New blog at pcNielsen.com

31 October 2009 by pcNielsen Leave a Comment

I spent quite a bit of time today working on the website showcasing my sculpture. It’s better organized, at least according to the scheme of the theme I’m using. And I’ve also added this blog. The tentative plan is to post studio related entries there and reserve The Aesthetic Elevator’s space for more philosophical meanderings. In all likelihood activity on the Elevator will lessen while the overall depth of the subject matter hopefully deepens.

Keep up with the most recent posts on both blogs by subscribing to their feeds via an RSS reader, such as Google Reader.

Filed under In the studio

New Work: Red shelf cloud

6 October 2009 by pcNielsen 4 Comments

Really, really need to figure out how to photograph these things well. Regardless, here’s the most recent finished work from my studio, only the second in this series (if it can be called that) of minimalistic cloud forms carved from laminated wood. The first was Thunderhead.

Red shelf cloud square

I really like the way this one turned out, but it’s hard to capture its beauty in photographs. Some of the curves are very subtle and some of the woodgrain very fine.

Red shelf cloud square 2

This shelf cloud is crafted from four pieces of laminated redheart and finished with a satin poly. It’s roughly 16″ in length.

Filed under Art, In the studio, Sculpture

Moving mostly done

30 September 2009 by pcNielsen 1 Comment

This week my parents moved most of the rest of their belongings into dad’s downtown building where my wife and I have been living for more than two months now. I’m hoping this will mark the end of the mad rush of purging, remodeling and schlepping stuff for a good while so I can get back to regularly scheduled studio programming.

How many times have I said this now in the last month?

The problem is that I’m still also looking for other part-time work. I’ve been busy enough helping out the family that I haven’t had time to do much else — and the type of work involved in this has been as pleasant as most any — although I did manage to fill out a couple applications and make a few phone calls. Just as soon as I get back into my studio routine and mentality, I’ll probably be working more hours at some yet unspecified day job.

And I still need to rewire, or at least get a new cord for the kiln, and find somewhere to buy clay. At the moment I like Dakota Potters out of Sioux City.

In the midst of all of this I did get one of my works into a juried show, the first since I began trying to show my sculpture again over the course of the past two years or so. Of course, this only whets my artistic appetite.

Filed under Art, Ceramics, In the studio, Personal reflection

Modular studio shelving

11 September 2009 by pcNielsen Leave a Comment

Not much interesting news in the art world the past week or two, so as promised yesterday a photograph.

Modular studio shelving

More of what I assembled for my wife, but this time for the ceramics studio. I also added the shelving in the wall nook, formerly a basement window. Street level is now above the top of the window, hence the cinder block backdrop.

Since it didn’t happen last weekend, I’m hoping this weekend to finish this wooden sculpture. One or two more hours with the sandpaper ought to do it.

Filed under Art, In the studio, Sculpture

In the studio?

10 September 2009 by pcNielsen Leave a Comment

Still haven’t made it back into the studio. Still settling into our new living space, a lot of work yet to be done that’s taking up a lot of time. I don’t mind the work, but really want to slow down in the near future and find a regular sculptural rhythm. Also getting antsy for another part-time job (still telecommuting part time for MDAT) to get things moving in a direction again, some direction.

I did buy more of the wooden boxes featured in the last Aesthetic installment to further and better organize the studio. Will post pics when that’s worked out, hopefully soon.

Filed under In the studio, Personal reflection

A functional studio again

29 August 2009 by pcNielsen Leave a Comment

The new basement studio space is functional. Now all I need is to incorporate regular sculpting time into my days.

Functional basement studio

This photo probably doesn’t look all that different than the last one, but rest assured the space is much more tailored now to my sculpturing needs. There will, of course, be much nit picking with respect to organization in the future, but it works for now.

Filed under Art, Business of art, Ceramics, In the studio

Still transisting, craving clay

27 August 2009 by pcNielsen 1 Comment

But not like an antique radio.

We’re still in the process of unpacking and settling in. Our new living quarters are out of the ordinary and have very little storage which has hampered some of our efforts to this end, but the last two weeks progressed in the right direction. I’ve spent a lot of time painting. The previous tenant of the second floor left quite a mess.

And I’ve been craving clay.

It’s been rough being on the plains, watching the storms and not being able to act on those observations. I should have made something of the opportunity and spent some time drawing since the clay studio hasn’t been up to snuff, but I didn’t think of it. And it’s not as though there haven’t been 100 other things to do. I’m getting close though to what looks like a functional basement.

3rd Street studio in progress

This is what it looked like last month, just after moving in. I’ve come to realize that it’s difficult for me to produce work in an unorganized studio. Messy I can deal with, but when there’s no foundational organization my impetus is to unpack, put up shelving and move things around.

I need to get a new cord for the kiln before firing, if I’m going to use the existing outlet. The one on my old Knight kiln is both too short and wrong-pronged. I’d like to rewire the whole thing before firing again, including replacing the elements. Not sure that will happen though. I might also like to move the kiln into what is presently the stained glass store’s sandblasting room, but I’m not sure that will happen either. That project would be fairly simple except for the fact that the 220 is run straight from the electrical service and not from a panel. The shutoff is at the kiln, meaning I’d have to have the electrical company turn power to the building.

And I still need to find a local or relatively nearby clay supplier that suits my needs. I messaged a local ceramic artist to ask who she deals with, but I can’t tell from their website what they sell as far as wet clay. Glaser Ceramics in Lincoln is a fair option, but I know for certain they don’t stock the clay bodies I want.

Still a ways to go, but getting closer.

Filed under Art, Business of art, Central Nebraska, Ceramics, In the studio, Personal reflection

New studio

26 July 2009 by pcNielsen 4 Comments

Everything’s out of the truck (and kitchen) and into the basement studio.

Maudies studio at move in

Half of the stuff in the photo isn’t mine. The stained glass studio that has occupied the building (since 1995 if I recall correctly) is still in the process of clearing out. It’s made for a somewhat complicated moving situation, but the owners are very personable and we’re all fine with working around each others junk for the time being.

In the very back of the photo you can see a kiln against the wall. My electric kiln will probably sit in the same place, although I might like to put it in the sandblasting room on the left side of the photograph which has some ventilation (even though it isn’t to the outside of the building at this point). That would require moving the 220v outlet, however, and we can’t modify any part of the building in such a way that requires us — or a hired professional — to pull a permit or the city will require us to install sprinklers. I don’t think moving that outlet would require a permit, but I’m not certain. Sprinklers for this building would probably be in the neighborhood of $35,000 based on my previous research. I hope the white cabinet on the right side of the image is left with the building; it will make a nice glaze-crafting station.

My father bought the 19th century building — and will be living upstairs (where we’re temporarily dwelling as well) — for his antique shop.

Filed under Art, Central Nebraska, Grand Island, In the studio, Personal reflection

Successful firing

10 June 2009 by pcNielsen 2 Comments

Looks like a pretty successful firing yesterday by my terms. No explosions or severe splintering, although there are a number of what I figured to be inevitable hairline cracks in the fluffy clouds. All in all I don’t think they are as bad off as I expected though, and I’m already thinking through ways to keep this from happening in the future.

A couple of the sculptural storms actually faired very well in comparison to my expectations. I used reclaim clay that was mostly Steve’s White, a low-fire body that is basically free of anything resembling grog.

DSC_0035

Later this week, maybe even this afternoon, I plan to begin smoke-firing them. I don’t feel like I have the time to attempt this in a barrel as I’d like to this week, so for the time being the smoke will continue to be electric.

Filed under Art, Ceramics, In the studio, Sculpture

In the Studio: New tools

31 December 2008 by pcNielsen Leave a Comment

I already mentioned the scorp I received as a Christmas gift. Today I was given a set of chisels and push knife as well. Forgive the blurry cameraphone capture:

photo0058

Seems like I’m about set for hand tools at this point. Now if I could just get healthy again, maybe I could put them to use when I get back home.

Filed under In the studio

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