FetishGhost's Secret Studio

Time to Move Along

2012-01-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Along with the winter rain comes my shift in mood. For 5 years it coincides with the drip, drip, drip of the studio roof and the slow flooding of the kiln room.

Old news...

This alone generally turns my mood glum as I'm forced to abandon my sanctuary, but this week my landlord informed me that she wants to renovate the house and needs us out. So it's time to pack up the cozy little studio and make a new go of it. I'm apprehensive to say the least, but in a very small, private way, I'm more than just a bit thrilled!

I have a new evil plan...

Here's a trap that's all to easy to fall into...

2012-01-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's definitely not helpful to have your mother set the market value of your work...

Beggars Bowls

2012-01-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Getting beggars bowls made for this year's TideWater Souper Supper.

These are small bowls that have been thrown slightly thick for easy handling when full.

This year, the event is giving me an opportunity to finally have a go at Jessica's hand cut footrings, and I love the results! It really helps contribute to the feeling of "swagger" I've been moving towards over the past few months.

Night Platter

2012-01-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

Got a chance Saturday to shoot an over the shoulder look at an "up and coming" local talent.

Jessica Fong makes play look easy...

It's so much fun to have studio mates again!

Riusuke Fukahori

2012-01-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Watch... dream... drool...

I'm looking for a link to Riusuke's website, no luck so far. Little help?

Atsushi Nakata

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Another world...

Take special note of the foot.

Oooops.

2012-01-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

Misting enough water to 12 pounds of clay while applying paper stencils over a hour and a half is a bad idea for work that can't structurally take it.

Damn...

I trimmed the shoulder too thin to take the rush of process. Guess I need to cycle work and drying cycles better or learn to work with even less water.

Live and learn.

Slow Consistentcy and Clearing Deck

2012-01-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

Finished up spending the past few days getting to help Tara, Jessica, and Trent finish tiding up the UOP clay studio for tomorrow's first day of class.

All the fun stuff...
grinding more kiln shelves, applying fresh coats of kiln wash, vacuuming out the kilns, mopping and hosing the floor, general organizing, moving piles either towards the recycling clay bins or to the dumpster, and moving everything around for good measure.

Fun!

It's simple work that's easily enjoyed with a good crew. (Thanks Jess for leading by example, the studio looks great!)

Now I can load the bisque kiln guilt free.

Only 300 pounds of clay got thrown over the past 3 weeks, ended up loading around 120 into the kiln though. (I'm getting much better at culling work as it's still wet.) 3 weeks with 20 canisters bisque to show for it... damn, times have quickly changed.

Still, I'll gladly take slow consistency any day.

Post-it Notes

2012-01-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Loosely thrown flaired cylinder,

pressed in plastic stencil with a paper stencil inlaid,

black slipped englobe,

sprigged firefly motif,

hand cut foot ring.

Cutting a Foot Ring by Hand

2012-01-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

Studio mate, Jessica Fong, let me shoot a quick demo of her approach to hand cutting a foot ring using a head loop tool and a banding wheel this week.

The result is a very elegant and striking foot.

Hopefully you'll be seeing more and more of this young talent over the next few months.

Oh, the Places You'll Go !

2012-01-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

The life we live is a life lived by choice...

It's ours to choose so live with a voice...

Steal like an Artist

2012-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Austin Kleon is the writer and artist who penned this brilliant list of advice for the creative mind.

Check out his original Blog Post you'll definitely find yourself nodding along.

Looking Back... Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

For all the ups and downs that this year held, I'm so happy to still be dancing!

I can barely see the other side!

Here we come 2012!!!

Interview with Maurice Sendak

2011-12-31T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in the studio earlier this week working alone and caught Terri Gross's interview with Maurice Sendak.
It was a sad interview with a cherished writer and illustrator. He was brave enough to speak plainly and bluntly about the humanity of aging, it left me moist eyed but feeling oddly happy.
Well worth the 20 minutes listening time.

Jason Burnett Workshop

2011-12-30T21:43:00.000-08:00

Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts summer 2012 workshop with Jason Burnett

Graphic Clay: Cut, Copy And Paste, July 23- 27

Using two simple materials: slip and newsprint paper, we will introduce layers of information and texture onto our clay surfaces. Through silkscreen printing, cutting, copying and pasting we will dissect, transform, and manipulate our drawings, patterns, and images while creating exciting new exteriors. But there's no stopping us there! We'll use simple digital techniques to make decals and photocopy transfers. Computers NOT required, but one can come in handy! Jason is a very generous teacher who will guide and inspire you to carry your work to new levels you have not imagined.

Intermediate/ Advanced
Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm
$495 Tuition ($55 Lab)

It's on my wish list...

Clay Pop!

2011-12-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

This has to be one of the coolest representations I've run across of one of my contemporary heroes ...

Cynthia Bringle

Shannon Bueker

2011-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's exciting to see figurative work handled so raw. I've been finding myself attracted to work that touches on the concept that memory is an emotional based system...

we fail to connect with people and experiences that don't stir something inside us.

I feel connected to Shannon's work as I look at it...

it feels like a rustling forgotten memory.

Check out Shannon Bueker's Blog

8 Fluid Oz 2012

2011-12-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

Sending off a piece for this year's 2012 Fluid Oz. exhibition at the Glassell Gallery at Louisiana State University,

Getting an opportunity to put work along side of 89 noted ceramic artists, educators, and craftsmen from all across the country feels good... really good.

Kenyon Hanson

2011-12-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

I love just finding...

smart and brilliant work...

it's what redefines what happens next...

Form follows function, but sometimes

... WoW!!

Kenyon's work is a triumph of craftsmanship and vision...

He provides a beautiful dance of technique, atmosphere, and form fused into his studio functional ware.

His work has Hips

Kenyon Hanson's Artist statment from Archie Bray

“I believe that finely crafted, thoughtfully made pottery can contribute to a renaissance of tradition and habit. My hope is that the pots I make can play a role and be a factor in a renewal of ritual. Clay allows me to play with a physical language. When I throw or hand build, I’m engaged in the conversation, curiosity often pushes the dialog, while the desire to find something new guides me forward. I strive to create pottery that is both considered and balanced containing a healthy dose of spirit and care. “

His work was featured in 2010 on Ceramic Arts Daily

and is found at the Crimson & Laurel Gallery

Don't forget FaceBook

2011-12-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Great vintage find Michael!

Off the Shelf

2011-12-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

Potters are habitual problem solvers...

My experience leads me to think that we more often than not, choose too build upon our failures rather than our successes.

This is another piece that should have been smashed long ago.

It's from 2008 as I was starting up my studio...

It was way too thick and out of balance, but it was my first attempt at using paper stencils and at stacking thrown rings.

I kept it next to the wheel, enthralled with the possibilities for over year and now I literally use it as a door stop.

I kept it because I loved the potential it represented.

A path that has since explored shape, surface, technique, and texture...

It's a piece that's been more valuable to me as a failure than as a sellable success.

I love my job!

Off the Shelf

2011-12-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Pulling pieces for this year's Smash Pot Day. I'm going through the boxes and shelves of finished ware that's accumulated and thinning the herd.

Each still has it's story...

This was one of my favorites from 2008.

This was the example peice that took a perch in the studio for a few seasons.

It was a simple chawan, but it was a racer!

I loved it's foot, I loved it's propotions, I loved it's balance, but it was the incredible optic surface that did it for me.

The success of the surface was a test glaze combo that turned out to be a freak occurrence. I threw a whole bunch of work at trying over and over to duplicate the results, and it only worked a few times, the rest was hammer fodder.

Happy Solstice Everyone!

2011-12-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

This was defiantly a year to remember and I'm dead positive that 2012 will be even that much more memorable!

Don't forget to dance every single day you can...

KaBoom!

2011-12-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Working on my Red Rocket

Collaboration is a lot more fun than playing by myself...

5 HandMade Minutes Dec 2011

2011-12-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Life has gotten so busy lately that there's only just so much time available every day for pushing any one piece along. The amount of work getting finished has been throttled way back to a pleasantly constant dribble...

I finally thought ahead enough to be able to press record. It's a 5 minute look at a compressed 15 minutes of process.

Palimpsest

2011-12-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

Jessica Fong kindly donated some of her fired work to the test pile. We are in the middle of pushing through work, testing decals on the UOP studio's cone 10 glazes.

Some people use test tiles, we habitually use yunommi. You get real world results... and more often than not, get real world failures.

I'm using the opportunity to see a few ideas and projects escape the sketchbooks, some are up for debate whether they are going to be seen even if they are successful.

Fun!!!

View From the Corner Office

2011-12-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a pleasantly busy weekend. I needed to unwind and get the last series of work for the 2011 started. There's just enough time to get in 2 or 3 more firings pushed through.

Just gotta get the work done!

A dozen canisters and 2 dozen lids working in both cone 6 and cone 10 clays.

Even a few 14 pounders are stiffening up, just waiting to be flipped over, trimmed, and slipped. The piece directly above is slated for a whole lot of abuse over the next 3 days. Curios...

Luckily I'm not filling kilns alone this season. Working with Jessica Fong. The Studio tech for UOP.

I love watching enthusiastic youth dive into this medium.

She's definitely a talent to watch.

GO JESS!!!

Morning Fog

2011-12-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Sideways drips always remind me of the wind pushing the morning fog through the delta. Just gotta play...

Testing a black stain under a shino.

I had seen my studio mate Jess doing some pretty darn cool stuff using this combo on bisque and I had to give it a quick run to see how well the stain would punch through layers of glaze.

I'm formulating a new Evil Plan for the new year...

Feel the Rush.... Sail

2011-12-18T12:50:00.001-08:00

1986

2011-12-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

photo Nikki Mo

Hurry up! We're still dreaming!

Volumetric Image Transfer with Forrest Lesch-Middelton

2011-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting a good look at how Forrest pulls this off. He definitely doesn't disappoint with this video. Fantastic!

Visit his website to checkout his gallery of work. Make sure to swing by Forrest's Etsy on the 17th for his holiday sale.
This is a studio potter to watch...

Malcolm Davis

2011-12-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

So few shoulders have carried so many...

Say the words "carbon trap shino" and Malcolm Davis pops up. It's safe to say, Malcolm Davis has directly influenced so many of us clay geeks by providing a tail that we've been more than happy to chase, (and if all your efforts resulted in fruits anything like mine, I never even came close to catching the damn thing, but boy did I learn a whole bunch!)
Malcolm, I was hoping to get to talk to you before you left the stage and I'm sad to see you go.
Thank you so much for leading the way...

How To Get a Head in Sculpture #1

2011-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Pop up another batch of popcorn.

This is video is just the first of seven.

Settle in for a free lesson in philosophy and aesthetics of portrait sculpture .

Why Beauty Matters

2011-12-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Pop up another big bowl of popcorn!
Time for Art 101 again!

Air on the G String BWV 1068

2011-12-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Refire

2011-12-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Some pieces need 11...

Refire

2011-12-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

Pole's up and my line is in the water...

just fish'n to see what comes out.

Working on suspending a peeling high-fired slip in a cone 6 clear glaze.

It worked but bleached out the original slipp, changing from a rich orange yellow to off white in the refire.

ColdSky

2011-12-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Watching works from the recent series of teaware that came out of the studio kiln 2 weeks ago as they leave the studio is a bit otherworldly. They are disappearing like birds in the sky. Alluring and distant...

I'm not getting to hold each individual piece as much as I desire, but it is nice to get to finally to explore the kiln load of work that I've been aiming at for the past few months.

Still..Watching it go... It's a lonely feeling... it feels like winter.

The New Blue is Brown

2011-12-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

We've all heard schooled studio potters take the stance that traditional cone 10 glazes are too brown, too predictable, and too boring.
I've even found myself guilty of agreeing at points, but after being allowed to dabble and begin to re-explore high-fired reduction glazes again, I have to loudly disagree...

Brown can be warm...

Brown can have depth...

Brown can have character...

Brown is cool!

Dang Bang

2011-12-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

A well laid plan waylaid by a misplaced Bang!

We had quick cone pack making demo Friday night at the conclusion of loading the small gas kiln up at UOP along with a gem of an example of a wet cone pack steam exploding at 500 degrees!
The big lesson was unloading and reloading the entire kiln to get all the debris out, bits went everywhere!

Cut corners... pay a heavy price...

Gateway Ceramics

2011-12-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

With the holidaze coming quick, it's time to play just a bit. I'm doing my own version of the C.U.P.S. project here in mid-town Stockton.

The game is to put as many cups in local strangers hands as I can.

It's all rather random.

Works are left scattered to be found with notes tucked inside, and boxed pieces are handed out to strangers who prove to be friendly.

Getting to put light hearted and fun handcrafted pieces directly into hands that wouldn't otherwise get to handle my work... That's an impact that I enthusiastically support. It may be base, but it's a foundation for developing a local following and it definitely fosters an appreciation for our craft.

Earth Time Lapse from Space

2011-11-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Beautiful and very cool!

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Tim Kliphuis

2011-11-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

Gotta Have Hips

2011-11-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

I've recently realized that clay is a bit of a "Sensuous Vice" for not only me, but for others that inhabit the orbit I exist in. With that in mind I've been enjoying forms with voluptuous curves...

JoJo likes nice curves...

Ceramics as performance art...

2011-11-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

Now is a very good time to engage and entertain...

Factoria de Nuvols, Alfabur 2010

3 minutes into this clip it gets nice and interesting...

Anyone local interested in developing performing fire arts troupe?

Wolfgang Marschner plays Paganini: Le Streghe op. 8 (Witches Dance)

2011-11-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

Oh please let me play this before I die... I swear I'll work really, really hard...

Empty Bowls

2011-11-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

Even something as simple as a bowl can make a difference.

Issues of Legibility

2011-11-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

The past few firings have brought issues concerning legibility to the forefront for me...

I've been drawn towards surface narratives, but...
I've found that when I have the choice between a literal surface and a nuanced surface, I tend to prefer the complexity of a controlled chaos.

Hand-crafted cups, canisters, and teapots provide an accessible supply of canvasses that can readily serve as anchors for building abstract surfaces. These are objects that a good amount of us can relate to on an intimate level.

It's the form and patterning that leads to internal question, dissension, and thought.

Not bad for a lump of clay.

It's a media that lets the imagination and practiced hands sing.

How we each define our forms and surfaces marks the work each of us makes...

Readability of a narrative is a characteristic that is explored through ownership.

(Did any of that make sense?)

Menuhin plays Sarasate

2011-11-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

Just because it's cool... Menuhin plays Sarasate

Bach Double Violin Concerto in D minor

2011-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

This is the piece I've been working through lately at the end of the day. I'm happy to say that I'm still nearly invisible out on the street corners downtown as I work this one out. Gotta do something constructive while waiting for Nico to get out of school.

I'm definitely over my head once again, but over my head seems to be my happy place...

Wensday Night Mug Shot

2011-11-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

A quick look at a small cup that went through the cone 10 test kiln this last weekend. It's a nice quite piece...

Test Blue

2011-11-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

SUSD glaze over an Orielly White over a cobalt slip. Fired to cone 10.

Studio Shino over a blue slip with an Orielly White interior and rim. (Not particularly happy with this combination).

SUSD Glaze over the UOP studio Shino over a cobalt slip. (In real life it's a vibrant electric blue.)

Red Chun

2011-11-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Cone 10 Red Chun

43.40 G-200 Custer
27.27 Silica
9.37    Gerstly Borate
4.54    Barium Carb
2.56    Whiting
1.70   EPK
1.70   Zinc Oxide
4.54   Bentonite

add
.085 Red Iron Oxide
2.55 Tin Oxide
3.12 Copper Carb

This recipe was pulled from Michael Coffee's blog.

Apply thick and reduce hard.

Impresso

2011-11-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

"FireFlies"

Red Art Flashing Wash wiped over a FireFly motif made using pressed in flexible plastic stencils and spriggs. A thin Shino has been poured over the piece.

These larger rice jar chimney forms seem to provide a nice sized space to explore developing narratives.

Dem Bones

2011-11-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

I still can't help myself...

Dog Paddleing

2011-11-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend playing with the small gas cone 10 kiln up at the UOP ceramics lab testing out a few ideas...

A nice dry Shino

A refire of one of this springs canisters that was originally fired using just a RedArt Flashing Wash. This time through, it was refired after being re-dipped in UOP's studio shino.
(Loooovvveee this one. The cobalt blue vibrates when you look at it in natural light, Nice...)

I'm making an effort to be "normal" with at least some of my work. These are directed toward my local markets. I just can't see this going anywhere though.

Refire with a thin shino...

A thin application of Red Chun over a stenciled Black Slip... the piece is more than I expected, but it's proving hard to shoot.
If you can't shoot it, you can't really show it, but gotta give it a try.

A detail of a stenciled cobalt design with sponge wiped RedArt Flashing wash under a UOP shino.

Death is All in the Details

2011-10-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

As students we used to say say "If I only come out of this firing with just one piece I really like, I'll be doing ok?"

Gotta say that meeting that expectation, sucks...

Lots of neat stuff, but it just takes just one detail to kill a gem.

There are crows hidden in there...

The irony is that I like most of the work, it's just not sellable. So I guess it's time to play with the results and see what develops. (I love this part!)

Here's a new problem...

A chalk mark... weird.

A recurring problem that's just asking for trouble...

All of the lids of the "Nob'n'alls" were fired separately, all of the lids warped.

The one success...

Agnes Martin

2011-10-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

I sat and just listened to this interview with Agnes Martin last night. I was floored by the dialog. Her notion that she talks about, " not interfering with the work", is brilliantly put forth. A keystone narrative... 20 minutes of valuable perspective.

Agnes Martin Interview (20:00 version, 1997) from Chuck Smith on Vimeo.

Press repeat and soak...

Handmade Portraits with Rob Ryan

2011-10-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Beautiful...

An Educational Weekend at CAA

2011-10-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend my youngest and I hitched a ride into the San Francisco Bay area to revel in this year’s Ceramics Annual of America. Last year’s inaugural launch of this epic scale exhibition was a so much fun that my studio mate Bruce and I were literally doing cartwheels through the crowded hall (a bad idea but a whole lotta fun). This was a big event, with big works, in a big space.

This year, the setup was in an even bigger space out on a covered pier the size of a football field… really… and something unexpected happened… the nature of the relationship between the environment and the work became noticeably skewed. In such a large space, the larger works seemed diminished and secondary. The notion of the interplay of environment to work is relevant at any scale, but at this exhibition it really made the point.

Lesson noted.

With that aside, event was just amazing! A forest of pedestals and free standing walls that were covered in a fresh crop of some of North America’s finest and bravest talent. We spent hours wandering and exploring the works, and best of all, plumbing for insight into the why’s, how’s, and what’s up in studio ceramics by talking to the artists. I gained a very genuine respect for all of the artists that participated…It takes a very brave person to put your work in front of 6000 critical eyes and then stand next to it. That’s taking genuine ownership of your ideas.

I couldn't resist playing "potperotciy", here's just a fraction of what was there...

Brovo everyone!!!!

Busted!

2011-10-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud... Nico got a chance to sit in the cockpit of a F-11 Fighting Tiger jet this weekend during Fleet Week in San Fransisco.

She slyly asked the docent where the start button was as she climbed into the seat and quickly made her move, hitting the button and grabbing the stick...

She's dealing with the disappointment well...

Gotta love a girl with a plan...

Sunshine Cobb Workshop at UOP

2011-10-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

So many golden nuggets just casually tossed up Sunshine at this workshop.

I'm easily mesmerized by coil building. It may be a basic technique, but it's one that I've never really put the appropriate time necessary in to get comfortable with.

Totally my loss because the surfaces that seem to grow from this technique are rich and full of life. The surfaces and forms that Sunshine achieves using her approach to this process is unique and alluring, making the point that a confident hand leaves a very deliberate feel to the finished work.

Thank you Sunshine!

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth by Bruce Mau

2011-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Allow events to change you.
You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
Forget about good.
Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth.
Process is more important than outcome.
When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.
Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child). Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.
Go deep.
The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.
Capture accidents.
The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.
Study.
A studio is a place of study. Use the necessity of production as an excuse to study. Everyone will benefit.
Drift.
Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.
Begin anywhere.
John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.
Everyone is a leader.
Growth happens. Whenever it does, allow it to emerge. Learn to follow when it makes sense. Let anyone lead.
Harvest ideas.
Edit applications. Ideas need a dynamic, fluid, generous environment to sustain life. Applications, on the other hand, benefit from critical rigor. Produce a high ratio of ideas to applications.
Keep moving.
The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success. Resist it. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.
Slow down.
Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.
Don’t be cool.
Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.
Ask stupid questions.
Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.
Collaborate.
The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
____________________.
Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.
Stay up late.
Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.
Work the metaphor.
Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for.
Be careful to take risks.
Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.
Repeat yourself.
If you like it, do it again. If you don’t like it, do it again.
Make your own tools.
Hybridize your tools in order to build unique things. Even simple tools that are your own can yield entirely new avenues of exploration. Remember, tools amplify our capacities, so even a small tool can make a big difference.
Stand on someone’s shoulders.
You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better.
Avoid software.
The problem with software is that everyone has it.
Don’t clean your desk.
You might find something in the morning that you can’t see tonight.
Don’t enter awards competitions.
Just don’t. It’s not good for you.
Read only left-hand pages.
Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our "noodle."
Make new words.
Expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new forms of expression. The expression generates new conditions.
Think with your mind.
Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.
Organization = Liberty.
Real innovation in design, or any other field, happens in context. That context is usually some form of cooperatively managed enterprise. Frank Gehry, for instance, is only able to realize Bilbao because his studio can deliver it on budget. The myth of a split between "creatives" and "suits" is what Leonard Cohen calls a ‘charming artifact of the past.’
Don’t borrow money.
Once again, Frank Gehry’s advice. By maintaining financial control, we maintain creative control. It’s not exactly rocket science, but it’s surprising how hard it is to maintain this discipline, and how many have failed.
Listen carefully.
Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.
Take field trips.
The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set, or the Internet, or even a totally immersive, interactive, dynamically rendered, object-oriented, real-time, computer graphic–simulated environment.
Make mistakes faster.
This isn’t my idea — I borrowed it. I think it belongs to Andy Grove.
Imitate.
Don’t be shy about it. Try to get as close as you can. You’ll never get all the way, and the separation might be truly remarkable. We have only to look to Richard Hamilton and his version of Marcel Duchamp’s large glass to see how rich, discredited, and underused imitation is as a technique.
Scat.
When you forget the words, do what Ella did: make up something else … but not words.
Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.
Explore the other edge.
Great liberty exists when we avoid trying to run with the technological pack. We can’t find the leading edge because it’s trampled underfoot. Try using old-tech equipment made obsolete by an economic cycle but still rich with potential.
Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.
Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces — what Dr. Seuss calls "the waiting place." Hans Ulrich Obrist once organized a science and art conference with all of the infrastructure of a conference — the parties, chats, lunches, airport arrivals — but with no actual conference. Apparently it was hugely successful and spawned many ongoing collaborations.
Avoid fields.
Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.
Laugh.
People visiting the studio often comment on how much we laugh. Since I’ve become aware of this, I use it as a barometer of how comfortably we are expressing ourselves.
Remember.
Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction. But a memory is never perfect. Every memory is a degraded or composite image of a previous moment or event. That’s what makes us aware of its quality as a past and not a present. It means that every memory is new, a partial construct different from its source, and, as such, a potential for growth itself.
Power to the people.
Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can’t be free agents if we’re not free.

This design manifesto was first written by Bruce Mau in 1998, articulating his beliefs, strategies, and motivations. The manifesto outlines BMD's design process.

Free Sunshine Cobb Workshop at UOP

2011-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is looking like it's going to be another a fun workshop hosted by UOP in Stockton next week. It showcases Sunshine Cobb, sharing what can be done with a few basic hand building techniques as things are stepped up to a more advanced level.

I've been enjoying getting a preview of Sunshine's style of work while passing through the ceramics lab at the University of the Pacific after hours. (Her approach is very, very neat.)

What I've been seeing are functional forms created using coils and slabs. Common techniques, but with uncommon results.
I enjoy the honesty of form that Sunshine develops out of the processes that are used and after looking at her surfaces that are coming out of the kilns, I'm already daydreaming what I can do with what she's offering up.

This is a free event so it's defiantly worth the trip from out of town.
It's Tuesday the 4th, 10 to 5 and Wednesday the 5th, 10 to 5... come and go as you please.... you just can't beat that.

Lett'n it Fly Into Fall

2011-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Crossed over into fall by putting more crow's into the studio mix. This is a sample of handful of canisters that are destined for the win or loose scenario of getting the studio's version of the SDSU Texture and Crawl Glaze that was recently posted by John Britt on Ceramics Arts Daily.

Very, very cool John... The cat is now officially out of the bag. I thoroughly enjoyed the article and I can't wait to see how everyone puts these recipes into play.

KVIE Art Auction

2011-09-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

I volunteered one of this summer's large "Harvest Jars" for the on air Public Television Art Auction to raise capital for KVIE.

This will be coming up for bid between 5 - 5:30pm Sunday the 25th.
Bidding starts at 30% the stated value so someone could get lucky for $58 bucks!

Interested?

A partnership between AIDA and Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts

2011-09-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

Part of the big dream is living the life of a traveling ceramic artist. San Fransisco based studio artist, Crista Assad is one of the role models for this style of living.

Go! Go! Go!

Perview Gala

2011-09-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Noooooooooo!

Tonight I'm missing the fantastic food, great wines, and amazing conversations of an event I've been looking forward to for months!
Grumble, grumble...

Work'n for the Man...

2011-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got the postcards for Bruce Cadman off the desktop and to the printer for this year's Ceramics Annual of America 2011.

It's pretty trilling watching a mate make a big jump like this. This is a fantastic event for a debut. way to go Bruce!

Back On the Learning Curve

2011-09-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Finally made the move from the deep dungeon in the basement. A mournful spot that has been my lair for shooting works for the past 4 years. Now I'm breathing easier in a more roomy part of the dungeon. This is part of a long, long overdue revamping of the photo booth based on Michael Coffee's set-up. Nice...

I needed and wanted (mostly wanted) to see the works finally shot using a graded backdrop. Very nice...
The impetus for making the jump has been Larks Books call for submissions for Prints on Clay with a September 15th deadline.
The big hurdle hasn't been the work, it's the tech.

No JPEGs just TIFFs.
It's taken nearly two weeks to get something (that now seems simple) to a point that I think (and hope) that it just might be presentable.

Gotta keep push'n.
Submit to print.

Meet My New Little Friend

2011-09-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

My new niece, Lily Waewthaisong born September 10th.

Happy uncle... Love you Lilly!

Lessons Take 2

2011-08-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well the big lesson I took away from the "Visions In Clay" show was the importance of "going big" for these exhibitions or risk being lost in a room full of work. Well I threw the penny in the air to check and see what would happen if I put small work in another local show.

The premise proved itself all to well. The work got accepted into the show but I almost left after failing to find it in the exhibition.
The Penny drops... It was 3 feet off the ground, sandwiched behind a chair and a pedestal.

Ouch!

I put it in the event just to show the people around me what it is that I'm doing, but no one can see it, so I guess it's a moot point... Bumm'n.

The irony is that I'm sure they'll still want their 30% if it's sold.

Lessons

2011-08-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm taking away two lessons from this year's Visions In Clay exhibition.

First... Go big.
Small works just get lost in the crowd. People want to be entertained. "Small" engages people in their personal spaces but it's "large" that engages the crowds in a room full of work.

Second... I'd rather be the lowest price sold work in the room than the most expensive piece that's being shipped back to the artist.
As much as I love it,..
I can't afford to collect my own work.

My shelf mate this year is Malissa Bland . Love her work and I feel good gett'n to set my work next to hers.
Cheers mate!

From the Back to the Front

2011-08-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here's something that was left for us under comments the night of the 12th. Critic with a plot. follow the leads and it just deepens. If you find any clues, cough em up please. Everything that's in italics has been added by me. Hyperlinks are simply possible clues to ???

OMG CALIFORNIA is the BEE!
The DRIVE is MARTIN ROPER!
And the HO is MICHE GROSS!
REMY'S MOTHER?????????

WOO!
THE LOG IS ON GUY!
IT'S SA " PG"!
AND BABY..IT'S " FUCKIN' EXPLOSIVE"!!!!

There's a Florida Log with GUY.
He is going to get a " B".
At least he fights Queen but he is also benn seen with a billion boo that's gone " missing".

RAPHAEL and then there's GILLES.
And then there's HILL and BILL!
They got with PRAT!
They WENT ALL RAT!
And now they got TED that's DEAD with ED and
GED and RED!!!!!!!!
WITH FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCHAR BE BEE!
HE NEED THE FEE!
HE GOT THE GBD!
HE FUCKmDASSAULT!!
HE WENT " MO- JO"!
NOW CLINTON GOT " PT " To TOW!

Dr . BALL is a NEST.
He is SS and he is TEXAS!
And he is GE & GASES- ESSO!
He is HO- OLO- BASSO!
He got RAFFY - ASSO!
FRED's his DEN
And so is PENN and so is JEN and ED and BEN!

CK is the bee and VIRGINIA don't give a fuck no more.
OKLAHOMA U with UN & WASHINGTON & all high on HEROIN and busting out.
Remy and doctors HO for senators and ship them off, some to OSIRIS,...point is..LEARS- SUBS- PT BOATS with MP -DI...nailed by QUEEN!
LA- BILLY- ED- ALL FUCKED and in a "RUMBLE" cause he joinin' LIZ!
RUMSFELD RATS!
Now we got DASSAULT and MEESE pushing stories for favors! And HETU got NOWHERE TO GO!
But rumor says MICHAEL MANN..and that's where you'll find ME!

some of the clues have started leading out to more post comment clues such as this left on EricFortune's blog.

We are hearing that France is locked into Arizona with Maine and Meese and Dassault. There now more than 32 blogs working with leaks on child- trafficking, for the moviie...KANSAS KINGS....we want those 40 and under to be given therapy....that is what the script is calling for. Military..Governments- " POOF".
August 6, 2011 11:21 AM

adding this in... Google the phrase READ NATALIE TODD BLOG...WE ALL MEAN IT. someone has been very busy...

Visions in Clay 2011

2011-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here it comes!

The opening reception for this years Visions in Clay is Thursday the 18th, from 5pm to 8pm at the Horton Gallery in Stockton. Not only is this event quickly establishing itself as a Cadillac show, but it's past rosters of exhibiting artists has become a national Who's Who of up-and-coming studio artists, professors, gallery directors, and more.

And...

If you pop in for the opening Thursday night you can even meet one of the contributing artists... ME!

Half-Hearted Critique of a Dead Pot

2011-08-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

I hate those little voices that we all hear… we all do hear them… right? These aren’t the ones that tell us to do something bad or really fun (I do have a fun loving voice, but that’s getting off track). The voice I’m referring to nags us from the passenger seat of our own mind.

Well here’s the result of this morning’s great idea to move a 21 inch greenware canister up to the UOP ceramics studio for bisque firing. My only excuse is that I hadn’t been awake long enough to think this one through properly. It was a spur of the moment idea and unfortunately the little voice inside my head got to enjoy telling me “I told you this wouldn’t work!”

Yeah yeah… I know... it didn’t work.

So now I get to look at this piece from an unintended vantage point. A pile of shards… which is essentially a gold mine of information that can be enjoyed just as much as the finished piece. (Ok… my little voice is saying that’s BS, but says it’s still a valid exercise.)

This was a 21 inch canister with walls half an inch thick. It seems a tad thick but at this scale, I’m still not really sure what’s an ideal wall thickness. Any thinner and it feels fragile and any thicker is well… thick. Either way, it felt good in the hands and was in balance with itself. For 16 pounds of clay it felt pretty darn light. You can’t tell from the shards, but it had a great form. Nicely swollen and ribbed at the bottom and rim.

And last but not least… I loved the surface… a whole flock of crows wrapping the entire piece.

Bumm’n
I guess there’s always next time, eh?

Pleasant Surprise

2011-08-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Looked down while getting a coffee with my daughter yesterday morning and was shocked to see this on the front page of a local circular...

maybe spending the summer playing in the local pond might come to something after all. Thanks for the help Jan!

DeltaFusion

2011-07-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

Gotta share...

Quite a bit of time spent over the past few weeks with the kids went into DeltaFusion, a giant puppet making project at University of the Pacific. The experience was lead by an amazing team pulled from In the Heart of the Beast up in Minneapolis Minnesota.
This got a bunch of small hands thinking about what comes next... love it when that happens.

Special photo credits go to Patrick Giblin,to see more of his shots, head on over to his flicker page.

Great show everyone! Job well done kids!

Vintage Shots

2011-07-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a laugh now and then... here's a good one.

This is a vintage shot from an very treasured old friend. It's from the Mad Hatters Tea Party in Memphis 1986... it's all a very pleasant blurr, but the event is legendary non-the-less. (It's the larger communal group blurr that helps contribute to the myth of a great event.)
Mohawks are cool...

Take 2

2011-07-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

More refires went along for the ride through the kiln this weekend. Back up and over the top to cone 10.

Love the richness of the surface... flashing washes and soda are such a great mix.

This piece originally sat in a cold spot in a soda kiln firing. The soda played very well with the Helmer's wash used on the surface, but it took the second go though to mature the Hamada White used as a liner.

The piece below is a refire as well. It was reglazed using a Orielly White over the flashing wash.

The way the glazes reacted with each other made it looklike ice crystals had gotten trapped in the surface.

MugShot

2011-07-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

I could really get hooked on body reduction.

Shifting into Neutral

2011-07-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Still clearing the decks in the studio to make way for what's in the pipe. This weekend this means burning through another load of cups in prep for a run of decals.

Gotta keep it simple...

The test firing from 2 weeks ago worked well enough. It was my first go at taking cone 10 work though the process so I'm gonna enjoy screwing around on a project that as whimsical as this...

It ain't Art, but these get a decent smile at the neighborhood coffee shop ;)

2Deep

2011-07-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Meet my new friend.

I got a chance to spend Saturday firing off the UOP studio kiln... this bugger I'm starting to affectionately call "2Deep" because you almost have to have someone hold on to your legs when you tip in to load the first 2 shelves. (Think I cracked a frigg'n rib leaning over the edge a few weeks ago... @#*%)

She drives like my old 53 Chevy used too... if you aren't in a hurry, it'll get you where you are going, you just have to be prepared to give it a little push.

Clary Illian Interveiw

2011-07-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Quick Draw

2011-07-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've been banking up enough reclaim clay to start playing a game.
This is "Quick Draw"

The assignment is to use 25 lbs of clay to create a portrait in under an hour.
There's no expectations attached, just see what happens and enjoy the process and repeat...

Happiness

2011-07-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Happiness is getting to watch a Orton cone 10 puddle once again.

There's really nothing quite like getting to turn it up to 11...

Juliette Anagama

2011-06-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Fun little snippet of the Juliette Anagama kiln at Peters Valley.

I'm hoping to follow this thread to see what happens...

Back to Work

2011-06-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well it was a beautiful weekend... Got to do nearly everything I enjoy; lots of garden time, lots of park time with the critters, lots and lots of time fiddle'n around and just enough time in the studio to keep things moving.

Man... I LOVE summer!

Customer Appreciation

2011-06-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Troy Bungart

Here's something I can't say enough...

"Thank You!"

There is no way I would be brave enough to keep pushing ahead with out strangers willing to take a risk and support my work by laying down hard earned cash to pick pieces from my Etsy shop.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't matter what people think... because it does. There's a whole lot of me wrapped up and sent out with each box.
I guess that's why it felt so good to read Troy Bungart's blog about a recent purchase.

Knowing that the work lands in hands that are going to enjoy using it, is really what it's all about.

Thank you for the kind words Troy!

Freak Le Boom Boom

2011-06-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

With a blog named FetishGhost... I reserve the right to post stuff like this.

Cheezy Grins!
Don't worry... it's just music...

Thank You!

2011-06-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Life is good, you all are are the cherries in the cake... Mmmmm cake.
Thanks for a great birthday everyone!

<p>&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;Life &amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;</p>

charleston

2011-06-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Any guesses what this is?

Take Two

2011-06-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm a chronic refiner. If there's room in a kiln to fit a few previously fired and redipped glazed works, (just to see what happens before the hammer swings) all the better. Hail Mary's are sometimes total gold, but more often than not, their busted.

These 2 were originally sitting in a cool spot in a soda kiln two springs ago. Underfired with potential. I couldn't smash 'em up until they earned their fate.

They've earned their stay...

A Flock of Crows

2011-06-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

A flock of crows flew out of the kiln yesterday.

I wasn't disappointed with the results of this test load.

whew... I put a whole bunch of eggs in the basket too.

It could have been a(nother) disaster.

There's a range of subtle that was explored using slip thickness as the method for varying how darkly the black englobe wash settled into the topography of the stenciled relief.

The new clear chun recipe worked really well and played nice with the Nuka that was used for the lip and interior.

Well, just wanted to see how my ideas looked when they were dressed in more traditional glazes and I'm happy. It looks like I found a new direction to wander off in again.

Happy Dance!

Spring StudioMate

2011-06-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

As a potter I generally work in isolation. There's a few studio monkeys here and there, but the grown-ups usually have better things to do. This spring was different, really different, I had the pleasure of working with this pleasant smile bouncing around the studio.

Nothing like youth to remind you that you're a grumpy old man.
Thanks for the company Tara, it was a fun spring working with you.

Black Englobe

2011-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

800 G-200
400 Talc
800 Ballclay
1000 EPK
1000 Flint
100 Borax

add
500 Black iron ox
130 Black Cobalt Ox
45 Manganese Dioxide

6 quarts of distilled water

I know, I know... who needs 6 quarts of this soup? But this stuff is that good! It flows really well off a brush and it works fantastic as a wash. Works great at cone 6 as well as cone 10.
Make enough to share with friends!

SDSU Texture and Crawl Test

2011-06-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do this test since I recently started burn'n cone 10 again...

It's the SDSU Texture and Crawl glaze I've been using as part of my cone 6 glaze pallet, over a blue slip and fired up to cone 10.
It proved to be stable, now it's time to start overlapping it with the other glazes to see what it likes to play nice with and what goes volcanic.
Bwahhahahhah!

Carlton Ball Clear Chun Cone 9-10

2011-06-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

42.4 Feldspar (Custer)
1.8    Kaolin (EPK)
26.5 Flint (325)
2.6    Whiting
8.8    Gerstley Borate
8.8    Dolomite
1.76 Zinc Ox
4.4    Barium Carb

This is a cone 9-10 Clear Chun for oxidation.

It's proving to be a Chun that plays well with stenciled slips and is stable with minimal crazing in the surface.
It has those beautiful little micro bubbles suspended in the glaze, but you've really got to get up on it to see the effect.

to get a nice Chun White effect.
Add
2.6 Tin Ox

And/Or add
0.5 Copper Carb
5.6 Rutile
0.2 Cobalt Carb

for a nice light blue chun

LH Horton Gallery's Regional Artist Group Show 2011

2011-06-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty shy about showing my work locally. (It's a bit of a personal problem. Everyone has issues, this is one of mine...)

I love getting to put my work in front of the community that I live in, but quite frankly, most of the people I interact with daily don't even know what I do outside of the context of how I'm seen everyday. When I say I operate on-line under the name "FetishGhost", they get that look in their eyes like they think I must be some obscure porn star, and honestly, that suits me quite fine. I am good by the way, just not that good.

Most of the time, I'm either the gardener, or Nico's and Andor's dad, or the Violin Guy, but locally, I'm most definitely not known for my studio work.
None the less, I do enjoy getting to show.

The Horton Gallery is putting up an exhibition of 16 local artists this month.
There are easily many, many more talented artists than myself that I would like to see drawn out for a local exhibition. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's hesitant to show locally. There's a very healthy number of nationally recognized artists living and working in our community that are choosing to remain silent on the local stage.
That's not good and really needs to be addressed.
Hmmmmm.

Carole Epp

2011-06-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Here's something really special put out by one of our very own favorite artist/bloggers... She's constantly leading the pack and there is no end to how much I value her efforts. I love getting to finally see and hear Carol in her personal environment. Our studios are often sanctuaries that are kept fairly private.

Great job Carole! Thanks for the peek in.
I'd like to see more of you all do the same. Take the time to sit still long enough to stop and say "Hi".