In the Studio: The first head

3 December 2010 by 3 Comments

I actually started and bisque fired this piece before moving back to Nebraska, so it’s been waiting for some kind of finish for about two years. It made it through my first pit firing, and a few weeks ago I finished it with a little gilding. I’m very happy with the result.

I’ve continued with the heads now that storm season is over. (A number of my cloud forms didn’t make it through the recent bisque or pit firings. Some were a porcelain I was trying out that just didn’t work with this kind of dynamic form.) They will be my winter project, in essence. I’m happy with the four or five more I’ve carved out so far and have tentatively begun sketching the human form again in order to hone my craft and inform the series — which for the moment is being referred to as “Us.”

There are some gorgeous results here from the pit firing, very subtle variations. The lack of detail in the face is intentional, a result of using a groggy clay at a small scale (about 7″ tall). This also makes the work a little less personal and more representative of the series’ generalized title.

Filed under Art, Ceramics, In the studio, Sculpture

In the Studio: Metal leaf over clay

11 November 2010 by Leave a Comment

Finally getting around to working with metal leaf. Here I’ve used it on a wall hanging inspired by the pillowy mammatus that float over the prairie. I love the way it broke over the textured clay. There’s a glaze (I think it was an opalescent recipe that didn’t turn out as opalescenty as I hoped) surrounding the piercing.

I’m not exactly sure where my interest in gilding — as well as gemstones — began (this is actually “imitation” gold leaf), though it may stem in part from an interest in the idea of an icon, a sacred object. I haven’t thought about this at length yet; I should in the near future.

This piece is for sale with a few others at The Milestone Gallery in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Filed under Abstract art, Art, Ceramics, In the studio, Mixed media, Sculpture

Pit firing two

10 November 2010 by 2 Comments

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kb1RED9zQM]

The last pit firing didn’t go as well as the first. Almost everything cracked. I may have to put off any more until the weather warms up again. In all likelihood the failures were on account of heat stress — some of which is to be expected in this kind of firing.

And I may just revert to electric smoking for the next five months, although the kiln is out in the garage which isn’t heated and has zero insulation as well. Only thing between the elements and the space is the siding.

I did use an old kiln shelf in this episode, in order to fit in some longer, flatter objects. I don’t think that had much to do with the cracking though.

Filed under Ceramics, In the studio

Smoke firing in a pit

1 November 2010 by 1 Comment

Been slow here as I’ve been busy with a myriad of other things, including estimates for two design jobs, hosting dinner for the family, finishing the basement (with salvaged materials) and moving more things from the old studio space downtown, including the kilns.

The electric kiln is mostly loaded for a bisque, including more small storm sculptures, parts of what will be an abstract figure for a lobby space at an Oklahoma college and some Christmas tree ornaments the wife and I have been toying around with. The derelict gas kiln I salvaged a few years ago was put to use for the first time yesterday in a smoke firing. It worked great for this, which is good because I’ve had a hard time finding metal trash cans which is what folks usually use for this kind of firing.

Didn’t try anything too much fun using just newspaper, small pieces of salvaged wood (mostly lath from the kitchen wall), a little sawdust and a few leaves. Since everything worked so well I’ll be adding some flashing slips and other more interesting objects in the future. As well as roasting marshmallows over the heat.

The most interesting thing yesterday were speckles on some of the objects (see last image in following gallery), something I did not get in an electric smoke firing.

Filed under Art, Ceramics, In the studio, Sculpture

New blog at pcNielsen.com

31 October 2009 by 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 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 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 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 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 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

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