Its Friday so... SHOW and TELL?

One of my students shared this cool stop motion piece from the grafiti artist Blu. It's pertty powerful, check it out:

School is upon us...

I always think that I will spend so much time in my studio in the summer, catch up so to speak, then I procrastinate, and find myself longing for that time back each fall. This year is no different. I have two exhibitions to worry about, and a wood firing. I am cramming to get into the studio each evening and hoping that what I produce will be both good enough and just palin enough to sustain the future demand on my work.
They say practice is what makes you an expert at anything. I try to keep that montra going and this fall I reflect on that perfect little tea-pot I saw while in Korea...practice...practice. focus...focus... the little engine that could should not have anything on me...

Friday page:

So I assigned a FRIDAY page as a means of my students identifying their own growth. On the last day of class for the week they are to take a photo of their work in progress, upload it to their digital portfolio, and briefly comment on the process (questions, issues, resolutions). I was greeted with that "not MORE busywork" face and a bunch of grumbling. I know why I assigned it, and I can't wait to see that BINGO look on their faces.

I was working on my own portfolio last night, filling out some of the blank building lots and I noticed that some of my students had already done the assignment. I was thrilled with what I had read. There were some real insights into process.

So what's up for my own FRIDAY page? I have some studio work to visit in a bit, I know its Saturday, then I will post something about my own process. Ever since the news about the Korean exhibition came in I am longing to be in my studio.

ArtsSmarts Helps Students Think Creatively

ArtsSmarts Helps Students Think Creatively

A Letter to My Students,

As I sit here this weekend reflecting on the past week, the stress level high, the work non-existent in many cases, and my thoughts wondering to "how I am failing you as your teacher" more than once, I wonder how I got to this place? I know in my heart that part of it is me, I want to give you every opportunity to finish your exploration. I trust in you, maybe too much. I keep telling you about how important deadlines are, yet I keep moving them back so that you can squeeze every ounce of creativity out of your heart and head. You are getting mixed signals from me, and for that I apologize.

However, if you notice, I said that PART of this is me, the other HALF is you, while I give you a few inches, you have learned who I am well and have taken a very long mile. You have understood that I may not ask for things the day I say they are due, or that the kiln may not be loaded and fired the day I say it will be, and have decided that these things play into your procrastination plans well. To this I say, you need to rethink the relationship you are forging. You may only have me for a semester but there may also come a time that you need to call on our relationship for your future. I would like to oblige by writing in a glowing manner about the quality of your tenure as a student in my class.

Understand that I assign you things for the sake of you learning the media that YOU have asked to learn. I want you to be excited, to understand that things don't always seem useful or logical, but often things that you learn in life have a way of resurfacing when you need them most. There is this thing about coming full circle that happens, OFTEN.

I do not assign things for the sake of assigning work. Each item is part of the process of learning the material, each item is practice for the BIG dance, and most importantly, each assignment, while graded objectively, is not assigned for the sake of a number. What its worth to you is much more than a grade, you'll see, eventually.

I write this before I sit down to finish up my grades as a means of clearing the air. Please feel free to e-mail me, leave a message on the class page on Facebook, or a message on my wall if you have any questions. You can even comment on this note. If I see it, I will answer as fast as I can, with some thought of course.

A special note to my Seniors, I know that its that time of year when you have decided that you are so done with school. I hope that you know that as hard as it is to focus on things right now it is still very important not to give up the game before the final buzzer sounds. You have 10 weeks left, one more quarter, don't fumble things now.

Have a great weekend, see you Monday!

New Bike Tire on the last day of Spring Break

I had this inspiration the other day after cruising the mall, waiting for my computer to be fixed. I found a necklace made out of black rubber with a sign claiming that it was recycled bike tires. WOW I have hundreds of tubes that I couldn't seem to part with. Suddenly they had a new life (OK, maybe not hundreds but definitely a handful).

Now I have reason to get out on my bike and hit some glass! I have plenty of inspiration riding on them rims!

Cup of MUD- seeking donations of Ceramic Wares

We will be hosting a cup raffle in conjunction with the MUD Exhibition (May 15-22 @ New Canaan HS). This is an annual exhibition of regional HS Ceramics.
The cup raffle will benefit the Lambi Fund of Haiti, an organization that is dedicated to promoting self sufficiency in communities throughout Haiti by emphasizing self-sufficiency. The cup raffle will have an equal ticket/ware ratio so every ticket holder will go home with a piece of handmade ceramic ware. The ticket price is $10.00. Checks should be made out directly to the Lambi Fund.
To donate a ceramic piece or purchase a ticket please post a note.

NCECA

Last week I spent a wonderful part of a busy week in Philadelphia attending the NCECA conference. I had the added pleasure of being part of a panel discussion on Friday morning. We were addressing the gap that exists between HS and College. Val Cushing was the moderator, Errol Willet, Maureen MIlls, Steven Branfman and myself were the panel. Two HS teachers, and two college professors and a ROOM full of people. My friend and mentor Jessica Dubin introduced us.
The thing about NCECA is this, you spend four days with as many ceramics artists as you can fit into a small city. You eat, drink and be merry. You look at work. You listen to lectures, panels, participate in talks all geared to advancing your education in MUD and then you look at more work. You eat. You meet new people. You dance. You smooze. You look, listen, touch, savor, think... with no studio time or space to create while there. You look at more work. Your head spins, you hit CERAMIC OVERLOAD, then you go for Chinese food. You dance some more. You see lots and lots of sexy pots, and sexy drawings, and even sexy potters and you long for your studio so that you can be making sexy pots of your own. You laugh, you walk until your feet want to fall off and you generally have such a good time you don't want it to end! You savor it by driving your friend home to New Jersey and discovering that there is a new place to add to your list of where you want to live. This was my NCECA!
I have been in the studio for many hours since Saturday. I can't wait for Tampa!
I have uploaded images of some of the pieces that I found interesting. Notable pieces are the work of Miaja Groetell, Nancy Selvin, Chris Gustin, Jennifer Martin and Val Cushing

tacky @ 400 degrees

So I am in the kitchen this morning SCRUBBING and SCRUBBING and SCRUBBING that roasting pan from yesterday's pork smoking. What I have noticed is that the ash deposits that are on the pan are really tacky and really stuck on. I just read Tim Roan's article "Matter" in the latest Log Book (Issue 41, 2010) about natural clays. The first sentence "Clay is ubiquitous" has me thinking that this is true with wood ash too. The compositional make-up of ash in this smoking was mostly birch, with a bit of maple mixed in and just like clay, its make-up will determine its glaze properties. This is not just determined by the "trees" but also the minerals that are found in the earth that the trees live in. In this case there is probably a high copper and iron content in the make-up of the ash as the water source (artesian well) for our house is just below those trees and our water has this make-up.
So where is this post leading? I am planning on some reconnaissance. I will be testing the fired quality of this ash at LOW temps (cone 04 or about 1900 degrees). I want to know if ash sprinkled into the glazes on my earthenware pots will cause any changes to that glaze. I am hoping to have a few students join me in the testing and recording of the results (maybe even ask one of the Chem teachers to join us in the fun).

studio day today

I spent my day slow cooking pork ribs and collards over a wood fire and longing to do a wood firing. I spent time creating in between stoking the smoker. I listened to the Greatful Dead outside, and the podcast "Stuff You Should Know" while in the studio. I spent time thinking tremendously about the shapes and forms I might include in my plates, the next form I will explore and I managed to get a few prototypes together for flatware handles. The whole endeavor, a service for 12, will hopefully be fired next fall in the anagama. Plates stacked 6 high (waded on scallop shells). I think about the beginning of this journey with this series, every idea began with coincidental and torturous tugs of spiritual guilt. Scallop shells, the sign of a pilgrim, seem so fitting a mark to leave on a form that will offer sustenance. The flatware handles will eventually hold silver that was forged with the hammer my uncle gave me the week before he died. The goblets intricately mimick the architecture of the cathedrals and churches of London and the dragon that was eventually slain by George. St George incidentally is the moniker that my godmother carries. The fact that I included the dragon, was also purely coincidental.

Interesting note, as I write this Angels and Demons is on STARZ and my family is watching.

My work today has me dreaming of the possibilities of Spain, my next trip to Europe.

iconic ideas? Finally, something to do with my used bike tires!

I have spent years trying to figure out how to get a tight fit on jar lids. My friend Venessa from For the Love of Bikes posted this eons ago, how did I miss it? A links to explore that shows some innovative ceramics http://www.cassiusclay.dk/

I'm reading and envious!

I am reading all the entries posted about exploring problems in a variety of books. I am hearing how excited you are to be exploring in this manner, especially now that you know a scanned sketchbook page counts as a post. I am finding that many of you still elaborate on even that information. I am very envious of your progress and I may just do the same at some point. I take in all of this and long for long periods of time in my studio where I can explore uninterrupted. It truly is like cooking one's way through a bunch of recipes!

Assignment- my blog roll is growing!

So I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" (Ephron 2009) and had decided that it would be interesting to try that from an art perspective. As I observed one of my Ceramics students work her way through Surface Design for Ceramics(Mills, 2008)and making notes in her sketchbook I decided to have my Advanced Studio explore books that interested them as well and blog about it. In the case of Maureen's book, I can't wait to get the blog link to her. Wounldn't it be interesting to have her follow along as a regular reader?
What I hope to achieve with this assignment is to open a door to a technique or series of techniques that these upper level students may not have thought to use. The culminating experience is to create a piece that uses what they have learned. I am sure the journey will be interesting for all of them.

So in the end, I am no better than my students

It wasn't that I was not taking my work seriously, it was just that my schoolwork, the trip to London and illness got in the way. So, tomorrow when I show up in the studio I will humbly explain myself. I will also share my work that I completed in London, or more correctly, the work that is in progress that is a culmination of my 7 days with the HS Choir. More later.