Work and Roots

The biggest thing today is that it's the final day of the quarter at SCAD and I am stoked!  I get to start my week vacation tomorrow and it's going to be unending studio time for this chick.  I thought that I had left my procrastinating ways back in undergrad, but no...no.  It's exactly one week before I need to leave to go to the group show in Roswell and I still need to make and fire work.  I am going to try to creatively kick ass, but it's going to be intense.

Yesterday I made some white terra sig, and I need to go home tonight and decant it, but I'm so excited to try it out.  I'm not going to use it on the pots for the show, but hopefully it will be incorporated into some future work.  For the show, I am planning on making a few more caged pieces with more complex decoration on the interior.  It looks as if my buyer for the "caged teapot" wasn't real or maybe lost interest, but I am very relieved.  I know it means not making dinero, but I really needed the piece for the show.

My cloud mold is awesome now.  There was some serious sticking that occurred with the prototype, so I had to saw the top portion in half with a ban saw, but I was able to repair it with epoxy and plaster.  I want to go home tonight and make a cast.  I hope to have one or two for the show.  ::crosses fingers::

So the adventure with trying to reglaze the plates did not work out.  Most of them cracked.  I was unwilling to accept that most of that hard work was lost, but now I have to suck it up.  I got an extension on the deadline for the final order, so in the midst of all my crazy studio time next week, I will be cleaning more plates.  My earlier celebration for completing the UG commission was premature.  This time I will do it right (buy an expensive bottle of alcohol and have a dance off when the UPS truck picks up the box). :)

In other news, I also found out about a month ago that Yves, Jessica, and I will have a exhibition space at NCECA in Houston, TX.  The theme of the show is "Transplant." At first, I was not thrilled about the idea, because I haven't fully executed the current ideas I have now, and making work with a new theme seems unfair.  Then, I did some research about the word and found my niche.  I brainstormed in my sketch book and "I'm back in the game." It has to do with roots, but I'll explain more on that later.

Onward to the studio...

UG, Kilns, and Roswell...

I'm a little tired right now because I stayed up a little later than normal last night packing a few pieces to be shipped to UG.  I recently had the great misfortune of under-firing my plates in the decal firing.  In my last experience, I lost quite a few plates when I had to re-fire and that's what happened in the this batch.  There was weird bubbling on the black glaze on the back, so instead of sending them 20 plates, I could only send them 8. :(  I am going to try to re-fire some of those again and see what happens.

Speaking of re-firing...

look who got her kilns hooked up!  I got an electrician out to look at the connection on Thursday, and he was out hooking up the kilns on Saturday!  It is such a luxury to have a kiln at my house where I don't have to rely on anyone else's schedule.  Since they are on my back porch, I'm going to add clear plastic over a few of the screens so that there won't be any water damage to mah babies.  I have ordered kiln shelves and posts that I hope to get in the mail by the end of this week (c'mon Clay King!).  The only unfortunate thing is that I didn't realize that the larger kiln's inside diameter was so small.  I will only be able to fit one plate per shelf.  A friend recommended that I should use plate setters, so I have a few of those ordered as well.  I will see how those work with the clouded beasts.  

In other news, I think having my kilns hooked up has reignited my motivation to make new work for the Roswell show.  I've felt so overwhelmed during the past few weeks (months maybe), that when the weekend rolls around I just want to sit and veg in front of a book or the TV.  I need to figure out a balance between working on my new work and UG, so that I don't feel burnt out.  I have a couple of great ideas that I really want to start creating.  I don't have lots of time left to make pieces, but I'm going to try!  Here is the post card for the show (June 8-August 10).  

Excitement and a bit of boasting...

I got my prototype back from the printer.  It is so exciting!  Here are two different angles of the prototype (please excuse the crummy photoshopping).  I have a few more steps to take before I can make the mold.  I have applied a primer and sanded using everything from 110-400 grade paper.  I need to fill in some of the seams from the printer and sand some more and then I can make the mold tomorrow.

And finally, after all that hard work, UG commission is almost through and I am finally reaping the benefits.  Besides getting paid for the work, publicity is the next best thing. :)  If you don't have a catalog, get one today!

The Gulfstream Experience

At SCAD, we have a very amazing building, Gulfstream, that houses the furniture and industrial design majors.  I have been submerged in that community recently because I am involved with a few projects there.  

For my first project, I am learning how to weld.  I am creating two custom made glaze carts (see incredible depiction below) that will accommodate a small space that is at the end of two tables in the room. 

I met last Friday with a very capable individual at Gulfstream to begin the welding process. I would just like to insert here, that just because I'm a ceramicist, doesn't mean that I'm a pyromaniac.  It was quite interesting trying to use a Mig welder that leaves a spray of steel everywhere, but I kinda enjoyed it after I got the hang of it.   I learned how to make coils and dots.  It was a very basic session, but I decided to assemble my tests into an interesting piece of junk, which now serves as a business card holder residing in my office.

  

Email me for details on how to purchase this wonderful and one of a kind piece of artwork. :)

For my next project, I am assisting our Ceramic Tableware Design Class in a collaborative project with a Furniture Design class Accessories for Living.  The first part of the project is to create a prototype of the form you want to make using 3D modeling software.  I created the raw bones of my cloud bowl in Adobe Illustrator and I emailed my design to Justin, the technician in Gulfstream who is assisting the class as well. He is familiar with Rhinoceros (one type of software, which I would love to learn how to use one day), so he took my drawings and creates these:

I will get to "print" this prototype by using a FDM (fused deposition modeling) plastic printing.  There is a particular machine that prints this shape in a closed chamber. It divides the shape into layers and builds each one at a time.  I then have to sand the prototype to erase the appearance of the layered marks, but after that, I will get to use this form to make a plaster mold.  This will then become a ceramic bowl that I intend to function as a dessert bowl (think banana split or ice cream sundae).  I will get to print this week and start sanding soon.  

The advantage to using this type of system is that I can get an exact prototype free of any unwanted marks or undercuts in a few simple steps.  Typically you would either make the shape by hand or use a found object.  I like this system because it incorporates both of these aspects.  I'm way too excited about this.

Other good news, I have shipped 84 plates to UG.  I am firing 25 more right now and hopefully I can glaze those this week so I can have those shipped out by late next week.  Almost there...!

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

I get overwhelmed relatively easily. Take for instance, last Tuesday...coffee spills, non-punctuality, and obstinate students were only the minor details. I found out that Uncommon Goods wanted my birds and clouds plate and bowl set (yay!), but they wanted 375 sets by the summer. Half of that they wanted by April 1. That may not seem like a lot, but let me just tell you, it's something. The reason they needed so many is that they wanted to put my pieces in their catalog as well as online. This means that it would get a lot more exposure and theoretically, more people would buy it. The kicker was when I started to imagine shipping 180 dinnerware sets. I told the UG rep that I really needed to think about it, and probably drink a few bottles of wine before I could give her an answer.

Here were some of my thoughts after getting off the phone with her: This is a great opportunity. Do I really want to be a machine and produce all of those pieces? This could make me a nice sum of money. Will I have the time to balance all the deadlines I already have plus this? I could never get another chance to do this again. How the hell will I fire all those pieces?

Let's skip ahead a bit to my interview at Kobo that night. I was not on my game as far as organized thought goes. I think I made a good impression, but I was stressed out/overwhelmed and I'm pretty sure that showed. I know that letting gallery owners know that you're crazy busy probably isn't the best idea, but these things I can't always disguise, so honestly I'm willing to let fate be the judge of this one. I'm thinking it will take at least 3 weeks for them to determine if they want me or not.

Back to the UG...I told the rep that I couldn't do it. I sat down with Josh and he helped me realize that the number was something that I couldn't produce and it wasn't worth the stress or time. The rep emailed me back and said,

"I was thinking about this a lot and really believe in you and your product. I don’t want to pressure you and I really appreciate your honesty about your capacity."

She then proceeds to explain that the purchasing team decided that my selling price was too low. If we increased the price, this would decrease the number of product they would need. Instead of 375, they would want 288, and need 125 by April 7. In addition, I would get about $10 extra for every set. I reviewed the numbers again and decided to accept the offer! I wasn't even trying to negotiate, I was just being honest. 

I was really encouraged by UG's diligence and it reignited something within me. Instead of being stressed, I'm pretty excited to do this again. Currently, I'm making more molds so I can increase my production.

Among other things, I also have a summer group show lined up. I need to start producing some pieces for that, but while I'm making molds, I decided to tackle the wine glass. I broke the foot in half, but figured I'll fix the mold and trash the prototype. At least I did drink out of the glass first.

Lately...

I've been trying to set up a few money making adventures to fund my ceramic expenses.  They are all currently in progress, which does nothing to provide income, but hopefully they will be fruitful.

• I'm trying to set up an interview with Kobo gallery for this weekend.  Then I will have to deliver work to them so that the rest of the members will vote whether they like my work or not.  ::crosses fingers::

• I'm also waiting on Uncommon Goods to tell me if they want to sell my Birds and Clouds Dinnerware.  I sent them a sample, that I really, REALLY hope made it in one piece.  I was lazy with packing and now I'm nervous about it.  If they do vote on me, then my work will be in their Summer catalog. 

• My night class at Savannah's Clay Spot met for the first time last night.  It seems to be a really great and gifted group of individuals.  

• I also might get the opportunity to teach clay to middle and high school students in February during a week long workshop.  I will be teaching at Savannah Christian Prep School for their Art Blitz Program where various artist come and give workshops.  It's a pretty cool thing, and I seem to be getting a wide range of teaching experience lately, so why not add middle and high school students to it?

Also, I've started editing some photos from the work that I've been doing lately.  I'll leave you with a finished photo. :)

Gearing up for a New Year...

As the final days that will bring in the New Year are quickly approaching, I'm feeling really good about what 2012 will bring.  I feel I made a lot of progress in 2011 for my ceramics career, and now that I have an understanding for applying to shows and displaying my pottery in fairs, I want to try to tackle even more projects in 2012.  I told Josh about a few of my goals last night, and he essentially told me that I should be wary of taking on too much.  I feel as if I've had a good amount of extra time on the weekends that wasn't spent accomplishing things; just me being very lazy, so I think I shouldn't be overwhelmed...maybe. :)

A few of the things I have lined up for 2012:

~I mentioned that I was accepted into a cup show in Baltimore, and I was also accepted into one at The Clay Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI.

~My gallery in Savannah has decided to not renew their lease on the space, so I am trying to sell my work in other places.  I applied to be a member of Kobo Gallery in City Market.  It's a co-op, so I have to pay a monthly fee if I am accepted, but I think it will be a good opportunity to sell my work.

~Jessica Broad and I are applying to an art festival in Hilton Head, SC in April.  We'll find out near the end of January if we were accepted. Before the Merry Art Market was finished, we took an image of our "booth setup." Check it out:

~I will be teaching at Savannah's Clay Spot on Monday nights again.  I already have 4 people signed up for their spots.  I'm pretty excited, because I want to try a new teaching style that I haven't used.

~I wanted to have 10-12 new portfolio pieces completed that I could submit for grad school applications before the Holidays were over.  I have started, but not finished a single one.  I have the ideas present, so I just need to sit down a make, make, make.  So that is on the agenda for 2012 as well.  I need to look into what the deadlines are for applications pretty soon.

~I also need to create work for 3-4 potential group shows. I actually just remembered those.

Those are a few of my resolutions for 2012, but to step back into this year, guess what came in the mail yesterday?!

I'm very excited to make a mold of this super sized wine glass.  Since my casting slip shrinks so much, I knew that I should find something larger than a normal wine glass to create my mold.  I got this along with a copy of Mold Making & Slip Casting by Andrew Martin- a book I've wanted for a long time.  I'm starting to realize that I'm a big fan of taking familiar objects and recreating them in clay.  I've pondered the idea of creating my own line of jars and glasses and selling them on Etsy.  There is another artist (Meredith Host) who has 2 separate lines of work that she uses for galleries and for art fairs.  I think these would be fun to decorate and sell.  I also looked into super sized martini and margarita glass.  I love booze! :)

I have a few things I want to finish before Josh and I pack up and head to Florence, SC, for Christmas.  I have half of a kiln filled with glaze/bisque.  I am trying to figure out my kiln loading/scheduling for using two clay bodies that fire at different temps.  Thankfully there are some cross overs (ex: I can fire decals on ^6 clay at ^04), so it shouldn't be that difficult, but I know that firing a glaze and a bisque in one kiln can have it's consequences. I'm venting the kiln (leaving the lid partially open throughout the firing), so we'll see how that turns out.  I also have some things being fired at Lisa's that are lovely little presents for some happy people.

Oh and I finally made a mold for a larger cloud plate for the Birds and Clouds Dinnerware.  I hope to have one of those and a bowl made for Uncommon Goods before the New Year, so they can decide if they want my pieces or not.

I hope that everyone's Christmas is exceptional and that the ending of the old year captures the hope and anticipation of the new.  Happy Holidays!

Merry Markets and Winter Whines

Hello, hello.  It's been a really long time, but I blame that on the Holidays. :)
A few updates:

Tomorrow night is the opening reception for the SCAD Small Works 2011.  I have a few pieces in the show this year.  It's typically a great show for the holidays because of the affordable nature of the artwork. 










Last Saturday was the first Merry Market.  It was quite delightful.  There was a lot of really great work that included: ceramic cups, plates, bowls, pitchers, teapots; wooden salt and pepper grinders and cutting boards; jewelry; framed stained glass; paintings; photographs; mixed media holiday ornaments and ceramic garden sculpture.  It was really bright and colorful.  I took a lot of photos, but I am only going to post a few.  All of the images are on my facebook, so you can view the rest there.  It is the first year for the sale, so in spite of our attempts to bombard people with flyers and lure them in with tasty cookies and cider, it seemed that after lunch, the crowd died down.  We are hoping that people were just waiting until the next weekends to spend all of their money on Christmas gifts. :)  I have ceramic ornaments in the kiln right now, that will hopefully make it out in time for the sale this Saturday.  

My table.

View entering Market.

Jessica Broad's table. She's so cool.

Overview of the sale.

Steve (wood), Stephanie (ceramics), and Jessica's (ceramics) table.

In other news, I didn't win the ceramic competition with Uncommon Goods.  I think I lost the voting by a good 200 votes.  Apparently, I really don't have that many friends. :D  However, I was contacted by Uncommon Goods this past week because they are interested in selling two of my pieces from my Birds and Clouds dinnerware set.  I need to make a few more molds before I can get started on the project, but I am really excited by the opportunity and interested to see how easy/difficult it will be to work with a company. 

And the largest project that is underway, is at work.  Alexander Hall is getting a makeover during Winter break, so that means lots of loud noises and strange smells that are not pleasant.  My old office was destroyed and rebuilt, and given to someone else altogether.  I am going to be moving into what is supposed to be a more awesome location come January.  Until then, the computer access has been weird, so the entries may not get any more consistent until I have a stable environment again. :)

Happy Holidays everyone and support local artists by giving the gift of handmade!