Home Studio

It's been 2 years since I moved into a smaller house....smaller house, smaller studio. On the plus side I love the basement space I've allocated for my work. The east window opens to the sky. The north window opens to the north at ground level and I'm able to watch birds as they hop in and around the bush planted by that window. During daylight hours it's never ending bird tv. While smaller than my old studio, it is plenty big and the space is warmer, cozier and better lit than my old garage space. It's a happy place to be and a corner retreat. I'm still not making as much work as I thought I would be in my semi-retirement. Semi-retirement sometimes still feels a lot like full-time...

East Window

Small Plates

After another spell of distractions, I'm back in the studio. Haven't made these small plates in a while so they are a good way to ease back into the process.

After the move.

After what seems like forever, I'm finally pretty settled in my new place. I've moved many times before but this move was really the perfect storm of a move. The worst is behind me and I'm finally venturing back into my studio. It's always so hard to jump back into work after a long time away from the table. The image shown is the first work in progress post move!

Finished Work

Here are the professional shots of the latest batch of work shot by Taylor Dabney.

vaModern

vaModern just posted a feature of my work so I thought I'd share the link to the article. http://virginiamodern.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/perfect-imperfection/

Finished Tiles

My original intent was for each of these to remain separate - mini works that I planned as prototypes for larger tiles. However during the entire process they just seemed to want to stay together. What was once separate units have merged into one piece.

If you missed it, there are earlier posts that show these at various stages.

Repetition

While building these latest pieces I am reminded of how much repetition goes into a creative process. I once heard an artist remark that they had essentially tried to perfect the same piece over and over throughout their entire career. I feel I am at that point too. Certain shapes, textures and images from the past keep reappearing as if trying to achieve a type of perfection. It's not so much an endless loop as it is an upward spiral, renewed in time with layers of new experiences.

Attached

Here's the finished sculpture married to its wooden outgrowth. Detail shot is from last week's firing showing the piece straight out of the firing. I never like adding titles to my work but these wood/clay pieces seem to want titles. This series is inspired by all the wonderful fungi you can find growing in woodlands.

From the Kiln

Here are these pieces straight from Thursday's firing. I haven't given them a good clean up yet so some of the carbon will scrub off when they are thoroughly washed.

Smok'n

Kilns loaded with ware and firing. Sawdust and newspaper nestle around the work. I place combustibles with an idea of where I want the heaviest smoke coverage. It doesn't always work out like I want it to but it gives me a small measure of control.

Sawdust kilns

These are my oh so high-tech sawdust kilns including the kettle grill in the background. I use pretty much anything that burns but newspapers and sawdust are the main combustibles.

Color

I use acrylic stains to add color to my work. Years ago in an effort to have more time building pieces, I abandoned some traditional ceramic techniques. I still occasionally use glazes but since my work is non-functional I am not limited in how I finish pieces. Painting surfaces is quick and immediate and frees up more time for construction.

Eggs Nesting with Eggs

J Ferguson Gallery in Farmville, VA carries my work. A patron that purchased some of my "Egg" pieces sent this photo. Here's a quote from her email about what happened:

"At our house in Georgia there's an outdoor fireplace on a sheltered porch, and I put my Franz ceramics on the mantel there. They looked really nice. Gradually other things joined them--an old saw my son found in the woods, an old typewriter. . . . And then, possibly inspired by my large "eggs," a bluebird family added eggs of their own to the display. My son reports that the little birds have hatched and are doing well."

All Fired

This is the kiln's porthole at 1540°F in yesterday's firing. Final temp reaches 1893°F.

Here's some of the kiln contents ready for the next step of adding on color.

Bisque kiln

Kiln loaded and ready to fire. Chilly, damp day in Virginia...good day to heat up the garage. The kiln is great supplemental heat in the winter, not so good in July.

Work Life Balance

Juggling family, work life and personal pursuits is always a challenge. Over the years I've struggled how to fit it all in. The result is that something always gets short-changed. For me most of the time that was my studio time. I don't have the personality that really driven artists have to sacrifice all for art. It's a personal decision I made a long time ago and have no regrets about it. I found myself at times jealous of colleagues who have the luxury of being full-time artists. With a little time and added wisdom I realize that very few of them had it easy and making comparisons between my life and anyone else's served no purpose. I am extremely grateful with the where my path lead me.

Tiles

Experimenting with some tile ideas. I love clay for its responsiveness. I remember my first coil pot in college and how amazed I was that the medium seemed to pick up on my mood and how such a clumsy first attempt could convey emotion as if I was painting a self-portrait.

My Space

This is a shot of my studio that I share with my son's hockey and lacrosse equipment. There's definitely no room for cars in here. A small bunny named Rabbit shares the space too. We lock our dogs out a few hours each day so she has run of the place for exercise. This past winter a small family of mice moved into the garage. They definitely didn't hesitate to visit her cage to gather food for their own stores. I don't think Rabbit minded too much since I found bunny food stashed inside cabinets, rolls of tape and other cubby holes where they created storage bins. They are gone now but it wouldn't have surprised me to find one curled up with Rabbit in her cage.