface decoration beyond handles and focused mainly on the form of the piece. Now that I feel confident that my work is strong in that area, I am moving into the realm of surface decoration with each piece.

Last year was also the year of carving attempts. I believe it was all summer that I struggled with learning how to carve as deeply and energetic as I wanted. Now I feel like I have finally reached an understanding of how to achieve what I want to express through my work with surface decoration. Which brings me to the following pictures. I am working on pushing my forms into different shapes once they're off the wheel and using the indentations I create as a springboard for my carving. I want to give my work more movement, more depth, and a stronger feeling of sculpting beyond carving around the form. Here is my first experiment with the technique:

1: I threw a small cup and after cutting it off the wheel, I took one of my wooden sculpting tools, dipped it in water, and used it to coax a nice little crease into the piece. I was very doubtful of it's effect at first . . .
I was afraid it was too "first semester" But then. . .

2: I picked it up, started whittling away with my dental tools and voila! I fell in love with the piece and before I knew it, this little guy was sitting happily on my wedging table!




There are more that I'm practicing this technique with, but you won't get to see them 'till they're finished. In the meantime, please let me know what you think! Thanks for stopping by!!

The Concept of Seeing

"To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees." -- Paul Valery

The other day, I had a wonderful discussion with a co-worker about the subject of Conceptual Art in Photography and all art forms. The major point of contention that we both agreed on was the weight of concept that is given in certain circles. I took a few courses where the concept behind each piece was paramount. Without a concept, there was no valid work of art. Everything within that piece had to reflect and enhance some aspect of the concept behind it. I am not debunking this form of creating. I found it very helpful in the advancement of my skills and thought. But, is it necessary in every aspect of my artwork? Is it a sign of regression when I create a piece that is purely functional with no thesis to support it? If I throw concept out the window and focus on purity of form, perfecting my skill, or the sheer beauty of my work, am I no longer an artist, but a tradesman? My personal answer to the question is no.

I believe there is a fine line between concept and purpose. I believe every artist must know where they are going and how they plan to get there. There must be a driving force and coherent thought that compels each artist to create. For many of us, this is a lifelong search. Purpose to me, is a clear distinction of "why I create". Concept it seems flows along the lines of "this is what I believe, this is what I must communicate in this piece." I know there is great value in concept, and have experienced wonderful pieces as a result. But, do I have to impose deep theory on each mug I make? I have been thinking a lot about the subject for the past week, (which is partly why I haven't posted until now) and have been forced to draw some personal conclusions. I believe that the reason behind conceptual art is to communicate, to express an idea, a belief, an observation. I also believe that art with no concept can still be artwork. I believe that both have a valid place in this world and that there is a necessity for both approaches to have a purpose that drives them. In discussing this with another friend last night, there were a few things that I was able to nail down for myself:

my purpose is to explore beauty, and the meaning behind elegance within beauty, how it is interpreted through lines that emulate nature and evoke feelings of peace and calm. That's why the purpose of my pottery extends beyond pure aesthetics into function. I believe that the way someone is forced to use my piece is a direct result of the technique I used to create it. therefore, the beauty I place in my work goes beyond the surface decoration into the very use and functionality of the work.

Though I still have a great deal to sort out in how I utilize concept in my work, it feels very good to begin thinking once more about the more intellectual and theoretic facets of creating.

Thanks for stopping by and please let me know what you think about this discussion. Feel free to leave your comments!

New Beginnings: Vermiculite and Letting Go

Hello all! Recently, my life has turned a new corner and I'm taking everything with it! About two weeks ago, unexpected circumstances tore the rug out from under my feet and I made a new resolve in response. Because of working retail during the most frightening season of all time: Christmas (which begins around October for those who have never worked in a mall), I had no life for about three months and sacrificed my pottery during that time. I kept trying to pick my creative life back up, and recently got back on track.

It's amazing how much we lose when we stop a certain activity for a prolonged time. Last week was a battle of self-doubt and fear that I had lost everything I care for. I couldn't center my clay much less create a solid piece on the wheel. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I kept at it, and eventually remembered what I had forgot in those three months of retail torment.

So, I am picking up the pieces and starting off on a fresh foot. Below is a short tour of my studio:

My humble corner of the garage . . . next to the washer and dryer. It's small, but I'm having a great time working with what I have! It has certainly been an adventure!
One of the space heaters I'm using while the weather is cold! I have one in front of my wedging table and one next to the washer and dryer so I get a cross draft of nice warm air. It presents a drying issue if I accidentally leave wet clay on my wedging table though.
Some pieces I was cleaning up and getting ready to fire on my wedging table. I love the marble surface! I highly recommend using marble (not polished) for any wedging. The clay rolls off it very nicely and the stone soaks up the water and dries out much quicker than canvas. It's also much easier to clean. I salvaged this piece from a stone supply company for 27$


Eh hem. . . yeah, I was slightly frustrated with my work last week. BUT! I got a great header for this blog from it!

Another great happening from this week that cannot go unmentioned is the discovery of the wonders of vermiculite! I read a quick article in Ceramics monthly about how to pack fragile greenware. It was hidden in the buyers guide from 2007 and mentioned that vermiculite pads the piece and keeps it stable. If you have a large piece that you want to pack by itself it's a great idea to pad it with balloons. I ignored the part that mentioned wrapping your piece in a plastic bag, and learned the hard way why that was added. Note to everyone: Vermiculite can find permanent residence in your piece during firing. Wrap your pieces if using this packing solution. It's a pain to try to get it off every inch of your piece before firing (handles are a particular concern). So, here is my ode to vermiculite:


Packing up an entire year's work to fire was slightly nerve-wracking. It's thrilling that I will have them safely fired and ready to sell/gift/etc. But, it's a very strange feeling seeing all that sweat and tears packed neatly in a box and loaded into your car. There are so many memories and lessons represented in those cardboard shells. No one can know what exactly went through your mind every time you trimmed, carved, and labored over each piece. Each individual piece is a complete representation of the individual decisions I have made on my own throughout the course of 2007. And there it all is, packed neatly away, ready to take its first steps towards completion. It's one step closer to letting go, saying goodbye and moving on towards new experiences and a completely new body of work. I'm sure in 25 years it won't be such an enigma. But as this is my first time completing a body of work apart from school with no help or advice from teachers, it is slightly unnerving and in so many ways surreal. I'm a potter. I still have so much to learn, but I am no longer a "student" working towards the completion of a degree. I am an independent artist striving towards bettering my work so that I can hold my head up high amid all the other giants of the ceramics world. How humbling and frightening all at once! Who knows where this journey will end, but thankfully it seems to be beginning on the right foot.

Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to leave any comments!

Under major re-construction

Hello all! This poor lonely blog has been neglected for way too long. . . I'm working on a few ideas and will be re-configuring how I'm going to approach this within the next week. Please be patient as I work on these problems.

The Spirit of Touch: a new discovery

I am now working on themes for the work that I am putting into my portfolio. In college I despised conceptual art, now I'm running to it as an answer to the doldrums I've found myself in artistically. I was throwing pots with the purpose of selling for about two months. Then it hit me that I was going about it all wrong and needed to work on pots for my portfolio. (I probably should have realized that about seven months ago, but alas, how frail and human the mind is!)

So, I have come up with two exciting new concepts! One is on the back burner presently because I'm waiting to reclaim the clay. So, I will expound on the concept I'm dedicating all my work to at the present.

In college, I explored a concept for a brief while that keeps showing itself in my work at random intervals. I even integrated that concept into my senior show title and the title of this blog. The Ruskin quote you see above is what has inspired me most. It is interesting to think that no artwork can be accomplished without the human motion of touch. Even if you're designing on the computer, you have to guide the mouse, touch it, and force it to do what you want. In pottery, this is especially evident since it is your fingers that are guiding not an instrument, but the media itself: the clay. A friend of mine and I used to have long discussions on the fact that pottery involves a great deal of strength in some instances, but in others, a great deal of gentle sensitivity to the work.

Touch, in another sense is one of the most amazing human reactions. When a child is developing, it is essential to continuously touch and hold the baby/child or their development will be stunted. As we grow older, we often look to touch for affirmation, comfort, and many other expressions of our emotion when words just won't work. When someone has left a lasting imprint in our lives, we often say they have touched our lives.

Another aspect of touch is identity. People can be identified by their face, their shape, their height, but all of that is subject to change. Fingerprints never change. They are original and unique to each person.

So, in conclusion, touch is what defines pottery, the way a pot looks is a direct result of how the potter has touched it, formed it, and molded it. Each pot speaks of the one who created it because each artist has a different touch, a unique way of expressing beauty through different mediums. All of these thoughts together have inspired me to start a new project.

I'm going to take several cylinders and carve them at the same time. I've decided to go with cylinders because they're simple, and easy to throw if a mistake is made. The purpose of this is twofold. I have had way too many casualties in carving recently, and using this project as practice will help me work out all the kinks in my carving process. But, it will force me to remain serious about keeping it perfect because I intend on it becoming a series I can put in my portfolio. So, I will begin with cylinders and then will work out the process of carving designs based on different fingerprints. Each piece will be unique and have it's own personality, but each will work together as a group. Once I've tackled this project, I hope to move to bigger pieces that will serve the purpose of taking this concept much further.

I will post pictures as the project unfolds, and hopefully less pottery casualties will follow! Have a great one, all!

Going Public

Well, It has been an extremely long time since I last posted here. The biggest reason for this is that I've been going back and forth trying to decide if I should go public with the blog. And, I've decided that because of certain groups I've been getting involved in, and many other reasons, it would be beneficial to make this more accessible. So here we go!

Well, since the damp-box I have had more casualties. I keep pressing onward in hopes that one of my pots will survive. I have one that I am very excited about, and am hoping against hope that it will survive because I am so excited about how beautiful it is! I will post pictures as soon as I am ready to call it complete.

My porfolio status: For a month or so, I was pushing on with the wrong focus. I kept it in my head that I had to have x amount of pottery done before x amount of time for selling and gallery work. Because of this deadline, I lost touch with the fact that I am not in limbo between schools to just sell work, my purpose is to establish a portfolio that will be worthy, a portfolio that screams, I'm worth it! accept me into your amazing program! So, I have now re-adjusted my focus and am working in two mediums simultaneously. While I'm waiting for my orange-stone clay to be soft enough to use for handbuilding, I'm working on carving. And, hopefully when I come to a waiting point with my ceramics, the orangestone will be workable, and I can start on the series of tree stumps that I'm working on concept designs for. I will post more later when I can. Have a good one!

The miracle of the damp box

Now that my studio space is in some semblance of order, I've begun throwing again and am excited with the results. I threw four tea bowls for carving the other day, and decided to go about carving the pieces differently, hoping for less casualties. The problem I was seeming to have was twofold: 1. My work was drying out too quickly. This was a problem because once clay reaches the bone dry state (or greenware state) it is at its most fragile. It is therefore much easier to crush, pierce, or crumble a piece that has dried completely, hence the reason that four of my pieces have recently passed away. 2. I was carving in a way that was comparable to how most beginning artists draw. I would only carve one small section at a time, working my way around the piece as I perfected each section. This was a major mistake for many reasons. First off, by working on one spot until it was perfected, I forgot what the whole should feel like, and ended up with a bad design and a broken piece before I was done. Second, the piece dried before I could lay a design out over the whole piece. When I realized these mistakes, I wondered how I had forgotten the basic principle of working rough and gradually refining as I work. Then, I remembered a simple item that would solve my drying issues . . . . the damp box. Damp boxes can be made in several ways. The way I chose to go about creating mine (in order to keep it portable) was to purchase a paint bucket from home depot, and line it with 1" foam which I dampened with water. This not only cushions the pieces for transportation, but keeps them at the leather hard stage. So, I can work on one piece, once I feel that begin to dry, I can put that one away, pull out another piece, work on that one a little, and so on. It has been wonderful working this way because I can take my work where I need/want to be for the time (ie: the beach, the James river, my room, etc.) and it's helping me focus more on the important aspects of balance, variety, negative space, and other design elements I wasn't even thinking of before because of my race against the drying clock. I'm planning on throwing some more pieces to be carved tomorrow, and hopefully by the end of this week, I'll have a few finished pieces to post for you. Have a great Memorial Day!

Catching up

I've been spending the last week trying to get my studio space in order. It's turning out to be a much bigger ordeal than I had anticipated. I have about 50 lbs. of clay that I'm trying to reclaim, and with all the rain we've had this week, it hasn't necessarily gone as quickly as possible. But, since I've had to wait so much for my clay to catch up with me, I've been able to start reading more about techniques, kilns, glazes, etc. So despite the slow progress, it has been a very educational week.

For those of you I haven't been able to talk to lately, I'm going to post a quick run-through of how the search for MFA programs is going:

In February, I learned about the NCECA convention in Louisville, KY, and had the opportunity to work at one of the booths there. After travelling with a sinus infection, arriving at the convention was a little overwhelming. But, I soon got my bearings and was able to take it all in. During breaks, I visited the different University representatives, and narrowed my search down to a few schools: University of Nebraska, University of South Carolina, and University of San Diego. I had the chance to meet several artists I had read about, as well as view an exhibit of work from the Ferrin Gallery. The three days I spent at NCECA were inspirational, motivating, and opened my eyes to many different aspects of the clay world that I hadn't even thought of or known about. My deepest thanks to all who helped me get to Louisville and guided my path at the convention.

So, now my top choice is University of Nebraska. After meeting one of the instructors, and speaking with him about some of my concerns about the program, I feel very strongly that Nebraska would be the best pick. But, it's hard to rule out South Carolina and San Diego because the instructors I spoke with and the programs there are just as strong. So, now I am working on getting together a strong portfolio and once that has been accomplished I will begin the application process.

The road ahead of me can at times seem long and filled with unknowns, but I have so many of you to thank for helping me start out on that road. And I am very excited to see where it leads. And so I return to the mud for another day of work! Have a good one.

A Fresh Beginning

Hello to all my friends and family. I decided it was about time for me to begin something along these lines. Now that I'm out of school, it grows increasingly more difficult to keep in touch with everyone as well as share what has been going on with my artwork. So, I decided to set up a blog like this with hopes to keep everyone in the know as well as hear feedback about the direction I am heading in artistically.
Though graduation from college was the true landmark for the beginning of my artistic career and journey as an adult, I feel like this week has marked the real beginning of the road I am following. After much deliberation, I have made the decision to switch from my full-time job to a part-time job much closer to home. While this will prove slightly more difficult in the way of income and health-insurance, it will give me the time necessary to pursue assembling a portfolio. I am very excited about this change for many other reasons, one of which is the chance to begin working with a regular schedule and a set goal that I will have to discipline myself to reach. I am very hopeful and look forward to sharing my journey with you all.