Video: Grayson Perry

Love this fantastic visit with Grayson Perry... One of my all time favorite artists and people.

All you have to do is put in the hours...

Video: Ceramics- A Fragile History

BBC presents a three part trilogy about the history of British ceramics. How awesome is this!?!
Part one is above, part two below.... Part Three airs tomorrow and should be available on YouTube shortly thereafter.
So awesome.

Video: Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin Interview (20:00 version, 1997) from Chuck Smith on Vimeo.

Agnes Martin is one incredible lady and a brilliant artist. I first saw her work last winter at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe. I would have never expected to fall so hard for what really is just lines, lines, and more lines, but I did. What is it about the grid?

It makes sense, though, when I consider other artists I love who exploit the ever-evolving line- potters like Nicholas Bivins and Emily Schroeder and Rob Sutherland.

Anyway... enjoy the video, hopefully you'll learn a thing or two. 

Video: Gerit Grimm

What an inspiring little sneak peek. I can't believe that Grimm uses the wheel to make her work. How fantastic!

Off Subject: Maki Tamura

These miniature three-dimensional paintings by Seattle artist Maki Tamura make my mouth water. They are so freakin' awesome!

(images via Dear Ada and James Harris Gallery)

And I'm back... kinda, sorta

Okay, so I know I haven't been around... And I know excuses are relatively meaningless, but I have been really, really busy.

For one, I'm busting my ass in my beginning painting class. The photos below are some 'work in progress' shots for my final. They still have a far way to go, but I'm working hard. They are due Tuesday afternoon. Yikes!

Also, I've got an installation/sculpture that I'm building in my contemporary fiber forms class. Don't know how that is really gonna get done, especially with the poli-sci paper I have to write this week.But I suppose I'll manage somehow.

Oh yes, also, this Tuesday I'll be firing my first glaze firing at Red Brick. (Well, it's really my second if you count the test kiln I fired last week, which ran for 72 hours before shutting off unbeknownst to me because the speed dial is cranky, also unbeknownst to me.) I don't have much to fill it with, but I want to take some pictures to send in for a scholarship opportunity, the deadline of which is on Wednesday.

Also, I had a great Thanksgiving with my family, my fiancé and I bought a car last Sunday, I finally got a basic little website up, I got a great haircut, and yes, it is my birthday today... for which I have nothing planned other than my last day at my day job, finishing my paintings, and ordering some killer take-out.

Oh yes, and we leave on the 19th for a three week road trip to Montana, then Texas, then New Mexico, and back. I'm already looking forward to coming home. :)



I leave you with this great little video to warm your winter hearts.

Off Subject: Pogo

I know this is really stretching it as far as being relative to the main purpose of this blog, but I just had to share. I haven't come across something that made me feel this bubbly inside in a while. I am so driven in my own work by the idea of whimsy, and so projects like this completely blow me away. I hope you enjoy these treats as much as I do.

(via Pogo's YouTube)

Video: Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at Tate

What a lovely video to come across this morning. Ai Weiwei is one of my favorite artists and perhaps just one of my favorite thinkers overall.  I'm not typically one who appreciates conceptual art very well, but Ai Weiwei's work always touches my heart some how. I wish I could see this piece in person, but the video was a nice consolation prize.

Has anyone seen the work of Ai Weiwei? We actually have a piece of his here in the Presidio in San Francisco right now, but I haven't been to see it yet.

What are you feelings about conceptual art? How do you think ceramics plays into this genre?

Video: Rex Ray

I love Rex Ray's work and this video has some nice little commentary jewels about exercising your creative flow and making art in a commercial world.

Video: Eva Hild

Uh. This is freakin' crazy. One- I love LOVE love Eva Hild. Two- Look at that grog. Three- look at how gigantic and quick her sculpting is and all with her hands and water! Four- Damnit, I wish I knew what she was saying. Can anyone translate?

Video:Betty Woodman in Bejing

Thanks for this video, Clementina!

Jonathan Adler Video

For some reason I just can't wrap my head around Jonathan Adler The Potter. I mean, I know he's like a legit for reals potter... but it's just hard to imagine him actually getting his hands dirty when he's surrounded by all his mass-produced tchotchkes. I won't lie... I like many of his forms and surface decoration, it's kind of hard to resist the mid-century kickback. This video, however, is proof positive that Jonathan Adler is indeed a member of our secret club. Though I am skeptical about the greenware shelves full of product in the background of the video. His dog is totally cute though, so that kinda makes up for the weird product placement.

via Jonathan Adler's blog

Leslie Ferrin Talks About Walker and Antemann

Came across this video of Leslie Ferrin explaining some of Jason Walker and Chris Antemann's work from SOFA Chicago 2007. It's neat to hear what she has to say about these two very different bodies of work.

Hayao Miyazaki

This man is amazing! I just finished watching Castle in the Sky (first still) and it was awesome.  It's only the second of Miyazaki's films I've seen, the first was Howl's Moving Castle (second still) which was also dead brilliant.  These films are so magical and fun but are intelligent and creative enough to peak an adult's imagination, too.  Perhaps that's the reason this write/director has so many prestigious awards under his belt.

I used to feel kinda guilty about the fact that I loved children's films so much.  But one of the things that The Happiness Project (my current 'self-help guilty pleasure) reiterates is the importance of being true to yourself and not feeling guilt for liking or disliking things that you shouldn't or should.  For instance, the other day I admitted, to a friend, for the first time, that I really didn't like to 'go out'... that I wasn't into partying for partying's sake.  I used to feel ashamed about this, as if it were a social deficit, when in reality all it means to me is that I prefer more face time with my friends.  I'm totally down with a cocktail party for instance, where I can dress to the nines, booze it up, and catch up with my friends with some audible conversation.  But dance clubs? No freakin' way.  I panic in crowds.  Likewise, I'm coming to grasps with the fact that I love animated films- Pixar, Mayazaki, Dreamworks... the whole shebang.  And you know why?  They make me feel happy and they inspire my imagination. Imagine that... adults can love the same things as kids for the same reasons.

Anyway... I am adding three new movies to my Netflix queue tonight- My Neighbor Totorro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Spirited Away. The three trailers above correspond.  My honey is just gonna have to suffer through them... I'll make sure to rent some historical dramas and spy flicks so he can have fun, too.

Tell me, do any of you watch kiddie flicks? Which ones?

(portrait of Miyazaki via Daianime)

Gumbasia

Thanks to Anna Serrano from ok bye for sharing this.