today i spent the day helping install a show at a gallery in old city. it was great to spend the day with 3 such well established, interesting and very amicable artists. i find it very important and inspiring to be around people you respect, especially really amazing women. i wish i would have thought to take a picture or two of installation but anyway, if you’re in the area, definitely check out the show at the rosenfeld gallery.
it’s always such a struggle, but it feels so good when, for a little while anyway, you can feel confident in your artist’s statement. g.m. told me the other day, “no one writes there artist’s statement alone.” what a relief! he helped me out fundamentally, providing primary guidance, as well as other friends and artists, all of whom i respect a great deal. getting feedback from a variety of people really helped A LOT. when i saw people’s responses i really got an idea of what was actually coming across in my words.
thanks SO MUCH to everyone who provided me with their feedback.
and if you haven’t read it yet, check it out here and let me know what you think.
sorry for the rough pics. they are from my phone. anyway, i’m still plugging away in the studio. the trip to florida, and working quite a bit has been keeping me away more than i would like, but that’s the way it goes. in addition to my regular job i’ve been doing something really fun and educational assisting a local artist. so far we’ve installed a piece at the nceca invitiational and pulled some stuff out of storage, organized and packed up work. it’s a really wonderful experience. i’m learning a lot just seeing how she does things.
i’ve got some aps in the works, and a few deadlines coming up. like every other ceramic artist at the moment, i’m scurrying to finish up aps and wondering what i’ll be doing next fall.
in the studio i’ve been amassing some work, but i’m still really struggling with how to finish it. i haven’t even bisqued any large sculptures yet. i’m waiting for them to get super bone dry, but i’ve been keeping plastic on them for weeks. i’m afraid to keep them uncovered and risk cracking. and since i don’t know exactly how i’ll finish them i need them to be perfectly smooth. ehhhhh, finished work…..sometime….eventually…….:-)
new sculpture in progress….
studio mate e. with her giant math mold……
fauna installation.
this week i was honored to be part of a four person show curated by kara walker tome in west palm beach. the show took place at the whitebox at the whitespace, the personal collection of west palm beach couple elayne and marvin mordes.
the space was mind blowing. you enter from the back and walk into a beautiful, labyrinth of a museum-like space. white walls and gray floors act as a backdrop to the fanciful and exciting collection of cutting edge contemporary 2D and 3D art including gilbert and george, frank gehry and gelatin (among many, many others). one of the back walls actually turns on an axis point and allows access to the mordes’ home. it’s totally wild. a portion of the space has been used this season for a series of exhibitions featuring regional artists. the last of the series, “approaching nature” opened on friday.
the very good company i was in consisted of ryan toth, rick newton and bethany krull.
on a warm and fuzzy note, i really could not have pulled off this installation with out tons of help from my friends (and a lot of cooperation and understanding from the curator.) i flew in on wednesday, then second day of installation for the show. a.w. my bestie, was in philly with me so we flew down together. we got picked up by m.m. just in time for surprise brunch for 4 other friends who were in town. the brunch graciously swelled to include us and we got to breakfast on home made eggs, greens, plantains, potatoes, tortilla’s and beans (yummmmm).
after that we headed to AAA sod and supply, my “sponsors” who helped me out with my crushed shell needs. the owner there is such a cool guy. he totally remembered me and asked after j.w. my partner in crime during the 2008 10 x 10 show (during which he gifted a van full of crushed shell and garden stones). we then loaded up and headed to the whitespace.
installation went pretty well, we ran into a few snags but a.w. and j.g. were there helping out with heavy lifting and strategies. i don’t think i could install a show with out a.w. lending her good eye and moral support.
of course all this running around was done in the car m.m. so lovingly lent. a lot of other people where involved behind the scenes to make that happen (c.j., w.) and s.s. came out the day before the deliver my work to the space and i’ve been crashing on her super comfortable couch all week. all this not even including everyone who came out to the show, or my new friend l.a. who i’ve been hanging with all week.
basically, i didn’t realize just how much would go into making this installation happen. somewhere else i would have had to rent a car or truck, run around, hire an assistant (or something??) but it feels really good to have so much support and encouragment from my friends. it was highly tight, budget wise, for me to make it down here, and i really appreciate everyone who helped make it happen. :- ) love love….
went out to aaa sod and supply to get some crushed shell.
in 2008 they gifted the materials for this installation, and are total supporters of the arts.
garden path
well, the big challenge of my new studio life is all this talking. for me, talking, speculation, thinking out loud, comes naturally. but i usually just try to keep my mouth shut when it comes to my work. on the one hand, i’m not so confident talking about my work. on the other, i do think there is a bit of fantasy in my work and i don’t want to give people words to hinge their interpretation on.
it’s about nature, and the nature of things. ehhhhhh, blehh.
maybe this is something i should continue writing about. we’ll see. anyway, here are some shots red sent me of the shot glasses i made for the anagama firing before leaving florida. hopefully soon i’ll get to post shots of all the lovely shot glasses i receive!
thanks red, for the sweet shots!
it’s really weird not living 8 blocks from the studio. i start my job (reproductive health clinic) tomorrow and my schedule is going to be something like thurs-sat. so once i finished up some wall pieces and the sculpture i posted a pic of yesterday, i realized there wasn’t much point in starting anything else. once i get accustomed to these train schedules (and it’s not so death-by-hypothermia cold) i might be able to swing nightly visits to the studio but for the time being i think my best bet might be to work on pieces start-to-finish sunday through wednesday.
today i went with new friend m.d. to visit a very well known local sculptor. i’ll be working with her a few days in the next months prepping/installing work before and after NCECA. her studio was beautiful. seeing her work in person (in the gallery) and in different stages of completion (in the studio) was breathtaking. her husband is also a well established sculptor and it was really inspiring to meet them both. they were super friendly and chatty and asked lots of questions, which of course i kind of geeked out while answering. (i.e. way too long description of the japanese alphabets…….) when i really would have like to hear more about them and their journey to where they are now. hmmmm, well moving forward, i hope to get a little more insight.
adjusting to northern temperatures. and being a sort-of student.
got warmed up making some small wall pieces.
during our studio meeting g.m. decided it would be fun to cut them up and stick them together. it was kind of bizarre to see someone esle making stuff out of my work.
cell division.
northern studio, check out the boots on the bottom and the pile of winter clothes up top.
i may have a snuggee for a curtain at the moment but i’m pretty much totally unpacked and moved into my sweet west philly apartment. bg, my new roommate met me at the train station and we squeezed all of my possessions into her spacious hatchback.
this is what i was working with. sweet windows and nice floors.
everything is unpacked but some stuff still needs a place. and i definitely need some sweet curtains for these tall windows. in the meantime a few glimpses of my space…
shadow boxes with work and tchotchkes from all over.
bowl and saucer by sarah tancred, octopus rattle by kelly sullivan
mini wall piece by jamie bardsley
wall button by kelly sullivan
another wall button and one of my first art purchases, plate by lisa orr