Class 24

Dear Students
The last bisque firing for the semester will be this Sunday at 9am. Please have your work out for firing on the shelves. If the work does not fit on the shelves, text me to let me know where it is.

Thursday is cleaning day. If you are absent, your final grade will be lowered one grade.
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class 23_Homework_November 8th

Dear Class
To prepare for final, all green ware work needs to be out on the shelves drying by this Sunday, November 11th. If you do not meet this deadline, you will likely not have glazed work for final. Please remember that this will mean that you will not have photos of your completed work to turn in for a grade which will affect your performance in the course considerably. 

As soon as you have work that comes out of the kiln, make sure you glaze it and get it back on the shelves with a note that states the firing temperature for the glaze [6] and wads glued to prop it off the shelves. Your carve-out, silhouette, and biomorphic work should be glazed immediately!


Homework
Mix Up [3] Glazes Using a Recipe - link to glazes
In class you were assigned a number [Justin you are 7, Alex you are 8]. Please use that number to identify the glazes you are supposed to make for homework. All numbers of the glazes in the Google folder have a zero before them. For instance, if your number is 3, the glazes assigned to you will be 03 [Fig.1]. 

Please notice the number and that [2] of these glazes will need a colorant added
Fig.1

In addition, there was some question as to what glazes needed to have an oxide or stain added to them. I fixed this problem by putting ADD in the title of the file [Fig.1]. So, please make a note of the titles of each file assigned to you so you know for sure which glazes need a colorant added.

Figure 2

Figure 2 is another special case. This glaze has color addition suggested in the glaze recipe. If this is your glaze, you can ignore the color suggested in the title and use one of the glaze oxide additions on the sheet I gave you, but the color that results will be different. As I mentioned in class, we do not necessarily have any of the specific stains listed in any recipe, but I could make a peachy-yellow if I used stains that look peachy-yellow in the powder stain drawer. After finding stains that I think will work, I would just match the colors I found to the increments in the recipe and add the colors accordingly AND IN EITHER CASE, I would make a note of what I am putting in ON THE CONTAINER in exact amounts so my results could be repeated.  I would also make note of what I am doing, and keep any recipes that I use, in the glaze note section of the binder. By doing this, I can make this recipe again wherever I go in the world as I will know what I need to add to make it. 

Figure 3

In Figure 3 you will notice the recipe asks you to 'use the same glaze base as for Polseno Peach'. This means that you will make another container of that glaze and add ingredients to make it look 'terracotta'. You could also ignore the color implied in the title and go your way with one of the oxides on the sheet if you like as long as you make a note of doing so ON THE CONTAINER!

Figure 4

Figure 4 is the AddColorant file. This was passed out in class and I told you to cross out things and that Yellow Iron Oxide is just yellow ochre. If you lost your sheet you can get a copy, but you will have to find another student with the notes I gave you in class to replace them. You will only add one of these to any glaze you make.

Unfortunately, if you missed this class, you need to work with another student who was present or you will RUIN EVERYTHING IN THE GLAZE STUDIO! This is serious business and everyone's actions have very immediate consequences when it comes to glaze materials, so please do not 'guess'. As always, you can text me and I will do my best to guide you, but I will be out of town this weekend so we will have to work by phone.

Just a few last minute reminders:
*All glazes you mix up should be in grams and you should have 300 grams of powder in your containers when we meet on Tuesday
*Everything needs to be labeled according to the directions in class. In short, print your labels out and laminate them to the surface of the container. The lid should also be labeled. 
*Make sure you have cone 6 on every container of glaze you make. Do this by drawing a triangle and a '6'.
*Use the papers and the triple beam scale to measure out small amounts. It is not possible to make small measurements on the digital scales
* DO NOT add water to your glaze powders. We will do this at the beginning of class on Tuesday.
*Please take care of the scales as we do not have the money to buy any more of these:(

REMEMBER if you do not measure out your glaze materials, the rest of the class will have fewer glaze choices to work with. There is no more time to put things off. Please be a good peer and do your work!

Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class22_Homework_Nobember 6th

Dear Students
The last class will be the week you come back from Thanksgiving break. PLEASE get all of your work finished and dried so that it can be glazed. Additionally, please do the following for homework by next class. 

FINISH ALL EXERCISES AND FINAL PROJECTS
Finish any work that you need to have fired this semester and get it out on the firing shelves. If it needs to be fired in a certain way or if you would like to be there to put it into the kiln, please leave your contact info on a small sheet of paper. If you cannot be reached, your work may be handled and loaded anyway. Remember, no one but you will care more about how that works goes into the kiln.

CARVE OUT - APPLY GLAZE
Please apply Iron wash and McDermott's surprise to the surface of your Carve-out form according to the demonstration in class. Refer to your notes for details.

SILHOUETTE - APPLY GLAZE
Please apply Kitten's Clear to the entire silhouette form according to the demonstration in class. Remember that you work must be stilted using glue and wads of clay or it will not get fired. Refer to your notes for details.

Class 21_Homework_November 1st

Dear Students
This is the last week to build anything new in wet clay. Please get all your pieces constructed by the established deadline. If you do not meet my deadline you will probably not finish the work for the course. At this time every year, some people feel the need to 'take' a bunch of clay to their dwelling to work on things beyond the deadline. Instead, please do your work here at school as I do NOT want a bunch of solid, hard pieces of clay brought back to me once the semester is over as these giant pieces are terrible to slake back down into usable clay. Please, don't be that guy!!!

From next week forward, we will be doing glaze work and writing. Any last minute details you have to do on your work can be done on your own time outside of class as homework. Please be prepared to work on glaze and writing by having any research connected the final pieces that you have made with you. Additionally, please have your mask and your gloves. You will be taking lots of notes, mixing up glaze recipes and otherwise preparing to finish all work for the semester. 

Have a productive weekend!
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class 20_Homework_October 25th

Dear Class
Now you should be done with all exercises for the semester and should be finishing up your two final pieces. This is the last week to work in wet clay. Please be sure that you are done building anything new by this Friday at midnight. If you do not stick with this deadline, you will be in real danger of not being able to finish your work by the end of the semester. After this week, there are only 4 weeks left in the semester. One of those weeks is finals.

There were many absences today and I was unable to cover glazing because I will only be making that lecture once. Please be sure to attend class on Thursday. If you miss class, you will have to rely on your classmates' notes for the information delivered while you were absent.

Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia.

Class 18_Homework_October 23rd

Dear Class

10 days before the last day to make anything new in wet clay. Today we should have started glazing, but too many people are too far behind in making their work. This likely means there will not be a lot of time for testing what the glazes you make will look like before they are applied to your work. If you can get all caught up this week, it may make a difference. This means that you need to be completely finished with the silhouette, biomorphic, and insect by this Friday or we will not have enough time for you to consider and test the glazes you make. Below is a list that describes where you should be for each form in class on Thursday:

*Final Project [2] - These should be well underway and nearing the end of construction.

*Silhouette - Your image should be transferred to the top of this form. To do this, put the paper image you have printed out on top of the clay form and trace over the paper image using a Bic brand pen or similar implement. Press hard enough so that you can see the lines of your tracing as impressions on the surface of the leather hard piece of clay. I will show you how to cut through during next class using one of your pieces as an example.

*Biomorphic - This form should have white slip applied over its entire surface. We will be projecting your image over its surfaces next class. If you haven't sent me your image, you need to email it to me before next class. Be sure that you have a B pencil with you. The higher the number the easier it will be to trace your image to the surface of the form. I suggest a 6B or 9B lead.

*Insect - This form should have all additions for attaching antennae, legs, etc. These should be slipped and scored to the surface of the form and holes should be present if necessary.

Class17_Homework_October 18th

Dear Students
Please use the majority of your homework time to finish all your exercises and to construct your final two pieces! We cannot move forward if you do not have your work ready to do the next steps.
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class16_Homework_October 11th

Dear Students
Here is a reminder list of where you should be for each in-progress exercise and project and a reminder to have your materials. Have all things listed ready for this Thursday's class, October 18th:

*Biomorphic  
You should have an image prepared to project onto the surface of this form by the beginning of next class.
*Bug Slump/Drape 
You should have designed and added any holes or appendages with holes to the body of your bug where separately made antennae, legs, mandibles, etc., can be added via glue at a later date once this work is glazed.
*Silhouette
This form should be completely together with white slip added to its surfaces [front, sides, and back]. You should have an image prepared to transfer to the surfaces of this form via sgraffito. Please understand that you will be asked to have imagery on the side of the form as well as on the top of the form.
*Final Projects [2] 
I have spoken with everyone about their research and maquettes [or lack thereof]. These two pieces should be well underway for next class. 
*Mask and Gloves
Please be prepared to use your gloves and masks during next class. 

I hope you have had an enjoyable break and that you were able to use your time wisely:)
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class15_Homework_October 9th

Dear students
We discussed kiln loading and programming today as well as clay mixing. We will continue with clay mixing on Thursday. Please be sure to have your respirator. I am doing my best to meet with everyone in class this week to talk about your midterm grades. Please have your research and your maquettes ready for our discussion.  If I don't get to speak to you this week, I will speak to you upon my return next Thursday. 

Here is a list of where you should be for each in-progress exercise and project. Have all things ready for Thursday's class:
*Biomorphic - This should be completely constructed and smoothed. It should have white slip all over it by Thursday at the beginning of class.
*Bug Slump/Drape - This body of your form should be completely constructed and refined. Thursday we will talk about finishing it.
*Silhouette - This form should have all part made and all parts should be leather hard and ready for assembly.
*Final Projects [2] - You should have shown me your research, made your maquettes and talked with me again about what idea aligns most successfully with your state content or project pick. Once I see your maquettes and discuss these with you about strengthening your ideas, you may begin construction.

See you all soon!
Professor Urrutia

Class13_Homework_October 13th

Dear Students
Please have all of the work for midterm [a description can be found in the last blog post] ready for presentation at the beginning of next class as well as the items below.
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Homework - listed in order of priority
Terminology Test - There will be a terminology test at the beginning of next class. It will be fill in the blank. Please be prepared.

Research - All of the articles you found should be read and have your personal notes, highlighting, annotations, and analysis attached to them in written form at the beginning of class this Thursday, October 4th.

Silhouette form - Today I showed the class how to add a soft strip of clay to the contours of one of your cut-out, leather hard silhouette shapes. Many of you missed class. Here is a video to see how I did this work. Your form should be leather hard and ready to add the top piece by the beginning of next class, Thursday. 

Class12_Homework_September 27th

Dear Students
Next week is midterm. 

Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

HOMEWORK
The following things are listed in the order that they should be accomplished:
Silhouette Form - Now that you have [2] 11"x16" slabs that are leather hard, you are ready to use a silhouette to cut out [2] images that are as close to 11"x16" as possible. Be sure to choose the most compelling silhouette you have collected. Once you have done this, make sure you keep these two slabs leather hard for the next step.

Final Project Research - In preparation for creating [2] final forms, conduct research for the ideas you are pursuing. Depending on the theme you have chosen, your research will lead in various directions. Please bring in at least [3] different articles that relate to how you are thinking about the topic you have chosen. That is, [3] for each piece you plan to make for a total of [6]. Some of the topics on the sheet already imply what you should be collecting. For instance, if you choose to go with the ritual object, you probably want to know more about rituals in general, what they are, who created them and who participate with them. If you make work for the illustrated story, you will need to have an article about the song, poem, and/or story that will inspire the work, including the song, poem, and/or story itself. If you have questions, be sure to text me.


MIDTERM - LIST OF WORK THAT WILL BE EVALUATED
If you have been keeping up with your assignments you will have very little to prepare for the midterm

1. Pinch pots - you will have [3] small and [1] large. These should all be finished, cleaned up with a scotch brite pad and completely dried.
2. Carve Out - This work is completely finished with at least [3] textures [smooth is not a texture that will count] as part of the final design. There should be large hanging holes in the back of the work. These holes should be made in a consistent manner as I demonstrated in class.
3. Biomorphic Form - this form should be completely constructed and refined so the entire surface is smooth and leather hard. Please be sure this form remains leather hard as there is still much to do with it in the near future.
1. Biomorphic Image- you will have at least 3 digital images that you are considering for projecting onto the surface of this form. These images should be uploaded to this folder [click link]. 
4. Insect Arthropoda - The body of this form should be completely put together by this Thursday, October 4th in time for the midterm
5. Silhouette Form - Two parts of this form should be cut out and leather hard. This work will need to be kept leather hard. Here is a video about what we are doing. The beginning shows you how to apply and cut out the image. Ignore what it says about how big it should be. You know that it needs to be as close to 11"x 16" as possible! Making it larger will make it a better surface for transferring images onto.
1. Silhouette Image - you will have at least 3 digital images of silhouettes that you are considering for making this project. These images should be uploaded to this folder [click link].
6. Sketchbook Binder - The contents of this binder will need to be uploaded [scanned] digitally and converted into a single PDF. This is the naming convention you will use:   MIDTERM_skbndr_FirstNameLastInitial.pdf

Class11_Homework_September 25th

Dear Class
Please prepare the following for homework in the order each item appears:

Roll Out Slabs
Please roll out[2] slabs and have each leather hard by the beginning of next class. Slabs should be at least 11"x 17". 

Notice how you can easily recoginze the exact person from the
silhouette? This is the spierit of what I am asking you to do
when looking for images for this assignment.

Silhouette Images
Please find at least [3] images that could be used to make a new clay form. These images need to be easy to recognize even in the absence of details like shading and linework. In addition, these images need to have the capacity to be printed on a 11"x 17" sheet of paper.







Images for Biomorphic
Please find at least [3] images that could be projected onto the surface of your biomorphic form. Think about how the image you choose might impact the way a viewer might engage with the form conceptually as well as visually. These images should be graphic in nature. We do not ned details like value gradation for this assignment.

Biomorphic Form

This form should be completely together and the surfaces should be smooth  with a hacksaw blade and a chamois so that it is ready for the next step [this Thursday]











Insect Body
Please have all the parts for your insect body formed by the beginning of next class. This should not take very long. Be sure you have a printed reference/s/ and sketches of what you plan to make with you in class so I can help you if you are having trouble.

See you all Thursday!
Sincerely,
Professor Urrutia

Class09_Homework_September 19th

Dear Students
ONGOING
Carve-Out
Thursday we will look at the finished carve out piece. Please be prepared. After this time, we will not be addressing the construction of this assignment any longer in the blog or the classroom as it is supposed to be finished. 

ONGOING
Biomorphic
Your biomorphic form should be completely formed and put together by the end of this week. Be sure not to let it dry! We still have much work to do on its surface. We started a new technique today using the slab roller - Slumping and Draping Clay. Please have the containers you plan to use to make an insect of your own design ready for use in class on Thursday. Of course, you will need your plastic wrap too.

Hana Okumuna

NEW
Slump/Drape Insect

Clayton Bailey

Bring in any containers that you plan to use to create your very own insect. Insects can be inspired by existing bugs like flies or beetles. Gather references and hollow containers [like bowls or other open forms] that you can use to create the segmented parts of said bodies. These creatures should not be larger than 12" in any direction. We will be creating the bodies first. All appendages like legs, wings, and antenna will be created at a later time. Here is a link to the video, 14_Slump_Drape_Insect, for creating a form using containers.

Beth Cavener Stichter

NEW
Final Project Declarations - Research
In class I gave you a handout of project choices for the end of the semester. You will choose two according to the instructions on the shee. Please read this sheet and be prepared to declare your interest this Thursday. You will be conducting research for this work over the weekend.






NEW

Slab Roller

Please reference the slab roller video in the google folder under the course resource heading to see the class video I made that explains using the slab roller. Things to remember: We will NEVER put a large ball of clay onto the roller to roll out. NEVER!!!! This can EASILY damage the machine. Once the slab roller breaks, that's it! It took the school 8 years to buy one and it will not be replaced or repaired if it is abused. Please don't be 'that guy' or gal who ruins things for the group. Also, we will ALWAYS roll our clay out using one piece of canvas below and one piece of canvas over our wet clay [2 pieces total]. Finally, we will put our slabs onto newsprint and a wareboard via the canvases we use, and sometimes we will use our clay slabs before they become leather hard. 

ONGOING

Study for the Terminology Test

There will be a terminology test that will contribute to determining your midterm grade. Please study the definitions on the two sheets assigned to you. If you can not find your sheet, a copy of it exists in the Class Resources folder on Google.

I look forward to seeing all of you on Thursday!

Sincerely, 

Professor Urrutia

Class08_Homework_13th

Dear Students - 

Please refer to the exercises below to see where you need to be for each exercise. Tuesday we will be starting a new exercise. To be prepared for class, you need to have an idea of which insect you will be building as well as containers you could use to make said insect parts. Insects will be at least 10" in one direction, but no more than 14" in any direction, printed out and ready to use for class. 

Carve Out - This form should be completely finished with texture added by the beginning of class, Thursday, September 20th.

Biomorphic - This form should be completely together, with parts that need to be added constructed and ready for next class, Tuesday, September 18th.

New Form INSECT- Please design an insect and bring in said insect photo references to use for this exercise. This work will be at least 10" in one direction, but no more than 14" in any direction [clay parts]. We will be starting this work in class on Tuesday, September 18th.

Class07_Homework_September 11th

Dear Students
Today we went through the procedure for putting the Carve Out exercise piece back together. Please refer to your class notes if you were not ready at the beginning of class to do this work. Once your work is back together, remember to cover it for at least 24 hours. If you do this before our next class, I will show you have to get rid of the seam completely. Below is a list that tells you what your progress should be for each project. We are no longer working on the pinch posts [small and large] so they will not be listed. We will be beginning something new very soon. Please keep up!

Carve Out - This work should be completely formed, cut apart, gutted out, and slipped and scored back together with a tiny coil on the outside of the entire seam for next class. Be sure that moisture is homogenized for next class.
Biomorphic Form - This work should be well underway and the foundation or main body of the form should be completed [not put together] by the beginning of class this Thursday. Keep this work leather hard without letting it get too dry or you will have to start over.

Class05_Homework_September 4th

Hello Students!

This week I covered two ways of making 'coils' in class: rolling clay in between your hands/ on the table and throwing the clay to stretch and roll out on the table with boards and canvas to make 'slab coils'. I actually used a bit of both to get the job done, but either could be used separately if you so desire.  These methods are in this week's reading and videos. Readings can be found in the Google folder. Biomorphic form tips and tricks!

Jun Kaneko - coiled pieces can be quite colossal

    •    Wedge your clay!

    •    Once you get your form going [the halves of the form I was demonstrating], find and use a small board or ware board to hold said work [flat side only].

    •   Before putting your work on this board, put down newsprint, under the form's surface so that your piece doesn't stick to the board it is resting on. When pieces stick to surfaces there is the potential for cracking during shrinkage.

    •    It may be easier to roll out your coils/make your slabs in one sitting. Should you do this, keep them covered with plastic and moistened with a spray bottle so that each coil can be easily compressed into the other. Once coils become dry or leather hard, you must slip and score each one to join them or they will not connect properly. Connecting them in the way you saw me demonstrate requires that the coils and slabs are fresh from the bucket!

Eva Kwong - three stabilization points 
are more reliable than two or four

    •    Try using the palms of your hands instead of your fingers to roll out your coils. If you get flat areas on your coils, round these out in sections using your palms. Once these flat parts have been rounded, try rolling again.

    •    Don't make your coils too long when you start out.

    •    Once you build your form, you must compress the coils/slab coils in the walls on the inside and outside to keep them together. Although it is possible to sometimes get away with not compressing coils together on one side, I am asking that you compress both the inside and outside. This means there will be no coil texture in the final piece.

    •    If your final piece will be tall, be sure to compress from the bottom and continue as you build upwards. When doing this, it is useful to have an opening that you can easily fit and move your hand around in to support the wall you are pressing against. Once you make it to the top of your form and its opening becomes smaller, try using a finger or tool handle to compress parts together instead of your entire hand.

    •    If your final piece will be tall, you will have to wait for the bottom to become somewhat leather hard before getting to the taller sections of the piece. If you don't, your work will potentially sag. If you get sagging or your walls fail, it is because the piece is too wet at the bottom.

    •    If you don't have a serrated rib, get your serrated rib! You can also make the toothpick tool I showed in class if you so choose.

Rudy Autio - the overall form is
enhanced by what is on the surface

    •    If you need to keep your piece round on the bottom, make and use a cradle using a bucket, a small towel, and tape. Instead of starting at the bottom to build, start around the equator of round objects and work toward the rounded end. Once it is together and/or leather hard you can turn it over and place it in your cradle.

    •    Use a laminated paper pattern if you need to make openings that match! You can laminate paper by coating each paper of the template with packing tape [let me know if you need help!]

    •    After a certain point, you will have to wait for your clay to stiffen (become leather hard) to work on it further or it will collapse. Since the lip or top ridge of this form you will be adding to will most likely be leather hard also, you must slip and score additions thereafter.

    •    If you want to speed drying time, use a hairdryer. Be sure to move your hairdryer so that it dries the work evenly or you may experience cracking. Once work is cracked or past leather hard, it is best to start over from scratch.

    •    If you would like to make sure your work is symmetrical, be sure to turn it often and notice its contours. This can be done with a banding wheel (lazy susan. there is only one in the classroom near the newspapers). Banding wheels can be purchased as a lazy susan or you may use the kick wheels in the studio. I DO NOT recommend trying to use the electric wheels as they are unpredictable if you aren't used to working the pedals. The kick wheels can work. Once you have the work turning, notice where the contours are uneven and adjust for them by either pushing from the inside out, or tapping inward from the outside until the outline becomes continuous. Work all over the form, not just in one place. Get up often and look at the form from a distance. This will help you construct in space immensely!

Ken Price - notice how this clay piece
seems to defy gravity

    •    In the demo, I talked about the potential need to add parts to your overall form. We will go over this in more detail next week. If you make several parts that need to be put together into one part, you will have to slip and score these parts together when they are leather hard. If you skip this step they will likely not adhere. Again, I will review this next week

    •    Once you enclose your form, if you forget to put a hole in any enclosed form, it will ABSOLUTELY crack! Air ALWAYS needs to have an escape route. Be sure to include one. More about this next week.

Ken Price - This work has a weightlessness
to it even though it is made of a heavy material

If you want feedback regarding new maquettes please text pictures to me for feedback so you can decide on the strongest design and begin working. The design you end up choosing should be both innovative and challenging to you technically.  If you came to class feeling disappointed by your design or made something too complicated, you certainly have the time to make something more satisfying over the weekend. Depending on your composition, you may need to use newspaper as an armature for structural support. The walls of your coil work should not be thinner than 1/8th inch or thicker than 1/4th inch. Consider making a design with a foot that doesn't completely rest on the table [See Ken Price's work]. Negative space in the foot region of the work is as important as activating the space around the piece. This piece should be smooth and without parts that would interfere too much with drawing and patterning the surface.

Once you have feedback, decide on the strongest design and start working on constructing the coil/soft slab piece. Remember to use a laminated pattern if you want you make your work in parts that will fit back together. Walls should be 1/8-1/4" thick. I will be asking to see what progress you have made on Tuesday

HOMEWORK 
NEW - Biomorphic Coil Piece

Ken Price

Design for the Biomorphic Coil Piece by creating 3 maquettes of what you would like to make. 

The next skill we will work on is coiling with soft slabs and coils. To start, you will need a design. As always, the form will be designed and chosen by you but should demonstrate good technique and formal ingenuity. For homework conduct research to find an interesting biomorphic form to build. Form development will make or break your design and grade, in the end, so be sure to inform your brain [find references, make maquettes] before you start. I will be asking to see these next class so be prepared. I suggested making something inspired by cellular or microbial organisms if you can't think of anything to do on your own. Whatever you develop, the form will be biomorphic with no straight planes, completely enclosed and completely in the round. The definition of biomorphic is that it is inspired by or somewhat resembles a living form. This form will have absolutely no texture and should have no appendages. Deviating from these instructions will be a detriment to you as you finish the form. 

Here is a movie that reviews what I showed you how to do in class in regard to coiling:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_xaMsUXOejZbVNxVk13dG84VTA

or 04a_Biomorphic_Slabs_Coils

REVIEW
IN-PROGRESS - Carve out Form

Beth Cavener Stichter

HOMEWORK
IN-PROGRESS - CARVE OUT
Carve Out - your piece should be completely carved out and ready to be put back together by next class


Here is a movie that reviews what I showed you how to do in class in regard to carving out:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_xaMsUXOejZRGp0Q1RHeHZ1Vms
or 05b_Carve_Out

"Tangled Up in You" by Beth Cavener Stichter

Video
Beth Cavener Stichter - click the link [the artist's name] and watch the video about this artist who uses carve out as their main way of making. Take notes and bring these to class.

"A Rush of Blood to the Head" by Beth Cavener Stichter

Artist Website - click the link and see the process photos of the making of "A Rush of Blood to the Head"




SUPPLIES

1) You should have your pottery kit by now, a fettling knife, scotch brite pad (green scrubby thing) and large sponge for cleaning. The next three things you need for class are: the hacksaws blades, chamois, and a serrated rib.  If you can't buy a serrated rib, be sure you have a fork or some toothpicks to tape together at the very least.

Some artists to knock your socks off!
You can research these names and print out their work/reviews and put them into your sketchbooks. Your homework is at the end of these photos....

Ken Price

Ken Price

Ken Price

 Eva Kwong

 Eva Kwong 

 John Balistreri

 John Balistreri

This piece has support walls built in. We will be using paper as support when necessary, but large-scale work benefits from such built-in support walls.

Class04_Homework_August 30th

Mimbre Pottery Example - Click for more Information

Dear Students

Please be sure to have your homework done for next class. We will be beginning a new technique on Tuesday. These are the sections you should have in your sketch binder: Class Notes, Research, Sketching and Planning, Glaze Notes, Process Notes

• (3) Small Pinch Pots - These forms should be completely finished, but kept leather hard and shown to me again for grading next Tuesday.
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• (1) Large Pinch Pot - This form should be completely finished, but kept leather hard until you present it to me on Thursday.
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• Carve Out - This form should be completely formed and hardened to the stiffness of the sample I let you all touch during class [skull]. Make sure you don't let it get too hard or dry. You will know if you can no longer make an impression on the surface with your finger or if you gently rub across its surface and you get a chalky residue. If you let your form become too dry you will have to start over! So please, watch your pot so it doesn't 'die in the car'.

Ken Price

• Research - 
• Look up the artist Ken Price
• Look for living forms that might inspire you to make your biomorphic form. Have at least [3] references to model after. If you are at a loss for inspiration, look for images of bacteria and viruses 

• Reading - Go to the resource folder and read wk2_Chpt11_Hand_Building

Class03_Homework_August 28th

Beth Cavener Stichter
[Click here to see photos of how this piece was made and carved out!!]

Beth Cavener Stichter's work is on the right. She is a very successful artist who works to create very large sculptures using solid clay. 

Watch this video and click on the caption to learn more about Beth Cavener Stichter, her work, and her process. Take notes: 

http://www.followtheblackrabbit.com/about/

Carve Out Exercise-

Clay that is fresh from the barrel will be difficult to work with as it won't hold its form very well at first. Use its soft qualities to create the masses and volumes of what you plan to build for the Carve Out exercise. Let the mass/volume dry and stiffen before starting detail work. That means the form needs to be leather hard before you start doing forming or carving away of clay to make details. If you are premature about this, you may find yourself having a difficult time. When the Carve Out form is done, these sculptures will hang on the wall. I will show you how to make a hanging mechanism for doing this when the time comes. Do not worry about it at this point. Do not attempt to carve-out your form until this is covered in class. Please make sure that your work has the following qualities:

Beth Cavener Stichter

• In innovative form that is compelling to look at
• Not less than 6# and not much more than10 # in total clay weight to start
• A frontal sculpture with a definitive flat 'back' that will be attached to the wall
• Texture that is compelling, covering the entire surface in interesting ways. At least 3 textures. 
• A form that lends itself well to carving out [a head was suggested]
• Devoid of a multitude of thin appendages

Tom Bartel

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION COVERED - review

• How to create a container of slip. Once you make your own, be sure to label it with a piece of packing tape that says 'slip'
• Where the ware boards are in the room and how to use them 
• Putting newspaper under your work before putting it on a wareboard. If you don't do this, your work could stick to the surface it is sitting on.

HOMEWORK

• (3) SMALL PINCH POTS due- Three small, well-designed pots should be finished this Thursday. 
• (1) LARGE PINCHED FORM due - The large pot should be finished by the end of next week, Thursday. Please see me before letting either one of these dry. 
• CARVE OUT in progress- These should be massed out and well underway so that you can begin defining parts of the form.