Clay blogs

Here are a few blogs of clay-crafters I started reading:

Glynnis Lessing

Bisque in waiting

Finally got some bisqued pieces.

I am giddy happy.
And, I am totally freaked -out

OK, I am afraid to mess things up and stay stuck in the land of MUDDY-COLOURS.

No colour is better than muddy-colour

Maybe less is better?

I must agree that the last experiment I put a lot of matter on thar poor jar!

Here are a few pieces in waiting:

 ''She devil with wings'':

 a funny little squirrel - with removable cap, log and coffee mug : 

an imaginary cactus? flower pot:

 

What else is in the works?
greenware: A hare on a rock:

A member at our workshop called this next piece:

 ''the Frankenstein Baby'' , hum,,,,

it is a tentative sculpture of my brother at age 3 

( I hope to place a bucket of maple syrup in his hand )

I feel very insecure about this piece, and can't let go

of my negative criticism!

Ceramics: trouble in the land of fun and confidence

Yep!
I had already fears and ghosts clammering : watch-out! for cracks! cracks!

Everything cracks!

First pieces I saw in the workshop. O-O it cracked !
my first plate cracked, the three next ones cracked- no more plates for me! well you get to live with cracks. Get around them.

Baby sitting - the drying process:
For a few months, weeks I was in the dark. I saw my fellow workshop allies making pieces, firing them and bringing them home. I had not yet fired anything and my shelves were getting more and more full. I was keeping my pieces wrapped under plastic- and nothing was drying!!!! One day it dawned on me, and the wish to fire was greater than the fear of cracks, and I pulled those plastic bags off my pieces and they finally got to a stage dry enough to get kilned! HURRAY! big breakthrough!

Next challenge: get out off the  COLOR MUDYNESS MESS/RUT !!!! ( Jenny Mendes*, help!)

Here a carved jar, and it's Kerplunk present ugly realtity:

Dreams of  chartreuse lime green  gone! The piece lost most of it's carving and is stuck in the land of mudyness.

LESSON # 3: DO NOT REFER TO OTHER PEOPLES TEST TILES!!!!! the workshop wall of test tiles, the test tiles on the 5 gallon glaze buckets,etc,...

and, a reminder of previous lessons:

Lesson#1: stop freaking about cracking - and do something about it, experience, explore, get aquainted with the fallin-off of hands and legs and parts,... slow dry,...use magic mender for high fire,... still in process ( still won't tackle making a plate)

Lesson #2: remove plastic bags if you want piece to eventually become bone dry!

Now:
Lesson#3: Make your own test tiles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT HOW????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


*: Jenny Mendes is a goddess of color , clay. Master of creative and prolific work

1st clay piece firing stages

Going through some of the stages:

once kilned I covered the piece with cobalt oxide:

then, followed some workshop suggestions and sprayed some high fire (cone 6) antique white:

and here she is with a pot that I fired at least 4 times( love the crawl glaze inside! )

         

Clay, who would of known?

Started in November -joined a ceramics workshop : MYI Ceramics in Hollywood.
Who would of known? Well there were some hints. I always had this image of myself surrounded with a cloud of dust! like the''peanuts character'' well here I am- landed in the world of mud and Fire: Glorious , sensuous clay!

it's been a while!

Look what Santa brought home,

Finally! Gave my beloved sister Sylvia her finished painting! I am now a blondie!

For the love of art and documentaries

Yup! fine stuff out there! ( in part showcased in the vast worl of Netflix.com)
Here are just a few of these must see ''art world related'' documentaries that I have totally enjoyed lately.

Exit through the gift shop, UK, 2010
( a Banksy film )

Herb and Dorothy, USA 2008
(You will never think of it, but: they are among the biggest collectors of new art in New york)

John James Audubon, drawn from nature, USA 2007
(Directed and produced by Lawrence Hott, bullfrogfilms)
revealing Audubon's breakthrough methods for achieving naturalistic realism as never seen before: a gem!

Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?, USA 2006
(She paid 5 bucks for it now she's asking 50 million)

The art of the steal, USA, 2009
( The Barnes Foundation scandal! )

and these two beauties in sync with the world of harmonizing and choirs:

As it is in heaven, Swedish 2004
(a must 'see and hear' movie on the art and thrill of harmonizing of voices )

Young at heart, USA, 2007
(a senior's rock'n roll choir!)

Counting your brushstrokes ?

From: Peggi Kroll Roberts limited brustroke demo

Today I am inspired by this ''alla prima'' approach trail of thought where each brushstroke has intention. If not, then says David Leffel the artist lives in a never ending world were brushstrokes have no beginning, no ending, and where all is the same.

I want my painting world to have beginnings and endings, and definitely to be inspired and engaged in meaningful gesture. At this stage I am definitely a blender type of painter.

So, there is definitely here something for me to juice-up on in my expertise and get exercising on as a painter.
Yep! brushstroke counting seems quite appealling to me this morning.

reference 1: from master David Leffel: ''The most important thing you can possibly learn: ''
reference 2: a demonstration by Larry Seiler ( 429 strokes demo)
reference 3: limited stroke lesson by Peggi Kroll Roberts ( see image above)

Henry Darger

Have you ever seen any of Henry Darger's work? Are you intrigued by this work as I am? Where it comes from? who this Darger guy is? If so, don't miss "In the realms of the unreal" a documentary of Darger's life and work.


I was so pleased to be able to see this documentary on netflix this summer! Here is a trailer:

Picasso project

The On-line Picasso Project is a must know web-based ressource of picasso's work. I am gratefull and in awe to this cataloguing ressource of Picasso's work. Reminding me how extremely creative and productive this iconic artist was. To me, Picasso has always modeled the artistic freedom from any stylistic identification. A concept I am presently struggling with.

A few quotes from the master:

"Inspiration exists but it must find us working" - Picasso

"Action is the foundational key to all success"- Picasso

"Je suis le cahier" - Picasso ( in answer to: Do you have any sketchbooks ? )

Tomaselli's ecstasy

Tomaselli's collages are definitely big scale works of collecting.

I wish I could of seen this exhibit! Meanwhile we all get to watch him explain his process in this exquisite video of him preparing his ecstasy exhibit.



Fred Tomaselli encapsulates his collages in epoxy resin. As he says: " to encapsulate and stabilize ephemera with a seductive finish used for vehicles that transport you to other places." That is true respect and understanding of the resin medium.

Resin is a must try techique on my short list in the coming months. I will refer to this how to video ( and this one ) when I will be ready to get my hands sticky!

Tomaselli paints over his resin layer. With what? acrylic paints? anybody knows?

Here's a close-up of one of Fred's paint work over resin and collage.

Milhazes acrylic paint collage technique

Fabulous work by brazilian artist Milhazes shows us in this video how she does her acrylic paint transfers.
I had a try at this amazingly simple technique this summer. It works! Now lets see when and especially on what will I use this technique?
Meanwhile enjoy the warmth of Beatriz Milhazes at work in her studio in Rio.