new ways by karin sanborn

Northeast Films [NEF] is many things. Sometimes it is a contemporary playground where Warren Miller hangs with the ghost Robert Altman, promising to keep the story going for many posts to come. However perhaps my favorite characteristic is the phenomenology present in the consistent voice and gaze of the camera. It is a hopeful one. Let me explain.  

The eye that takes in each scene is able to shapeshift from one benevolent view to another: first as an ant up at the long-boarder's transport system, then as a common bird hovering low taking in the action of characters living the day purely for the joy of it. Other favorite shooting angles include plants given priority of focus while activities blur by in the background. Am I an insect? Maybe, yes, I can believe it... because while observing cropped views of bike wheels through the forest, the event is clearly more important than any single identity pedaling. Being present seems to be the only important criteria.

Creative efforts like NEF's are an elegant reminder that artistic expression comes from everywhere in the universe. Not just sometimes, but especially, outside galleries and museums. The places depicted in these films are from the realm of the living. Both the viewer and the viewed momentarily inhabit the same time, same place, in connected by disconnection between their respective shells.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_a--0KTktM&feature=em-subs_digest

Tea Time Part 2 by Andrea Zimon

I dug this particular clay project out the box well before Karin wrote her blog with her tea items. Since no one is going to believe that story, I figured I might as well steal her title as well. 

My remaining clay projects were finished, graded, unceremoniously thrown in a box with dirty saddle pads ( which I forgot in the car. Aren't you glad I am not an Uber driver?), into my car, and then into the garage. I was tired and didn't really want to look at them anymore. I had put a maximum amount of effort into creating these treasures but was irritated with technical difficulties beyond my control. So why learn acceptance when you can embrace denial instead, and bury crap you don't want to deal with?

But now I will reflect and share. Aren't you lucky?

Welcome to non-functional pottery project number #3. The  tea set inspired by Mondrian’s Composition No. 10 Pier and Ocean.

The project is blue, like the painting.

It has Mondrian's patterns. 

The tea pot is heavier than all get out.  The double walled aspects is an interesting aesthetic but detrimental in functional use. Ditto goes for the handle. It is a handle in the loosest sense of the term.  Use this as a teapot and you will get the tri-fecta potential for going to urgent care; 2nd degree burns,a broken foot, and deep cuts requiring stitches.  Well, it is kind of pretty to look at. 

Square mugs. Yeah, square mugs. Weird but yet continuing to work that Mondrian vibe. Do people drink out square mugs? Of course, who would want to after hearing about the cohabitation with dirty saddle pads?

So right now, I am taking a drawing class. I am doing a 18x24" grid pattern self portrait. I appreciate the exercise but not so crazy about the subject matter.  I won't complain any more about technical difficulties and contemplate the serenity prayer. It is useful advice if I could only follow it. 

P.S. I was given a challenge to do my blog in one hour. This is how my blog usually is without my painstaking editing. My apologies. 

tea time by karin sanborn

it's blogging time again.
to be honest i'm really tired. no shame in it.
same as the rest of you; not enough sleep, too much work, too much everything.
not enough nothing.

this month's post celebrates space.
no coming up with reflective topics,
or how school is going (thesis work starts soon if you care).
float, be quiet, watch the universe.

have a nice day.

Off day by Andrea Zimon

The work on its side. It looks better this way. 

I started out ambitious with my Frank Lloyd Wright inspired project plans.  But it proved too complicated. I simplified it. And then it broke. Not once but many times and I repaired it equal amount of times .

Bone dry, preparing for its next big break but not for stardom. 

Somebody said that if you have a bad piece, recycle the clay and start over. Glaze will not make a poor piece look better. They were right.  However, you don't have that luxury when you need a grade. 

Top view

As much as I am unhappy with this piece,I did learn something.  Using too thin slabs of clay is bad unless you want a lot of bone dry breakage or warping from the kiln. I learned about pacing myself better with my projects. Many of my projects were big and ambitious. They were almost too big for my artistic energy and physical energy to confine within a four month deadline. Finally, I learned acceptance (clay is very much about acceptance with so many stages to survive) but what do I want to do with that acceptance? Do I want to bemoan or chuckle at this epic fail? Laughter is always the better choice. 

Top view with cover. The cover originally fit well at the bone dry and bisque. It warped during the glazing stage. 

Pick out your favorite technical misfire!

Still on the other side of this, is that again I used a thin slab for a beach background for my shell which you have already seen. I like my shell but one of the tendrils broke and was sort of glued on by glaze so I made a background support  for it so the tendril would remain attached and could hang it on the wall. It warped but this worked for me and shell is in a better place for it. 

Bad artwork. It happens. It should happen. It helps the learning process. What is definition of insanity? Repeating the same process and expecting different results. Making mistakes is how we go forward successfully, of course, only if we learn from our mistakes. Or as artists want to do, 'That mistake is so cool. How do I do again? I almost want to do 'warped work' again. Would someone repeat the definition of insanity again?

sounds of silence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j6GbEOuEFw

Clay Journey Part 2 by Andrea Zimon

My ceramic class continues. Bisque and glaze firing has begun. There are pluses and minuses to working bigger. It takes longer to create and complete which isn’t shocking but I usually don’t work big so I didn’t really account for time management but as of yet I am still on time with my projects. 

Project #1 is an autobiographical assignment and still in the works. It is an abstract piece that really doesn't quite have any visual value, yet.  

Project #2 is slab container inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.  This piece broke 5 times and now looks less like Fallingwater and more like a hacienda which isn’t a bad visual but not what was desired. Its only separate piece is the cover. 

It started out big like this. 

Then it broke and the size got reduced. 

Project #3 is making a tea set inspired by a 20^th century painter. My tea set is inspired by Mondrian’s Composition No. 10 Pier and Ocean.  I initially started to dislike the project which became very heavy and over detailed but then I changed the spout and handle. It is currently awaiting its escape from the kiln.

The beginning

View of double walled teapot and the mugs.

The spout is larger than the body. 

The final result at the bone dry. 

Project #4 is a room assignment, an aquarium room.  Currently drying, this is probably my least serious assignment.  It also deviated from the original plan.

Make fish. 

Make sardine shaped container with seaweed patterned by lace.

Project #5 is a coil vessel with neck.  This piece has been fired, glazed, and is in the kiln to set the glaze. I used black underglaze and then sponged off the excess to bring out the coils. I didn’t fully glaze it but gave it a partial transparent glaze. This piece ended up being 13” high.

                                                                         

Project #6 is creating a shell from a pinch pot. This is complete. An extension did break buy I sort of glued it with glaze. I played with underglaze and glaze which is why it has the random orange spot. I did a lot of playing and experimenting with this one. None of which I wrote down because I thought I would remember.  Safe to say, I remembered little.

Project #7 is four bowls that focus specifically on the body, rim, feet, and handle. A constant theme in these bowls is the leaf shape which is my current shape obssession.

The body bowl has been fired and glazed. Odd colors were chosen because I named it Creepy bowl.

                                                            

 Footed bowl again deviated from the original plan and became much larger and obnoxiously detailed. I say ‘obnoxiously’ because of the time involved. 

                                                                  

Rim bowl became quite unusual as the rim is also the body. Mike Sherrill does these incredible leafy porcelain works which I could not get out my head. Those works inspired this rim focused bowl.

                                                                 

Bowl with the handle as the focus. 

Project#8 is a positive/negative cylinder and with a much negative as positive space. This project needed to be restarted because of excessive breakage.  I totally deviated from my notes. It is about 12” high and seems to have a visual lean. I used slabs that were cut about 1.5” x 4.5. I twisted them for effect. 

Project # 9 is a shoe project.  I am doing a stylized version of the gita (geisha shoes). This is currently in the leather hard stage but complete for the most part. Totally stylized and unwearable.

Project #10  Wedding Cake Project. All three cakes started and currently in the wet stage. So much more to do.

This was done last year and not on my project list and I wasn't going to glaze it but I changed my mind because I wanted to experiment with some things. 

tracks by karin sanborn

no matter where you go,
there you are...

walkabout 3:30 am 3/21/17 EST