Semester 2: Week 1 - A Crate Start to the New Year
I spent most of my break working my two jobs. The majority of my studio hours over break were spent on the computer working on my graduate school application (though I did also throw a few things on the wheel). Naturally, I severely underestimated the amount of time it would take to put my portfolio together, but I feel good about all the work I put into it and am affirmed by all of my mentors and peers who helped me curate it. If anything, I now have a solid, polished portfolio to apply to residencies with in the coming months, as well as some thoughtful writing material to pull from. The writing process doesn’t necessarily ever get easier or faster for me, but I feel I’ve gotten better at speaking about my work and goals; writing my letter of intent really helped me articulate my current artistic focus and interests along with the paths I wish to explore moving forward. It’s easy to get down on myself for not making any physical work this month, but I am trying my best to see the value in the behind-the-scenes parts of my practice as well.
More behind-the-scenes work: I built my first crate! My 6’ sculpture was accepted into its first national juried show(!): “Intercollegiate” at the Stifel Fine Arts Center in Wheeling, WV. I will be driving it as soon as I get back from my residency (more on that next blog) in a few weeks, so I had to have the crate made by the time I left. Building it was definitely a learning experience - you’d think I’d heed the
measure twice, cut once” rule, having worked in a set construction shop for 4 years, but no. I had to unscrew/recut/reframe two of the sides and tweak stuff as I went and it’s definitely not perfect, but my sculptures fit snuggly with foam/padding, and it’s a solid crate. I’m hopeful that it will do its job in keeping them in tact for the 6 hour drive.
I also bisqued the next part of my 3 part sculpture. It was a very uneven firing (expected) and a few cracks emerged (plus the piece that broke off) but I’m not too worried about cracks at the moment. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to soda it on its fitted base without too much movement. But I might wait until I’ve got the last part made. Regardless, this was a terribly uneven bisque, and the heat differences caused Hailey’s vase to crack, which I feel very bad about. Even though my sculpture didn’t crack too bad, the top is a few shades lighter than the bottom. Next time I bisque in Big Bailey, I might create an empty back stack with bricks and shelves to distribute the heat a little better.
I just started my 2-week residency at Azule in Hot Springs, NC. It’s an incredible, beautiful place, and I am so excited for the time to make in solace. Max and I are the only residents here now, and then I think I’ll be the only one here next week. It’s so quiet and peaceful.
I’m returning to oils and 2D mediums, which is very intimidating — I feel like a beginner all over again and don’t really know where to start. But I trust that whatever I make here will inform my work in clay and deepen my practice overall. More pics to come (:
