Women working (potters)

For Sepia Saturday this week, the suggestion is a photo of a woman who is assembling boxes (as shown)

Funjoho African potter

I could only show a few women potters, but not in sepia tones.

Some of these women potters really influenced me.  I did a whole month of blogs a few years ago of women artists for Women's History Month, March 2011.  It's already been posted, so I won't copy myself, just give you the links HERE.

Adelaid Alsop Robineau developed new glazes, was a leading ceramic designer, and worked to develop American ceramics in the 19th century.  She's pretty close to the Sepia Saturday posting.

Scarab Vase by Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Robineau and Scarab vase

Maria Martinez of San Isledefonso, New Mexic

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Black on Black Bowl by Maria Martinez

Nan Smith, my clay professor at University of Florida

Nan's photos of her work are all copyrighted, so I am just showing pictures of her (center).

M. C. Richards, author of "Centering, in the Art of Pottery and Person"

I really learned a lot from M.C. Richards.  Here's a post where I featured her a few years ago M. C. Richards and Me.  Actually it tells how I first came to work with pottery.

 

Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago's Dinner Party installation is a collection of dinner places honoring various famous women.  Since 2007 it has been on permanent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York.  I've never seen it in person, but was impressed while studying ceramics, and started making sculptural pieces as a result.

Installation, The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago

From Wikepedia
"The table is triangular and measures 14.63 m (forty-eight feet) on each side. Each place setting features a table runner embroidered with the woman's name and images or symbols relating to her accomplishments, with a napkin, utensils, a glass or goblet, and a plate. Many of the plates feature a butterfly- or flowerlike sculpture as a vulva symbol. A collaborative effort of female and male artisans, The Dinner Party celebrates traditional female accomplishments such as textile arts (weaving, embroidery, sewing) and china painting, which have been framed as craft or domestic art, as opposed to the more culturally valued, male-dominated fine arts.

Virginia Wolf design for place setting, by Judy Chicago

TOSHIKO TAKAEZU

Moonpots by Toshiko Takaezu

Inspiration

A good slow video,
worth taking the time,
unless you're using the same moments
to be out in nature...

ArcticFireKelso3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nFCso6MzwDE#!

So many of us say nature is inspiring.

Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain, NC 2013

Into the kiln room

 

This saucy lady jar is now dry enough to go into the kiln room where she awaits being bisque fired.

I'm working on another one already, a bit smaller, no legs or arms, just a head with a hat...wearing earrings.  So I got a friend to model for the ears.  Those are really hard to sculpt.  I just don't understand all those ins and outs.  I can still learn a few new tricks!

Mountains & Mud, and ducks too

The only difference from my header picture on http://blackmountainbarb.blogspot.com/ 
is that this snow frosting is about a month later.  I did want to point out the Blue Ridge Parkway cutting across the leftmost two peaks, where you see a straight horizontal line .  Good ole engineers building roads!

Maybe this view is clearer.

And I have been in the studio every day for the last week.  Yesterday I even cleaned my own studio at home, and cranked up the expensive heat and worked there for a few hours.

Here's what last week's work produced.

This is an early version, before I sculpted the bikini top (bra?) and her fingernails, and did her nose and lips a bit better.  I'll try to remember to carry camera today to take a final greenware version for you.

Happy to share at Mud Colony.  Come over there to see other potters!

I'm ok again

Well, I heard a young potter talking about having said she was a potter for the first time today.

I remember having the same feeling several years ago.  I just figured if I made pots, sculptures, things with clay, that made me a potter.

Now I respect people who make their living as potters a lot more...the real professionals.  These men and women work with joy and determination, and obviously a high standard of quality of their work.

Not sure what I am in relation to professionals, though I often accept that as a retired counselor and activity director, I can now be a clay artist.

So my medicines for blood pressure have been changed.  And I went into the studio and started throwing some pots on Thursday last.  I've been returning each day since then...and feeling good about what I'm making.  I leave when I reach a stopping point, or when I'm tired.  And today I finished 2 pieces, and tomorrow will finish creating another one.

I also need to begin the glaze process for the dragon mask.

But mainly I think I'm ok again.  I want to work.  I have energy!

"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."  Audrey Hepburn

Mama Dragon

Been thinking about Mardi gras? (If you're in New Orleans or maybe Rio, or ???)

How about Gasparilla? (If you're in Tampa)

The Mardi gras folks love masks, among other parts of costumes.  Garparilla folks not so much...mainly just costumes, beads, and pirates galore.

Well, for the last month I've been working on a mask, off and on.  More off than on.

This is how it looked last week.

It shouildn't have been that hard.  It was just hard to get myself to pick up a tool and work for a little while.  To even get into one studio or the other.  Really hard.  I won't bore you with details, but you might check the other blog (When I was 69) and see what I wrote today if you want to know more personal stuff.


But I shared on FaceBook today the dragon mask that is almost finished.  And my joy at having felt like working on it today.

So I've got to give you a glimpse too, don't I?

At present stage...clean up and details still to be done.

It was nice to losely wrap her with plastic tonight, rather than spraying her so she'd stay damp.  Now time for the slow dry.  Then bisque firing.  

Not sure I'll glaze her.  Will have different effects once I do, I know.  I like the idea of the eyes having black pupils, but that's about all I've thought about.  Of course I'd love some red, black and gold colors...just not sure they will enhance the sculptural qualities.  Always a tough decision.

This is a wall hanging, which is why she has all kinds of holes around the edges, for feathers? beads? weaving branches?  leaves?  Who knows?
 
Now what were those other forms I wanted to make this winter?  Better get busy! 

This post is shared with MudColony, come over and see what other potters are doing!