Artist Residency at Lillstreet

Just a friendly reminder that Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago is still accepting applications for artist residencies in ceramics, textiles, painting, metalsmithing, and more through this Sunday, October 31st, 2010. Residencies for most areas last 6 to 12 months. Applications must include 10 images of work created in the last 3 years, a personal statement, resumé, and three references. For more information and to download the application form please visit Lillstreet's website. You can also send an email to Emily Schroeder with any questions about the program or the application process.

Lillstreet is quite a gem of an art center. With an inspiring variety of permanent and visiting faculty teaching a wide assortment of affordable classes including embroidery, soda fire and inkoku, encaustic painting, resin for jewelry, glassblowing, and bookmaking. Just writing this is kinda making me jealous of all the folks who get to work and play over there. So hurry up! If you're looking for a residency with tons of opportunity in a variety of mediums in a fabulous city- send in that application.

(images via I-GO and Apartment Therapy)

Christine NofChissey McHorse

These are breathtaking aren't they? Talk about a master of forms and surface. Whew!

(images via Clark + DelVecchio, Australian Ceramics, and Ceramic Vision)

Studio Time: Contemporary Fiber Forms

Here are my projects from my textile sculpture class.  I'm having fun in this class but I have to say it's not quite as exciting as I thought it was going to be. I feel like my teacher has certain ideas about what it is she want's us to create that make me feel limited in what I can do. But I'm trying my best and she seems to be pleased with my effort. So this is what I've got so far... 

At top is my third project, soft sculpture. I call it A Chair for Dreaming.  It was quite a challenge and took much more time to complete than I had expected. My work in weaving suffered for it, unfortunately.

Just above is my second assignment, fitted transformation. We had to draft a pattern for an object and use that to transform the object from its original state. My original objects were plain glass teacups. I wanted to transform something everyday and mass-produced into something whimsical and unique.  I call this piece Tea with Wayne and Mary because to me the cups look like physical manifestations of the work of Wayne Thiebaud or Mary Engelbreit.

Anyway, next up is an assignment on structure. Hmm... I dunno, we'll see about that one.

Go Giants!

Okay... I know that ceramics has nil to nothing to do with baseball. But I'm just so damn excited that my team is playing the World Series here at home in San Francisco. I thought I'd curate a little Giant's themed virtual art show for the occasion.

First pitch 4:57pm PST.

Aaawww yeaaaaaah.

Let's Go Giants!

Studio Time: Beginning Painting

So I am taking my first painting class ever this semester and it's been kinda rough getting started. Working so representationally and in two-dimension are very foreign modes of operation for me. It was a real struggle to get started but now that we've completed a few projects I'm really having a blast. 

I wanted to share my progress with folks, so here's a little info about the paintings from top down: 

The first assignment was to create a collage from 10 or so ink and water line paintings that we did in class. My inspiration, as you can see, was San Francisco artist Rex Ray. One of my faves. I had a lot of fun trying to emulate his variations of shape and value.

The second assignment was more open- paint a three-dimensional space.  This was the hardest for me. I struggled with figuring out what to paint, how to use the paint, figuring out value scales that weren't just flat acrylic.  It was so hard, but my teacher, Lisa Solomon, was super encouraging and I think her pushing paid off. It looks pretty three-dimensional to me and I learned how to get texture from the medium.

The third assignment was a still life... kinda boring. It's the least successful I think. Or perhaps it's just that I don't like it very much. Still lives without color are very boring I think.

The last assignment was a master study. I chose Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's Das Blaue Mädchen in der Sonne. I love the wild strokes and bold color and the painting makes me think of my Nana which makes me quite happy.  For the reproduction we could only use two complimentary colors so I chose red and green, my favorites.  This one was the absolute most fun to work on. It was so freeing so work so big and loose for someone who is used to painting tiny little precise patterns and designs.  I hope to paint more like this in the next assignment. 

The paintings at the bottom were from a live model we had in class. I've only ever had a live model a couple of times in my life. This was so awesome.  Painting live and so quickly was a great exercise. The first four paintings were five minute poses, the next two were 20 minute poses, and the final two both came from one 40 minute pose. My favorite is the red 20 minute pose.

The next assignment it a figurative/narrative of our choosing using any colors we'd like.  I built my very own canvas for it from hot pink linen so I am quite excited to get started tomorrow... I can't wait!

Clark+Del Vecchio Auction

By the way, Clark+Del Vecchio are having an online auction of modern and contemporary ceramic works. It's very interesting to see how much these pieces are valued at and who's included. Go on- take a look.

Virgil Ortiz

Virgil Ortiz is an artist from the Cochiti Pueblo in what is now Northern New Mexico. The people of the Cochiti Pueblo are part of a long tradition and history of American Indian potters. Their specific graphic, polychrome style has developed over 300 hundred years with strong influences from neighboring tribes. Growing up in this tradition, Ortiz began working in clay as a small child, only to realize as a teenager that the craft he was so familiar with was, by many, considered art. At this point his unique style emerged and took him in a more personal direction. I am a huge fan of traditional pottery from the native cultures of New Mexico. The boldness, geometry, and juxtaposing complexity and simplicity of the designs are just so spectacular. Ortiz's figurative style, which is blatantly sexual in nature, is like a shot of testosterone in these pots- elevating them from a level of kick-ass to complete-annihilation. To view more of the artist's work including sculptural pieces, visit his website.

(images via Ceramic Arts Foundation and Clark+DelVecchio)

Off Subject: Willy Verginer

I love the humor in Verginer's sculptures and the visual impact of the vibrant color blocking is so striking. These make me want to try wood-working so badly. Has anyone else sculpted in wood? What is it like compared to sculpting in clay?

(images via Booooooom!, Warmenhoven & Venderbros, and bumbumbum)

Lisa Clague

I realized the other day that I had never posted about the amazing sculptor, Lisa Clague.  Not only is Clague's imagery provocative, but her textures and palate are perfectly refined. The artist's inclusion of other materials is also inspiring because ceramics with additional media is a difficult line to balance.  I am particularly fond of her sculptural cups. That mouse directly above it also pretty incredible.  Who has seen her work in person?  What is it like close up?

(images via Santa Fe Clay, Arrowmont, and artist's own website)

Jennifer Brazelton

I love the juxtapositions Brazelton explores in her work... Organic vs industrial, complex vs crude, masculine vs feminine.  For such abstract work, I'm quite intrigued.

(images via artist's own website)

Curtis Stewardson

Um? Totally. These pieces from Curtis Stewardson remind me that sometimes bold simplicity is all one needs for a beautiful work of art. Now it might be all you need, but then it's so much harder to perfect and make successful. I'm leaning this right now in my own studies.

Has anyone else had a less is more moment as of late?

(images via Archie Bray and unknown)