Excursion

Walking in nature always bombards my brain with new ideas. I needed some inspiration for my new work, to think about textures and concepts, so I drove over to the George Washington Parkway and parked next to the Potomac river. It's one of those things I'm always intending to do, but somehow never have time for, so it was great to finally go do it. I walked around the Theodore Roosevelt Island, which is accessible only by a pedestrian bridge, and felt ideas sparking from the textures of the trees (from the bark, mushrooms, sworls in old bare wood, fallen logs, etc).

Next I walked south on the GW bike path that travels parallel to the GW parkway, right on the river, and found a pretty place to sketch. I wasn't sketching the view; I just wanted a beautiful place to relax in while I captured on paper (or tried to, anyway) all the ideas I'd been mulling over for my show. I could see the Washington Monument across the river, and I watched a kayaker take advantage of the beautiful day. I need to do this more often.

On Slip

I forgot how irritating slip that comes in bags is. So far, I have not had the time to devote to mixing slip from dry clay, and have resorted to simply buying slip in the type of clay I need (for pouring into the plaster molds). It comes in two-gallon bags that you then have to somehow transfer to another container. I always forget that it's not going to be perfectly mixed slip and assume that I can cut a hole in a corner of the bag and pour it into a funnel over a couple of gallon plastic jugs. Inevitably, like today, I end up with the slip all over the place because it's thicker than I expected and won't go smoothly through the funnel or even through the hole in the bag sometimes.

Purchased slip is too expensive for me to have to deal with that kind of trouble every time I get it. Therefore, I am going to mix my own slip from dry powdered clay from now on. Does anyone else do this, and if so do you have any comments about which clay you prefer, or tips on the mixing and pouring process?

Pouring Plaster Molds

During my last show, I realized that several of my pieces could be slipcast because they had no undercuts. Most of my work was created by the East Asian Wedged Coil technique, but it is a painstaking process that yields only one sculpture. This creates a problem for me because one of my weakest skills is glazing. I often find myself paralyzed with indecision about how to finish a sculpture, because a poor choice would mean ruining weeks or months of work.

For my graduate certificate show, I chose two coiled sculptures and slipcast them. Rather, I created a new solid model of each sculpture (and took the opportunity to improve it) and created a 2-part plaster mold of it. Then I slipcast each one about three times, and glazed each one differently. The freedom of being able to experiment was wonderful, and those pieces were some of the best in the show.

Recently I have been casting a couple tile designs, but it was only today that I summoned the energy to tackle more 2-part molds. The concept is simple, but I'd forgotten how involved the actual process was. At the end of the day I was exhausted but I had plaster molds for two of my smaller sculptures (the sculptures are about 10 inches high). I can't wait to start slipcasting them and experimenting with glazing!

How do you decide on glazing-- do you have a set of glazes you usually stick to, or do you try out different glazes for each new piece?

A Trip

A trip to New York City this weekend visiting friends surprised me: I envision myself as a country girl, or at least a suburban girl who loves wide open spaces and nature, and who dislikes the crush of people and buildings in a city. However, I loved NYC, or at least what I saw of it, which was mostly Brooklyn.

At any rate, I enjoyed how the city seemed to have grown organically, with buildings and areas built when needed and abandoned or re-invigorated over the years. The restaurants and businesses were mostly hole-in-the-wall types (especially the crowded or elite ones!), and the unique, eclectic mix of furniture and decor only added to the gritty charm. I am used to Alexandria, Bethesda, Bowie, and Calvert County, where things ought to match and chain restaurants are plunked down with pristine granite countertops. Spaciousness, cleanliness, and a Pier One-style decor are the goals.

I also loved how everyone in the City was doing something different. You could meet a dozen people all living and working in different situations. Microbusinesses (with less than 10 employees) abound, and artists or dreamers are understood. In the DC area, I feel out of place since almost everyone works for the government, government contractors, or some other large business.

Perhaps I am dazzled by my first real look at life in a city (rather than the tourist sights). I hope to go back up and explore a bit more, get into Manhattan and see how it is in that area. I wonder if DC is similar, but I doubt it. I never realized just how many people live in NYC all close together, and how that spurs creativity and energy. I also never realized why iPhone apps were popular until I took the subway!

Show Titles

Coming up with a show title can be difficult, especially if you are combining the work of two people. Callie and I came up with what we thought was the best title, one that fit our work perfectly, only to go home and get a variety of negative reactions to it from our spouses and housemates. After a few days of arguing and tossing different ideas back and forth with our peanut gallery, however, we settled on a title that is substantially better than our first draft. It reminded me that no matter how good we think we are, critiques are always useful.

What is this title? We picked "Curious Creatures: Encounters and Entanglements". We both create animal/gargoyle-ish sculptures that explore a variety of relationship issues, funny and serious and for Callie, sometimes both at once!

I am finding the design process difficult, perhaps because it's not in a school setting and so I'm torn between making money and making art for art's sake. I suppose finding that balance is the trouble of every artist. Also, the way I work involves a lot of design and set-up, so I won't get any finished pieces for some time. That often makes me feel behind. Having a show to work towards makes a big difference though!