Residency: Week 10

With each week unfolding so quickly, blending into the next without a defined “end”, I am starting to find it challenging to keep up with weekly posts. I am stubborn and will continue.

This week finds me realizing that a part of this experience is really learning about the importance of understanding my personal work flow. For the past few weeks I have been focused on throwing, which has recently caused a mini issue of not having enough shelf space to store said thrown pieces. I am extremely grateful for my studio friends for sharing portions of their precious shelf space with me.

With my first deadline coming up in ~2.5 weeks, I have a few large projects to throw (I unfortunately trimmed right through the bottom of a double walled vessel on Monday), and have also shifted my goals to now incorporate trimming and really just clearing shelf space. I was successful in trimming a bunch, clearing off my work from friends’ shelves, as well as off my own :)

I am also learning just how long it takes to complete my larger relief carved projects. i started carving “no. 2” with seaweed - giant kelp, bull kelp, rockweed. The background took me several days, it’s not my favourite part (but I don’t dislike it!) - it does bring a feeling of satisfaction once the image has been “released” from the clay canvas. Carving the layers of this seaweed vessel will take ~24 hrs in total. Refining it maybe only a few hours.

In the spirit of carving, I dabbled with Mishima on the studio mix pieces. Brushing on porcelain slip to inlay incised carvings, and then scraping it away. I also threw tall necks to isolate a newly learned throwing technique (thank you Justin Mullady!), and completed a few more glaze testers using oxides.