Week 12

This past week was NCECA which was in Minneapolis this year. I saw so much art it’s kind of hard to keep track of it all. Here’s a photo of the conference center…

First and foremost, the bathroom in my hotel had some really sexy tile, so here’s a photo of my hair on the shower wall 🤗

I learned that I really like Minneapolis as a city; they are very pedestrian and bike friendly. Their public transportation is stellar. I think I would like living there.

One thing that was super helpful for me was that I signed up to the student critiques, something I had never done before. I got to crit with Jessika Edgar, and I got some really good feedback on the work from my SpaceLab show Overlooked. Here’s a photo of Edgar’s work hat was in the show, The Form Will Find It’s Way…

I also heard a few really good lectures at the conference center, one being led by Andy Casto and Mindy Solomon. Andy Casto also curated me into a show (along with Sydney and Brian, WOO IUS REPRESENT.) called Past Curfew that was held at a local brewing company. This was awesome exposure for me, I got to me a lot of prominent people in the field who’s work I knew.

Here are some photos of a bunch of art I liked throughout the conference week. I’ve taken note of who the artists are, but this will give you a sense of it…

I got to visit the Walker Art Museum, which has really great contemporary art. A bunch of the exhibitions that were up really align with what I make, that it was really cool to see a show in a museum of artists tackling similar topics right now. It’s given me a new perspective on where my work could exist.

Week 10

I had my SpaceLab show during week 9 (which I didn’t do a blog post for, heh) and I feel like it went realy well. I got a lot of good, reaffirming feedback as well as some realy great critical feedback. Lots to chew on for the next couple pieces I have in mind…

This past week I’ve been working on my upcoming residency applications for Belger Crane Yard/Red Star in Kansas City, and for Pottery NorthWest in Seattle that are both due mid-April. I’ve been editing/compiling images from my SpaceLab show Overlooked and working on writing letters of intent. I also am trying to get a few new small pieces made for a show I want to apply to at Trestle Art Forward that’s due April 1st.

The other day I got asked to be a part of a last minute pop-up show that will be going on at NCECA, so I am also trying to figure out what piece I am going to submit to that. I’m supposed to bring it with me to the conference and drop it off, and whatever it is has to be ‘smaller than a NBA regulation basketball’. Most of my work is fairly large, but I already said yes so I’ll pull something out of my ass.💃🏻

The goal is to have all of this stuff taken care of before we leaving for NCECA… in a week. No pressure.

Week 8

During his past week, I was finishing up the pieces to go into my spacelab show and photographing everything for my application for the Barlow Clay internship.

Once everything is installed in the spacelab, I plan on taking more photographs of them but for this I set up in the Time Space. I also decided I finally need to break down and get my own camera to document work, because it’s something I will have to do all the time and not every place I go to will have one for me to use.

I plan on my opening being reception Wednesday since my my BFA group critique is on Thursday. All I have left to do is move some stuff into the space, I already painted and hung up the most time consuming/difficult one; the 345 bobby pins on one of the walls. Today I also need to hang up fliers around the school and finish my show title to be him in/outside of the Spacelab.

On a different note, I got to go to Southern Crossings Pottery festival real quick for a half hour on Saturday between jobs, and it seems like a pretty cool event.

Week 7

This past week I made a wall piece for my show. It’s made of plaster and mimics the popcorn/scalloped texture you see on ceilings.

First I had to make the ‘mold’ with clay..

Then I poured the plaster and scraped the texture in…

Once it has dried out completely I will adhere the cluster of (dead) ladybugs to it.

I am currently waiting on a slew of bobby pins to arrive in the mail ~by Wednesday, thank you Amazon Prime~ that are going to be hung all over one of the walls as a kind of 3D wall paper. I plan on spray painting all of the nails they will be hung with white to blend in with the wall.

My resin finally came and I plan on adhering the hair clump to the finished tile piece tonight.

I also got the chance to check out the New Harmony Clay project, which was super cool. It confirmed for me wanting to apply for it; I think it would be a pretty good fit for me.

AND last but not least, we got up super early his morning to make bowls and be filmed for the Empty Bowls charity which was super fun. I’m hoping I’ll be able to go to the event on Saturday night.

Week 6

So this past week, I tackled finishing the tiled piece I have been working on. I built the wooden base structure…

And then I adhered all of the tiles onto the wooden base….

And then I grouted the whole thing….

Next I’m going to seal it, and then add the hair component. I plan on dipping my hair clump in resin and attaching it that way, so that it has a wet-look too it.

Next I plan on tackling the stucco and lady bug piece.

I had to write a quick artists statement last week for submitting work to the Small Favors exhibition, and I think it’s a good base to expand upon for this upcoming show….

I plan on utilizing those ideas from my word web in the previous blog post to beef this up a little bit.

Week 5

I started a word web on my chalk board in an attempt to narrow down some specific words and/or phrases to write a new artists statement for the work going in my spacelab show. I also might pull the show title from this, we’ll see. This is what I’ve got so far…

I glazed and fired all the tiles for the wall piece involving hair, and I’m happy with the way they look. I choose a blue-green color. Next step is to adhere them to the wood plinth and grout it all, and I think I’m going to use white grout.

I finished making work for the DirtBags sale, and ended up making some Valentine’s Day cards. I had fun playing with material, and am going to be working on filling up a sketchbook for the Brooklyn Sketchbook Project with similar compositions. I have until April 15th to fill it up.

I also bought a bunch of dead lady bugs for a piece that will be involving spackle/ plaster. I highly recommend DeadInsects.net for all your buggy needs.

Week 4

Okay. So during this fourth week I worked on making the bulk of the work for the NCECA sale coming up. I made earrings, soap dishes, plates, and only have some mugs left to make.

I also made more of my colored grog, this time in neutrals (black, brown and white) to be used in the next piece I’m making for my spacelab show that will involve drier lint. My first tiled piece is being glaze fired as I type this 🔥

Speaking of my show in March (T-minus 4 weeks) I started planning the layout. I know where the first three pieces are going, and will have at least two more that once I get them sketched out and figure out dimensions I will add to my floor plan…..

💚 tile/hair/bathmat piece

🐞 ladybug/stucco piece

💙 flooring(tile? wood?)/lint piece

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I also went to Syd’s show opening at Sheherazade which was badass. Watching her bust out that work with a weeks notice is making me less anxious about my show in March. YeeHaw.

Week 3

This week I started making pots for the Dirt Bags’ NCECA sale coming up in February. I reworked my ramen bowl design that I made for the last sale and really like they way they turned out. I also plan on making planters, bowls and a few mugs in this same style.

I also remade the tiled wall piece from this size…

To about double that….

Which is currently drying, awaiting to be bisque fired. This piece will be getting a glob if my collected hair on it and will have a bathmat positioned on the ground at the foot of it. I plan on glazing the tile white with green grout, and using a green bathmat. I’ve started sketching the next couple pieces for my Spacelab show in March (this tiled piece being the first). more on that soon.

Week 2

This past week I have focused on making 3 small assemblages for an upcoming show I’m entering called Small Favors. The only stipulation of the show is that the works for within a 4’4 cube, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to some some materials studies that could then translate into some larger works for my Space Lab show in March.

The first piece is combining a tiled plinth and a glob of my hair. I’m thinking about my every day, rituals, and surfaces pulled from the domestic space.

The second piece is taking similar cues but using collected drier lint from my house and floor tile. I’m thinking about cast-offs of my every day.

The third piece is still in progress:

The last piece is a soap dish that will have a very eroded, withered piece of soap sitting on it. I have been using this chunk of soap every day for awhile and plan to seal it and adhere it to the dish.

Week 1

I spent my first week of the new semester as a work study at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN.

I worked 56+ hours in housekeeping in order to bank a free class during this upcoming year.

Though I didn’t get to do much art making this week, I did a some reading, writing, submitting work to shows, and residency searching in the evenings before bed. Good news is I’ve narrowed down five residencies I am going to apply to for my next step. More on that to come.

I also decided on which class I plan on attending with my banked Arrow-hours; a concrete casting class taught by Jake Weigel (art crushing so hard). The course is described as ‘using moldmaking material to create cast concrete sculptures…constructing basic armatures and the inclusion of other material for multimedia sculptures’.

I think this particular class aligns best with my work. I would be furthering my moldmaking skills, learning to work with a new material, and get to incorporate these things into the clay/mixed media work I am already exploring. Weigel makes mixed media work himself focusing in object making and instillation methods, and I would really like to get feedback on my work from him.