Seeing Red...

UPDATE2:  I won second place in 3D!  Yeah...
UPDATE:  I was selected for the show!  Yeah...

Waiting to hear if my piece was accepted into the show which runs January 12th-Feb 21st. 2015 at Prescott Center for the Arts; Opening Reception, January 13th, 2015 5PM-7PM.

Broken Rabbit...

My "Broken Rabbit" wall sculpture will be shown in the 'Tis Gallery November 27th-December 23rd 2014.  The Artist Reception is Friday, November 28th from 5PM-7PM please come out and see the "Eclectic Works" show...

Speaking of Metal Sculpture...

This photo is me using the "third hand" tool made by our class TA.  It worked perfectly!

Kiln Run Today...

Just finished loading the kiln and started it up!  I have several pieces that are part of my metal sculptures one of which I will be presenting to the class on Thursday, so here's hoping all goes well!

I forgot to shoot a pic of the second shelf...

Too Big!!!

Well, I made my "Mostly Moose" wall mask yesterday.  In addition, I moved my "Broken Rabbit 2" from my working board to a kiln shelf after it dried and by golly if the ear did not break again.  It broke where I had a stamp impression and the clay was to thin in that area.  Lesson learned.  Anyhow the broken ear is in one piece and I will be able to use it as an embellishment on the final piece of art.  However, I think I learned that I need to move the piece before it is completely dry and less brittle.  So, I moved the moose piece this AM and it is too big for the 1/2 kiln shelf.  Scary, but I got it moved into the kin without a major break.   I did loose the wing of the flying pear, but I think I have that successfully repaired.  Next time I will scale it down a bit!  LOL

Sold!

I sold my first art piece!   My "Appearently Wired" which hung in the PCA Art Gallery  "Light & Shadow" show sold after about 10 days in the gallery!  It was exciting to get the call.  A friend, who was recently in town told me she wanted to buy it, but I talked her into waiting until the show was over then I could give her the "friends & family" discount!  Luckily she was not upset when I told her that it sold.  A local artist bought it and it is now hanging in her house...

On the new art front, I approached another gallery Tis and they are interested in my art.  So I have been added to their email list and will be alerted to their themed gallery shows. 

My metal art class is keeping busy, but I need to get into my studio and create some new clay work.  I have ideas for three new wall masks...

Finished Masks...

Below are the finished masks.  I have plans for another with rabbit ears and one with moose ears.  I just need to get into the studio!  Especially to clean it up!!!

"Friends"
Sold

"Broken Rabbit"
currently hanging in a local gallery

Finished Wall Masks - coming soon...

I have almost completed the two wall masks I have in production.  Both have been fun to work on and I have plans for several more.

I present the finished commissioned mask to my friend on Sunday, after which time I will post the finished masks...

"Green" mask...

Honorable Mention 3D - (3rd place)

I won Honorable Mention - 3D in the Light & Shadow show at the PCA.  The artists reception was held on Friday, September 5th.  I got to the reception early to find few people in the gallery.  However, a few fellow artists offered me positive feedback about my work...  The 4th Friday Walk is coming up on September 26th which brings in more of the public to view the show.

Two PCA shows, two awards.  I am pleased...

Ap"pear"ently Wired

I am submitting this piece to a call to artist show.  It is called Light and Shadows.  The pictures below are it hanging outside on my garage.  Stucco is the best background for photos, but I wanted to show the "shadows".  I will know next Friday if it got juried into the show.

It's a bit wild.  When my neighbor saw it, he asked if I had been doing drugs!  LOL

Whoever Said Loading the Kiln Was Not A Challenge!!! Not me...

This morning I loaded the kiln for a bisque fire.  Now, I know that I have some very fragile greenware in this load.  I am doing very little underglaze work on the greenware because of this fact.  However, it is the set-up of the shelves that can be the problem.

After a slight a bump, I knocked one of the vases off the self and it fell into the rabbit mask below breaking the ear beyond repair.  So, the title for this piece is now "Broken Rabbit"!  LOL  I am no  longer upset about the breakage (mask and vase).  However, at the time, perhaps even my neighbors could hear the  #0%*#!$ I yelled!!!

Shelf one, but was later changed...

Newly arranged shelf one...

Yellow vase on top fell on rabbit ear before the orb was on the shelf (thank goodness!)...

Broken rabbit ear...

Top shelf and ready to go!

I really wasn't that fond of the work!

I attended a pottery wheel workshop last spring and the instructor said that every 5th throw should be a failure, otherwise you are not growing!  Well I guess I just had a growth spurt!  While cleaning up, I knocked over my fragile orb and it is beyond repair!
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This week I made a second "rabbit" mask and I intend to make a third.

This morning I stared a "flying pear" wall plaque.  I hope to use this piece (instead of the broken orb) to submit to the light and shadows art show.  It will be multi-media with the addition of some copper wire that will be the part of the piece that will create the shadows.  It looks a little strange at this point.

I am off to a "high tea" at a local lavender farm so I will have to finish the clay work later today or tomorrow.

Fragile, but Fun...

I am currently working on two large pieces that are somewhat fragile, but very fun!  The first is an "orb"  that will hang off of a wall hook.  It is being made for a gallery show themed "light and shadow".  Hard to shoot photos and I am trying to be careful not to break it!!!

The second is a commissioned mask that a friend requested I make.  She is a an animal lover, so this is reflected in the rabbit, raven, bird theme...

Both pieces will are greenware so they are in the very early stages...

UPDATE:  Only 30 minutes after this post, I broke off one of the orb spirals!  LOL

I Finally Got Production in the Studio Today!!!

It has been a long time since I was in the studio?  After my metal sculpture class ended in early May I had lots to do around the house before I could go on my 10 day trip back east.  And now that I am back from the east coast, I am catching up around the house, especially landscaping.  So, finally today I took most of the day to work in the studio!!!

spirals for a metal project I plan to make this fall

1 of 4 bird feeders I am making for the Master Gardener plant sale in July

Another crazy pot

a very fragile quail orb!

All greenware, but I need lots more before I can fire away!  :)

Time to Get Back into the Studio!

Just got back from my east coast family vacation and now it is time to get back into the studio!  Some tall grasses have inspired me to work in both clay and metal...

Before I left for vacation, I remembered a project I volunteered to do but had forgotten all about it!  The 6"X6" mosaic project for Yavapai Community College.  So two days before I was leaving I created this little canvas.  I can't wait to see all of the 230 created by local artist assembled.  Each piece is $25 and the proceeds go to the Yavapai Community College Art Garden.  The event is September 14, 2014

Didn't Win...

...but I was honored to be part of such a great Student Art Show!  There  are some very strong works in this show.  My piece is in the 3D category which includes furniture, ceramics, jewelry, metal sculpture and regular sculpture.

At the Artist's Reception on Friday, many people commented that they liked my work.  One person said it was "weird", but they liked it?!?  Another loved it and wished it was for sale; her favorite piece in the show!

Since I am taking the metal sculpture class next semester, I will submit two works into the Fall Student Art Show....

My Metal Sculpture Class is Winding Down...

Next Thursday is my final metal welding sculpture class at the local community college.  It has been both challenging and fun.  From a welding point of view, the enclosure project was the most technical with the self-portrait running a close second.  The found object project was the most fun as I introduced several ceramic elements and there was less metal manipulation.  Just assemble and go!  I made two found object sculptures.

The first project of the semester was to create a wall hanging self portrait.  My sculpture below, titled "Middle Brained:  In Search of the Artist a Self-Portrait", is currently hanging in the juried Student Art Show at the Yavapai College Gallery.

My enclosure sculpture titled "What Weather?" was based off of a sketch I had created over a year ago that I wanted to create in clay.  This metal and ceramic sculpture will eventually end up outside on a wooden post in my backyard grape vineyard.

The final project was to create a sculpture from found objects.  Since I knew that I wanted to use ceramic pieces I sketched the design and created the ceramic pieces well ahead of the project due date.  As a result, I had time to create a second found object sculpture.

The first sculpture is made from found objects; a VW clutch (or so someone told me...), three railroad spikes, a flange, flat gear and rusty pipe.  This sculpture is titled "White Forest Found"

The second sculpture is created from found objects; square tubing, two railroad spikes and manzanitta branches.  On this piece I experimented with "brazing" to add the decorative brass color on the square tubing.  This sculpture is titled "The Industrial Revolution Meets Mother Nature".

I have signed up to take the advanced class in the fall!  

Some Wins and Some Losses...

I unloaded the kiln when I returned from welding lab around 4PM yesterday.  The most disappointing was the "water slide" decals I created. The failure ruined my dolphin gift!  Oh well... Only one of the decals that went on green or bisque works survived the firing.  However, they all had glaze on top of the decal which may have been the problem.  They all burned away leaving fragments of sepia color and the clear glaze puddled.  The two decals that appear to have fired properly were those on the already glazed surfaces.

It's amazing to me how much work goes into ceramics and there is always a risk that something will go wrong!  But, I shouldn't complain since I am still in the prototype and learning stage, especially with glazing.

A win...I will add decals and fire again...

A loss...you can see the "sepia" remains of the decals

this is where the decal actually worked!

this pot will get a wash in the textures area and be fired again

The work below is a metal and ceramic piece I am creating for a call to artist show.  The steel and copper metal metal circle still needs finishes and then the ceramic piece needs to be attached to the metal.  Finally live plant will be added to the copper "cups" and perhaps some other embellishments...  I will post a final picture of the completed work.

The photo below is my "found object" sculpture for my metal class.  It still needs some work before it is completed.  I will post the completed work.