Lisa Ortman - Assignment #2

Victoria Christen, White Basket, 2010, 19”x15”x15”

Victoria’s work is a great example of an intricately designed coil basket.  I like the symmetrical repetitive design; it reminds me of a stiff upside-down basketball net. This piece does a really good job of using negative space; the coils fit well and create unity.  The two toned color gives more emphasis on the darker bottom than the lighter top, I think the piece would stick out more if the colors were in reversed order.    

Antonella Cimatti, Crespina, 2006, 12”x30”x30”

Antonella Cimatti’s piece is a type of slip casting mold used with porcelain paper clay.  Antonella says her forms are aesthetically accurate and displays a strong sense of the real feminine character, of grace, of elegance and of attention to detail.  This piece gives off the feeling of lightness and easiness, a very luminous white piece that has a strong presence but is also easily breakable.  I really like the idea of this piece and the intertwined negative shapes created that reflects a strong beautiful shadow.

Matthew Metz, Stepped Vase, 1990, 20.5”x4.5”x4.5”

Matthew’s piece is from his series for the, A Ceramic Continuum: Fifty Years of the Archie Bray Influence.  This stepped vase caught my eye because of its well-designed shaped vases stacked on top of each other with interesting painted scenes on each vase’s portion.  The stacked vases to create one large sculptural vessel is a great look for this piece, the shapes and sizes compliment each other and look unified.  The designs and subjects painted catch my eye, I wish I could look at this piece close, but it all seems to flow really well together for the overall presentation. 

Jamin London Tinsel, Going Deep, 2006, 19”x8”x10”

When Jamin created this form, he was thinking about words like tension, swelling, and skin, he say’s adding nipples to one of these forms was a stepping off pint for many functional sculptures.  This piece was hand built with coils, which he later added the rubber nipples.  This form caught my eye because of its abstract and funky form, it reminds me of some sort of ocean barnacle.  I think the blue colored dots help this piece standout, by spreading the view around the whole object. 

Carolyn Buss: Assignment #2

Lesley Baker, Wall of Sighs, 2006, 35"x54"x9"

Lesley Baker's work is in the vein of architectural, or at least that is what her series is called in which this piece belongs.  I love the repeated, stacking form in this work and the surface treatments give the viewer a sense of unity because they all share the same color scheme and quality of line.  It is called Wall of Sighs and it makes me imagine a stylized version of when someone exhales in the cold.  The forms are also quite similar, but there are two distinctly different shapes which stack and snuggle nicely.  They seem puffy and I'd love to hold a sigh in my hands.

Harris Deller, Surpressed Volume Series, Porcelaine, 14"x8"x3", 2010

This piece by Harris Deller is very simple, but I really like it.  The contrast of hard edges on this soft smooth form creates a contrast that I am absolutely attracted to.  The composition of the piece makes it seem heavy on the left though because of how dark it is, with the white being toward the inside of the curve.  I'm afraid it will fall over!

Gwendolyn Yoppolo, Strain, Porcelain, 3"x5"x3", 2010

This piece was more than likely thrown, but the strainer seems to have been made using the slump mold technique.  It seems likely that that is the case because the strainer seems to fit quite nicely with the curve of the bowl and the edges match up in such a nice way.  I love Gwendolyn Yoppolo's utilitarian objects, she even has an egg separator!  While these objects could also have other connotations about separation and strain, they certainly seem to be about utilitarian means.

Heather Mae Erickson, Dessert Compotes, Slipcast Porcelain, 2007

Heather Mae Erickson creates some beautiful utilitarian objects out of slip cast porcelain.  According to her artist statement, one of the questions she seeks to answer with her work is " what about a table setting needs to be purely functional, what is decorative, 

how much of the two should be brought together?"  I believe her table settings are lovely and elegant with just the right amount of decoration so that someone buying these things would actually use them and not be intimidated by them.  

Kate Snyder: Assignment #2

Title: Fly
on the W (detail)
Series
Title: Wall Paper
Artist:
Lesley Baker
Date: 2008
Technique:
handbuilt
Temperature:
Cone 5
Glazing /
Surface Treatment: Electric Oxidation
Material:
Stoneware
Object Type:
Sculpture
Height: 18
Width: 30 Depth: 4


I find this
piece by Baker interesting for a number of reasons. One, the surface treatment
is lovely. I do not know anything about electric oxidation treatment but I love
the images on the surface as well as the subtle colors. The shapes are cool as
well. Especially how they fit together like a puzzle and I naturally try to
find known shapes in them…I see an S and commas.

















Title:
scoop
Series
Title:
Artist:
Gwendolyn Yyoppolo
Date: 2010
Technique:
Thrown handbuilt Press molded
Temperature:
Cone 10
Glazing /
Surface Treatment: microcrystalline-glazed
Material:
Porcelain Kanthal Wire
Object Type:
serving piece
Height:
9" Width: 15" Depth: 15"
I love this
piece because the spoons on the side shape the piece more than it would if the
bowl was by its self. When I saw this
picture as a small icon I thought that the spoons were just a part of the bowl
that was only meant for decoration. The fact that the bowl has the ability to
hold the spoons makes it so much cool. I also like the colors, and that each
spoon is a different color, but still works well with the bowls color.


















Title:
Demon and Deity
Artist:
Michelle Erickson
Date: 2005
Technique:
Thrown handbuilt
Temperature:
Cone 6
Glazing /
Surface Treatment: multiple glazes and techniques
Material:
Indigenous Clay Porcelain
Object Type:
Teapot
Height:
27" Width: 20" Depth: 10"



Erickson’s work is very chaotic looking. It is
strongly influenced by Japanese prints, and often depicts the Japanese feudal
era. This is actually a picture of the back of the teapot set; I think it is
more interesting then the front because of the waves, volcano, skeleton, and
dinosaur bones. It is thrown and hand built. I really like the demon character
and him being the cup holder.

Jana Jasman: Assignment #2

Heather Mae Erickson

Stoneware

2005

This set was created by Heather Mae Erickson and I really find this set to be pleasing to look at for a few reasons. I like the clean, smooth look that she created. Although I have troubles having this clean, smooth look in my own work, I really like it. I also like how simple they are yet are still very interesting to look at. I like the light blue color that she did on the bowls and little plates. What I like about it is that it adds a more interesting look to them. I also like how the plates aren’t the same and that the bowls are not round but a more interesting shape. While I was looking at her other pieces, I didn't find them as interesting as this one and I think it was because they were "too" plain. I like though, that they were all clean and smooth looking like these are but they didn't have any color to make it more interesting to look at for me.

Lesley Baker / Karl McDads

“Flower Power”

Thrown & Althered / Slip-cast

Earthenware / Nylon Flock

2006

This is a very interesting piece. It has a lot going on and a lot to look at but is very well put together. Its not overwhelming too look at at all. I like the flowers and that there aren’t a lot of flowers but just enough to still make the piece interesting. What I also find pleasing about this piece is the little color that is used and that the clay looks like a piece that was made out of metal (to me) and not clay. I really like how they created this look. I also think that the handles on this piece is very beautiful and proportional to the rest of the piece.

Gwendolyn Yoppolo

“Grind”

Press Molded

Porcelain

2010

These two grinders were done by Gwendolyn Yoppolo. I'm not sure if they were meant to be a set or just showing the different colors in which he created. Either way I found them still pleasing to look at and again what I found pleasing about them were the colors that were used and how he created the look that the color is dripping down the bowls. I like the texture of this look, even though I like smooth, clean looks, I found this texture look to be very appealing. I also like that the pieces are not symmetrical and that they have an interesting shape to them and that he didn't just make them round.

Posey Bacopoulos

“Oil & Vinegar Set”

Thrown & Altered

Terra Cotta

2006

This oil and vinegar set was created by Posey Bacopoulos. I like the colors and the shape of the pots. I also like the plate that they are carried on. I think that the size of the plate is the perfect size and that its not too big or too small for the two pots. The colors contrast well together and aren’t too over powering. I think that the colors that she used are very subtle and not too bright or too dark. I like that the pots are not exactly the same size or shape. One is a little rounder and shorter than the other. What I always think that would be hard is getting the spout or handles just the right size for the pots or cups, so I think that she did a great job of getting them to be proportional. I also like the idea that these also could be used to make tea in, because at first, that's what I thought these two pieces were for. So I really like that you could use of the pieces for different things and not just for oil and vinegar.

Slab-Built Forms By Mariana Miller

What really intrigues me is the ability to make a huge variety of forms using slab techniques. One of my favorite forms is the one that is curved and hollow; they also tend to have a balloon look to them. Maren Kloppmann’s “Table Pillows (yellow)” is visually soothing with her minimal use of color as well as the soft texture of the forms.

The biggest reason why I appreciate Sam Chung’s art is because his pieces appear to look like cartoon

forms. With soft curves, bright color choices, and black outlines these forms could be appreciated as sculptures as well as functional pieces. This one in particular is a bowl. I would personally put a piece of Sam Chung’s work on display during a family gathering since his work has a childlike look to them.

This sculpture by Jill Allen caught my eye because of how random it is. I can’t really tell whether it’s supposed to have a function or not, but that aspect of the piece won’t change my thoughts towards it. The wiring that was added to the clay gives this piece a style of art

that I am very fond of.

This last piece you can’t see unless you click on the link provided at the end of this post. This installation by Walter McConnell brings a different approach to a ceramic piece. The enclosures contain forms made of still-moist clay. To me it’s a clever way to make the observers think about the subject matter displayed in the cases.

“Table Pillows (Yellow),” Maren Kloppmann. 2004. http://accessceramics.org/results/technique/5/

“Cloud Bowl,” Same Chung. 2010. http://accessceramics.org/results/technique/5/

“Vitradropper,” Jill Allen. 2006. http://accessceramics.org/results/technique/5/

“Itinerant Edens: Fountainhead,” Walter McConnell. 2006. http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-art-and-artists/ceramic-artists/new-york-state-college-of-ceramics-at-alfred-university-from-cms-mfa-factor/?floater=99

http://imprint.printmag.com/inspiration/shadow-boxing-off-utopia-parkway/

Click on link for full article. Boxes,,, Think about templates or folded forms turned into a wall pieces???  Content??? What is it?
 

Kate Snyder: Assignment #1

Andrea Gill’s “Crewel Work,” 34 in. (86 cm) in height,
slab-built and press-molded terra cotta with engobes, majolica glaze, low-fire
copper blue glaze, made in 2007. I love Gill’s intricate designs that seem to
vary in different sections of the piece, but in some spots they collide. The
hand built style and folded form is unique, if the colors do not catch the eye,
the form definitely does.

Deborah
Horrell’s Flesh and Bones vase (porcelain, mixed media, made in 1983) seems to
have a very interesting story behind it; she seems to focus her art toward
bones. I love how the figure is able to blend in with the vase. I wish that she
had more than one picture of it, because I would like to see the shadow on the
vase behind the figure. I am trying to figure if this could be considered
utilitarian or sculpture, probably a bit of both.

Margaret Bohls’ (porcelain, 4.75hx8.5wx7”, made in 2007) grid-like texture gives her pieces great
dimensions, and I love the vibrancy in the colors she uses. I am not crazy
about the leaf design she uses because it is over done in a lot of art,
especially utilitarian pieces. Also, I wish that she put a bit more glaze on
the feet, because the white that shows is very noticeable to me.