#siuceramics

#Repost @ladypattiechalmers with @get_repost ・・・ LINDA LOPEZ @linda__lopez and MATHEW MCCONNELL @mathew_mcconnell at SIU next week. Lecture on Thursday at 7. We can't wait. #siuceramics #soadsiu #siu #visitingartists #siyou https://www.instagram.com/p/BpruPswAE4Y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15lfzb5z3u18v

Overall, I think the idea of “obstructions” helped me overall as an artist by exploring various methods and seeking more input from other people rather than just my teachers. My friends gave a lot of ideas about work to produce and overall I am please with how things turned out.

I liked watching the final obstruction of the 5 Obstructions all pieced together. I think it is beneficial to have an outside opinion critique your work and offer direction. In this case, there was no option other than to perform the obstructions. They were out of the comfort zone of the producer, but in the end he was pleased with the work. I think that this is important to remember as an artist. There will be a lot of critique and suggestions for where you should go and you should be open to exploring other techniques, designs, strategies, etc. because even if they fail you will still gain experience from it. If they do succeed, then you understand a new way of doing things or can incorporate a new technique into your current work to give a new spin. 

Tumblr Assignment #13 “The 5 Obstructions”  For my obstructions I had to create over-sized versions of some of the most precious pieces of jewelry in a jewelry box I made my sophomore year in beginning sculpture.  The left piece is of a ring that my dad bought my mom after his 12 week basic training in Oklahoma when they were 17. He said he had made about $50 that week and he spent it on this ring and a matching necklace for my mom as a Christmas present. I’ve always loved the ring and never got to find out from my mom what significance it had until a few weeks ago. The middle ring is a smaller, golden band with three 3/8 carat diamonds set in the band. The band is thicker than most womens rings but due to the small size (originally a size 3 until I had it resized) it had to have been a woman’s ring. I’m not sure who it belonged to originally, but my mom had a lot of jewelry from her grandmother Thelma. The right watch is a custom, handmade, sapphire, diamond, and silver watch my great-great grandfather had made for my great-great grandmother in the early 1900s. The mechanics no longer work, but it is still my favorite piece of jewelry that I own.  The specification for the assignment was to create pieces of the jewelry to be larger than the box. For the left and middle ring, I threw a bowl and trimmed rings off to create the bands. The flower piece was slab and carved. The watch was slab rolled and carved as well. Each piece was bisqued, primed, and spray painted gold or silver. I then added acrylic paint to get the colors of the stones.The watch has silver thread to mimic the chain on the watch.

Tumblr Assignment #12 Finished “What Kind of Ceramics Are You” piece(s). These are about 2.5x4in clay slab pieces. I bisque fired them then did about a 75% cover of a white primer on them (I ran out of primer, but I think it helped with the watercolor to hold later on) and finished with several coats of water color and acrylic to color.  The quote pieces have 3 quotes from “good” commanders and three from “bad” commanders. Each quote seems good, and for good reasoning, but to show the balance between good and evil of these personality types, I left them disassociated to the speaker.  “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it” -- Margaret Thatcher “My principles triumph. They do not compromise.” -- Josef Stalin “If I fail it is only because I have too much ambition.” -- Julius Caesar “Everything will probably never be ok but we have to try.” -- Vladimir Putin “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt “Great liars are also great magicians.” -- Adolf Hitler Each person was in power, leading, doing what they thought was right and for the good of all people, but it wasn’t always true. The watercolor and floral design are to keep with the cuteness of Boo the Instagram dog.

Tumblr Assignment #11 This is my in progress and completed Handmade In the Digital Age piece. I threw the piece in three parts and slab built the handles. After a few different attempts to coil the handles and slip them on, they kept falling off, so I tried to attach them after firing. This caused a fairly noticeable gap on one of the handles.  I then primed the piece with white spray paint and hand drew with a blue sharpie the decorative design. I had never used sharpie on ceramics but I like how it turned out.  It stands about a foot tall.

Claire Hedden Discussion I sat in on Claire’s discussion of curating and her work at a community arts center. I enjoyed hearing about her experience working as a curator after having not had any prior experience. She discussed how she analyzes different works hoping to have a flow but sometimes it doesn't always work out as she anticipated. Artists are often invited and she works out a strategy of colors and forms but sometimes the artist can change their style before it arrives and it doesn’t flow the same way. As someone who wants to potentially work in community arts or educational arts, I liked hearing about the programs the community art center she works at puts on. 

Tumblr Assignment #9 For the visual poetics I did a verse between a dad and daughter on mugs. They can serve as a solo item of appreciation or together I feel like they create the conversation between the two pieces.