Monday, February 22, 2010

Small Projects Studio: Drawing Diner

Here is the first peek of work for a show I am organizing to be exhibited at Art in the Age during April 2010. The show coincides with NCECA being here in Philadelphia so all you ceramic fans can come and see it!!
  
Valerie Lueth  
"Adornment in Treasure: Bejeweled Sleeves"  
Annette Monnier
Knife in Back

I am working with an amazing group of artists to transfer their images to ceramic dinner ware be it vintage stuff from thrift stores, collected from grandma, purchased from Ikea or stolen from the local diner. We are gonna use iron oxide decals, gocco printing, luster, china paint and any other after glaze process we can think of.  Below is the list of participating artists. I will try to give you sneak peaks as we make the work. The second part of the story is about small projects studio, but this is to be continued at a later date.....

Tim Lewis               Valerie Lueth                   Paul Roden
Evan Greenfield         Erika Somogyi              Yvonne Lung
      Jamie Boyle        Andrew Jeffery Wright      Meg Shevenock
     Adrian Dalton                Ryan Kelly               Annette Monnier
   Nathan Prouty

 

Monday, February 15, 2010

Artist Watch - Anne Gibbs

Welsh artist Anne Gibbs came to The Clay Studio for three months to work as our guest artist in residence. Anne was an absolute delight, charming everyone with her beautiful Welsh accent. My Mother was in Wales this past month visiting my Grandmother and met up with Anne for a cup of tea. It was great to hear that she might be visiting in March for NCECA  festivities.
  
Household Implements (study 3)                  Tinctus series: Red ribbon

 I was reminded again of how much I loved Annes work while unpacking one of her pieces at The Studio this week. I needed to measure the work and get a vitrine made for our April show of  current and past resident and guest artists.
          
              Tinctus series: Comb and buttons              Household Implements (study 1)

I was able to watch Anne make her work from start to finish while she was in Philadelphia last year.  She collected forms to build on to, changing both the form and its references. In some cases she remakes the form. Placing new form next to old, remade next to original.
 Dwelling (Ravel)                      Tinctus series: Crucible
The objects Anne makes are domestic in nature, spoon and nails as well as her own invented forms that reference womens work such as sewing and kitchen duties.
 
    Made Do and Mend              Tinctus Series: Comb and Buttons
                                                                                     
The finished pieces are newly made but feel old, imbued with history and a past life. Collections that tell a story of time, place and moment.
An excerpt from Anne Gibbs artist statement
"The traditions of the domestic and ‘the home’ remain a major source of inspiration in my work. I was brought up in an ex-mining community in the South Wales Valleys where life was often driven by hard labour and there was little time for celebration. Therefore I am drawn to objects, which remind me of special occasions, for instance the bone china tea set which suggests pleasure and refinement. I contrast the beautiful bone china object (cup) against the ritual of domestic chores, cleaning and bleaching, suggesting that the act of refinement is often followed by a gritty reality."

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Good Look - Lighting

                           Tom Rosseau                Tim Lewis Studio
                                  TR 6                           Hilla Lantern
                            Future Retrieval             Jamie Hayon
                               Dada Light                     Metalarte
                               Areawear                        Badheebahdu
                            Orbit Chandelier               Tiffany Lamp
                           Hidden Art Shop             Artimede
                                                                    Soffione
                       Hidden Art Shop                     Modernica
               Cloud Lamp Chandelier      Criss Cross Nelson Lamps
                     

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Winter Stew

We stayed inside and Rob made lentil stew with fenugreek and cinnamon bark
This was a jumble of a stew, involving garlic, carrots, onion, lentils, peppers and.....well i don't know
 
 The whole thing was cooked on top of the wood stove, all the peelings were put in a separate pot with water to make stock.
 
Kathy made really delicious bread, pretty darn good for her first time baking bread.

A Good Look - Vases

A quick look at some amazing vases - Craft, Design, Handmade, Industrially Produced.....All Good
          Marc Digeros                                  Deborah Schwartzkopf 
              Vase 2006                                           Flower Vase

          Johnathan Adler                            Andy Brayman
         Medium Aorta Vase                           White Vase
 
                Jamie Hayon                          Marcel Wanders   
      Grid Vases for Gaia and Gino                                                      
 
 
         Ayumi Horie                                   Diana Fayt
      Flower Brick 2005                              Pin Vases
      Victoria Christen                  Allison McGowen
              Vase                                      Tall Vase

Winter Warmer

Super Snow Day.  The city is pretty much shut down and I don't have to go to work! No Clay Studio for me today and certainly no NCECA planning (sorry). You all know that I am working at The Clay studio as the NCECA Coordinator right. It is my very real excuse for not  having posted  regularly in the last few months. It is also the reason my house is getting fixed very very slowly. I am knee deep in 100 exhibitions but my own life is very much on hold.
Winter View of 27th Street 
Very snowy back yard, hard to imagine ever using the grill again.....oh spring time
Hazel and Buster.....best friends for ever
Thankfully my good friends Rob Sutherland and Kathy Hurchla live right across the street and invited me over for a warm and snuggly snow day. They have a wonderful wood stove and the dogs are very happy. Rob and Kathy have renovated three buildings on my block and are working on two more. They have been so generous with me since I bought my house (soon to be home), cooking me dinner, letting me stay for a few weeks before my house was inhabitable and being amazing resources for everything related to house fixing.
Matt Metz Teapot, Rob Sutherland mug and Corn Casserole by the lovely Kathy Hurchla
So we are staying warm.......learning how to use our new IPhones, so lame I know but Rob and I both got them this week. Watching awful, awful movies on tbs such as Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore in Music and Lyrics (barffff.) and now the not really so awful Twister. Rob is making soup.....more on that later today.