Odds and Ends

Still catching up on old pics I meant to post last year... Here are a few that I just couldn't pass up. What beautiful work these students have made.

SUSHI!!!

In the spring of last year, students expanded their knowledge of slab building by creating bento boxes in class. We dropped colored glass down into each compartment for a little extra pizazz. With extra time, students designed a top and miso soup bowls. After we finished the project we met with the health corp cooking instructor and made our own sushi rolls.

Take Me to the River

Here is a look back on our preparations for the Take Me to the River art show at Disjecta Contemporary Art Gallery.

Coil Pots

The students have finished the construction of their coil pots and are working on a new project as they wait for them to dry and be fired. Soon they will be glazed, fired again, and displayed. Check out those wonderful pulled handles! We are careful to wrap our handles in plastic as the pot dries to prevent hairline cracks at joints.

Unfortunately, this pot did not survive the bisque fire. RIP, beautiful pot! It was a sad day.

Auction

The ceramics students helped me prep for auction donations this year. We brought in about $200. Next year I plan on donating more dip bowls since those seemed to be popular and easy for us to make. The pic below shows both a fired bowl and an unfired bowl which turned out to be stunning in the end!

The End Result!

Here are a few more pics of the process that brought us to this wonderful final product!

Again and Again and...

Here, students have flipped a pinch pot upside down, chosen an organic shape, and repeated that shape at least 20 times. They are learning the basics of permanently adhering separate pieces of clay together and also learning (sometimes the hard way) the limits of the medium. We looked at the design principle of Repetition as we tried our hand at these stunning, lifelike sculptures.

Catching Up

My apologies for the long absence! The ceramics studio has been a busy place and the blog has fallen behind. A few things to note...

-The pictures below feature the work currently being shown at the Teacher and Student Invitational, Talisman Gallery, on Alberta.  The last picture features a figurative piece of mine that is showing next to the student work at the show. 

-In March, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts will be hosting their high school show which will include work from my classes as well as other art classes at Cleveland. 

-And finally, we have big news here! We received a grant from RACC! After studying the Willamette -River and watersheds from multiple angles, we will be putting on a fabulous juried show at the Disjecta Contemporary Art Gallery in Kenton, entitled, "Take Me to the River." We have already started work on the project and we're well on our way. The show starts in early April. Students will be exposed to prominent artists, authors, and other speakers that will help inform them, inspire them, and increase awareness as they work on their projects.

 Anya's sculptural piece was so large that it had to be fired in two separate pieces.

Zane's smoke fired coil pot with a masking tape resist.

My figurative piece, showing alongside student work.