Colorado Art Studio

On Saturday, I cleaned my studio in preparation for making some new work.  Literally, making the first voluntary step with intention is the first part of the creative process for me.  While I had planned on working in the studio on Sunday afternoon, my family decided that they wanted to spend some quality time together.  Imagine that - how could I argue?

We decided to visit the Science and Nature Museum in City Park where we have a family membership.  I was hoping that Minsuk Cho’s Air Forrest, an art installation erected for the DNC would still be on display, but alas the piece was already dismantled, so we had to content ourselves with visiting the museum.

Visiting the Science and Nature Museum is especially fun after Night at the Museum was released a few years ago.  I think I laughed more than my daughter did and it’s become a family favorite.  Last year, one of the teachers at my daughter’s school even took her class on an over night field trip to the museum - I can’t imagine anyone slept much.

Fossils are really cool.  Isn’t it amazing at what is preserved over time.  I love the plant fossils and one of my favorite creatures is the trilobite - sort of an old school cock roach.  I wonder what the fossils will look like from our era in another couple thousands of years.  Our trash dumps are going to provide a treasure trove of information to future historians and scientists.

We also toured the North American Indian Exhibit along with some of the wild life and country exhibits.  I always take a close look at the pottery and other crafts.  Pottery has a way of surviving thousands of years.  It’s interesting and just a little daunting that the work I make today could become artifacts in the future.  Sort of a big responsibility.  There were some huge beer jugs from the Mayan culture that stood 3-4 feet high that were used to make and ferment grain into a ceremonial beer like beverage which were on display - had to point those out to my husband. 

We visited our favorite exhibits like Prehistoric Journey, Gems and Minerals, Space Odyssey, and I always enjoy seeing the special traveling exhibits.  Right now, Extreme Ice is currently on view - my husband and I enjoyed the time lapse photo video exhibit by photographer James Balog.  Since 2006, Balog has set up cameras at 27 glaciers in 16 locations around the globe that have captured glaciers melting in real time.

Continue reading if you don’t mind a little rant.

Continue reading

Ceramic waste drying

Working in a ceramic studio produces a lot of waste, most of which I try to reclaim and recycle. I’ve mentioned that I haven’t gotten a whole lot of ceramic work done during the first month of school, but have slowly returned. The other day, I also wrote about my low tech studio which lacks running water. I long for running water, but on the other hand, it’s probably a very environmentally sound practice on my part because I’m forced to conserve.

There are a couple of solutions to my dilemma. The one that I employ is to have one bucket of water for throwing on the wheel and general clay production, and another bucket of water for glazing. A alternate solution would be to purchase the Cink, which is a portable sink that uses a garden hose. I wouldn’t mind trying out the Cink, since I’m pretty sure at $1400.00 it’s less expensive than hiring a plumber to install a water line to the garage.

I feel pretty good about both solutions since none of my ceramic waste enters the city’s water supply. There are several ceramic raw materials that are toxic and are supposed to be disposed of through the city’s Hazmat disposal program. In my own studio, I attempt to utilize more benign raw materials, though I do have some manganese dioxide, among others which requires careful handling.

So what about those photos up at the top of this post? After neglecting my studio for nearly a month in August/September start of school and living in a semi arid climate, my buckets of water evaporated, leaving bits of clay, raw material and glaze sludge. When I discovered the gunk, I thought it was an opportune time to dispose of it. Some ceramicists throw it out once it’s dry - I don’t feel too bad about doing that since almost of the material is from the earth herself. Others fire the sludge in a kiln and then throw it out with the trash. I almost think that option one is a better choice since at least that will erode over time. The latter choice might not be the best since I would be creating permanent waste for thousands of years.

My friend, Mary Cay suggested that I fire some of it, and perhaps incorporate a bit of it into a new glaze since there are glaze materials in the waste. It’s worth a shot and something I’m going to try next time I have a glaze fire.

Meanwhile, I must get ready to sub today..

~Cynthia

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