Leaves and trees (more of)

Shaping up a new clay mould, trying out forms that are raised and incised.

Into the kiln

Sharing two Kilns, I put my 'leaf inclusions' in with Sarah's teacup tests and in with Nadine some furnace glass for flattening. The leaf inclusions are going into one of my hot cast moulds, so the colour is gaffa glass. Red hot chilli and Ruby gold.

Glass prac 6: Goblets

Andrew runs out of floor.....

Studio day

A very botanical investing session. Tegan and I invested her 'seed pods' and I made an open faced mould for the leaf inclusions. We both had to quit at 12.30, Tegan for work and myself for a pre visitor tidy up at home.

Ravens

Here's a collection of photo's of ravens from the web, thanks to all those photographers.

I love this one! So typical

Understanding professional practice with Karin: 5

Knowing the business:
Homework: Research project opportunities relevant to your practice- residencies, mentorships, exhibitions etc plus funding that could support this....

Northlands
Canberra Glass Works ,
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
Corning Museum of Glass CMOG
Resartists

Ok there are hundreds, but I kind of fancy Emma Ricklunds stiftelse in "Saxnäs, southern Lapland. 

"It is the crossroads where two cultures meet: the indigenous Lapps and the settlers. This is the place where mythology and folklore mix; it is where many artists, such as Asger Jorn, have sought and found their inspiration and energy."

So...I need some of these!

In hot sculpting blown glass there are times when you need to shape the glass from the inside. That's where these kind of tools come in handy. These ones are made by Jasen Johnsen.

My first millisecond of animation

The first bit is a paper cut wolf and the next part is a water-colour filling up Cinderella in rags.

Artist of the day: Su Blackwell

Su Blackwell is an artist and art director, working predominantly within the realm of paper. Her sculptures realise in tangible form the reading experience where small words create large worlds, the page literally jumps out of the book into fantastic ethereal woods, figures and landscapes.

Below are excerpts from her profile.
”I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes”.
”For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.”

After looking at her blog, I realise that I have missed out on a paper workshop course run by the V&A: Fairy tales and fables, Paper art, Sold out! Not that I could go any way..living on the other side of the world..but I would have loved to have done it.

Wildflowers

I would love a dress with butterflies!

Slash: paper under the knife

MAD's 2010 exhibition "Slash: paper under the knife" is a great resource of artists working in paper. In conjunction with this exhibition MAD ran "Moving paper" international paper film festival. 'Going west' (shown a few posts ago) was one of the winners of the competition.

Andreas Kocks

New stuff from the idiots

More stop motion animation and this time...really small

Dot

Paper animation

 NZ Book council: Going west


Lotte Reiniger's Cinderella


Les trois inventeurs

Glass elective with Susie Peck: 4

Proposals were handed in just in time (that's considered efficient in manufacturing circles you know) and we pow wowed the 2nd years projects. the group did a quick appraisal of each idea in a practical technique sense. Megan = Brandy balloons with a solid base and lip wrap, Ash = A wide , flattened tight lipped object that has to be seen not described, Erica = cloud shapes and Karen = perfume bottle with a slight hourglass and wavy tendrils from the bottom.

Susie trialled each shape, some techniques worked better than others but I think it gave us a better sense of looking at whats working rather than just waiting for the perfect out come. Then we split into groups, 2 third years helping each second year..with the idea that between us we would remember Susie's demo and concentrate on their forms.

Ravens

Again I am thinking of Ravens...

Understanding professional practice with Karin: 3

Representing your self: Through

The Artist's C.V.


The Artist Statement. Collect one good and one bad example and write your own (200-300 words) for next weeks class.

I found this post on "Artists statements and why they mostly suck" by Bmoreart, some helpful suggestions there. Sarah Schmerler "critic, educator, curator and consulant" workshops writing for artists. From her website I found Moma's PS1: Studio visit project, an online space for NewYorks' emerging artists (with lots of Artists Statements) and there is of course the wonderful "Arty bollocks generator".

Glass elective with Susie Peck: 3

Ampolina's, an ancient vessel design that is a rather nifty practice piece for 'bits'. Drawings and notes to come once  I collect my camera from the gallery I left it in.
Link shared by Eliot! thank you.
http://youtu.be/OLnyDULFOrk

This one is slightly different, but less bums in front of the camera

Artist of the day: Karen Richards

Thank you Sarah for this tip off on textile artist Karen Richards...

Karen Richards is an awarding winning Australian textile artist. Situated at the end of the Great Ocean Rd, Karen produces embroidery in a range of styles from her lavish narrative pieces noted for their dark humor to her more recent fine lace sculptures and banners. Karen is an RMIT Textile Design (Weave) graduate, a member of Hurrah! and teaches in the Studio Textile program at South West TAFE.
In 2009 Karen won the PFAFF International Embroidery as Art Excellence Award for her piece Ruined Forest as well as the Australian Cotton Expo Machine Embroidery award for her piece Minhamite.

Understanding professional practice with Karin: 2

I missed last weeks class because of Seesaw and I was a little late to this one thanks to a an overdue 445 so I walked into what seemed like the tale of Karin's life, which I thoroughly enjoyed. To begin with I was a bit stumped as to the relevance, though soon enough a thread started to appear as to how the course and her story were related. Karin's story was one path of becoming a professional maker. At the end of hers we left the class room to head up to "Paper plane" an ARI up the road. the current exhibition was a Japanese/Australian mix of jewelery work. Some really beautiful pieces. A student of Karin's told a very different story of how her professional practice came into being.
Rui's work (pictured below)is made of manipulated and dyed PET bottles.

Bauhaus: Ourhouse

The exhibition opened tonight and our collaboration won a prize!

To origami or not to origami

and grinding and polishing, grinding and polishing, grinding and polishing, polishing poliiiishing..and no..no origami in the end. Delivered 'the seat of Auratic perception" at about 4pm. Went to Eckersley's to buy more Japanese paper just in case we decide TO origami..but no.

Glass elective with Susie Peck: 2

Last week, Susie had just that morning landed in the country, so we forgive her for resting up the jet lag rather than having a full on day of blowing classes. This is a class that we share with the second years, and today it started with a round table discussion of techniques we would like to see and some glassy words.

Techniques List (so far):
Enameling / raysist
decals
incalmo
switching axis
colour cups (bungers)
Hot sculpting ? solid / powder / bits
punty practice
one gather tumblers
thinner glass (venetian)

Group Glassy words:
temperamental, transformational, optical, shiny, mercurial, transparent, opaque, brittle, man-made, magical, malleable, magnifying, translucent, reflective, hot, strong, hard, sleek, fragile, illusionist, liar, storyteller, viscous, decorative, redundant, functional, refrective, alluring, amazing, tactile, deceptive, tool, liquid, solid cold.

We went on into the hot shop where Susie demoed a bicarb soda, incalmo donut (and 3 pronged punty)  and then when the colour-box heated up the next demo was making colour cups and putting them away and then using one of them for an incalmo bowl.

Makers who 'sculpt' hot glass:  Seems to happen a lot at Tyler School of art..

Martin Janecky
Billy Morris
karen Willenbrink
Randy Walker
Ross Richmond
Eoin Breadon (in the You Tube clip)