by Carole Epp | Dec 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
I am constantly in awe of the range of talents and creativity that the musing readers share with me. It really is such an honor to be a part of this community! We all have so many different perspectives and histories and styles and we are all unified by this incredible material and our unique and beautiful ways of speaking through that medium. Today again is a perfect example:
And in the artist’s own words:
“I have an eclectic spirit. I love arts and crafts and will give almost anything a try…always looking for a centering to pull all my creativity together. I took my first pottery class about five years ago and found in this medium that I could bring all my other interests together.
I am primarily a self taught artist. Trial and error are my main tools. I have taken several years of pottery classes at the local community college and enjoyed work shops with artists like John Calver, Carol Gentithes, and Sid Luck. I am always amazed how different every artist is with the clay!
I can remember being into creating even before grade school. I used to build little villages of sticks and stones under the shade of an old oak tree in my grandparents back yard. My father built our home and I would sneak scraps of drywall and wood to draw or paint on, this was in the first grade. I had a standard Japanese Pagoda that I loved to draw with water and mountains and evergreens in the back ground. I remember my first project in the second grade drawing local birds on a 2’x2’ board. I still love the smell of a new box of big fat Crayola crayons. High school would find me drawing for extra points on reports, or if you needed me you should look near one of the hallway bulletin boards where I would be creating something new. I have always had something near to work on…not always producing a good piece, but always a step to learning more about myself and the media I was using. Some of my best work has come from mistakes!”
http://wondrousstrangedesigns.blogspot.com/
www.wondrousstrange.etsy.com
by Carole Epp | Dec 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
You all know I’m a huge fan of figurative work, especially those with social commentary so I was thrilled to find the work of Cecile Kizlik show up in my email inbox. Enjoy!
Bio: Cecile Kizlik was trained as a bookbinder and is now freelancing DTP jobs. She lives and works in France. She took up ceramics 3 years ago, and fell in love. She used to draw, but now makes figurines. She also makes functional objects which we’ll hopefully get to see someday here on musing as well.
Statement:
I make figurines out of stoneware clay. I am interested in social and identity issues. My work focuses on the way bodies and clothes give something away of someone’s personality. They act as telltale signs – sometimes misleading – of what happened to us, of our wealth, of our attempts to present or hide ourselves, of our aspirations…My sources of inspiration are archetypal characters i might see in films, books etc… as well as everyday people. I have a special interest in people who have striking features or a bold dress sense, characters with an awkward, quirky side to them. Visually, my main influences are comic books aesthetics and folk arts.
Here’s the address of the blog featuring her work: http://cecile-kizlik.blogspot.com/
by Carole Epp | Dec 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
Another day and another batch of lovely pots, this time the fantastic work of Shana Salaff – enjoy!
Short Statement:
My work runs the gamut between traditional or historically significant forms and inspirations and a more postmodern pastiche of style, colors, and decorative patterns. I see the items that I make as being useful “jewels” – shiny, small in stature, and made with as much care as possible. I love beauty and elegance as much as quirkiness and playfulness, and my vessels seek to allow the user to share my passions. Decoration versus content, beauty versus pragmatism; these are the dialectics that inform my work.
Bio:
I recently received my MFA from California State University, Fullerton, where I taught Ceramics and Three-dimensional Design as a graduate assistant teacher. Originally from Toronto, I received a diploma from the School of Craft and Design at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, in 1995. I received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1998. I have also worked as a studio potter for 7 years, running Wareshana Pottery in Halifax. I am currently doing a residency at Art 342 in Fort Collins, Colorado.
www.shanasalaff.com
by Carole Epp | Dec 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
I’m loving the fact that there are lots of good ole Canadian entries again for Artist of the day; mind you we are a bit heavy on north american content – whats up with that? Hmmm I wonder…how to get the rest of you guys – that i know are reading the blog – more involved…a new years resolution for me in the works i reckon…Anyhow feast your eyes on today’s lovely offerings:
“Heather Braun-Dahl is a ceramic artist and painter living and working in Vancouver, BC. After having graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2001 and then starting a family, Heather launched her dahlhaus art studios website in 2007 featuring her ceramics and paintings under one ‘roof’.”
“My current ceramics is interested in form being functional and minimal, but being the backdrop to a glazing style that strongly references my interest in painting. I started the Poppy series of pots when I revisited an abstract painting of mine from a few years back- the pod-like shapes with stems could easily translate to a modern poppy design and on my simple, wheel-thrown forms the colours and design seemed to catch people’s eye!”
website: www.dahlhausart.com
shop: www.dahlhausart.bigcartel.com
etsy: www.dahlhaus.etsy.com
contact: [email protected]
by Carole Epp | Dec 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
Today is bursting with beauty, prepare yourselves…. for Kalika!
In her own words:
I am a potter working in Nelson BC. All the pots are made from red cone 6 stoneware, decorated with slips and glaze. I use a variety of forming methods-wheel throwing, hand building and press moulding.
Biography
Living in numerous towns and cities across Canada while growing up placed an emphasis on the importance of familiar domestic objects. The ability of domestic ware to be an integral and intimate part of daily life continues to have a strong influence on my studio practice. After an introduction to ceramics at a communal clay studio in Edmonton, Alberta I completed a diploma in Art, Craft and Design majoring in ceramics at Kootenay School of the Arts. I continued my education at Alberta College of Art and Design where I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction. After completing a 10 month residency at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, Missouri, I have set up a studio in Nelson, B.C.’s historical brewery building making pots that celebrate our daily rituals of eating and drinking.
Statement
Handmade pottery celebrates the simple activities of daily life. The forms are known and familiar, they are reinventions of objects that have been made to serve basic human necessities for thousands of years.
The objects I make prepare, serve and celebrate food. They call attention to the importance of the food and rink that nourishes us. Unlike handmade objects, the majority of objects we interact with are disposable, replaceable and do not allow the development of intimate, meaningful interactions. Objects have the potential to contain history and provide a sense of comfort-familiarity through repeated use. Hand making each object, with attention to details in a an industrialized society is a social and political action valuing intimacy and sustainability.
I leave marks of making visible with a desire to engage with the uncertainties, sensuality and intimacies of being human. Obvious attachments, drips from slip and glaze application, these idiosyncrasies can be perceived as imperfections but I consider them the remnants of spontaneity. Intentional variation makes each piece unique, every piece is related but different.
Working with clay is inherently physical. Through all its processes-making, firing and finally using-our sensual, physical existence cannot be denied. To nourish our bodies, senses and minds is to acknowledge our humanness. Our need for sustanence and care is a common experience which can bridge the distance between individuals providing a space for compassion and understanding. We can all relate to the hunger, thirst and the desire for intimacy. Pottery acts as a reminder of our basic needs, revealing our vulnerability.
www.kalikabowlby.wordpress.com
