by Carole Epp | Mar 29, 2014 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
Artist Statement:
The most recent body of work has stemmed from a
kind of ceramic folklore involving peoples’ initial discovery of the
material. Before people fired pots they were a mobile society of basket
makers. As they began to cultivate the land and harvest a greater
surplus of grain they required more containers that would be resistant
to rodents and the open air. They lined their baskets with clay and in a
serendipitous event a fire destroyed most of their
material possessions but left them with some insight. The interior of
that basket became the first ceramic pot. Beyond its potential as a
prototype for their future, in its hardened exterior bore the
impressions of their past. It became a fossil to an ephemeral and mobile
society; a momento to a new culture that would seek eternal life
carving their name in earth.
The range of information this object says about
their society’s soft culture has lead me to find new meaning in our
material culture. If one can deduce that a mobile society produces
impermanent objects from ephemeral materials, and sedentary society
produces more permanent objects from archival materials; than what is to
be inferred from a culture which produces disposable objects from
permanent materials?
zachbalousek.com
by Carole Epp | Mar 29, 2014 | Uncategorized
“My interest has remained inconveniently multi-faceted in most things ceramic – from its misty prehistory, when only clay and gods mattered, to the subsequent historical offerings from many lands. Food and tea presentation, clay and glaze research, the art of throwing, the art of handbuilding, kilns, riverside shards, emissivity, the smell of old clay, on and on. The straight path to the studio from the house is necessarily most serpentine some days. Some months of the year, though, make it much simpler. When the days grow warmer I work much more outside, where pots dry more quickly. I become a potter and become familiar again with muscle and ache. From November on, when things are freezing solid outside, body activity slows down and more cerebral struggle takes its place. A farmer might go curling during this time. I suppose I go handbuilding. This sequence has been part of my making for well over 30 years. The only thing I can see that has changed is more honing, more reflection, more revisiting old and new places in my mind, and less guilt about the now petty.”
– John Chalke
by Carole Epp | Mar 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
About Sculpties
One cold winter day, a piece in progress captured his very own studio selfie, and began a new trend: sculpties.
Hello! My name is Jocelyn Howard and I will graduate in May 2014 with an MFA in Ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Interested in themes dealing with gender identity, sexuality, public vs private image, duality, and jungian psychology, I enjoy exploring these themes when creating ceramic figures in hopes to create a personal mythology.
When documenting my studio practice and sculptural process, I noticed that the expressions, postures, and characteristics of each figure I created lent itself to being documented in the same way a person would take a selfie. What started out as a humorous documentation of my work has evolved into an exploration that applies the act of crafting self-image through taking selfie shots to literal crafted objects.
When I think about duality, specifically the difference between public and private personas, the first thing that comes to mind is the way in which social media asks two things of us. On one hand, we want to keep in touch with friends and family, let our hair down, and share things that are deeply meaningful in our lives through venues such as facebook, twitter, tumblr, and instagram. On the other hand, we want to curate a professional image that will help further a career. Websites are good for establishing a solidly professional boundary around our public image. But sometimes the line between public image and private image is blurred when an online presence becomes a cocktail of website plus instagram, twitter, tumblr, and facebook.
When I spend time to painstakingly document my work, I am crafting a professional public image for that work. I set it carefully on a grey graduated backdrop, arrange lights to capture every detail, and spend time adjusting each setting on the camera to compose the perfect shot. However, when I create and build my figures, I feel that they take on a life of their own in the studio. They let their hair down. And so, I invite you to join me on this journey of documenting my work behind the scenes. I hope you enjoy getting to know each character when they aren’t posing for my portfolio or getting gussied up for that next show application. And, please feel free to use the submit link to submit your own sculpties!
For each piece’s pro shots, please check out: www.jocelynyhoward.com
sculpties.tumblr.com
by Carole Epp | Mar 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
March, 2014
Dear Friends,
We need your help. Our Noborigama Kiln has been damaged after the structure that shelters it collapsed due to the weight of this winter’s extreme snow. We are in critical need of funds to help rebuild the collapsed structure and repair the kiln damage.
We ask you to please consider making a donation towards this effort.
Time is of the essence as we use this kiln not only for our regular workshop season, but also for special firings that help bring in critical funds to the program in our off-season..
We are firmly committed to rebuilding and repairing the damage.
The Peters Valley Noborigama kiln was built by the famous duo of Will Ruggles and Douglass Rankin during a Wood Kiln Construction and Firing workshop that they taught on our campus in 1992. It was then featured in an article they published in Studio Potter, Volume 22, Number 1 titled ‘The Rock Creek Climbing Kiln Part II’ and has become a huge draw for our program.
We estimate that we need to raise $20,000 to properly rebuild and repair the damage.
“In the few weeks since the collapse of the roof over our two-chamber wood kiln I have received many phone calls and messages of support. Needless to say, I’ve been struck by the generosity shown toward the School and the Ceramics Department in particular. Please know that we truly appreciate whatever amount you’re able to give.” Bruce Dehnert, Ceramic Studio Department Head
Any donation of $75 or more will receive a Peters Valley T-shirt as a thank you.
Your donation will go a long way to helping us restore this critical piece of our ceramic studio. With your support, our unique kiln can continue to benefit a diverse and inspired group of people from students, to artist instructors, studio assistants, artist fellows, resident artists, and Peters Valley visitors.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Kristin Muller Executive Director
Peters Valley School of Craft,
19 Kuhn Rd.,
Layton, NJ 07851
(973)948-5200
www.petersvalley.org
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HSQEFX8EMHLXQ
by Carole Epp | Mar 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
Join us on First Friday April 4th, 6-9pm for a reception with the artist. Exhibition runs through April 26th.
Sunshine Cobb‘s
show title “Jeans and a T-Shirt” is drawn from a conversation with a
friend and references the, “…everyday, comfortable, and ultimately
utilitarian type of pots…” that she makes.
Sunshine is coming to Denver from Helena, MT where she is currently a long-term resident at the
Archie Bray Foundation.
She received her BA from Cal State Sacramento, and MFA from Utah State
University. Sunshine has been recognized as an “Emerging Artist” by
Ceramics Monthly in 2012, and the National Council for Education in Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in 2013.
Sunshine
uses a red clay body and hand builds most of her pieces using soft
slabs, coil and pinch techniques. She is known for her distinctive
shapes and finished surfaces, which she creates by sanding, or often
sandblasting, to show decay, “…wear and tear, a kind of broken-in look”.
The combination of how the surface looks as well as feels is important
in her work, it is the relationship between the visual and tactile.
Sunshine says, “I always use the favorite T-shirt idea, I want my work
to have the worn in feel to it, loved and used to the point it has your
own personal history embedded in its surface.” Enthusiasm and fun are
major parts of her studio practice and we
are excited to have Sunshine and her work at Plinth. We look forward to
this casual and fun exhibition and we hope you will join us, wear your
comfortable jeans!
Sunshine Cobb Workshop
SPACE IS STILL AVAILABLE!!
On April 5th and 6th, Plinth Gallery will host a two-day workshop with
Sunshine Cobb.
This hands-on workshop will encourage experimentation with new forms
and methods of construction. Geared toward creative expansion,
beginners, intermediate and advanced students will use hand-building
techniques such as coil and pinch methods and soft slab construction to
generate a variety of vessel forms. Collaboration and fun is the goal.
Price
for the workshop is $250 per student which includes most materials and
lunch both days. College credit is available through Adams State
University. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For
more information and to register,
contact Plinth Gallery or call 303-295-0717.
3520 Brighton BLVD
Denver CO 80216
plinthgallery.com
