Artist Talks at LBCC

Had the opportunity to hear two swell Mid-Valley artists share about their work. Above is Kristin Kuhns who stands by one of her paintings/constructions that has also been sewn, and one of William Park's paintings.

William Park mentioned that he had one of those epiphany moments in his 40s where he felt abject depression thinking that he might grow old and never be the artist he would like to be. He said he began painting that day and hasn't stopped. He didn't take the time to get formal training but felt that the more he could paint, the better it would get. He's now in his 60s and his method surely worked. You can see the mastery of each brush stroke, scumble and abstraction that occurs as an aside to his main subject. He also advised students that the importance of "knowing when to stop" when working on art is a big mis-nomer. It is often when he has pushed beyond the point of no return where he feels he learns the most.

Kristin described herself as more of a constructionist, dealing with concepts and making the artwork in whatever way possible to get at what she wants to express. She confessed to learning things the hard way. When her sewing on a piece involved getting up and moving around to the other side and then back to the other side over and over because her arm wasn't long enough to reach where her needle and thread had to go, it indicated a maximum "arm's length" width of a piece. She also talked about Noticing! One work is a lovely "backside" view stretcher bars and the canvas stretched on the other side, not facing out but facing against the wall, with a maze of other sticks and marks that work just right. She kept noticing how nice pieces looked on the back and went with it.

My contribution: I tagged onto what both of them said and pointed out some examples of pushing beyond finished in some of the new wire/paper ceramic sculptures I'm showing there.

The students asked thoughtful questions and it was a treat being with all the artwork again.

The LBCC Invitational Show at the North Santiam Gallery is up through the end of February.

Coming along but a ways to go...

Bisqued piece with nichrome wire ready to be cooked

My head continues to think in pod shapes and I'm adding holes, sometimes deliberately and sometimes as the spirit moves me. Here are some of the solid porcelain shapes.

Some of the shapes are being made in a dark stoneware with a white wash. Others are stoneware with layers of underglaze that will be sanded through... So many variations, but hard to see where this is going without getting any of them DONE to assess it this is a good way to go or not... having fun and making a lot of little fine crumbles that I'll have to slake down and recycle into something else... maybe a cast piece of some sort . . . with wire inside of it?!?

More wire and clay?

I thought that my series of making vessels for wiring up had run its course. Then these forms came to mind, so have to see where they will lead.

I see these as fairly figurative form with a ghost-like silhouette. Two influences I must be following:  earlier work by Christine Bourdette and the subtle forms of Amanda Salov, from whom I acquired a swell little dish last spring sporting this same shape.

The white pieces are porcelain. The dark brown stoneware shapes were layered with grolleg slip, with some edges left showing their brown bodies.

I can see a variety of ways to "lace" these up with wire... can't wait to get them bisqued so I can begin.

Stack Workshop #2

                           

Second weekend of stack piece making... a second weekend that started out cloudy, drizzly and with questionable weather. Lucked out again, tho. Had just enough sun to get everything cut out, made and finished and into the kiln to dry. 

They were still on the moist side the next day, but dry enough to glaze up. This group attacked the glazing with a vengeance of multiple colors on their textured pieces. 

Ann and Hester.

Susan takes a brief moment to contemplate.

Susan and Lynda.

Bold forms from Lynda Farmer

Whimsical marks and brushwork by Susan Pachuta

Texture Queen: Hester Coucke

Kid drawings have helped Ann Larh perfect her brushstrokes.

Short Stack

Friend has been prodding me to make a short, smaller version of my stacks for some time because they might be more appealing size and price-wise. Finally had some time and inclination.

Found a little broken red lamp base at the Rebuilding Store that seemed like a perfect start, but the color red can be tricky. (See tiles below for these glazes post firing.)

Left a bit of surform texture on each of them for a second contrast color to sink into after I bisque them. 

Trouble with this is that the little small pieces take almost as much time as a large stack piece, just a lot less finish carving and glaze to paint them.

Greenware pieces, Cone 5 fired tiles.

Taking Stock

Me -- a few  years ago...

Twenty years ago in the early 90s I started building a pottery business. I'd been doing pottery for quite a few years with sales here and there. I had participated in Ceramic Showcase with VERY funky displays that at least improved year to year. My best pots seemed to sell, but I didn't have what one would call a "body of work" yet.

A friend was just beginning to do art fairs around the Northwest and encouraged me to do so with her. At the time I taught a hand building pottery class at the local community college, as well as being the lab rat/firing assistant for the studio. I was just beginning to build a downdraft kiln and shed, thanks to a friend with construction knowledge. And, I'd volunteered for a job with the Board of the Oregon Potters Assn as membership chair because I had a computer and knew how to use it.

Taking the good advice of others who were doing the fairs and wholesale markets, I invested in good professionally shot images. Voila, even tho I didn't know what I was doing, started getting acceptances into some good shows and art festival fairs. Within a couple of years I'd passed my modest sales goals and had been published in Ceramics Monthly -- something that was much easier to do back then -- one of my personal goals. So I set my sights a little higher, upped my production and began working my tail off to keep up.

So many factors, taken together, helped me grow my business:  support from partner, good friends, students in my class, and fellow OPA members who were happy to share advice. I read almost every small biz self-help book out there. Began with simple budgets, sales goals and record keeping. I got much better at being a production potter, and developed work schedules based on how much I could make in a day.

The early 90s economy was in a roller coaster ride back up from a recessionary dip from the end of the fast times 80s. As my business grew and I added wholesale accounts across the country, I got to ride the coaster up through some great sales years. Best years came in 1998 and 1999 when I got into every show I applied for, got flown back east to jury ACC Ceramics back in Fishkill, NY, turned 40, and served as OPA President.

Then the 2000s hit. In 2002 I only took two orders at San Francisco ACC and one cancelled before I got home. Galleries told me they still loved my work, but with another recession afoot, people were only purchasing brighter colored wares. (My earth tone glazes did not meet Pantone's "Colors of the Year" of pink, purple and orange together.) Some in the pottery world take that as a challenge to reinvent their work and change. I was not eager to do so myself and thought a hiatus until the economy picked up again would be better. Luckily the Fall Festival job landed at my feet.

Nine years later...As the FF job wound down I created sculpture for a show at the Guardino Gallery in Portland that comes down this weekend. Peapods, Wishes, little pieces of paper I likened to fortune cookie messages, sculptures with twists and turns -- these all popped up and even with all that symbology, it only hit me recently that I'm starting out all over again. Damn, starting out all over... I'm still processing, obviously...

Lucky Me, I've got two new classes on tap for Winter Term:  experiments in finishes so there will be a class of potters testing out all sorts of things for me, and an Art Marketing Support Group masquerading as a class that I'll be facilitating. I'm hopeful all of this kick-starts some new work and new ideas for selling pottery to the masses. Have been checking out galleries I worked with 10 years ago, and many of them are still going strong, Yay! I want to be ready to ride the next wave, should it come, UP!

What Inspires Us

The last time I was at Goodwill looking for inspiration I found  this tall multiple metal legged candle stand, complete with leftover white wired lace woven all around that can be used again. Since I'm in a phase of making sculptures to which I can add a weave of wire and paper, these looked promising as a different take on the whole business:  in this case sculpture added to the "wire."

Drilled through the center so that the sculpture could be attached to the stand via bolt and wing-nut. In the photo below the small bowl on the left will be the attachment point and the middle twist a "cap" that will fit over the top of it. The ball and piece on the right will be counterbalance weights at the base of the stand to keep it all from being too top heavy.

Haven't decided whether or not to add some more wire and paper to the wire itself. Guess I'll wait to see how the clay looks glazed, fired and attached.

Some New Slightly Different Forms

Another productive day in the studio. So nice having the sun's warmth for speeding things up a little. These pieces were cut out this morning, their two halves shaped and set in the sun for about 30 minutes, flipped and 30 minutes later they were being put together. Then a couple more hours outside, not in direct sunlight, to stiffen them up enough to carve into shape.

Below is the concept of this stacking sculpture with a couple different shaped toppers.
Of course what I start out trying to make never quite comes out as I intend, but that's ok.

Quickie sketch to try and map my way.

Here you can see that it took a couple good whacks with my paddle to get it out of it's morbidly lumpy shape into something a little nicer...

Tube on the left was closed up and
 inserted inside to finish piece for top of the stack.

Form refined a little more and now will be covered up and left to dry so that the wetter inside can even out with the dryer outside. It's getting there.

Gimme one more hour!

Spent today making pots in front of an audience of fellow potters at the Benton Center Pottery Studio at Linn-Benton Community College for the Spring Workshop. Took requests and someone wanted to see one of the more complex twists I do. Of course. 

Many have been made, but not many have been successful, but what the heck. It was a chance to let them see just how rough and crazy it all happens in real life. Decided to make a mini-version and cut out all the pieces to make two-thirds of the shape.

On my side: dry air, a couple extra hands, a concave form and a warm bisque kiln helped get the beginning shapes dried out enough to put together.

Against me: Time. It ran out before I could get the base part dry enough to add the final touches. Came home and used all the scraps that were still wet enough to piece together the top curved piece in gradual sections, and then goo glue it all together and gave it shape with some very soft clay. 

Tomorrow after this is dry enough to work on I'll attack it with my stainless rib with the teeth to give it more defined shape and then see if it's thick enough to carve.

Is It Done Yet?

"Seaform Figure" at Ceramic Showcase 2012

Theme shows can push us to explore in fun new ways. In the two weeks leading up to my deadline, the big piece in the middle of this photo was still in a state of Yuck! It was part of our Bette Feves Tribute installation at Ceramic Showcase last weekend at the Oregon Convention Center.

The base was a sculpture from 2010 (as it states so permanently next to my signature) but I'd never liked the top so it has been clogging my tiny studio since then waiting for me to do something with it. So I started my Betty tribute at a bit of a disadvantage as remaking tops to fit bottoms is always tricky. I erred on the side of too big instead of too small.

After firing the top, using the same clay body and layered velvet underglazes on it as I had the bottom, the results were very different and mis-matched looking. So heated up the entire sculpture, added Apt 2 to some white glaze to have a clean surface to start anew and cooked it. Still not so great. Another coat of white to cover it all up a bit more. Finally just a hint of its previous life showing through. While still warm from the kiln dripped and poured some glazes, ala Betty, and back in the kiln to cook. It took a few hot from the kiln glaze painting, dripping and pouring sessions (8 in all) to get this pebbly, drippy look. At the show, with these other pieces the blue worked just fine. Love how the drips accentuate the curves. But now back at home there might be a 9th firing in her future...

New Series Baby Steps

Ceramic Boat with wire and paper skin

Amazing what a deadline can do. Last week the bi-monthly critique group was scheduled to meet at my house and I needed something to share with the group. Since last year I've been working on these ceramic forms that have holes around the edge so they can be wired up later. I've got several kicking around the studio now in various stage of greenware and bisque. Trouble was I didn't know how to finish the inside surface and so couldn't do the wiring until the inside was finished, blah, blah, blah. Stymied. Finally told myself that if I didn't like it I could just take it apart and try something else. D'oh.

Ended up making some simple pencil accent marks and adding a little gold leaf to the small center section that can be seen through the reveal space in the center. Turned out I liked how the simple inside and outter skin turned out. Received good feedback from the critiquers that simple worked. Suggestions were to beef up the center contrast a little and leave it as a boat instead of working to make it a hanging piece as I'd originally intended. Will do.

A small reveal in the skin allows for peeks into the inside

So much Greenware, so little time...

I've done it again... clogged my tiny studio with too much greenware I'm having to hop around and keep the dogs from running over. All are pieces I'm not sure how it to glaze/decorate now, and so they sit taking up valuable room and foam padding.

After so many years suggesting to students that one should have a vision of the completed piece in mind as one constructs, I rarely follow my own advice, instead just making shapes and hoping they'll turn out.

These pieces are the start of a couple stacking sculpture. I go back and forth wanting to glaze them differently than the bright colors, stripes and dots I've done before, and then worry that if I put too much thought into it I'll wreck the whole thing for sure. Too much time invested already for that.

If I can find the space, I may start Stacker #2 as some of these pieces may fit better into the next piece than this one. Maybe, just maybe that will help me decide how to bring Stacker #1 to a close.

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.

Phase One of a New Series

This form, created a couple weeks ago, was bisque fired and received some color via oil paints mixed with cold wax medium. Hard to see in these photos, but when dry, the surface was buffed to a nice waxy sheen. Feels nice. Kept the colors simple. At some point it came to me that I was painting the colors of a big egg--one with concentric hollows inside.

WIred it up using some little tin weights from the fishing supply store and should've taken a photo with just the wire web before adding the tissue. But, impatient person that I am working in fits and starts, I just wanted to get down to adding the paper. First thought was using some old letters on air-gramme paper. Nice with the text on it but not thin enough. Next, tried my old high school graduation present bible's tissue paper pages, cutting out the GENESIS of the first page. (Calling Dr. Freud!). Still a little too thick. Settled on some tissue wrapping paper with some bits of text added for good measure.

It's funny when a piece is filled with so much symbology that just happened due to the materials on hand. As the start of a new series of work, an egg-shaped Genesis is pretty funny as well as apropo.

Expanding an Idea

Behold... something new from the studio. (Ha! doesn't it feel that monumental some days!)

These are first editions for The Arts Center's Portals show later on this year.

Last month attended the mini-workshop hosted by Gale Everett-Stahlke of the StickStones PaperStew Blog. She showed how to create wire sculptures with either layered paper or gut skins. It was a process that I thought could be a nice variation on the "inside/outside" theme I've toyed with over the years on the sculptures with 23k gold leaf (see example below).

Anyhoo, these two porcelain beauties have had some holes made in them for wiring up after they've been fired. Both were pinch pots that just grew organically as I pinched. On the first one I tried to smooth out my finger marks and on the second one I accentuated them. I'm going to low-fire cook them so that the clay will accept some cold wax/oil paint treatment after they've been fired.

Will be interesting to see where this goes from here.

What Inspires Us?

Oooh, to make beautiful sculpture as nice as this weathered log. Saw some beauties on the Big Island this year. This one was at a sweet little beach at Waialea Bay. Gentle waves the day we were there but the trade winds were blowing just enough to drive us off the beach a little earlier than we'd planned. We're wimps.

Undulations and smoothness, little surprises in places, and one big dramatic flourish.

What more could one want in a sculpture?

Now, how to translate into something I can actually make in my studio...

Crumbly Lemonade

I thought this piece was dry enough and that my firing cycle long enough to dry it thoroughly through and through... but in the very first rise of the kiln up to 200 degrees, when water begins to boil, there were some pockets of wet deep within, and that little bit of steam caused all this mess.

The bad news was that about $20+ worth of underglazes were layered onto this sucker and it wasted a bunch of energy blowing it up and then turning it into gravel.

The good news, if there is any, is that this was a piece that I wasn't so sure about. I'm saved several hours of sanding and mess and another firing. And there's one less big, heavy piece to haul up to the show--tho I'm SURE it would've sold if I'd had it there. It was still an interesting piece to work on and learn from during the forming process.

The longer I'm a potter the more I learn what silly mistakes I can make.

July Already?

This prototype is an experiment for another ceramic/glass collaboration between Jerri Bartholomew and me. I've made this hollow clay module with an inside ledge for the glass and one screw hole attachment point. The slab piece will be what the glass can be hump molded over and hopefully after the clay shrinkage the glass piece will still fit in snugly like this slab does. The glass will be cut in a much more interesting shape -- the slab is just to get the curve right for the glass.