New Work, More Masks and Happy Thanksgiving!
New Porcelain Vase, wheel thrown and carved, still green
I’ve been pretty productive in my studio for the past 3-4 weeks in anticipation of the Fancy Tiger Handmade Craft Fair coming up 1 1/2 weeks from now. It’s time to stop making work so that I can concentrate on firing and glazing my pieces – even this time frame is pushing it for me. I’m really fond of some of my new wheel thrown work which has a really sensuous organic feel to it and look forward to spending more time in my studio after the show to concentrate on exploring additional shapes and sizes.
Clay + Imagination= Art Monday’s class masks
Since I put my Tuesday’s clay class masks on my blog, I promised my Monday class that I’d give them equal billing. I can’t say enough good things about the work that all my students are creating! I also think that they’re really what’s behind my new found energy – a synergistic relationship if you ask me.
Meanwhile, I’ve slowly been going through all the Adobe Go Live Classroom in a Book tutorials so that I can create more of a custom website for myself without using a template based provider. I like my free Sitekreator site, but it has its limitations. I did just try out another pretty easy to use free website through Google this morning that is worth a shot if anyone needs a web presence. I was able to point one of my domains to Google and there are no advertisements whatsoever on my informational site that I am using to basically direct people to my main website. It’s also template based, check it out here.
To all my US readers, have a terrific Thanksgiving vacation – to everyone else all my best until next time,
~Cynthia
StudioÉLAN
November 21, 2007 at 8:22 pm //
Cynthia,
Your students look like they have been having a great time with you!
Kids and clay are such a great mix.
Did they form the masks over a support of some kind?
And your greenware form is lovely. Will you please post it again once it is glazed?
Blessings,
Eleanor
Angela
November 22, 2007 at 2:23 am //
Ohhh I sooo wish I had one of those masks! Wonderful post! Happy Thanksgiving! *HUGS*
Cynthia
November 22, 2007 at 3:16 pm //
Thanks for visiting, Eleanor – I appreciate your comments. We used newspaper to create very loose supports for the masks. As soon as the clay had set up to a leather hard stage, I removed the newspaper to let the pieces dry thoroughly.
You bet- I’ll share my finished piece providing it survives the fire…
Me too, Angela – though we are going to display my daughter’s in a prominent place. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Mary Timme
November 22, 2007 at 5:35 pm //
Oh those masks are so good. What a bunch of talented and fun kids. To me it was interesting there weren’t as many horns in this class on the masks. Boy, how is that for a dangling participle!
The vase is classically beautiful! Just the best so far!
Janvangogh
November 22, 2007 at 11:21 pm //
Oops I should have sent the gg page link instead.
http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/wedding/27?page=5
Denise
November 23, 2007 at 8:36 am //
Ohh, your vase form is super gorgeous. Look forward to seeing it after glazing.
Those are some fab masks, looks like fantastic fun is being had in your classes.
Cynthia
November 23, 2007 at 4:02 pm //
The masks with horns were some of my favorites – Mary
. But, I should give you the context behind their creations. I showed them a book of African masks that used mainly animals for inspiration. Some of the kids really made their masks an abstraction of something contemporary like baseball or the mountains – my own daughter did a bubble mask that was supposed to be of a watery creature and some did more of a tribal theme – and I think that’s what these kids were thinking of when they made theirs.
Speaking of dangling participles – my daughter’s homework last week threw me for a loop – basically sentence diagramming and the accompanying vocab words. I had to pull out the old Strunk and White and thank goodness for google – you can find everything on the internet! Eegads, when she gets into more complicated math, I’m in trouble…
Thanks for the link, Janet – I was just looking at the gift guides and after perusing a couple of them, gave up looking because there’s so many pages of work. I’m surprised that I made it in – but happy too.
Thanks for the comments, Denise – we are having a lot of fun in class! It’s forcing me to play a bit more which I think is healthy for artists.
JUDI TAVILL
November 23, 2007 at 4:46 pm //
Cynthia…. you KNOW I love that greenware piece… of course Ilove it just like that and wouldn’t change a thing….just fire that baby to vitrification and call it a day!!!
Cynthia
November 23, 2007 at 6:04 pm //
I’ve thought of burnishing some pieces and leaving them unglazed, Judi. I always struggle with glazing…
Anonymous
November 27, 2007 at 3:41 am //
Nice work! Very impressive!