judi's kiln...

July 24, 2011

Sketchbook and Bisque Also "Little Images" and COLLAGE

Just thought I'd share some visuals of where my head has been... some sketch book pages...
with photos and quick sketches and then a shelf of bisque...

Based on the above post, I should also tell you that I continue to read Lee Krasner's biography
and keep thinking about her "Little Images" and how in some way I am drawn to creating more of a collage effect in pieces both 3 dimensionally as well as regarding the surfaces... so the pieces that you are are seeing evolve now, feel like a jumping off point...

July 14, 2011

New Submission

Just chose these as submissions for a show...
You never know...
I love that it can be done on the computer!!!

July 13, 2011

What's happing on this clay "trip".

I am still working and developing and playing with clays(with out MANGANESE) and throwing and carving and manipulating and texturing and glazing and not glazing...
but I have a few photos I feel like I can post....
The ones that have glaze on the outside creating a texture were re-fired after I was unhappy without something else making the inside and the outside of the pieces relate and create a cohesive unit.
I am moving back and forth between these ideas...
Glaze, no glaze, clear glaze texture, smoothness...
In the background are pieces that i have been working with wedging bits of clay in contrast colors into the mound and then throwing and carving... and also throwing and layering up other slips in other clay colors to carve through, reveal... etc...
My head is spinning... just like my wheel!
Trying to enjoy the trip as I am usually wired to focus on the very end result..
.

June 30, 2011

Ceramics Makers,etc... in Tuscany

OK... so we travelled from Florence to San Gimignano by car and we specifically hit IMPRUNETTA because of the TERRACOTTA KILNS it is known for.

This was the 1st stop:
The sculpture made out of terracotta across the "highway" definitely got our attention!

The "factory" has been in this guy's family 90 years BUT it is at least 500 years old...

They dig their clay out back!

The clay waiting to be worked with...

This is their current kiln but the owner showed us one that was 500 years old... they only use it for storage...

Here are other shots of their work space:

Wood is used for something here....maybe just heat...

The guy gave us an amazing impromptu tour as they started to come back from the lunch break..
and I saw the people working...press molds...handbuilding/major coils etc...

The 2nd stop(and final since we had 2 children in tow...) was here... where they gave us a tour too...

THIS KILN is the original one still being used for HUGE production... and it is hundreds of years old...

Later in our trip we visited the walled city of Volterra and went to the Etruscan museum....
REALLY AMAZING:

Lastly was the City of San Gimignano recreated in terracotta as life was in 1300!!!!
We learned so very much about the history and the lifestyle and the purpose of various architectural elements...
So much IN FEED!!!! I just hope I retain everything I took in from this trip. It was so great.

I TOTALLY GET THIS!

OK...
With what I have been working on:
in my head,
in my sketch book,
with my camera and in my studio ...
I came upon this
and I TOTALLY GET THIS.
Crazy.
But true.

Her ceramic work is dangerously close to what I have been developing but different at the same time...
She is in Denmark. Never saw her work until today.