After a crazy weekend and Olivia turning 13 (!!!) today I spent the day in someone else’s studio, Celeste Giuliano, for an exciting Medusa themed photoshoot!
I spent most of the time just trying to make my face do all the right things, but Celeste made it super fun and easy. My makeup was done by Jessica Saint Beauty
Here’s a sneak peek, with more images to come in a few weeks:
This week has been molds molds molds. I’m casting multiples of my slip mold so I can cast more than one cup at once. I’ll start with 5 molds and make more if needed.
Speeding up production to 5 a day rather than 1 a day is already a big step in the right direction. Typically I’m casting in plaster, not clay so it usually easy for me to get multiple pieces cast in a day. Slip casting relies on the plaster soaking moisture out of the clay and the plaster mold needs a bit of time to dry between castings, especially because this one is so small.
I’m hoping to get into the process next week, but it all depends on when I can make it out to the ceramic supply store to get some slip, something I don’t typically have on hand.
Ok ok ok. And we’re back, for real. I’m still catching up after being sick but this week feels more “normal” and I’ve been getting a fair amount done, so that feels good. Here’s today’s update:
Upcoming Exhibitions
Small Wonders 11 opens at Arch Enemy Arts on Friday, November 4th. This exhibition features small works priced at $250 or under so they tend to go quickly! I will have a few pieces available and will show a sneak peek next week. To get early access to the show before the opening, you can email info@archenemyarts.com with SMALL WONDERS 11 in the subject line and they'll add your email to the collectors list, which goes out on Thursday, Nov 3rd at 2pm EST.
Exploring the Vessel will open at Antler Gallery in Portland, OR on Friday, November 25th. This show features both functional and non functional vessels. More info on this soon as my piece is in the works but process is its whole own thing....
I had a meeting with Corey at The Delaplaine in Frederick, MD for my September 2023 show and am really excited to get started on that. The working theme is “Training dojo for Disney Princesses as Final Girls”. Stay tuned.
Paul and I are getting back to talking about our show in November 2023 and I’ll be diving back into that once I start casting these new pieces. Much more headed this way soon.
Upcoming Workshops
Workshops in Kalamazoo at KIA // March 2nd-5th, 2023
Workshop at Pocosin Arts // June 12-16, 2023
Registration for my 2023 workshop at Pocosin Arts will open on January 18th so stay tuned!
Work in Progress
I will be casting bird skulls til November of 2023. SO there will be a lot of them. I’ve started my vessel piece and am working on the molds so I can set myself up a bit of a production line. I’m excited to play around with glazes, as I never get the chance to do that.
Upcoming Miscellany
Olivia’s Birthday is Sunday so expect some good party photos next week! She’s going to be 13!!!!
Sale of available work // November 1st, 2022 - 25% off all available pieces in my catalog. Look out for a sneak preview here next week.
Sip & Sketch at the Wagner Free Institute of Science // December 8th, 2022
Workshops in Kalamazoo at KIA // March 2nd-5th, 2023
Workshop at Pocosin Arts // June 12-16, 2023
Ok, so in order to make more than one at a time, I need to make a mold of my mold so I can make more molds… so I can cast multiple small bird cups in a day. A lot of molds right? Well they are small so really it’s relatively easy. Below you see the silicone molds into which I will cast No. 1 Pottery plaster to create multiple slip molds for casting into. It will all make sense soon, I promise.
Here is the finished plaster mold for slip casting. Because I want to make a lot of these there is another step before I get started…
As a non ceramicist, I rarely have a reason to make slip molds. However, sometimes I find myself with an idea that calls for one… and this piece is one that I’m excited enough about to proceed with a straightforward yet occasionally frustrating process.
I am making a small cup, that is a bird head wearing a party hat. It is such a small cup. And there is no good way to put it down until it is empty.
I think my idea here is that maybe it will slow you down, in the best way possible. Force you to focus on the act of drinking this tiny drink. A pause in your day where maybe you need both hands and all your attention.
Because this form is simple, it will be a 2 piece slip mold. Slip molds are made of plaster, because the plaster absorbs the liquid clay that is poured in. The clay becomes thicker as the moisture is soaked into the plaster and the excess is poured out, leaving a hollow form. Don’t worry. It will all make sense eventually. Stay tuned for more on this piece soon.
The last two weeks have been crazy, and I feel like the crazy affects me more than it ever has. I used to almost thrive on chaos and now I most assuredly do not. This weekly update is the place where I sort my upcoming projects and work and my brain appreciates that, so here we go:
Upcoming Exhibitions
Small Wonders 11 will be coming to Arch Enemy Arts on Friday, November 4th. This exhibition features small works priced at $250 or under so if you are looking for holiday gifts, this is the place to do it! To get access to this work before the opening, you can email info@archenemyarts.com with SMALL WONDERS 11 in the subject line and they'll add your email to the collectors list, which goes out on Thursday, Nov 3rd at 2pm EST.
Exploring the Vessel will open at Antler Gallery on Friday, November 25th. This show features both functional and non functional vessels. More info on this soon.
Talks for our show in Nov 2023 have slowed with all that we have going on but now as everything calms down here a bit I expect it will pick up again soon. November of 2023 feels far away but will be here before we know it!
Upcoming Workshops
Registration for my 2023 workshop at Pocosin Arts will open on January 18th so stay tuned!
Work in Progress
I am still casting bird skulls and deciding next moves to make on a few different projects. I’m at the stage where I have too many ideas all at once and its a bit paralyzing. Too many ideas is always a good problem and usually I just start somewhere and see what happens.
Upcoming Miscellany
Sale of available work // November 1st, 2022
Sip & Sketch at the Wagner Free Institute of Science // December 8th, 2022
Workshops in Kalamazoo at KIA // March 2nd-5th, 2023
Workshop at Pocosin Arts // June 12-16, 2023
Whew! What a crazy two weeks! So much happened that my brain still feels like it’s playing catch up but here I am, so that’s a start.
The workshop at Union Hall Arts was great, so I’ll start there. A dedicated group of artists braved hurricane winds to make it to Atlantic City for two days of me talking about dead birds and feather textures. Everyone did a wonderful job and I had such a great time.
I have a few workshops coming up in 2023, which I will share info on tomorrow. Workshops are a fun way to have an immersive learning experience where you get a lot of information over a short period of time. And my suggestion for afterwards? Go home and sculpt! Try out all the new tips and tricks you learned at your own speed and see what happens. Try to notice if you are looking T your work differently now and if so, what are you noticing?
Ok, that’s it for now. More tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the start of my 2 day Animal Sculpture workshop at Union Hall Arts! I spent the day finalizing: packing the clay, tools, reference materials and 1,000,000 books into the car; printing and assembling the Animal Sculpture with Darla Jackson zine; and making what can only be described as “Goodie Boxes” (like a goodie bag but it’s in a bin instead.) I guess it’s a “Take a class with Darla, get a prize!” sort of thing, because I’m so excited about this one.
Stay tuned for photos from the workshop!
I am perpetually fixing things that aren’t quite ready to be fixed. Like fixing this wall before the plumbing on the other side was completely figured out.
But I am happy to cut back into this perfect wall if it means that we will have a bathroom on the upper floors of the house. No more lugging buckets of water up from the first floor!
We are also having the roof done today, which will solve the other big problem in my studio: the perpetual leak. Despite the chaos, I’m very excited for it all.
In addition to casting my own work, I LOVE collecting plaster casts when I can. Here are two that we will be picking up from The Fountainhead Gipsoteca in a few weeks:
Justin is having a moving sale in his Instagram stories at @fountainheadgipsoteca and there are tons of affordable casts available.
This week has been a little crazy despite it being only Wednesday. I feel like I’m doing a whole lot and very little at the same time. Some major things are happening around the house (roof! bathrooms!) and that’s got a chunk of my attention. The rest of my time feels filled with lots of little things that all need finishing.
Current Exhibitions
Spectrum 3, at Arch Enemy Arts, will have an opening reception on First Friday, October 7th.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Paul and I continue to prep for our show in Nov 2023. I am gathering a lot of thoughts and testing things and hope to make a fair amount of sculpture (and more) that I can edit down as is appropriate for the show. I’ll get more into some things I’m thinking about soon…
Upcoming Workshops
There is only one space left in my upcoming Animal Sculpture Workshop at Union Hall Arts in Atlantic City, NJ!
You can view more information and sign up HERE
Work in Progress
Upcoming Miscellany
Sale of available work // November 1st, 2022
Sip & Sketch at the Wagner Free Institute of Science // December 8th, 2022
Workshops in Kalamazoo at KIA // March 2nd-5th, 2023
Workshop at Pocosin Arts // June 12-16, 2023
I decided that plastic bags aren’t the best wrapping for small desk sculpture and set out to find a cloche to cover in progress work. I did not want to spend a ton and nor did I want one that was too fragile. Enter the Target Halloween section. Perfect. Done.
Now the dome keeps the environments around the clay somewhat like a terrarium. Perfect.
Well it doesn’t exactly fall in the “Art making” category but this model horse skeleton is reference material for a piece that I want to do in the not so distant future. Therefore I decided (after years…it was initially inspiration/reference for another sculpture I made) to finally put it together. This was no small feat. I am not a patient person and while this model kit had all the indications that it wanted to go together in a certain way, it did not cooperate as I thought it might. So instead of the relaxing my way back into making something that I thought I was doing, it was more of a “cursing like a sailor and accidentally gluing things to myself situation”.
With much more glue than necessary I got it almost entirely together, after which it almost immediately fell over and broke apart again. SO I’ve dedicated most of the rest of my day to doing things around the house like organizing skulls that were a gift from a friend of ours and making a way for plumbers come through and fix spaces which have not been used since we moved in years ago.
Me trying to get anything done this week… trying to embrace the slower pace and just be ok with it.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. May cats lay on all your important papers, forcing you to slow down and enjoy each moment.
I am getting more done in the world of paperwork than the world of sculpture this week, because of much needed resting (but when sitting still I have an innate need to do something so hence all the paperwork…like deep diving our finances and budgeting in addition to the depths of my email.) Below are the usual updates and a beautiful scene from my studio early this morning.
Current Exhibitions
As Above, So Below at Arch Enemy Arts is up through this Sunday, September 18th.
Spectrum 3, also at Arch Enemy Arts, opened last Friday, September 9th, with an opening reception on First Friday, October 7th. I am happy to report that my piece Bluebird of happiness… (Hold it all in) has sold!
I do still have a sculpture (The Alchemist (2021) which is really a favorite of mine) available from Spectrum 2.
The Alchemist, 2021
Upcoming Exhibitions
Paul and I have both started prepping for our show in Nov 2023. I am casting and sculpting and testing. He is buying and gessoing panels and thinking about frames. It’s always exciting to see how different our processes are, but how similar at times. At this point, it is really wonderful to gather images and ideas and throw them out there to see how they change and develop.
Upcoming Workshops
There are only a few spaces left in my upcoming Animal Sculpture Workshop at Union Hall Arts in Atlantic City, NJ!
You can view more information and sign up HERE
Work in Progress
I am not making much this week, but rather taking a much needed rest. Though I am still casting bird heads, now just one a day, which is nice.
Upcoming Miscellany
Sale of available work // November 1st, 2022
Sip & Sketch at the Wagner Free Institute of Science // December 8th, 2022
While not much at all is getting done in my world this week, last week I was able to test a glaze on these three tiny skulls (which I made a bunch of while taking Simon Lee’s class at the beginning of the summer.) I wanted to see how it looked at one coat, two coats and three coats. I have a tiny kiln, which I programmed for a glaze firing and let it do its thing. They came out great and I imagine I’ll get around to glazing the sculptures I had in mind soon enough. Most people don’t realize that I don’t, almost ever, glaze my work. And I’ve never fired my own glazed pieces until now. That’s why I love making Art…every day is an adventure.
Some things I’m looking at today…
While I’m not sure if this is the smallest mold I’ve ever made, I’m pretty happy to be casting these silly things all day. And I’m certainly using the smallest plaster bucket ever, which is an old cap to a liquid Tylenol that measures in milliliters. My idea, for now, is to make a lot of them and see where it goes. I have an idea for a piece for our show next November, but I feel like this little skull will end up in other places also.
Also Sometimes was very into the process…
