99 bottles

I have been thinking about this piece a lot and it really relates to my life personally in several ways. My uncle Moe has had sclerosis of the liver from alcoholism for about 5 years and I have literally watched him turn into a skeleton from it. Now that I am older and drink myself I too have had times when I would drink quite a bit and wonder if I had a problem with alcohol. I guess if you are asking if you have a problem and are conscious about it then you probably don't, but it is still something to think about.

Now that I am pregnant and I go to a restaurant that I would normally have a few beers with my meal, I am thinking about the beer and sometimes craving it. I would never take a drink now that I know that I am pregnant, but it makes me think about women who really have an addiction to alcohol and how hard it must be. I also think about the time before I knew about the pregnancy that I have drank. I never drank out of control but it is still nerve racking not knowing if my baby is ok from it.

My art is all about how fragile our lives are and no life is more fragile than the little one in my stomach. For this piece I have been thinking that I would put the 99 beer bottles into the show, and everyday of the show I would change out a few of those bottles with a few baby bottles. By the end of the show there will only be 99 baby bottles up on the wall.

99 Bottles

So I have been thinking about what new art I want to create. I really loved the way that the beer bottles looked that I made a few semesters ago, and have been thinking about doing a piece about alcoholism for a little while now, so I have decided to make 99 bottles of beer and put it on the wall in my senior BFA show. I feel that this piece really goes well with my theme and I am very excited about how it will turn out. Of course the bottles will be white porcelain, not only because it goes with the way that I have been finishing my pieces, but also because you can really see the details on the bottles without any glaze. The labels are the most amazing part, they just look so real. I already had two different beer bottle molds and this week I made two more. I would like to make a total of seven different bottles, so my hubby better get to drinking i suppose. I also need to buy some c-clamps for my self because only having enough to do one mold at a time is not working for me. :)

Last semester I made a very large axe mold that I would like to make a cast of. Depending on how that goes, and how much time I have remaining, I want to cover the head of the axe with swarovski crystals and call the piece dressed to kill. This will also depend on money, because those little crystals are not cheap! But I do feel that this piece would set off my show.

Life

So I am sorry to say that this week I did not have much progress in the studio, but the progress of my life was ENORMOUS! Ben and I found out that we are going to have a baby! We are both very excited about it. Hopefully my growing belly doesn't get too in the way while making art, and there will be some restrictions about lifting heavy molds and mixing glazes, but I think that over all it is going to be a very interesting semester. I am also curious as to how this may affect my art and concepts. We shall see!

A Slow Start

I had a really really great break filled with friends, family and a little R&R, and because of this I am finding it hard to get into the swing of things. It usually takes me a little time to process what I had done the previous semester and where I want to go. With Anne's class, all the things that I have to do for Senior Seminar class, and My BFA show approaching more quickly than they have in the past, I know that I really need to get busy.

This week Miranda, Chris and myself made two barrels of slip. After mixing the dry ingredients and adding the water to one of the barrels of dry mix we realized that it would be much easier if we put the water in the barrel first and slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing. I mean it only took us at least 10 batches of slip to figure this out...lol.

Last semester I made a few molds that I didn't have enough time to make anything from. This will give me a jump start this semester. I have quite a few ideas but I need to weed through them and figure out what which ones will be the most compatible with my theme. I know for sure that I am going to put the bed in the senior show. I put way too much time into it to not display it in my senior show. Plus I am very proud of the way that it came out, which makes it more precious to me.

Oh Yeah!

I forgot to mention that my art was in the LEO!!!!!!!!!!

The End is Here

Pearl

Three Strikes

Worth its Wait

Confetti Death (Detail)

Confetti Death

Passed Away Peacefully in His Sleep (Detail)

Passed Away Peacefully in His Sleep

So, here it is, the end of the semester and I have to say that I have never been prouder of the work that I have made. I really put a lot of time and thought into the works that I made this semester and it really payed off. At the beginning of the semester I was a bit unsure of the art that I was going to make, but I worked through my clouded thoughts and found the true ideas that I am interested in. I feel more connected to my work than I have in the past, which is a good feeling. This semester I was excited to come to class and work and was excited to see the end products come together at the seminar show. These are the moments that we have all been working so hard to get to, and so far it definitely has payed off.

Not only am I proud of the art work , but I am also very proud of the show that my fellow seniors and I put together for senior seminar class. The off campus show was a huge success! I think that all of our guests were very impressed with the Art that was in the show, and I have to say that I was a bit impressed myself. Most all of the work was very well made and professional in the way that it was presented. The feeling that I had knowing that all of those people were there to see our work was really great. It was a shame that not everyone put as much time and energy into the show. Im not sure if they just didn't think that it was a very big deal or if they just didn't care but I was a bit disappointed in a few people. I guess that is just the way it goes though, no matter what the situation.

I also got a few pieces into the Student Juried Art Show this year! Worth its Wait, Pearl, and Lemon Yellow all got chosen to be in the show, and Lemon Yellow actually won the ceramics award! Getting into the Juried Show is very motivating. Knowing that a professional Artist out there likes your work well enough to display it to the world is a cool thing, and it drives you to continue.

Just for a Laugh

How many blankets does one dog need???