Final critique

I must say that critique day was quite long and by the end of it I was really ready to go home, but I think overall this was a good way to do the critique. Although if we have more students than we did this semester in the future I do recommend that we separate the crit into two days.

During my critique I talked about how my idea for the styrofoam cups was transforming into something other than just useful cups. During my last BFA critique it was brought up that the idea for the styrofoam cups was taking a step backwards from the work that I have previously done. I was suprised by this comment but after thinking about it I would agree with it. but I feel that this idea just hasn't evolved into what it is suppose to be. So I am going to continue to push this idea so that it is not a step back but a few steps forward. It is just not there yet.

During my critique we also talked about going to the landfill and really looking around and taking it all in. And over the break I plan to do just that. I am very excited to see where all of the waste that we get rid of goes, and how it is disposed of. I work as a "custodial artist" so I see the waste that people throw away everyday and just how much recyclable material goes to the landfill everyday. But that is just a few companies and i think that this trip will really open up my eyes to just how much recyclable materials go to the landfill.

I have found that i am very attracted to this idea of white trash and large amounts of it, and the fact that it is porcelain and sort of this precious sort of "trash". I plan to continue to explore this idea from now until my senior show. By sticking with this idea for a longer period of time I hope to answer the questions that i have the most trouble with...Why? and what is the big concept behind the work? I really just need to learn how to talk about my work.

The comment that Chris had about weather all of these porcelain bottles would be considered trash was very interesting to me and I still find myself asking and thinking about this question, and I am still unsure. But it did have me thinking about other ways to display this trash in other environments. I really want to fill the front pond at IUS with them.

I have many ideas for all of this trash, but I think that one of the main things that I need to do is think about why. Is it about the trash, is it about recycling, is it about the landfill, is it about the future with all of this trash? I am just not sure yet.

White trash

I'm pretty sure that this week couldn't have gotten any busier. I had lectures, critiques, test, art shows and sales. busy busy... Anyway, besides all of this I managed to come in for a bit on Friday and make some cups and bottles. I am very pleased with the way that the bottles are coming out of the molds. The labels look really realistic, almost like the real glass bottles were spray painted. It was really nice to come into the studio and actually have time to work for a decent amount of time, and with the break coming up i am really hoping to get a lot more work done.
Until next time...

Making molds

This week was a really busy one. I had paintings to work on, molds to make, and symposiums to attend. this week I have started to make some molds of bottles. These will be the first of many different items that I am going to cast. I want to make a bunch of different molds of items that we throw away everyday. These items will be put together into an installation called white trash. This project could take me quite awhile to do.
I have also made a challenge for myself to make 200 cups for the guests at my wedding in May. I had wanted to do this for a little but, but when we were at the lectures at UK and they were talking about the process of throwing a large number of items and how this makes you appreciate the clay and makes you learn a lot about it and processes, it seems all the more appropriate to do something like this.

This week unfortunately I have been a bit under the weather and haven't had the chance to do as much ceramics work as I would have hoped to. I did make a new mold of some medium size cups and have thought about what I want to work on in the future. I have been thinking about doing a space lab show with my cups and a few other items (milk jugs, soda bottles, clothes...)that get thrown away. Like I said previously I want to throw these items into a trashcan and then remove the can leaving only the items, in the shape of the can. i still have a few more molds to make before i can get started on this project.
Sorry, I don't have any pictures this week. but there will be more to come later.
there was also the day of the dead show this week and it turned out very good. I got a lot of compliments on my skeleton babies and on my Madonna's, which I found very refreshing and exciting. Positive feedback is really the best motivator.

Raku, Dia de los muertos,BFA crit

This week was a very busy one. I had some trials and tribulations when it came to firing the glaze on my styrofoam cups, I had my BFA critique and we had another raku party. My critique went really well and it made me think about where my work is going and where I want it to go. We also talked about how i seem to jump around from semester to semester with the projects that i do, instead of sticking with one "theme" throughout. I don't feel that a theme has to be the same object though. I feel that my theme is about people and the way that my work and the objects that I make affect them, and can affect their lives.
The work in the pictures this week are from the raku firing. I am super pleased with the way that they came out. the three madonna's are for the day of the dead show that is going up at IUS this week. I spent quite a bit of time glazing them and it paid off. I made all of their exposed skin look like skeletons for the day of the dead.

After Jonathan's critique I have been thinking a lot about our conversation of having an idea and running with it instead of trying to do two or three different things and not being very far along on any of them because you have too many projects going on at once. So with this in mind I have decided to hold off on the lightning bolt idea. Although I really like the idea I have too many irons in the fire so to speak. I really want to continue to throw and make improvements in that area. I have also gotten into to styrofoam cups and have quite a few ideas for those. This week has been an extremely busy one and unfortunetly i did not have much time to work on my ceramics, but here is what I have. A few of my cups were bisque fired this week so I had the chance to start glazing them. Some of them I am going to leave the brite white that they are, others i am going to use as sort of a canvas for splattering glaze on. I am painting like this in my painting class that I am taking so why not incorporate it into my ceramics? The styrofoam cups are the perfect white canvas for the job, and splatters always give me this urban/graffiti feeling. Styrofoam cups can be seen all over the city streets and so can graffiti, if this makes any since??? If not, I just wanted to do it. :) Anyway, keeping with the environmental theme that I talked about last week I have had a few other ideas for that such as putting dates on a large number of cups to represent the large number of years that it takes a styrofoam cup to decompose. I also had the idea to get a trash can and fill the inside with the cups, remove the trash can, and have all of these squished cups in the form of the can. I have not started on either of these ideas yet but they could be in the works very soon. That's all I have for now.

White Trash

This week I tried to throw some things but it didn't really work out so great because I was sick and the mood just wasn't there. But I did make some of my styrofoam cups and I am really liking the way that they are coming out. Once they are fired they will be brite white like styrofoam cups are. Since my critique I have been trying to think of different things that I can do with them. So here are a few of those ideas... I have manipulated some of the cups so that they fit your hand and look worn and beaten. I am also trying to think about environmental issues and and some different ways to express this. The "Don't be trashy" cup with the trash can on the front of it and the Clock cup that reads "Time" are one example of this. These are fun objects and vessels so I am trying to play off of this and make them fun and funny. There will be a lot more ideas to come so stay tuned :)