Winterizing in the Studio!

I have had a mini vacation from (nonart) work for the last 2 weeks.  My first week was spent in the studio prepping for my visit with my mentor, but the second I spent insulating and closing up holes in my studio walls.  We put a door at the top of the stairs and added another receptacle and a ceiling light for the stairwell.  On breaks from that I was getting in some research time along with currently getting my paper put together.
I found a chair along side of the road near the house which will fit perfectly into a small vignette that I am creating in my studio.  So I had to sweep the floor.  I guess my studio might creep out those who prefer a pristine environment to work in, but I prefer a space that I can get messy without worrying like crazy.

Crazy Month

This is my craziest month of the year with 5 birthdays in the immediate family running from October 10th- November 10th.  I finally finished my quilt, which relates to memories of my childhood.  My Grandmother and Aunt Mary always made these 9-patch quilts out of scraps laying around.  I made my version of this "family favorite" out of things laying around, but mine were out of drink cans that my family consumed.  This was a very time consuming process and a total of 486 cans were cut apart, pattern traced on them, cut again, and then folded in shape.  I started this project just before my last mentor meeting in September, with 36 cans to show her the idea and how it was to take shape.  The total hours were calculated up around 70-80.  Sheesh!!!  I also made more plates and started a different project...okay a few other ones.  Here is the finished quilt.

Interesting Artist

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to see an exhibit in the gallery at Herron.  Her name is Nnenna Okore and she is originally from Nigeria.  I was attracted to her work, because I have also begun to use materials that she has also been using in some of her pieces.  Here is the link to her web site.  http://www.nnennaokore.com/index.html

Wow, a whole week!

I guess it has been a whole week since my last post!  I have not made any great discoveries or made the news.... just trudging along in the art home world.  I have been recovering from a nasty bug that had me under the norm last week and I just finished the antibiotics on Thursday, then got a phone call today about some labs being a little out of whack.  Another doctor appointment scheduled for this upcoming Thursday.  Sheesh!!!  Can't I just do my thing?  I have been debating with myself about what matters in my life....an unending question...Oh well...library tomorrow, bank, and some work,( art work I mean)........3 day weekend.....I need more work($$$$ type work)!!!  It would be great, if they were the same, but that usually means that I would need to find a hook!  Something to get a patron's attention!!!  Sell Out!  Okay, I am starting the brain defragmentation, so long overdo!!!!

Ideas coming to life

I guess that I do not speak a great deal about the concepts behind the works that I am experimenting with and maybe someone out there might be a little curious as to what is going on in my brain...(oh how it hurts sometimes).  The plates are narratives into small bleeps of memories of events that took place in my childhood, even though some of them may seem so insignificant...they just stuck!  I am combining plates, some, in conflicting thoughts to these stories (memories), and some the same thought by itself.  The most current one is based on my own molesting (uncle) that was hushed or honestly never revealed within the family.  I am very aware of how these types of events are never faced, but swept under the proverbial carpet.....If we truly had that big of a carpet!!!!!
Many things pop into my head as I am working on these plates, crashing of them together, as how they crashed into my own life, then intermingled into my daily life, then next will become a blending...natural evolution.  Plates are so traditional...I am serving something to you, domesticated, in our everyday life.  Such a natural obsession!

I did mention a carpet to sweep things under!  My next thought process naturally led me into a rug, but not out of traditional material. 

Home and Sick!

I haven't gone to work this week, partly from lack of calls, and the rest due to this cough.  I finally have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I hope I can get rid of this by Friday so I can get in 1 day of work.  I did not put in much studio time today since I did Monday and Tuesday.  I already have the 20 hours in for the week, but paper to be written this weekend, so I have some more research to do. 

These two plates are the latest experiment in splitting and recombining images with slip mono-print.  They are still green, but are sitting out in the kiln now awaiting dryness.

Extra Day Off

Much to my surprise, I did not get called into work today.  I was able to read a few more articles this morning as well as finishing the slip layers on the 4 disc patterns.  I continued on more cans....(never-ending) 

I broke and rearranged 2 plates that were firming up overnight, and then I tried something new with 2 of the discs that got dry by dinnertime.  I held the 2 together and cut them into strips, then I alternated them with the other one...every other strip back into a circle.  Each of these discs were opposing forces, good versus bad, or more properly, evil versus innocence.  I turned the strips over and taped them together and applied them to the clay, and put them over the molds.  I applied under glaze over the bottoms with paper cutouts as a resist to mask off areas from receiving colors.  These 2 plates should be firm by tomorrow!  I am keeping my fingers crossed!!!