here is the latest in the series of chicken butts. i started another one today and 3 will go into the soda kiln tomorrow. j and i are loading tomorrow, firing saturday. should be fun!
Tag Archives: clay
studio day
ok, i’ve been working full time for about a month now. in theory it’s not many more hours but it’s really kicking my ass. i feel the days passing, get up, go to work, take care of mundane tasks, get into bed, restart. it’s not a nice feeling. there is so little time to just “be around” the studio. the salt and soda kiln have been fired in the last week and i wasn’t present for either. it’s not the one job, of course, it’s just that between working in sarasota, with the commuting, and part time at creative clay, and one day the the clay co my days are packed and i’m starting to feel a little claustrophobic. i love all the things i do but everyone needs a little spare time right? ok, my pity party is over. today i did have the day off and i got to work in the studio for the majority of it. i finished up a third in the chicken butt series and started a fourth. j- and i are going to fire the soda kiln this weekend and i’m hopeing to get all four of them in. i’m always pushing it to the last minute with firings…
number 3
family
work for sale at st. pete clay.
the garden and flower sale was a success. everything ran smoothly and i even sold some of my work. today was great as plenty of friendly faces came out to support the cause. it’s so awesome to see people buying handmade (and hand grown) products. with the economy continuing to tank i think it is our responsibility to keep buying handmade objects. walmart may be able to sell everything under the sun cheaper than a bag of clay, but when walmart tanks too, where will we be? let’s keep supporting each other, bartering and doing it ourselves!
planters with succulents (separated and rooted by my mom from her own collection of succulents) still available at st. pete clay for a limited time. anyone interested in some free plants or trees for their yard should plan a visit to the gugliotti’s house in sarasota county. my dad loves to share his plants.
chicken butt
another chicken butt friend is complete. i’m drying these guys really slow, so no cracks show up. coiling with porcelain is fun!
st. pete clay co. annual flower and garden sale.
St. Petersburg Clay Company’s
‘ANNUAL FLOWER & GARDEN ART SHOW’
Looking for a creative way to spice up your home and garden? Look no further. St Petersburg Clay Company is hosting their one-of-a-kind Annual Flower and Garden Art Show on June 6th & 7th from 10am – 4pm. The show will be filled with unique ceramic sculptures, plaques, vases, pots and much, much more. All items are handmade by local artists. In addition to the ceramic wares, St. Petersburg Clay Company is hosting a variety of artists whose mediums include glass and metal. There will be rare orchids, one of a kind bonsai, tropical plant vendors, wine tasting, along with The Florida Garden Railway Society and Creative Clay will also be featured.
This is a great event for all ages. Tie dying and spin art on the potter’s wheel will be offered for both the young and the young at heart. And for those that wish to sit back and relax, there will be food, beverages and demonstrations throughout the entire event. Come join the local artists, vendors, and your fellow community members at St. Petersburg Clay Company located in the Historic Seaboard Train Station on the corner of 22nd Street and 5th Avenue South. Free Admission. Free Parking.
Annual Flower & Garden Art Show
June 6th & 7th 10am to 4pm
At St. Petersburg Clay Company
420 22nd Street South
St. Petersburg, FL. 33712
Phone (727) 896- 2529
Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm.
hello weekend.
first saturday a.i.r. day. artists in residence are required to put in 1 work day per week and my day is now saturday. everyday is different, depending on the flow of the week. i thought i had a pretty busy day before (tuesday) but today was rough! after cleaning toliets, dumping overflowing garbage, setting up a classroom area and loading two kilns we tore down a clay pit/structure?? made from cinder blocks and full of peter king clay. here’s a “sculpture” i built with the blocks and the pile next to it is the clay we hauled over. everything was heavy. jr, the regular saturday guy was leaving me in the dust when it came to to shoveling clay but whatever, we got everything done and cleared up.
cinder block pyramid
crazy days
i’ve had lots to post about but nothing but technological difficulties. i bought a camera a month or so ago and it seems to be malfuctioning, actually it won’t even turn on. am i cursed with all things electronic? and in addition my laptop seems to be on it’s last breath. i’m going to have to give in and get a new one soon.
but anyway, lots of stuff has been going on. preparation for showtel 7 has been underway. all my little microbes got finished up. i ended up soda firing them and was pleased with the results.
working with the kiln tech to check my work i sorta kinda “solo” fired the minnasota flattop and the soda kiln sunday. rudy, the flattop was done in a sweet 12 hours but our new soda takes a little longer. we had it done in 16 which is about average. hopefully as it gets fired more and we get to know it better the average time will decrease a little bit.
our kiln tech is a really great teacher and i’ve learned a buttload from him over the course of my residency. the soda kiln is a nice size to fill a load of my work and and fire solo, or to split with another resident. after finishing up sunday evening, i was already amped to start making work for the next one.
i’m getting really interested in the soda finish i’ve been getting on raw porcelain. i love the gray color and peach blushing that is typical of a soda fire, but for my work, the clean orange peel sheen is the best. especially when you get the little gray squiggles. i have so much detail in the form that putting glaze over it always seems like a bummer, but the soda sheen just coats it nicely, finishing it off. we’ve been firing to about cone 10 each firing, but next time, when i can fill the kiln or split it with j who also uses porcelain i’d like to push it to cone 11 or 12 and really max on the soda.
anyway, tuesday we were able to unload. everything came out great and is headed down to west palm with me today. showtel 7 is saturday. if you happen to be in the area, come on out!
microbes pre-fire. will post fired pictures and installation shots asap.
monster pile
monster egg sac
top of monster
monster detail
worm
www.pickledeggplant.etsy.com
my etsy shop is finally up! visit at www.pickledeggplant.etsy.com. these lovely wall pieces are for sale.
packet wall hanging
bundle
stratum
clump
cluster
lazy lazy but thinking…
this has been a month of gathering. i’ve continued work on my wall pieces at a snail’s pace, but taken time a few evenings each week to flip through books and websites, researching for my next body of work. i selected a few books from my shelf: college biology text, microscopic photography, louise bourgios exhibition catalogue as well as the global feminisms catologue and a contemporary art text, also from college. i learned a few things. almost every page of the global feminisms catalogue features figuritive art. robert arneson was a pop artists working directly with clay in the 60’s. jason briggs’ work is freaking amazing and i wish i could see him demonstrate. i remembered how very attractive eva hesse’s forms and materials are. reading the abc’s of louise bourgeios presents art about you familial obsessions as rather favorable, i mean, since i’m obsessed with it anyway.
i guess in a way family is biological. the way we are tied to people genetically is disturbing and uncomfortable. the way we are tied to people who do not share dna with us is biological as well. maybe this is why the figure factors so prominently in feminist work, or, you know, art in general, because people are obsessed with other people, the way they shape up, nurture us (which could be a good thing or a bad thing), mess with us, etc.
it’s like you spend the first half of your life figuring out why things are the way they are and then the second half realizing that it doesn’t matter because you just have to play the hand your dealt regardless of why…
but i’m not sure where this leaves me. there is a lot going on in my brain but it hasn’t puked itself out yet into images to be assembled.
a problem i had with the garden path was that it was too pretty. working in such a rapid way allowed the process to become more important than the concept. i’m not very prolific generally and maybe that’s why. the process is important, it’s the fun and the flow of the peice but the process is not the point. the process is a tool which allows the peice to make it’s point.
i could make a sign that says “the world is fucked up” or “i’ll vacuum my uterus if i want to” or “racists are so lame and boring” but that wouldn’t be very much fun would it?
new year, new life.
today is 2009. it’s been a long year. i started the year in tokyo, with a long term romantic partner and a job at rbr art center and even though things seemed to be in place i wasn’t happy, one year later, here i am, working at a great job and creative clay, partnerless, in residence at st. pete clay and feeling pretty good. (i don’t miss tokyo or rbr, but i certainly miss my former partner masa, who is the best person you could ever meet. geography is a harsh factor sometimes) but it just goes to show you that life isn’t perfect and pretty all the time, sometimes you have to give up something you like the best for things to move forward.
finally, after of a week of turtle life i moved my stuff into the new place with the help of my brother. i’ll be living with on of the girls from the studio in a big place (a couple of blocks away from the old). we’ll each be on a different side of the house with the kitchen and living room in between and we even have our own bathrooms. A LOT more space then my little garage apartment!
speaking of turtles, this month i’ve been working at a turtle’s pace in the studio. i’ve completed another set of wall hangings, but that’s about it.
so new year, new life and more time in the studio starting now with the help of my favorite christmas gift, the hand built sculpture stands from my brother. he built three, sized so that they nest together when not in use. (pictures coming soon).
and of course some obligatory new year’s resolutions:
1. get my etsy shop up.
2. start taking some yoga classes or JAZZERCISE!
3. if it’s in st. pete, bike there ALWAYS and bike the pinellas trail.
happy new year and akemashite omedetou!