More Oil Paintings

Figure Drawings

I have started a second platter. Fingers crossed that this one comes out in one piece. I attached a lip to (hopefully) strengthen the platter and I will be firing it in a different way this time. I will post pictures before and after firing.

portfolio

Handle project

Here is a sneak peak at my handles project. Lots and lots of mugs to come! I've made a total of six so far, I think. Mrs. B says I have great handle making skillz :-) Hopefully I can fire and glaze a couple of them in time for the holidays. I am very proud of my skills on the wheel at this point. I finally got it down better this year! After three years of ceramics, I should be able to make a bowl or a cup on the wheel, so this is good. Now if I can get the surface decoration to be amazing these will be pretty nice cups!

40 Under 40 Platter Reflection

The platter I created based on Jenny Hart's style turned out better than expected in several ways. I was very happy with the texture, color, and glazing of the piece. The intricate pieces attached stayed on, which was good.
     However, the platter was too fragile to be fired the way it was and it did end up cracking. Next time I would use a different method to fire and maybe make the clay more thick to protect it from breaking.
     I plan to make another platter soon, as a part of my next project which will focus on surface decoration, and how to draw on clay and make aesthetically pleasing designs.

xx, Emma 

40 under 40 project

my platter was fired! sadly it broke while being fired in west Virginia. I love the way it looks otherwise. the color is really cool and it is a nice piece besides the crack.

nested bowls: done!

glazed and fired nested bowls are out. I think they look okay and demonstrate some ceramics skills, but they are boring too. if I did it over again I would use the same color scheme but change the details on each one

Self Reflection: Contemporary Ceramics as Fiber Art project

My project was a clay take on embroidery and fabric art inspired by artist Jenny Hart and other artists. I was also inspired by henna designs and artwork. My final piece is a large oval platter shaped work. I have finished the clay work and now it will be fired and then the surface will be decorated.

 Four things I learned during this project include: Making clay look like fabric is not easy, Working one class period to finish something time-sensitive is hard, I like embroidery and fiber arts, and symmetry can be difficult to achieve, especially with clay.

 I am proud of this project. Two things I am especially proud of are the scale of the piece and that I finished it in one class, and that I practiced beforehand and did a good amount of research.

 If I could improve something if I had the opportunity, I would make the center image more personal. It is a simple design, but I could make it more intricate with more time. The most difficult part of the project was the limited amount of time I had to finish it. The most enjoyable part was planning and executing the project.

 I would give my project a 3 out of 4 because it took a lot of work and research to execute it and the final product is good, but I think it could be better.

Contemporary Art Inspiration/Research

Marti Waller is a quilt maker and fiber artist.This piece utilizes unique shapes that inspired some of my designs.

http://www.santafeartquilts.com/large-view/all/1167681-5-0-/.html?thumbnails=on

Judith Gary is a ceramic artist whose textured tiles were inspiration for some of my designs. http://judithgary.artspan.com/index.php



Also, Sarah Maple is Cool http://www.sarahmaple.com

The mermaid pitcher is out of the kiln

Pictures to come. It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped but it is satisfactory. Except for the handle, which yet again came off. I will probably glue it. Also the slip I used to reattach it last time is still showing and looks ugly. The skin color was way too pale as well. But the turquoise color turned out nicely.

Research!: Jenny Hart

Jenny Hart is a contemporary artist I first saw at the Renwick Gallery. She was featured in the "40 Artists under 40" exhibit. Hart specializes in contemporary embroidery-taking an art considered old and out of date and turning it into a sassy, young art form. I liked Hart's portraits like this:

 For my project I am using Hart's work as inspiration to create my own contemporary art, using clay to create a style that (hopefully) mimics her embroidery. Stay tuned for more research on henna designs and other symbols that I plan to incorporate into my designs and project!






(source: http://jennyhart.net/#8c6/flickr)

Artist Statement 2012

My new artist statement: Funky Art is my favorite thing. “Thing” doesn’t give it justice; a more accurate description might be “passion” or “daily activity.” I have taken art classes since elementary school, seriously pursuing art as an interest at the end of middle school. My grandmother was an oil painter when she was young, and always appreciated art. She inspires me because I like to paint as well, and I want to continue to improve my painting and other art skills and make her proud. A few years ago I would never have imagined choosing art as my primary study or career. Now I have just applied to two art programs. In high school I have taken ceramics for three years, as well as painting classes after school. I hope to be a design major next year, and eventually earn a degree in Communication Design. I would describe my artistic voice as funky because I can sometimes be all over the place, working with clay, oil paint, pastels, pencil, or mixed media. In the future I want to put together a cohesive collection of art that could potentially fit into a gallery or professional portfolio. My vision for this project would be something created with mixed media. I love to collage and bring together pieces from random places, often cutting up magazines or finding images to put together in order to form a final piece. At this moment I am actively pursuing a career in art as a designer. My top choice school is Carnegie Mellon, school of design, as a communication design major. Combining my love of art, publications, and layouts, my hope is to become an art director for a magazine or a website. My strengths in art and writing will help me to excel in careers like this. I envision myself in a creative career where I am in charge of aesthetic decisions and creating new projects. Just thinking about a future like this excites me and gives me the feeling that this is the right path for me.

glazed pitcher project. I had to reattach the handle using slip and tissue paper, fingers crossed it makes it out of the kiln in one piece. next up:nesting bowls

glazed bowl from last yr

40 artists under 40

last week we took a trip to the renwick gallery to see the 40 under 40 craft exhibit.

the majority of the work was made with unusual materials by contemporary artists.

my next assignment is to propose a project based on the art that we saw . I'm thinking of doing a sculpture based on some paper art but well see if it's possible!

bisque merbabe pitcher!

unfired revisitation of a project I did last year. first ceramics 3 assignment!

This pitcher was made by hand building. It's Shenandoah clay, with pressing techniques used to create surface decoration. My goal with this revisitation was to make it with the correct proportions (a 2/3 1/3 ratio). I think I succeeded with this goal. I used a loop tool to shave extra clay off the bottom and create the silhouette seen here. After firing I will upload more pictures and add glaze to create the final piece. I can't decide whether or not to add a "shell bra" to the mermaid form but I'll make that decision soon.

Place Setting

This is my place setting for my final exam in Ceramics 2. I formed both cups and plate with slab construction. The unifying elements of the place setting are the wavy edges around the tops of the cups and the edge of the plate, and the opalescent aquamarine glaze and black glaze used for surface decoration. If I could change something I would go back and maybe pick different glazes so that there would not be the bubbles on the bottom of the plate. I like how the plate and cups match and work together, and the surface decoration on the outside of the cups especially, but I wish I knew how to prevent the glass bubbles that form on glazed ware.

Cups (multiples project)

Here are my unfired cups! Trying to make identical multiples was a challenge...after they're fired I will use my research to decide what to do for surface decoration/glazing.

YESSSSS PASSWORD RECOVERED. HUZZAH. HELLO ART BLOG.

japanese tea ceremony research

TEA! JAPAN!
ART OF TEA

Asian Art Museum: Japanese Tea Ceremony
For inspiration! I will be making tea pots and cups and studying the japanese art of tea!! Namaste!

for my next project

Let the ceramics madness begin!

Hello internet. If you are reading this you are probably my teacher or a fellow art student of mine, so welcome homies. This will be my space to blog about Ceramics 2 because that is the class I am in and this is what we do. HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!