by Carole Epp | Jan 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
I must admit I have this strange fascination with how others work and set up their studios, how they manage it all in odd and unusual places, altered buildings, basements, bathrooms, wherever it is that they find the space to make the work they do. With the generous help of family, I’ve been slowly renovating my garage and turning it into a winterized heated year-round studio and have had so much to consider in terms of how to set up a space which greatly exceeds the size of studio I’m used to working in. Go figure though that I’ve already managed to fill most of the shelves and space in a manner of weeks! I’ve had quite the range of spaces to work in over the past few years. When I lived in Edmonton I had a studio on the top floor of a beautiful old building, drafty as anything and full of printmakers. I think that studio was the cleanest I’ve ever been in for fear of being cornered by the collective anger of dust hating printmakers – could have only been worse had it been photographers! And at other times I’ve turned my kitchen in a woodshop (a table pulled apart without its leaf used to clamp and cut wood on), my living room has been taken over, clay everywhere in the carpet (such bad OHS), basements converted for wheel throwing, and bathrooms have become casting slip mixing rooms and glaze rooms. But now it’s all in one spot, a dream come true, a garage just steps away from the house, with a beautiful view over the snow covered yard. (Okay I still mix slip in my bathroom, but that’s cuz getting running water out to the garage would have cost a small fortune!)
The reason I was thinking about this was inspired by receiving an email from Adrienne Gradauer & Zacharie Quin, some potters new to the province who just sent me their website with pics of their new working space. Check them out at Smilling Cow Studio.
I still think one of the most beautiful studio spaces I’ve seen is Karin Eriksson‘s new space. Check out her style blog for pics of the space during a recent sale. Gorgeous! That’s one thing I love about blogs and websites is to get that sneak peek, or little snoop into studios…
by Carole Epp | Jan 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
February 22 – 23, Toronto, ON
Explores the influences and accomplishments of prominent Canadian craft Pioneers. Three keynote speakers and ten respected researchers examine historic and contemporary craftspeople working in ceramics, glass, metal, textiles and wood.
Speakers include:
Mark Kingwell
Sandra Flood
Robin Metcalfe
Sandra Alfoldy
Dorie Millerson
Anne Barros
Beth Alber
Rachel Gotlieb
Susan Jefferies
Julia Krueger
Carolyn Prowse-Fainmel
Alan C. Elder
Patty Johnson
Michael J. Prokopow
For information contact: Jean Johnson: [email protected] or Melanie Egan: [email protected]
To register: (416)973-4000 – $75/50 Students and Seniors
Papers presented at the symposium will be published by the Canadian Museum of Civilization in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre.
by Carole Epp | Jan 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
The Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, is looking for submissions for their Artist in Residence program.
Deadline February 1st.
The benefit package for each Resident Artist totals over $12,000.
This includes a $300 monthly stipend, a private studio, housing, meals, utilities and professional development funds.
Teaching and exhibition opportunities are also available.
For more information check out their website.
Or contact: Bill Griffith Director, Artist-In-Residency Program Assistant Director Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (865)436-5860 x 26
by Carole Epp | Jan 3, 2008 | Uncategorized
I’ve just recently been introduced to the work of Bibbi Forsman and wanted to share it. Check out her website and blog for more great photos and interesting blog entries. I’m always intrigued by artists who work in different ways within their practice, as it’s something that has come to define the way I work. In fact I was just having a conversation about just that the other day with an artist who paints as well as works in ceramics. I remember being told at one point that you should be the master of one trade rather than ace of none and I’ve often been asked why I don’t focus on one of my bodies of work rather than separate my time between both. But I find time and time again that artists who I admire have a range to their work and it works for them.
For me it’s been a question at times of sanity. Working on the figurative work I do is really rewarding, but also emotionally draining as it deals with subject matter that I find hard to address on a daily basis. Same as anyone I hate to deal with the horrors of humanity everyday and my work brings it into focus right in my face, so the functional work allows me a bit of peace but also challenges me to think about the beauty in life and humanity as well. Both bodies of work aim to find positives, one just visually presents negatives to address the possibilities of proactive change, while the other presents beauty to remind us of the subtlety of the power of the everyday.
So I’m in the studio now working on a new series of figurative work for an exhibition this coming May and I can barely wait to show you some of the new pieces, but it will be a bit of a wait through drying time, glazing and firing. As soon as possible I’ll make sure to post a sneak peek as soon as pieces emerge from the kiln…
In the meantime check out this work by Biliana Popova who also works both figuratively and functionally, both beautiful!
So I’m curious how others handle the split in their practice, whether it be between different disciplines, different methods of working, functional/sculptural, production work and exhibition work. Do both pay off, or is one the passion work and the other the financially sustainable work? Thoughts?
by Carole Epp | Jan 3, 2008 | Uncategorized
An artist/designer that’s been on my radar lately is Laura McKibbon out of Vancouver. I saw her work a while back when visiting Granville Island in Vancouver and again recently as part of the “On the Table” Exhibition which was showing in Halifax in November. There’s tons of great work coming out of the British Columbia area, nice fresh young work, and her work particularly draws me with it’s simplicity and photo imagery quality which is raw yet refined.
I like the fact too that she’s interested in collaborative projects, hmmm, gets my mind thinking…
Check out places to buy the work on her website cul de sac design
Through her site there is also a link to the Fragiles exhibition which was curated for Design Miami 2007. The exhibition is full of inspiring, thought-provoking work definitely worth taking a browse through, there’s even a short video documentary. Here’s quote about the exhibition from their website:
“Fragiles is an eclectic collection of contemporary porcelain, ceramic and glass objects by a new wave of designers who are manifesting their creative visions out of fragile materials. Fragiles presents over one hundred innovative objects that expand and challenge our notion of these classical materials and traditions, simultaneously exploring a new aesthetic approach and technological boundaries. From experimental and avant-garde to evocative retro-inspired reinterpretations, these cutting-edge examples indicate how visual culture and high tech production processes are influencing and reshaping this delicate territory in pioneering ways.”
The show included works by a long list of great artist/designers including some of my faves; Charles Krafft, Wendy Walgate, Hella Jongerius, Louise Hindsgavl, oh forget it the list is just too long, go check it out for yourself!
And one other side note if you check out the “On the Table” link to the Gardiner Museum make sure to check out their podcast page with “Ceramics in Context” in which museum staff and artists comment on the museum’s permanent ceramics collection.
