Tuesday, November 29, 2011

How to be Extreme...?

Big pile of scraps after cutting out a bunch of items. Thought, hey, maybe I should do something for the Ceramic Guild's Extreme Show with these, or in other words, attempt to PLAY with clay instead of just make stuff.

If I lived in Opposite World I would be making cutesy very saleable items with little hearts all over them. So, picked up a lump and started making what I hoped was a stylish heart.

THEN, mid-way I flipped it over and saw this little lovely:

Spent the rest of the day making Scrap-Pile Hearts allowing their humble beginnings to show. It was fun and totally different than my regular fare. Will see where this takes me...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Rainy Thursday Musings

When a gallery owner invites one to be in a show and has a special request for a certain type of work, I'm not one to turn her down. Show opportunities are too few and far between.

The challenge is how to put a NEW spin on an old form. My stacking sculptures began as a way to create some organic shapes, get out the bright low-fire glazes and brushes and just have fun with how it all came together. I've never meant for them to be art per se, but last year I did challenge myself a bit more with the forms.

Now I'm working on the first stacker for the show with the idea of making some crisper shapes and slightly more complex forms. Here's how it's going so far. The base flower shape reminds me of a cock's comb, so think a top knot will have to repeat it on top. Last year I made some interlocking shapes that have become more refined and will have centerpieces rather than interlock since shrinkage and warping didn't play out too well.

So many possibilities for stacker number two.