New Semester, New Loves :)

Oh yes. It has been quite a while since I have updated-- or even thought about-- my blog. So much has happened that there is simply no way of telling all. Basically, my summer plan to go crazy and build kilns and set up a full studio and go all out just tanked. I had the building, I had the wheel... but no kiln(s), glazes, power tools, etc. It didn't work out. I didn't have the time. I had a full time job, plus I was doing 20 hours of sculpture a week for a separate job besides. I spent maybe an hour or two every other day at the studio. I didn't have the money to invest in a kiln and the tools I needed, although I did get a wedging table made and made modifications to it and my wheel. I didn't want to invest too much into the space anyway because my dad told me that it was temporary. Just how temporary, I didn't know. I had one day of notice before the new tenants started moving everything in. I couldn't be there to move my stuff out that day because I was out of town, so it really sucked. My personal things got shoved around and they even started using a few of them.

Besides the fact that I got kicked out of it in mid August, I guess it wasn't all bad. I had a gallery up front where I displayed a few of my pieces-- ceramics and paintings. It was right on main street, so it felt good hearing about it from other people who were impressed or curious.

I just wish that it could have been a more permanent home for my creativity... I am back on campus in the glorious ceramic studio where I am spoiled with kilns and wheels and tools galore, but it's somehow different. I like having friends around to talk to, but I did enjoy the peaceful quiet feeling of having a huge space to myself. At least I have had a taste of it. I guess that's more than other artists my age. I'm only 20 1/2, after all.
Anyway, being back on campus is everything that I imagined it would be. I mixed glazes for the first time ever today... and after seeing the ugly results of the class glazes while unloading the gas kiln this morning, I am very excited to use my new glazes. I got the recipes from my teacher: a honey celadon and a white shino. Ok, ok, more pictures... let's see... I have been working on various projects, but since we just barely unloaded our kilns today I haven't brought much home in the way of finished ceramic work. In my hand building class I have been working on some big sculptural projects-- I sculpted a representation of my favorite hat on an 18" scale:

Oh, and this year I am a member of the Utah State University Ceramic Guild, so I participated in making a few chili bowls... we all went in on a Saturday and worked in the wheel room together and made it an all day event where we produced as many bowls as we could. I started at 10:00am and made and trimmed 23 bowls and was cleaned up and left before 7:00pm... I was rushing the trimming. Here is a photo of the greenware bowls on the shelf:

I love how the middle top bowl turned out... it didn't fire the same as I wanted it to, but it has a subtle beauty about it. Anyway, this year is so different. A few of the friends that I made last year graduated or moved-- and we got a few new people. I haven't quite warmed up to them yet, although I really am trying. We even got a new tech guy... who had a broken arm when he arrived :D I thought it was an interesting side note... but I have still been drawing. In fact, I have been drawing on mainly tea-stained paper (I started it during the summer right after quitting my job while I was really sick) with ink and sticking with black on paper with no added color. I have been starting to incorporate the drawings into my pots using a slip-transfer technique. I made some cups and transferred some faces and figures onto them and put them in the salt kiln this week-- eventually I will have photos to post. Anyway, today I mixed a honey celadon glaze to imitate the soft caramel color of the tea stained paper, so my pots will essentially echo my best sketchbook works. Here is a quick photo of a mug that I pulled out of the salt firing today:

I used a really iron-rich clay body and painted a petroglyph design on it with black stained slip and put it in the salt firing just to see what it would do. I originally intended to save it for a wood firing, but I like how it turned out. I have been experimenting with handles of this sort lately.