last thoughts

I am so  impressed with your final projects and how you wrote about your adventures and misadventures ! What a great tribute to the lives and works of the artists we met though the books and DVDs. This is exactly how I love for a class to end...each of you finding a new way of expressing yourselves in art. Just look at the clay work, all wonderful and all different. 

Enjoy the summer and if you are taking classes in Lubbock I will be around...not sure if my class  has made but I can always be found by glass blowing at night or when there is a wood burning in clay.

future

The Experiment

The Experiment

     Right away, at the beginning of the book, I became fascinated with Mary Louise McLaughlin, 1847 – 1939, and the history of china painting. I’ve always been intrigued by the depth of color, luminosity, and patina I’ve seen in some ceramic pieces with over-glaze china paints. Of course, I didn’t know anything about over-glaze china paints but was tempted to find out more in reading about McLaughlin and china painting in our book, “MAKERS”.   I was totally taken in by this fierce woman and her brazen determination to delve into the experimentations of ceramics to whatever level it took for her to reach satisfaction at a time when very few women were allowed, or allowed themselves, that sort of fulfillment.

     Along with my interest being piqued about china painting, one of my classes this semester was to experiment with different clay bodies and glazes and to see how far I could push myself into unexplored areas. One thing I wanted to try was to combine something I love to do in 2D with my 3D Love – Ceramics. Well, I love to draw patterns. And I love to use color marker or pen- the more colors, the better.  It would certainly be interesting to try and represent my love of pattern and color through a ceramic piece.

The first thing I discovered was we don’t have any China Paints at Tech and I had to use materials we currently have safety information on.
 No Problem!!
 I’ll channel Mary Louise McLaughlin’s experimental nature.

 Since I was looking for the warm glow and depth that I am attracted to in china paint I wanted to see how close I could come to this with what I had available.

     China paints are made of ground mineral compounds and flux.
 I used mason stains (made up of ground minerals) and 3124 ferro frit (a low temp, 1600-1750, glass flux that will allow enough of a melt to occur which will bind the mason stains to the clay). 
     
     My first step was test tiles using cone 4 stoneware. I tested the mason stain / ferro frit mixtures using a constant weight of mason stain at 50 grams, 10 oz water with varied ferro frit amounts of 2, 5, 8, 10, 20 grams. I ran this test with three different mason stain colors. The results were all but the tiles with 20 grams frit allowed for some rubbing off of color which meant I was going with the 20 grams frit because it fluxed enough to hold the color to the clay body.

The first test tiles were pretty messy!

 The next step was to make test tiles for each mason stain color available with the formula of 50 grams mason stain / 20 grams 3124 ferro frit / 10 oz water.

This stuff separates super fast & requires a lot of shaking!

    Everything kept leaking on me! 1st try - recycled glaze jars. 2nd try - those $1 squirt bottles from the $ Store. 3rd try - a $20.00 pkg of plastic coffee cups with nifty snap-on lids. I patiently duc-taped every sip hole on every lid - did ya know there is another tiny little hole on those suckers? I also found out those cups were good for about 4 times of removing and replacing the lid before the lip would crumple. Oh, it was wonderful. 4th try - Finally had to resort to donated glass jars - and I ate a lot of spaghetti.

     While doing all this experimenting I’m trying to imagine my doodles on clay and I did a lot of perusing on the internet. I was so inspired by ceramicists Richard Zane Smith, Meagan Chaney, Michael Sherrill, and especially Vicky Grant. In studying Vicky Grant’s work I began to get an idea of how to add my doodling to my ceramics in a meaningful way.  Vicky Grant did a series of work called “Windows to the Earth” in which she would incorporate a variety of natural found objects. I don’t know what came first, the patterns or the object, but I was struck by the idea of framing some of the many found object treasures I have collected with clay incised with my doodles that would bring attention to and honor the treasure.

      Sometimes it takes quite a while for information and gathered knowledge to swim around in my brain before all the bits and pieces connect and I get the big “OHH”. While thinking about what treasure of mine would get the honor of being the first framed piece I thought of my Junction Holey Rock. All of a sudden all that swimming around settled down and it was obvious I was thinking about the importance of place. 

     For me, it all tied into our desires we have shared in this class about wanting to be part of an Artist’s community after reading about Elbert Hubbard’s Roycroft Community, Gustav Stickley’s dreams of Craftsman’s Farms, all the artistic cavorting at Black Mountain College, Penland, Ralf and Jane Whitehead’s Byrdcliffe…. And, of course, our Junction.

That is how my “Treasures of Place” three piece series came to be.

South Padre Island, Texas   

 North Carolina  

     Junction, Texas

Each added piece, each pattern, and many times, each color in these multi-media pieces are part of my honoring these special places. In seeing them finished I felt a release in me as if proper homage had been paid.

More photos:

Taa Daa!

ALMOST DONE!

OHMYGOSH! I'm almost done! Just a few more photos that need to be retaken......

Growing up with Ideas of Rebellion...April Terry-Griffith Final

   Ideas of rebellion and experimentation have been in the essence of my life ever since I can remember. I was that little girl climbing trees, and idolizing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles instead of Barbie dolls. I actually preferred to cut the Barbie dolls' hair and give them neon colored highlights that I would eventually don myself in later teen years. Having parents who weren't completely present showed me first hand what rebellion and nontraditional meant, and what going against the norm was. It also led me through some rocky terrains in life. Experimentation in life is something I have been known to live by, someone even once gifted me a cheesy t-shirt that said “I'll Try Anything Once, Twice if I Like it.” Now is not the time nor place to dive into details (or is it?), but I will say that coming from an unstable upbringing and a constant world of many distractions have influenced my approach on art. Being estranged from my mother for many years and just recently reconnecting has given me a different outlook on life. I have decided that life is too short to hold to my fears and anxieties. Juggling so much in life at the moment, I needed something to center myself but at the same time challenge myself and mix things up. I need a change in routine.

   

Working simultaneously on several projects throughout this semester for numerous reasons, I chose to focus on clay for this class. I am usually painting or making jewelry, but I wanted to set some time aside to re-visit clay. This book has most definitely reignited a flame for ceramics. The PBS Craft in American has contributed to that as well. It has been 5 years or so since I have used the wheel. I dedicated 6 weekends up at the high school I teach to throw, as I do not own a wheel. It was difficult at first, but I finally got the hang of it. I will say that it was very therapeutic and stress relieving to throw. I was so at peace at times it was unbelievable, I want to make the wheel my new therapist. Being in my empty, quiet classroom void of students with beautiful sunlight beaming through the windows was so very picturesque. I wanted to experiment with wax resist and I hope that is evident with the textures I was able to achieve. One morning I was playing with the wax as a few students walked in and they were captivated. I often had to squeeze 5-10 minutes throughout the day to glaze here and there while I was teaching, so my process was based on flexibility. It was the only way to get them completed. 

photo of glazing in classroom

When it comes to making art, I am always looking for new techniques and often feel like I am hopping from one medium to the next. It is kind of hard for me to focus on one thing. The experimentation of Otto and Gertrude Natzler and the breakthroughs of Soldner were influential and gave me a little hope when I was having difficulties. I did not know much of the history of ceramics until this course. I really connected with Otto Natzler's quote “Our lack of knowledge went hand in hand with a lack of inhibitions.” Having only taken one throwing class in undergrad, I am not afraid to admit my lack of knowledge. I think it allowed me to be more free when handling the material. I am not familiar with making glazes, nor that many firing techniques. I know a little about a lot when it comes to ceramics, and my goal with this project was to explore with glazing and challenge myself to throw on the wheel. The pieces I threw are not grand in size, but I did have the best time “painting” with my glazes. 

                                     Carlton Ball, vase, n.d. Ceramic, height, 18 in (page 200)

One piece by Carlton Ball (page 200) really influenced my decision to experiment with the wax resist and glazes. He did not know if he was to become a painter or sculptor, and that is how I feel as of now in my career. I feel I am a jack of all trades, master of none. I know a little about a lot and don't quite know what I want to focus on. Maybe it has something to do with my personality, or maybe I just have a short attention span. There is something about the act of splattering paint/wax/ink that is so liberating. I think I needed that during this project. 

The glazing process allowed me to release energy in a way without focusing as much as throwing. Yes, I was conscious about my drips and color palette, I think that came naturally. But at the same time I was still free and intuitive about it. To me, energies are merging and moving when I use drip techniques with glazing or painting. I have always been attracted to different qualities and viscosity levels of liquids. There is something about a slow drip that is comforting to me, and it satisfying to be able to control and distort them. I chose a few bright colors for some under glazing and then layered wax and darker glazes on top. In my mind it represented brightness and high energy being covered and washed out by negativity and darkness. Dealing with depression and anxiety, perhaps that is how I feel at times. So much positivity to offer yet it is washed away by another element. The wax resist in my work was only able to preserve some of the bright colors. Not related to clay in any way, but the copper enameling of Paul Hultberg is so spectacular, and I think it has some parallels to my painting and glazing style. When I saw this photo in our book, I was like "Hey that looks like a painting I would do!" I was instantly attracted to the qualities of enameling and hope to dabble one day. I absolutely was in awe after looking at his work. Here is my favorite piece:

Paul Hultberg, Little Fault, 1972. Enamel on Copper; 48x24 in. (page 246)

Now I will share some photos of my work. Please keep in mind that I am a beginner thrower, but I welcome any and all criticism! Not only in technique, but also in labeling and photographing my work. Practice piece I threw to test some wax resist on:

Thrown stoneware, wax resist and crystalline glaze, 9 in. 

                    (detail)

You will notice that I have pinched/altered the lips of the following pieces. I absolutely could not keep them as perfect circles. It was killing me inside. Maybe my OCD kicked in, and I received positive feedback on it, so I continued. It allowed me to give each one a different personality and I eventually  gave each piece a name. They became a little family of pots to me, each one able to hold a different amount of whatever. The holes I pierced at the tops symbolize a realization I have had in life: even though you may keep collecting something (love, money, fame), or strive to reach a particular goal, things will still be lost. There is always a breaking point. The liquids will fill these vessels, but all of the liquid cannot possibly be held. Plus, I simply like the aesthetic of the holes. I almost laced them with another material like rope, lace or string. It's something I may explore.

 "Lenny: He's a Little Guy", 2016. glazed stoneware, 4 in.  

                     

  "Maxine: She's Slightly Unstable", 2016. glazed stoneware, 5 in. with detail

                                      "Wallace: The Confident One," 2016. glazed stoneware, 8 in.

"Bert: Kind of Just There," 2016. glazed stoneware, 5 in.

Group of 3 out of 6 (my favorites):

"Wallace, Lenny and Maxine"

"....the hands inform the mind, not the other way around. Process has always been my trigger; understanding for me comes through doing and redoing"  -William Daley 

Final

It has been quite an adventure for me this semester. I feel like we can be open on here. In the beginning of the semester I had to make a sudden move back to my hometown, San Antonio, for my grandmother. She had been diagnosed with Alzhimers about 8 years ago, and she was doing well for a majority of that time. She is I. The later stages where we don't know how long it will be until it's her time. My family is the ones who is caring for her so I sought the need to come down. With that my two pieces were made to represent my time here thus far. This first one being a simple, yet not so simple, render of my room. I loved the render that Margery Wheelock did and was inspired to try a new theme in my drawings. This was more in my comfort zone but at the same time not. I grew so impatient as I drew the entire room. I could not get anything right in perspective. By the end of it I grew so frustrated. It made me think a lot of my grandmother. She's so sweet and loving. A simple woman with a pure heart. But the disease is a frustrating process for us and her.

The second piece is more out of my comfort zone. A little 3-D attempt with a twist. For as much as I was inspired by John Cedarquist. Oh man I really wish I could've done a piece of furniture. But this was my second best. I wanted to to aim for the 2-D wanting to be 3-D. But my thought process behind this piece is the idea of freedom. There are times where I feel trapped and the only thing that gets me through is seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. I yearn for it and fight my way through to get to it. And though it is difficult there is an end to whatever it may be holding you back.

Incising Study

Jennifer Weigand, Yellow and Blue, 2011. Photograph; 8 x 10".

Abstract art has been a way where I can release perfectionism while making art and practicing compositional elements. Through my photography and painting, I have been able to depict abstracted imagery found in nature, in what I informally call “hidden moments,” identified and found in reflections, light and shadows, and macro and micro imagery that usually go unnoticed. It never crossed my mind to meld abstract imagery and clay together until this course.

Newcomb Pottery, thrown by Joseph Meyer, 
decorated by Harriet Joor, Vase,
Chinaberry Design, 1902.

Frederick Hurten Rhead, Vase, 1911.

Early on in Makers, I discovered the beauty of incised vessels. Having never sought out historical references before in ceramic art, I found delight in the work of Frederick Hurten Rhead and the Newcomb potters. I appreciated their geometric design and patterning applications but I was attracted more to their motifs that had been solely abstracted from nature.

Ruth Duckworth, Earth, Water, and Sky, 1968.

Wayne Higby, Josiah's Canyon Winter, 1979.

Chapters later, I discovered yet another muse within Wayne Higby and Ruth Duckworth work. Higby highlighted important thought processes that I strongly connected with in a video I found titled “Infinite Place: The Ceramic Art of Wayne Higby.” Here, he describes the meditative process of creating and viewing his art. He states that his work creates “a quiet coherence” for himself and the viewer. This process of art speaks to my heart. On the other hand, in an online article titled “Clay as Architecture: The Wall Murals,” Duckworth showcased her abstraction skills in a large ceramic artwork. I didn’t realize how influential this mural would be until I produced my last incised study.

*These are not all of them.

I decided that since I didn’t have access to a potter’s wheel, I would roll slabs into vessels to provide me surfaces for my carving research. The “vessels” proved to be too inauthentic for me to work on given their uneven surfaces and unstable "tube" structure. I switched to using slabs and alternative tools to make my marks with the shapes and objects found around my classroom. This gave me ideas for my vessels I would eventually create and incise this summer but I still felt like I could do something more.  

The lack of a challenge left me desiring something different to come from my hand. In my frustrations, I easily fell back onto carving and imprinting imagery directly associated with nature. Imprinted sprigs of lavender, carved ocean waves and incised geometric designs began to pull me into a different direction that I didn’t want to go. I wanted mystery. I wanted my work to hold someone’s attention at least for a moment. I wanted there to be questions. I changed my direction once again in my studies, and strived to find something that was challenging and rhythmic in its creation, yet provoked thought in the viewing.

I resorted back to carving directly from nature. I began carving a canyon in one of my slabs. I started with the deepest space first and progressively moved forward in space making a shallow relief. I lost myself in its creation and it was a nice place to be; however, in the end, I only had a small relief carving of a canyon. I still needed more and pushed my incising studies till the last minute of our course.

As I was cleaning up my classroom, I stumbled upon a topographic map. I only just learned how to read topo maps last year on a backcountry hike in Big Bend National Park. Their design inspired an elementary art lesson where the students were to create an organic collage using radiating shapes to demonstrate their understanding of these maps. I proceeded to carve a small section of it in a slab. Carving this captured me and I learned what I needed to do to make my last study more successful.

Jennifer Weigand, Marufo Vega, 2016. Greenware study; 5 x 6".

I am pleased with the result of my last study during this research series. It met all my criteria in creating a piece: challenging and rhythmic, yet still provokes contemplation as I feel it embraces abstract qualities. In creating this final carving relief, I learned that some of the best practices were to begin carving on almost leather hard clay; be aware of how many layers I needed to carve; and have a brush available to remove shavings. I am not only glad I didn’t spend time in the clay studio figuring it out, but very happy that I didn’t practice my incising on vessels that I would have thrown on the wheel. In the end, I probably wouldn’t have practiced many of this. I am wondering, however, how a lot of these imprints, carvings and incised imagery will transfer to a 3-dimensional form.   

I look forward to implementing what I learned in my ceramic course this summer. I plan to bring along topographic maps of different places I’ve explored and hope that the design will continue to represent an abstract design on my vessels. I also would like to experiment removing the thinnest section to create a negative shape that exposes the inside of the vessel.

Works Cited

Clay as Architecture: The Wall Murals. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Web. 7 May 2016.

Infinite Place: The Ceramic Art of Wayne Higby. Memorial Art Gallery. Web. 7 May 2016.

Koplos, Janet, and Bruce Metcalf. Makers: A History of American Studio Craft. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina, 2010. Print.