I just looked at the date of the last Blog entry. It has been a full year since I last included any commentary or documentary about my Studio life. No explanation other than the Pandemic for my lack of communication. I do not want to make a summation of studio life in the days of Covid, an entire year, but may allude to older work as I slowly get into the routine of making regular blog entries.
A New Home for a Blockhead Vase
We were recently sent an image of one of my blockhead vases filled with flowers.
It is always good to see a studio piece transformed when put into use in a real setting. When the client bought the piece he noted that he thought the irregularly shaped walls would allow a lot of support for flowers as well as interesting flower arrangements. Looks like he was right.
The vase is slab constructed porcelain, painted and sgrafitto slip decoration, @14” h
Post Virtual Pottery Trail
The weekend virtual sale of the Pottery Trail is over. We were pleased with the success and shipped out a number of items. We were a little apprehensive about selling our work on line but this first time introduction to this process of marketing our work during the time of the Virus was successful and has convinced us to continue to add new items to the site on a regular basis.
We will pack up items for shipping today and deliver them to the Post Office. We haven’t scratched the surface of what is available in our studio but hope to use the shop (accessed through this site) to display more work in the future.
Thanks to everyone who bought on line.
Kiln Opening
We opened a kiln this morning. It contained Francine’s large platters and some large vases. These vases continue Francine’s practice of joining thrown pieces together as well as designing pieces with built in “frogs” that can showcase flowers more effectively and dramatically. A new departure for Francine are two “Pandemic” vases. Although outwardly having similarities in shape and design to other pieces she has made, these vases have an entirely new decorative motif - the virus. The energetic decorative marks are interpretations of the virus itself and the “word balloons” of air that incorporate the handles reference the spread of the virus through speech and breath.
Even though these are very serious pieces, Francine’s usual humor, sophisticated design and wit take precedence over the frightening subject matter.
The top two vases are the Pandemic Vases, shown in front and back views. They all are made from porcelain, use sgrafitto technique, glazes and slips. The first piece is 10” tall and 9” wide. The second piece is 8” tall. The last piece is 11” tall.
The Envelope Show
Fran and I were very pleased to be invited by Dean Brown to be included in his on-line “Envelope Show”. Dean set up a deadline and artists were invited to send in envelopes that he would post as part a virtual art show that was delivered by the U.S. Post Office. I don’t think that the Post Office was threatened as it is now when this show originated but it definitely shows how dependent we are on its services and would be hard-pressed to come up with some private enterprise that would substitute.
Attached to this post is the original announcement that was sent from Dean, my contribution (only one side shown) and Fran’s first solution (she subsequently made a second entry because the oil stick pigments used on the one pictured did not dry in time to be sent through the mail - the sent envelope used acrylics). For some reason the acrylic envelope was not documented. It can be seen on line.
The completed entries will have postmarks, cancellations, stamps and the wear and tear that accompanies items sent in the mail. It will be fun to see the entire show on line. I expect that we will know a lot of the contributing artists and will be happy to see what they are making these days.
http://www.pulpgallery.com
Thanks Dean
Some notes
Where to begin?
I have taken a break from entering images or making comments about work on this blog. Neither Francine nor I have quit making work . Work (both printmaking, drawing and ceramics) has continued and developed in grown in interesting directions but the necessity for recording it in the age of pandemic seemed redundant (unnecessary?).
In some letter I recently wrote, I mentioned that Fran and I, just a few months back, considered ourselves cosmopolitan with our trips to China and France, but we are now country bumpkins thinking more about growing vegetables than preparing for exotic travels.
I usually do not comment on family or personal issues on the blog, but have always focused on work ; but it may be appropriate at this time to note that we have recently welcomed our son and his family to our house after they escaped from Brooklyn. It has been a great pleasure to eat, talk and socialize with them and their two children in our home and studio. These activities have somewhat curtailed our studio focus but we have discovered that being able to direct our energies to our grandchildren and assist our work-at -home son and his wife is more important at this point in time. I know that our feeling certain that our family is safe and assisting them to remain safe is more important than what may be created in the studio.
Had I continued to maintain this blog, it would have included too many cancellations and changes of plans that were too painful and confusing to list. Now that everything has been cancelled I can list what would have been: A complete, rather than cancelled-half-way-through, group show at Pulse Gallery and participation in “State of the Art” as well as “Clay has its Say: Narrative Ceramics” in Lexington and Concord, a competition and a curated invitational. The biggest disappointment was the eventual cancellation, rather than rescheduling, of the Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail. Much planning, expense, investment and time was put into this event. This year should have been as successful as any of the others.
This year would have been the 16th year iof the Pottery Trail which has grown tremendously since its inception. An on-line, virtual “2020 Pottery Trail “is being planned for May 30 and 31. Details of the event will be listed here as we get closer to that date.
Francine has been industrious, preparing an on-line shop for us linked to the “Shop” heading on this site. Many of the items found in this blog are beginning to be added to this site.
We will begin documenting some of the items we have been making on this blog to include Francine’s “Pandemic Vases”. These just came out of the bisque and soon will be fired.
I cannot say that the reopening and adding comments on this blog about our studio work is a return to normalcy but it is a return to communicating with the world.
Again, stepping away from my focusing only on work, I wish everyone to stay well and safe. Please focus on whatever is productive and positive in your lives.
New Map Prints
These are three new “Imaginary Vase” mono-prints / trace-prints . They are @ 8” x 11”. They (and others) were made while making other prints, while waiting for inks to dry on other prints or using up the last bits of inks and paints. This particular group benefits from an implied texture (yellow) caused by a very textured plate and the imagery on the map itself. The other map drawings weren’t prints so these may be the beginning of an entirely new series of map/vase images. We’ll see. These prints, like a number of other new works, have benefitted from hanging on the studio wall for longer periods of time, having small bits of colors and lines added after Ia longer period of thought and study.
New Vases
Here is an informal picture of work in progress of some new vases waiting to be fired. The motif is sgraffito vase images on 12” high vases.
New Work
I haven’t made bowls in a while. These were the first that came out from a recent firing. I have a bunch more to fire. Some with a blue and white color scheme.
bowls sgraffito, painting, slip, glaze @ 4” high
New Work
Here is a collection of some cups from the last firing. These are available now and can be seen at the upcoming Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail, last weekend in April.
Opening at Pulp Gallery
Last night was the opening at Pulp Gallery for the Group Exhibit, “Motley Crew”. It was another cold night in Holyoke but it was a warm reception and group of people in the gallery. Here a number of pieces and photos from the exhibit:
Last Batch of New Prints
I don’t think that I mentioned that Francine took the photos of these prints. It was an easy shooting session and the colors etc. of the prints came out accurately. I wasn’t looking for portfolio images, just an inventory of what was soon going to be leaving for the Pulp Gallery show. It always is a good feeling to look at a body of work and to feel satisfied with its quantity, direction and progress.
The remaining prints are all “non-traditional” sizes. Three of the prints are much smaller than I usually make (8” x 11”) and the frieze ones also are odd sizes. Because I have used up all of these odd sized pieces of paper, the next set of prints should be a return to my normal process and size
Some More New Prints
Here are some more prints that I will bring to Pulp Gallery tomorrow along with two of the Imaginary Vases. It is always difficult to predict, but I have been active in the ceramic part of our studio lately and maybe the printmaking activity will stop for awhile. The ceramic activity so far has been focused on practical work for the Pottery Trail - small cups and some carved bowls. I will soon start finishing and showing these here.
Some New Prints
I have finally gotten around to documenting the series of prints I have been working on since the holidays ended. It was tough to get started on these. Even though I was very happy with the work I made during my residency in France, there was no guarantee that I could continue these ideas in a new place (even if it was my studio) after a hiatus.
Most of the prints in this series uses odd sizes of paper that were “leftovers” from larger sheets. They were more of a horizontal format, a frieze, adapted from older ideas.
One practice that I continued from France was to leave the work up on the walls of my studio for a long time. I could study the print and add small bits of color and textures that made significant changes to the work that I would have otherwise considered finished. This also resulted in a wider variety of color choices. If i had a plate filled with a red I had just mixed up, I could apply a dot of it to an already finished print using either stencil techniques or brushwork. The resulting works are still mono prints but some become more closely identified with paintings.
I will post some of these prints every day until this series is shown in its entirety.
Another Vase
This is the last of my latest series of Imaginary Vases. This vase is the largest (23”) and most complicated in surface treatment. It is now time to start an entirely new series of vases. This last one was very diverse in shapes and surface treatments. They range from being symmetrical to very free form in design decisions. They also have very complicated to very simple surfaces. It is difficult to start over making these when there are so many different paths I could choose to follow.
This piece is perhaps the most dramatic in being significantly different when seen from the front or back. Even though i made it, I am surprised by the openness of one side versus the tighter presentation seen in the other.
Photographed (as are all of the latest vases) by John Polak.
TWO NEW PLATES
Pictured here are a square and round plate that feature the Birds and Laundry theme. The pieces are becoming more colorful and active.
The round plate is @ 14” in diameter. The Square is @ 12” on a side. These photos were taken by John Polak
ANOTHER VASE
This is another in the imaginary Vase series. This particular piece will be included in a group exhibit in Pulp Gallery, Holyoke MA which opens on February 29. I also will be showing prints and drawings.
This piece was fired twice. The second firing, shown here, has a very luscious set of glazes on it - very different from the very dull and boring first appearance out of the kiln.
This piece is the smallest of the new series, maybe 18” in height.
All of the new photographs shown on our site are taken by John Polak. I really enjoy his front and back photos of my work. They help a viewer understand the intricacies of the piece.
ANOTHER
Here is Imaginary Vase #8. This also was photographed by John Polak. This is the largest of the new pieces, maybe 23” inches in height. Like some others, the flower is removable.
This piece changes dramatically in form as one walks around it, studying it from all sides.
NEW IMAGINARY VASE
Here is Imaginary Vase #7. It was just photographed by John Polak. The piece is cone 6 porcelain, @ 20” x 20” x 8”.
This piece used blue slips, slab construction. There are three more vases to come soon.
Two More Prints
Two more, same format:
