by Carole Epp | Sep 29, 2013 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
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| “Books Acquired January 1 to June 30 2013” 2013 photo by Amanda Larner. |
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| “Cup 326: City of God, by Saint Augustine” |
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| “Cup 204: The Wild Road, by Gabriel King” |
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| Cup 76: Come, Thou Tortoise, by Jessica Grant” |
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| “Cup 61: Lords and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett” |
A Library of Teacups Artist Statement
A Library of Teacups was an exhibit of handmade ceramic teacups, shown at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Gallery from October 13th to November 10th 2012.
Books and tea are two of my great loves in life, and they go together swimmingly. I made a one-of-a-kind teacup inspired by each book I own–just over 450. The idea was to fill the room with a towering, borderline overwhelming display of pottery. I wanted it to feel like walking into a library—books don’t talk, but they have presence and personality, and they will tell you stories if you listen.
Why teacups? Because (much like books) they lend themselves to individuality, to standing as one in a herd of many. There is a cultural expectation of uniformity for household food vessels. Plates and bowls must match. Glasses must be identical to one another. Even single items like serving platters or salad bowls are often chosen for how well they complement other dishes, or even the rest of the kitchen. Students and other fledgling adults may scrape and scramble for a few years with the family hand-me-downs and a few odds and ends picked up from Value Village, but once settled away into careers and respectability—once settled in a Real Kitchen—the motley dinnerware is replaced with the standard, regimented vessels.
But mugs and teacups have largely escaped the dictates of décor. What kitchen does not have a riotous cupboard or two of chipped, mismatched and utterly beloved mugs? Who doesn’t know the cracks in the bottom of their favourite coffee cup better than the lines on their face? The deeply personal and individual act of cradling a cup of tea is best carried out, it appears, with the assistance of a personal and individual teacup. And the enjoyment of a good book is best enhanced by a cup of tea.
by Carole Epp | Sep 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
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| Aaron Nelson |
Maybe it was something in the air at Medalta lately, what with the 1st International Cup show opening and all. But while I was visiting earlier this month, Vipoo Srivilasa who was there for a residency drummed up the idea to put together an International Spoon Competition as well. September saw a new batch of year long residents taking over the studio as well as a number of artists from South East Asia coming over for a visit and a brief month long residency with Vipoo. The energy in the studio was inspiring. So many new artists getting settled in and starting to work and the spoon competition was the perfect thing to get the kilns firing and the creative ideas flowing. Sometimes all it takes is a little something out of the ordinary day to day of your studio practice to open up some new perspectives and ideas. Returning later in the month I saw how this friendly competition really brought the artists together (well that and all the amazing shared meals they created).
So I here by present to you the spoons in the competition. Each is a thing of beauty and interestingly speaks to each artist’s larger art practice. The winner of the competition (judged by those participating) was Teo Huey Min’s lovely spoon. Congrats to you!
But I’m curious…which is your favorite?
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| James Seet |
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| Jason Desnoyers |
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| Jenn Demke-Lange |
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| Jenna Stanton |
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| Joshua Primmer |
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| Jun Myoung |
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| Krisaya Luenganantakul |
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| Laura McKibbon |
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| Liz Burritt |
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| Naomi Clement |
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| Noriko Masuda |
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| Teo Huey Min |
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| Teo Huey Min |
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| Thomas Cheong |
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| Vipoo Srivilasa |
by Carole Epp | Sep 25, 2013 | Uncategorized

2013 Visiting Artist Series
Form, Function and Fantasy | $125.00
Day 1: October 26th, 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Day 2: October 27th, 12:00PM – 3:00PM
Melissa Mytty,
2007 Graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art and her work is featured in an upcoming issue of Ceramics Monthly
This
weekend intensive workshop will focus on the vessel as an object. We
will be exploring form, function, and surface, focusing primarily on
coils, pinching, and slab building as construction methods. Saturday we
will build several forms whether they are vases, bowls, cups etc; they
may be functional or non-functional.
Sunday
we will add surfaces and embellishments and talk about each vessel’s
silhouette and how that plays into each objects attitude. Does your
vessel need a bouquet of porcelain flowers nesting inside of it? Would
your cup be better painted in plaid or polka dots? Should the foot of
your pot have the appeal of a stiletto or the comfort of a running shoe?
All of these elements will be discussed and every technique can be
tailored to each participants specific interests.
Plaster Prototyping for Perfect Forms | $ 125.00
Day 1: November 9th, 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Day 2: November 10th, Noon – 3:00PM
Jamie Hickey, Pewabic Artist and Assistant Vessel Maker
The
focus of this workshop will be creating prototypes from plaster for
press molding and slip casting after the workshop. Students will learn
to create templates to use in the sledging technique of forming plaster
in its soft stages. Other techniques will be reviewed and include
finishing techniques to prep the prototype for mold making, plaster
repair, and altering plaster after it has cured. Pulling a mold from a
plaster prototype will be demonstrated. Participants will create one
small prototype to use for mold making in their own studios.
Hands On With Emily Schroeder | $175.00
Day 1: Nov. 16th, 10:00AM – 5:00PM | 1 hour break for lunch (student responsibility)
Day 2: November 17th, 12:00PM – 3:00PM
Emily M. Schroeder, Presenter at the 2013 Utilitarian Clay conference at Arrowmont and Chicago Studio Artist
Many
people shy away from learning how to make pinch pots, often equating it
with elementary processes that lack elegance and delicacy. In this
two-day workshop, we will challenge this thinking. By using only her
hands and a few basic tools, Emily will show several different ways to
create elegant pinched and coiled forms such as pitchers, cups, open
vessels and vases. We will discuss tapering forms and how to create
volume by simply manipulating the clay during the building process.
Additionally, she will demonstrate how she creates and uses bisque and
greenware molds to help support and shape complex bases. The workshop
will be divided up into 3-hour demo in the morning and three hours of
hands on time in the afternoon. This workshop is for all skill levels; no previous ceramic experience is required.
Class
sizes are limited, sign up today! You can register by calling (313)
626-2000 to reach Customer Service, in person at our Museum Store
(Mon-Sat 10am-6pm or Sun 12-4pm) or click here to Register Online.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, cash or personal check. Please note: There
will be no refunds given after the first class. Classes are
education-based, therefore no commission work is allowed.
http://www.pewabic.org/adult-classes_724
by Carole Epp | Sep 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
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| Carol Wedemeyer – Rocher Waves (installation) |
October 19-20 2013 9:00am-7:00pm
Contact: Nancy Resler
Witness A Unique Experience: Ceramic Sculpture from Around the World
The
Ceramics Annual of America (CAA) is an ambitious exhibition and art
fair spotlighting the quality and diversity of contemporary ceramics
from around the world including works from China, Korea, Mexico,
Australia and Italy. It is the only event of its kind in the United
States and the goal is to encourage the education and enrichment of the
public, cultivate a fertile art market, and foster dialog between
collectors and makers of ceramic sculpture.
Part
of California’s continuing legacy of excellence and innovation in
ceramics, CAA is the largest exhibition and art fair that is entirely
focused on ceramic art in America and is modeled after the Ceramic
Biennials held in Europe, Korea, Japan and China. It provides a venue
for the top regional and international artists from working in the clay
medium to show their work to a broader audience of collectors.
CAA
is organized by the California Ceramics Cooperative, a group of
invested regional ceramic artists, and will feature panel discussions,
lectures, tours as well as daily interactive art demonstrations all day
that will provide a greater understanding of the artistic process for
students and educators alike. Artist demos will feature Donna Billick,
Rene Martucci, Amber Augirre, Yosuke Koizumi, Tony Perry, Susannah
Israel, John Toki and Bar Shacterman
This
year, the city of San Francisco is partnering with CAA. The exhibition
will be held at the San Francisco Civic Center. CAA expects high
attendance with over 25,000 vistiors. This is an exciting time for CAA,
the Civic Center has not been used as an art venue since 1986. From
1946 until the last years of the Arts Festivals in the mid-1980s, the
Arts Commission used budgeted monies from the City’s general fund to
purchase jury-selected work by contributing local artists. As a result,
the Civic Art Collection contains a number of early works by influential
artists, including Robert Arneson, Bruce Beasley and Viola Frey. In
1978 an exhibit of Arts Festival acquisitions was held at the Arts
Commission’s gallery, followed in 1986 by a second showing in the lobby
of the TransAmerica Building, after which many of the objects were
incorporated into the Arts Commission’s interdepartmental loan program
for display in City offices. For many of the artworks included in The
Art of a City, this is the first time they have been publicly exhibited
in over twenty years.
Last
years event was a huge success with over 10,000 people in attendance.
The museum quality exhibition included educational lectures by curators
such as Peter Selz and Phil Linhares and renowned artists such as Jim
Melchert. “The size and scale of such an exhibition and the education
opportunities, all under one roof, were extraordinary.”—Art Historian,
Peter Selz.
Featured artists…
Amber
Aguirre (Hawaii), Junghee Nicole Sohn (Korea) Hollie Dilley
(California), Mikey McGhee (Alaska), Calvin Ma, (California), Geordie
Shephard (Canada), Susannah Israel (California), Steven Allen
(California), Jennifer Brazelton (California), Lisa Clague (North
Carolina), Natasha Dikareva (California), Jeffrey Downing (California),
Katherine Dube (Idaho), Cathy Feiss (California), Carol Fergoso
(California), Damien Jones (California), Carmen Lang (California),
Eusebio Lozano (California), Rene Martucci (California), Kathryn McBride
(California), Paula Moran (California), Kathy Pallie (California), Lisa
Rienertson (California), Gail Ritchie (California), Bar Shacterman
(California), Tiffany Schmierer (California), Barbara Sebastian
(California), Leslie Smith (California), Glenn Takai (California),
Yoshio Taylor (California), Derik Van Beers (California), Cindy
Williamson (California), Geetha Alagirisamy (Switzerland) ,
Golly Peters (Netherlands), Katherine Dube (California), Susana Arias
(Panama), Spring Montes (California), Tony Perry (California),
Jenni Ward (California), Stephen Braun (California) Miguel Peraz
(Mexico), Jose Benavides (California), Carol Wedemeyer
(California)Esther Shimazu (Hawai), Shalene Valenzuela (California)
Gomme Palotti (Italy).