more from the studio….

by Carole Epp | Jan 19, 2010 | Uncategorized

For starters I just wanted to thank everyone for the amazing comments the other day. So nice to have some feedback and encouragement : )

This week I didn’t get very far with any of the functional work as I had a moment of fearful realization of exactly how soon my next deadline is for my sculptural work, so I’ve been focused on that every waking moment. Pieces are rush drying on the top of a hot kiln as we speak. I figured so that I kept up with my resolution that I’d post a sneak peek of some of those pieces in progress. I’ll update more very soon as well about where they’re going in case anyone has the desire and accessibility to see them in person.

I also had a great skype chat with an amazing friend and artist last night and as always when I chat with her I got some good serious questions to ask myself. Always good to have a friend that will be honest with you and challenge you. So I’ve got alot to think about in the next little while, especially some thoughts about the sculptural work and the concept behind representing political/social subject matter, how negative the work is sometimes read and if that’s at all effective anymore, especially seeing how much the world and our perspectives have actually changed in the last 6 years since I started the project. I’m starting to think that maybe I’ve been a bit on auto pilot, pumping out pieces without challenging the concept and intent of each enough…more on that at a later time though…right now my head is in a cloud, much like this little man:

As I mentioned last time I’m also working on more of the sculptural vase pieces so here’s a shot of the last one I made, which I’m really unhappy with as it reads simply as a cut bowl on it’s side. I opened the form too much in an attempt to get a larger size and that ruined it in my opinion. However it does give me a bit of hope as to playing around with scale and displaying various sized pieces together to accentuate the relationships between them and the interesting negative spaces that are created. I’m starting to think that I really need to start working with some larger molds, even if that means that components are repeated. More cut and paste as well to remove the pieces from being ‘in the round’. Cutting one side just isn’t cutting it (ha!)…. I think they could be far more dramatic if they were visibly more unstable and cut on different axises. By the way the paint brushes represent where the flower stems would be.

I think i’m overthinking it too much…or maybe not enough…

by Carole Epp | Jan 13, 2010 | Uncategorized

So I made the resolution and already people are going to hold me to it. Damn it why did I post about it on the internet….okay here’s some initial pics of some playing around in the studio. I’ve come to a few realizations this week. First, that when I was a grad student and developed this work:

My approach was to start with an idea, a concept and then find the voice through form and aesthetic to communicate that underlying structure of the work. It was grad school, you had to justify everything (and with good reason), but does that float in the “real world”?

So i’m at a point in my career where I have to accept that money pays the bills and conceptual baggage attached to work doesn’t pull on the heartstrings or pocket book of the consumer that will allow me to eat. Does that mean I’ve lost all my idealism about art and it’s values and my role as an artist to engage all of the senses, and most importantly engage the mind? Does the almighty dollar mean that i bow to the masses and create a version of what sells the best on etsy?

Sigh…i don’t want to go there. But I also realize that there is a difference between making art that is marketable and art that you could care less if it is marketable. There has to be a grey area that incorporates the two. no?

So I find myself working on creating some pieces that I feel (hope) will be more marketable, but then I feel like I’ve lost my distinct voice that I worked so hard to achieve through my grad project. I tried so hard to develop a form that wasn’t seen here and there and everywhere. But maybe i kid myself in thinking that the work was that unique. I’ve never been one to believe in original thought, only watered down and altered versions of what already exists….anyhow, this has led me to decide to continue down a path i began last year with these forms:

which in essence were a more sculptural approach, yet still a derivative of the more functional porcelain work of earlier. So we’ll see where that goes. There is a very large version sitting drying right now in the studio which i’ll try to show you in the next few days.

In the meantime below are some attempts at something else in the functional vein. I’ve long avoided any surface imagery as I’m a poor illustrator and I’m trying to avoid using decals (not that I don’t love them, just don’t want to go there yet.) But after recent chats with a local potter and good friend of mine whose work has color and imagery on it, i’ve come to realize that imagery is a way in for an audience. They can easily relate and they are more often compelled by a single object out of the collection of your work that speaks to their own personal narrative. Is it manipulative for me to think of this and to try to take advantage through incorporating some imagery into my work? hmmm. Anyway I’ve got some pencils sharpened and some tracing paper at hand to work and rework ideas so we’ll see where that goes as well. The following are more for glaze tests so be kind, they are a world apart from my other work i know; but thoughts and criticism is always appreciated.