Artist of the Day

Uri Davillier A selection of his work..

Glass studio and technics

This semester is going to be another whirlwind, a wonderful but testing one though. Our glass department have really tried to give us the best they can offer in a creative way. Our classes have lengthened and nearly all our classes have three teachers with different expertise coming in and out for different parts.

Glass studio
This morning Andrew gave us our timetable and explained it. Homework is to research 3 glass artists who use sand casting, sand casting in general and to have a proposal for our cast piece ready.

Good websites for "How to sand cast"
Linda Fraser


Glass tech
Uri's artist talk was at 11am and and fascinating as all are. His experiments fusing stone and glass were very interesting. I love all the installation work as the philosophy behind it is fun and kind..the intent is to give someone an 'out of experience' experience on a random day. To my thought it's a bit like RAOK (Random acts of Kindness) but in a different form. Anyhow it resonates well with me... I enjoy it. So check out his webiste at Neptune glass works



Our Tech class was taken by Uri who showed us some very 'cool' flamework techniques. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it..must get back into it...must buy some borosilicate glass and start practicing. Great day! Great week!

Artist of the day

Last weekend we visited the National Art Glass collection in Wagga Wagga. At the moment on display (upstairs) is part of the Gallerie's own collection and on the ground level part of the 'Kerfoot' Art glass collection. This is where I cam across Rob Knottenbelt's work for the first time. It is fantastic to see works that so far I have only seen on the 'glossy page' in the flesh


'Falling Away' - a vanishing in the peripheral eye # 2, 2004
Size: 523H x 251W x 98mmD

Glass blowing practice and Barnes

Time for a bit of practice in the hotshop. I had a plan to make my mum and dad a pair (in some regard) of tumblers for their wedding anniversary next week. I also tried to make a milk jug..the handle expresses in full our utter inexperience. My only saving grace is that it's in the place where the handle should be ... It has red spots which will look rather startling on milk..oh well.

Nadine made a thin tumbler / single flower vase, a christmas decoration icicle style using the small optic mould and we tried another jug..the handle went a little better though thanks to Marcus' comments we may get a better result next time. The Jug shape was very nice (Nadine is pretty good) but the bottom cracked as we knocked it off before annealing.

I paid a visit to Barnes "a world of casting at your fingertips" to buy some white modelling wax but the last small chunk (less than 5kg) had walked out the door only half an hour hence. SO perhaps I shall try a fine paper mache for my Tractus model.... hmmm.

Papier mache websites:
Papiermache uk

Wide bowl

I stayed behind to watch Yuri (Stevie and Tara as TA's) make a bowl with similar techniques to the first demo. I saw a coloured lip added for the first time, a bit like trailing colour on beads.
I'll get a picture of the finished items and add them later. I had a bit of chat with Mark about stop motion animation and Insider and outsider artists.

Hot Shop

Our class this semester is now three hours instead of two. That's great but no one told us (typical). The studio has a new artist in residence Uri Davillier. Marcus who is our Hot shop teacher for this semester wangled us a demo from Uri for our class today.

Of all days to be without my camera! Anyhow the demo was great. A range of unseen techniques (by us first years) were used. A new type of coloured glass from gaffa, the optic mould, frit of 2 colours and grades was used, overlaying colour over a clear bubble...a few of us got to assist which is always instructive. Those of us who take notes managed to keep up for a while and then note books were abandoned for participation or avid observation.

With an hour left, Marcus instructed us on how to make stringers.

Art theory

So this morning we were introduced to a new set of lecturers, given a new term schedule (for THAP) and given a new semester reader. This semester is about 19C art and drawing connections to contemporary art.

Our Essays from last semester were returned and our new tutorial classes set.

One of this winter's knitting projects

This is intended to be a beanie for my beloved. A broad band of rib with enough for a wide turn up and hopefully I will reduce the stitches in moss (seed) stitch. The yarn is by Japanese supplier Noro, this one being called Iro (25% silk 75% wool) Size 6 needles.

Wow what a day

It's back and running faster than ever. The year planner is about to be put back in use after the holidays...

Concepts: Glass studio

I enjoyed this class, well once I had the time to breathe after it. Jane Gavan is an enervating teacher. Here is a link to a segment of collectors the ABC t.v program on her fluro pink collection.

The concepts we will be investigating in this class are: Object, Light, Colour, Sustainability, Haiku, Biomimicry and Material & process.
The class was asked to give word associations and meaning to these concepts. Some are more subjective than others.

Our next task was in the library to make 3 drawings of something in nature, with a specific detail in mind like structure or shape or purpose. Our drawings had to reveal this detail without labels.


It was a bit of a hurry but here are my three.















Back to our class room all the drawings where placed on the table and then sushi train style we passed them around writing on the back of the pictures what detail we thought our class mates where wanting us to notice. Jane then gathered up all the pictures, shuffled them and handed them out again making sure we did not receive our own. With this combination we were instructed to design a "fantasmagorical" like object with the idea that our drawing would be used as a trade sketch. I had a cactus and a tree to work with. The detail of the cactus was I think the spines. The tree was a tree..I think.

A some point we went to the lecture theatre to see a talk given by Janine Benyus from the Institute of biomimicry at a conference. I came across the Institute a few years ago when I was doing some research on sustainable buildings. There is of course a lot more to it than building and it is a fascinating field one that I am glad to be reinvestigating from a different side.

Here is my Tractus. Our next task was to get into pairs and act the parts of designer and fabricator with our sketches, which helped develop our drawings to be more understandable to a third party. Jane's next words were " Now for our next class I want you to make a model of this." oh really..

Also for next class we need to gather a "collection of lightness". 5 objects for each 5 categories of light.

I feel as though I have been for a run (yes I have actually)...exhausted but alive!

The model should be made of a minimum amount of different materials, uncoloured and as light on "heat beat treat" manufacture as possible.

Object Theory

Our class this term in Studio theory (I call it Object theory which is our studio) is being given by Clare Bond.
The lesson started off by visiting "Young guns". The ceramics Triennale tout it as "an international survey exhibition of contemporary ceramics by recent graduates from tertiary institutions around the world" and it is being held at SCA, so for us it was a toddle down stairs and a stroll across the court yard. I had seen the flyer for it and had been put off by it but not realising that it was on campus. It's a wonderful selection of work and 'll be going back for another longer look.

Our task was to:

• find 2 works that we thought were strong and meaningful.
• Write a thorough description of both works and make a sketch of them.
• Building on your description, discuss what you think the meaning of both works are.

Back in the class room we introduced our selves by the way of first names, studio and why we are attending SCA. Then we spoke about one of the pieces we had chosen with some class discussion after each piece which was very interesting and fun.

Module 1 by Bernd Weise
Experiment 14 by Justin Cooper

Computer drawing 121

An introduction to file formats, CMYK and RGB, the conspiracy of cheap digicams, file management and basic photoshop navigation. Our first task is to create a fictional 'invite' with some of our art.

Earring's for Sarah

After months of trying to get together, my friend Sarah and I snuck in a few hours between finishing work and catching trains. I must admit that I was a few presents behind so this afternoon I made up some earrings for her.

This pair are lamp work glass beads. Opaque Scarlet on transparent grey (the palest tint) and sterling silver findings.











This pair are roughly cut Citrine from Mayagems with Maria George seed beads on "brass" findings.











My internet finds for the day were:

• Librarything an online social catalogue for your books..without the hard work of cataloguing! and much more.
• The Stonepages where I found 360 deg visuals of stone circles and
  
• a blog by Jorth, a creative knitter, seamster and witty blogger.

Artist of the day

mischer'traxler is design duo Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler.

Limited moths (2008)
lamp: 65x30x35cm,
with single moths: 120x100x35cm
copper moths (waterjet-cutted and handrivetted), electronics for lamp

Day 9 of George Aslanis' casting course

A day of cake, kiln schedules & art discussion was followed by a visit to "Transgression" opening night for Kate Baker's work at Gaffa gallery.

Day 8 of George Aslanis' casting course

We started our day of gallery and glass shop hopping quite close by at GAG Glass Artists' Gallery in Glebe. George pointed out pieces that were by students and colleagues of his at Monash. Glass Artists' Gallery is run by Maureen Cahill an integral figure in Australian glass.

In Newtown's second hand stores we tiptoed and squeezed through mazes of retro kitsch, orange lamps and sultry portraits of 1960's brunettes. Further along the road at the Turkish ceramics shop a few handpainted bowls and plates were purchased. A unanimous decision (and for a group of 9 that's quite unanimous) was made to indulge in Turkish coffee and some tea. Once ensconced in the traditionally bedecked cafe at the back of the shop Howie requested that the Hookah be "got going" (I'm not actually sure of the correct terminology for that request). So while travel tales were exchanged some of us experienced a cool apple tasting smoke. It was outside this shop that a fire engine traveling at non emergency speed knocked the mirror off Deb's car.

Singular button purchases were made at the Button shop before we left Newtown for Surryhills. First port of call was of course Sabbia gallery who have timed thier "Conversations" collection of ceramics to coincide with the Australian Ceramics Triennale. Some of our party were feeling faint from the lack of sustenance so a local cafe was preyed upon. Much fortified but with a loss of 3 members to the group we trooped around 2 homeware shops (one retro and one contemporary) with a quick foray in to Tessuti a gorgeous fabric shop.

On the way to the Sydney Antique Centre George pondered on the difference of Melbourne and Sydney collecting and pricing whilst enjoying reminising with Deb over 80's music (being played).



The antique center had a few Rene Lalique pieces (though not this one), and I admit to have never seen until now a Lalique work in the flesh.

George lead us to a section that was entirely glass and explained technique and context piece by piece.


Apart from the Lalique's and the other art glass I would have taken with me if I could a small boxed sundial.

That finished our field trip.

Visual Diary Wall

Thank's Nanna

Earlier this year when my Nana came to visit from England we met up in Avalon to check out the beads at Mayagems. Nana was insistent that she buy me some and I have finally put them together in a necklace. The beads are petrified shell from Nepal with brass, turquoise and carnelian inclusions. The largest bead is hollow brass with a floral and animal motif, the spacers are brass.

Mangroves of olympic park

Day 5 of George Aslanis' casting course

Sprueing or sprewing?


After a lovely breakfast with my parents at "Le grande boueffe" George's casting class finished off their wax models. A wax funnel was attached to our waxy brown creations..and then our master shaman gave a demo on the best way to stick wooden pins (toothpick and skewers) in our voodoo works.




Deb sprueing her Angler fish
















The open moulds at top temperature

Glass casting course

6 minutes remain of today. I'm searching for images of telescopes, thorns, spyglasses, moons, stars & astrolabes to help me prepare for my clay model for the open face mould making tomorrow...still n ot sure wich idea I am going to swing with!