by Carole Epp | Mar 26, 2013 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
I don’t normally endorse specific products on the blog, but the other day I acquired a new tool that will dramatic improve my practice (and my patience, and the state of my sore hands). I can’t remember who I saw with this tool, maybe it was at Arrowmont…I don’t remember, wish I could give credit.
But anyway I was out last week and ran across this Fiskars crafting knife and thought I’d give it a try. Not the cheapest utility knife, but the small blade which can rotate 360 degrees (or not as I decided to rig it with a small piece of paper jammed inside to keep it still) and the ergonomic handle were perfect for the drawings I do on my kids line of functional ware. You can also buy replacement blades and there is a second knife you can buy which is more your typical sized knife blade. My days of sore fingers and working with pins to get the line quality I desired are over. This was worth every penny.
Below are just a few images of my process:
 |
| Carving line drawing through wax on dry greenware. |
 |
Underglaze is washed into the carved lines.
|
 |
| After the bisque I wet sand the pieces and then add additional colors with underglazes. |
 |
| A clear glaze fired to Cone 6 and we’re done! |
|
Do you have a technical tuesday idea? Something that has changed your practice? A technique you’d like to share?
by Carole Epp | Mar 20, 2013 | Uncategorized
Well NCECA in Houston is off to a great start, or at least it seems to be from what i can sense from way up here in minus 27C cold Canada. Enjoy your clay conference and sandal wearing adventures folks (no bitterness here….no sir….)
And Hide-n-seekah began this morning with some lovely pots being found. Congrats to those that won and best of luck to the rest of you in your hunting over the next few days. If you’re in the dark about Hide-n-seekah check out the details here and make sure to play along.
As for the rest of us living vicariously through facebook, instagram, twitter…I’ve decided we might need a support group to get us through the next few days and to address any FOMO issues (Fear Of Missing Out).
So if you’re like me and heading to the studio to work this morning maybe a podcast will help the time fly. Recently (back in January) I was interviewed by the amazing Ben Carter for his Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast. It was quite the honor, Ben is not only a great interviewer but an artist extraordinaire. I’ve been a huge fan of his work and his blogging for ages. So if you have a minute head on over for a listen to my late night ramblings with Ben, or check out the many other artists he’s interviewed in the course of his journeys.
by Carole Epp | Mar 19, 2013 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday
If you’ve ever met me, you’ll know that I speak very highly of the Medalta Artist in Residence program. These are some amazing folks doing great stuff and its so nice to see an internationally recognized residency program so close to my home. So of course I jump at any opportunity to work with them and thus I am beyond excited to announce the first ever Medalta International Cup Show. How thrilling to see an international cup show taking place in Canada.
Show us your mugs (or cups, yunomis, steins, etc) and be a part of Medalta’s first annual International Cup Show!
This show – August 23 to September 28 – is being juried by (yours truly!) Musing About Mud blogger and Canadian ceramic artist, Carole Epp.
The submission deadline is Thursday, May 30 so if
you’re interested, have a look at the eligibility requirements,
important dates and other information on this page and fill out the
handy-dandy form (along with payment). Thanks for your interest
and good luck!
JUROR
Carole Epp is likely best known for her work on Musing About Mud, (www.musingaboutmud.blogspot.com)
an online resource of ceramic related content. She is a graduate of the
Australian National University, produces two distinct lines of
functional and sculptural ceramics, exhibits internationally, and at the
end of the day is a mother to two charming young boys.
ELIGIBILITY
The exhibition is open to all international artists. Identify yourself as a student to be entered into the right competition. Work can be either
functional or sculptural so long as it addresses the idea of “the cup”.
Please submit only original work that has been completed in the last
two years. All work must use at least 50% fired clay as the primary
medium.
Work must not exceed 2 feet in width.
All work must be properly prepared for exhibition, be durable enough
to survive shipping and display, and come with exhibition/assemblage
instructions if applicable. Medalta reserves the right to reject any
work that is not suitably prepared for exhibition or that differs from
the original submission.
Medalta reserves the right to use images and photographs of accepted
works for the purposes of promotional materials, including postcards,
calendars, local media as well as online promotion.
All entries must be for sale, (priced in Canadian Dollars).
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications Due May 30th
Email Notification Begins June 15th 2013
Accepted Work Due July 20th 2013
Show Dates August 23rd to September 28th 2013.
Opening reception TBA
All sold and unsold work shipped back October 2013
SHIPMENT OF WORK
All artwork must arrive at Medalta no later than July 20th. Artists
are responsible for all shipping and insurance costs to the gallery.
COMMISSION
All entries must be for sale, (priced in Canadian Dollars). Medalta will receive commission of 40% on all sales.
AWARDS
Several of the selected artists will be featured on the Musing About Mud blog.
And we’re wrangling more prizes as we speak!
Awards will be determined by the juror and announced at the opening reception. Artists do not need to be present to win.
Find out everything you need to know and the application form here: http://medalta.org/showusyourmugs
Make sure to apply – because you know if you don’t you’ll never hear the end of it from me : )
by Carole Epp | Mar 8, 2013 | Uncategorized
Well today’s site to see isn’t so much a website as it is a user on instagram…but follow me for a minute and you’ll see why you need to check it out.
Adam Field (of Adam Field Pottery) came up with a brilliant idea. Its one of those ideas you have to just love because it’s not motivated by marketing or sales – it’s core goal is to build community. Simple. Adam figured that it would be great to figure out a way to build the clay community on the instagram platform. Already there are tons of amazing artists posting their work, their lives, behind the scenes in their studio, what they find inspiring in the world, and well….of course their beloved pets too. But how could we get more clay artists on instagram? How about offer them the chance to find and keep some amazing pots simply by being at NCECA this year and following a group of artists who have donated work. It’s super simple to play along. All you have to do is go to HIDENSEEKAH’s instagram page and follow all 36 potters under the “36 following” tab at the top right corner of the page. Once NCECA starts Adam will be hiding artwork around Houston for you to find. Clues to find each artist’s work will be posted on their own personal instagram feed (which is why you have to follow them all not just HIDENSEEKAH).
Here’s a list of the artists whose work you could be lucky enough to find and take home:
Daniel Anderson
Christa Assad
William Baker
HP Bloomer
Archie Bray
Kyle Carpenter
Benjamin Carter
Sunshine Cobb
Josh Copus
Chandra Debuse
Rae Dunn
Trevor Dunn
Robin DuPont
Carole Epp
Diana Fayt
Adam Field
Perry Haas
Molly Hatch
Ayumi Horie
Brian R. Jones
Michael Kline
Steven Young Lee
Simon Levin
Alex Matisse
Lorna Meaden
Ryan Mckerley
Forrest Lesch-Middelton
Lindsay Oesterritter
Doug Peltzman
Ron Philbeck
Chris Pickett
Kari Radasch
Emily Schroeder Willis
Deb Schwartzkopf
Joy Tanner
Alex Watson
Make sure to stop by
Adams website as well when you have a chance too. Great pots and videos from the man that’s bringing you HIDENSEEKAH
by Carole Epp | Feb 20, 2013 | Uncategorized
People are always asking me about balance. How do I balance life and kids and making art. How do I still find time for the blog? How do I still find time to be an organizer of flock & gather? Some days I answer that life finds a way, and that at times I’ve been more productive than before kids due to limited time and a greater desire to use that time wisely. Other days….well other days are like yesturday when I poured some casts only to be so distracted that I completely forgot about them and discovered them three hours too late – rather than five minutes after they were cast which was their proper casting time. Sigh. Some days it is too much. Some days put me back rather than forward. Some days I question it all. But most days….most days it is all worth it. I’m living the dream.
.JPG){kind=link}