Mary Kay Botkins workshop: February 25th, 2012

First of all, let me apologize for the gross tardiness of this post. I would say it’s better late than never, but I’m not entirely sure that’s true so thank you for your patience.

I had the honor to assist Mary Kay Botkins during her daylong workshop at Terra Incognito a couple of months ago. We had been eagerly anticipating Ms. Botkins’ arrival through discussion of her work that had arrived in the gallery previous to her workshop.

Generally speaking, Botkins’ work is slab-built, made from porcelain, and fired in an electric kiln to oxidation at cone 6. Her pots are often folded, like the sides of a Chinese takeout container or the exterior of a leather handbag (see examples below).

The surfaces Botkins uses serve as a skin to these delicate vessels and can be seen in pastel tints with satin, zinc-based glazes.

I gained much information from observing Botkins’ demonstrations but my notes are a little jumbled, as notes tend to be, so I will do my best to explain her process.

The following notes are taken from a demonstration on how to create a vessel such as the one shown above.

1.  Botkins begins with a slab of clay rolled out to approximately a quarter of an inch. She compresses the clay both horizontally and vertically to strengthen and compress the slab before further manipulation.
2.  At this point Botkins advises that, when working in this manner, it is wise to do surface work when the slab is flat so as not to ruin any texture you’ve created while assembling the 3-dimensional object. Additionally, she suggests using a needle tool for cutting straight lines as opposed to a fettling knife or other flat cutting tool.
3. Botkins creates templates out of stiff paper, much as you would for creating patterns in sewing, and laminates them so they can be used for future pieces. She shares that using a quilting ruler also proves handy because you can take notes on the size used and later reproduce desired results.
4.  Once the clay is cut out from the template, Botkins suggests experimentation with form and shape so a variety of outcomes can stem from this one applied template.

As an intermission to this post, I will describe some disjointed tips for making a vessel with an inset lid. My notes on this were not fluid, so I apologize in advance for any confusion. Also, I leave you with this intermission video for a quick chuckle:

When creating a flange inside a pot, Botkins measures the width using a series of dowel rods. These dowels are later used to physically create the flange, so they serve an easy and practical purpose here.

The flange to the piece is attached previous to assembling the slab into an upright shape. Botkins warns that attaching a coil instead of a slab flange will require unnecessary tool and finger marks.

So, imagine this; a rectangular slab is laid out on the working board, and you have cut a thin rectangle from a secondary slab, equal in thickness and width. This is your coil, of sorts, and it becomes attached to the top portion of the initial slab (think: where the flange (tiny shelf) will live on the inside of the vessel. Botkins does this using a brush dipped in MAGIC WATER, a solution of sodium silicate and soda ash, the recipe of which you can find below. After creating a seam between the large slab and the flange piece, Botkins carefully folds the now-attached flange piece over the dowel to create a tube. The slab is now ready to be folded up into its three-dimensional vessel shape, anxiously awaiting its lid.

Magic Water:  This comes from Lana Wilson's book

1-gallon water

3 tablespoon Sodium Silicate

5 grams Soda Ash

As for the lid, Botkins suggests cutting the shape when the slab is soft leather hard and waiting until it is stiff leather hard to change the shape in order for the lid to fit the shape of the opening. She suggests a dull surform tool for manipulating shape at a slower rate. Also, it is better for a lit to be too tight than too loose. That’s about all I have about that. Hope it made a bit of sense.

The following notes are taken from a demonstration on how to make a shallow plate with attached feet using slabs and a wooden hump mould.

This is a variation on the form demonstrated during the workshop. 

1.     In order to create a rounded rectangular form, Botkins drapes a slightly thicker slab of clay (previously rolled out on a piece of drywall) over a hump mould made from cut wood.

2.     While the slab still sits on the mould, she attaches two ‘heels’ to the edges of the form. These will serve as the feet for this vessel. Botkins warns to keep the thickness of the vessel and feet consistent. It’s best to cut these initial shapes from the same slab.

3.     Once the shallow plate form is stiffened to leather hard, Botkins uses the surform tool to steadily define the feet. The resulting form is something similar to that seen below.

Aside from these techniques, Mary Kay Botkins shares her list of tools and books she has found helpful throughout the evolution of her process.

Books

Botkins says, “This was the book I was trying to think of that is a good reference book for tableware, table manners and table settings.”

The Art of the Table by Suzanne von Drachenels 

Also, “Even though I'm a hand-builder, I think this is a good pragmatic book about pottery that is still inspirational.”

A Pottery Workbook by Clary Illian

List of Tools

Dolan Tool: DPT 220 (knife)

Mudtools: red and yellow ribs, rasp (for shaving)

Kemper Tools: eye socket wood tool (ES2)

Amaco: Two-ended Clay Shaper

Terra Incognito thanks Mary Kay Botkins for coming to share her knowledge and expertise with the artists here at the studio and in the ceramic field at large. Her February workshop was a success; inspiring many who attended to try their hand at her techniques and develop new ideas using her process as a stepping stone.

You can find out more about Botkins’ work at her website. Thanks for reading!

Seana.

P.S. The next posting will be about last month’s NCECA conference in Seattle….stay tuned.

Locus Terra Opening THIS weekend!!!

This Friday, October 7th, we will be having a potluck, panel discussion/presentation and opening for Locus Terra. (below: work by Roberta Polfus)

This is a juried exhibition including ceramic artists who have been involved with Terra Incognito in the past ten years. (below: work by Chris Plummer)

Participating artists include:

Linda Abrams
Barbe Asta
Kathy Balk
Gregory Colombe
Mary Dye
Kevin Foy
Nancy Gardner
Stacey Grieff
Nancy Desert Lizard Heraty
Seana Higgins
Linda Hillman
Kit Jones
Meg Keeffe
Joe Krasean
Peter Lenzo
Stephen Mickey
Karen E Murphy
Patrice Murtha
Soumya Netrible
Yukiko Nyhan
Don Pilcher
Chris Plummer
Roberta Polfus
Gina Lee Robbins
Cheryl Ryan
Andrew Sankowski
John Spiteri
David Toan
Charity White

In conjunction with Chicago Artists Month 2011, Locus Terra will be shown from October 7th through November 2nd 2011. The theme of this exhibition centers around the idea of community, place, and networking, aligning with the over all theme title, 'Artful Networks'. Below is a description of Chicago Artists' Month this year:

The 2011 theme, Artful Networks, explores the communities that nurture and inspire Chicago artists and their work. The people with whom artists choose to work can be supportive in encouraging creative growth, experimentation, dialogue among peers, and community building. Ranging from traditional residency programs to collaboratives to informal relationships, our communities impact the way we create, support, and appreciate art. (below: work by Karen E. Murphy)

In addition to the month-long exhibition, Terra Incognito will be hosting a potluck and panel discussion/presentation at 6pm on opening night of Locus Terra. Artists Mary Dye, John Spiteri, Nancy Gardner, Chris Plummer, and Seana Higgins will speak of their experience working in a variety of studio environments and how it has informed and/or changed their work through the years. (below: work by Mary Dye)

Please help spread the word about this exhibit throughout this week and month of October! Feel free to print the .pdf of the show flyer found at the beginning of this post and hang it in your local community or send to your email list.

Thank you, and we hope to see you at the event!!

Seana.

A little self-indulgence

Hello everyone,

Today, I was filling out an application for a teaching artists' professional development workshop and they asked me to answer this question:

What are 5 essential concepts/techniques that you would like your students to gain from your experience as a teacher/artist?

This is how I answered. I know it's a little self indulgent (see title of this entry) to post this type of thing, but I am interested in what other artists feel about this question. It's kind of a doozy.

1. Don't take yourself too seriously. Although this is something I try to remember daily, I think it's applicable to art practice as well. It's important to realize that not every critique is personal, not every piece of work is precious, and you always have the capacity to grow.

2. Make a lot of junk. It took me a really long time to realize that I needed to make a lot of work that I might consider 'junk' to arrive at the more successful breakthroughs. This kind of goes along with #1, but the less stock you place in each individual piece, the better, because it allows you to look at your work as a process.

3. Wear a respirator and let your work dry. I lumped these two together because they both have to do specifically with ceramic processes. I think they can be applied to other media as well. There is no need to put your health in jeopardy for the sake of making work. To put it bluntly; wear a respirator and stop thinking you're superman/woman. The second part of this is important because, now and again, I forget that I actually know what I'm doing in clay and think I can put wet clay in a kiln, hang a piece before the epoxy cures, etc. It doesn't work and my advice is to just be patient and wait.

I suggest one of these two options for respiratory safety:

or

4. Acknowledge that you will need to self educate. When I started art school in undergrad, I had a chip on my shoulder about what my professor 'should' be teaching me and how that made him a better or worse instructor. After going through school, both undergrad and postbacc, it became increasingly evident that, if I wanted to know something I just had to figure it out. This is not to say that teachers (like myself) shouldn't be teaching fundamentals and helping students when necessary, I just think it's wise to realize everything is not going to be handed to you.

5. Talk to people. This is one of my favorite parts about being an artist. I get to talk to people about my passion and often make a connection based on a mutual understanding of the drive to make artwork. This might also be just a life lesson, but I don't think it ever hurts to start a conversation, whether it's about art or otherwise.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this question. I think, sometimes, a lot of insight can be gained from filling out applications. I hope you enjoyed this post, and thank you for reading.

Seana.

Why I think Don Pilcher is Important?

Terrablog

SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2010

Why I think Don Pilcher is Important?

Some background:

We are currently hosting a show which features Don Pilcher as one of the exhibitors ("3+3"). The idea of the show was to invite 3 ceramic artists and educators that I felt were influential to the development of contemporary American ceramics. In turn, these individuals, each, invited a younger, less established person whose work they found interesting. Of the three main artists I invited for "3+3", for many out there, Don is the least recognized or understood. That's a shame.

Don has shown here a couple of times in the past. In fact, we were the first gallery to feature Don's work since he resurfaced as Georgette Ore, of Rascal Ware fame. We're still one of the few places where you can find his work. If you aren't familiar with Pilcher's work, you should be. This latest incarnation, as Georgette Ore, is part of a colorful career going back to the 60's. I see a direct lineage from the early work to Rascal Ware.

Pilcher was a kind of a "Wonder Boy" out of Califonria when he was hired by the University of Illinois, at Champaign, Urbana, to replace David Shaner. He had studied with the best. He was a remarkable and knowledgeable potter with awesome skills. He soon became well known for his salt-fired pieces. Some of them being very large. He was a macho guy ... a member of the "potters boys club" of that time. Maybe, what separated his work from some of others in the club was a certain sensitivity to detail and a chinese approach to form. Not fussy, just very tasteful. He progressed from stoneware to porcelain pieces with decorative slip trailing.

Over time, Pilcher moved away from the salt-fired work, even though he was doing well with it, towards a body of work that was to become the work most associate with him. This move was, and still is, typical of Pilcher. He's always on his way somewhere else. In the 70's, and into the 80's, his work focused on large, pristine porcelain, orb-like shapes, with Chinese touches. The surfaces ranged from glossy glazes to rich sandblasted surfaces with strategically placed contrasting drips, to extruded porcelain elements that were adhered to the surface. These pieces brought Don national attention. Over time, the forms of this work had been so skillfully reduced, the surfaces so refined, as to be almost perfect. I think that's where the problem, if that's what you want to call it, started. Where does one go from there?

Don's interest seems to have gone to the extruded elements on the surface. He says the influence for his next body of work came from the scraps left on his kid's plates after dinner. The forms were chinese influenced jars, vase, bowls, plates etc. The surfaces were covered with shapes extruded from pasta makers and play doh toys. The porcelain pieces still showed Don's attention to detail. They were often glazed in a clear gloss glaze. The white on white surfaces were a drastic change from what people (galleries) had come to expect from him. (In truth, he was ahead of the curve, as white on white became very popular, not that long afterward.) It was the extrusions that really set people aback. The extrusions were in total conflict with the refined Chinese forms, at times the forms were lost to the surfaces. Don wasn't expecting the beating he took for the work. For Don this was just a progression of an artistic idea that has its seeds back in his pots of the late 60's and early 70's. He was roundly ridiculed. People didn't get it. Was he serious with this stuff? Yes, very. Conceptually, much of what Don is doing with Rascal Ware can be traced back to what he was attempting with that ill-fortuned body of work. Don quit making pots and moved on to teaching design at the U of I.

Skip ahead many years and significant life changes later, and we find Don Back in clay. His first steps back were with the familiar; those Chinese influenced forms from his past. Before long though he steps into it with both feet. He recreates himself as Georgette Ore and begins confusing peoples expectations again. It takes a lot of balls to come from where Pilcher came and to come back as a woman named Georgette Ore. What more could he have done to invite questioning scrutiny and skepticism. And, this time there's a literary component that's tied in! "You mean I have to read stuff to get this???" Yep. To understand Georgette and Rascal Ware, one needs to read the story of Rascal Ware. This very contemporary notion, in art, of the "Narrative of the Object" is an important aspect of what Rascal Ware is about. We don't need to spend any more time on Rascal Ware. Go to Don's web site (donpilcher.net). Read the Rascal Ware story. Look at the work. Is this guy serious with this stuff? You bet. Maybe you get it, maybe you don't. Maybe you like it, maybe you don't. Not to be arrogant about it, but Don doesn't care. That's not what the work is about. The work is intended to push boundaries and expectations and to create dialogue.

And, that is why I think Don Pilcher is Important.

At the heart of Rascal ware are important questions that all of us who are potters in America, at this time in history, should be asking ourselves. Why do I make the pots I make? Is there integrity in the work I make? What does the work of a twenty first century American potter look like? Why is so much pottery about style? Can pots be about ideas? What can pots be about?

This is why Pilcher is important. He wants to make us think. He wants to make us question. It's like an ideal that doesn't necessarily fit our everyday situation, but it's good to have it held up to us occasionally, as a reminder of what we can do, and maybe even, what should be.

Dave Toan

"Everyone has talent at 25. The difficulty is to have it at 50."

Edgar Degas

"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."

Jean Cocteau

"Making beautiful things for everyday use is a wonderful thing to do.. making life flow more easily.. but art confronts life, allowing it to stop and perhaps change direction.. they are completely different."

Antony Gormley

2011 Creative Chicago Expo

Hello everyone. Yesterday, I attended an event downtown that I thought I would share with you.

The event was called the 2011 Creative Chicago Expo. It lasted from 10am until 5pm, and was held at the Chicago Cultural Center on Washington just off of Michigan Avenue. First of all- if you've never been to this building, do yourself a favor and stop in because it's beautiful inside. The architecture and ornamentation within the building is worth the $2.25 El fare. Plus, this event was FREE, so that's an extra bonus.

I don't have all that much to say about the Expo in terms of workshop programming because I was unable to attend any of the lectures (due to my extreme tardiness) but, from what I saw, they offered topics relevant to artists working in today's economy. Some topics I thought sounded interesting/helpful included Personal Branding-An Artist's Most Authentic Palette, Maximizing Internship Opportunities (obviously), and Street Marketing for the Arts. I am excited that I looked at these topics, though, because this is an annual event and I can remember to look out for it next year during this time.

In addition to these hourly 'talks', you could sign up for a one-on-one meeting with a professional artist and discuss anything you may be having trouble with or questions about such as grant writing, developing a web presence, marketing, etc. This portion was $15 and needed to be set up in advance.

What I really enjoyed and appreciated during this Expo was all the networking opportunities. They had booths set up on 2 floors of all different vendors from arts-related organizations. The first table I approached was an organization called Chicago Craft Mafia and talked a little bit about what they do. They're a collaborative of independent crafting business owners and they meet to discuss how to increase their exposure. They hold quarterly "Craft Rackets", or free business-oriented workshops that are open to the public and revolve around topics such as pricing or how to apply for arts fairs. The women manning their booth were very engaging and friendly. I think I will look further into what they've got going on.

I also checked out the booth for our neighbors at the Oak Park Art League and met two gentleman who help to run their programming. Maybe you know this already, but I learned that they have receptions on the second Friday of the month that are free and open to the public. I will most definitely be attending these when the weather gets nicer and I can trot on down to their quirky little building just down the block from Terra.

As time wore on, I realized that I came to the Expo WAY too late, and the tables had already begun packing up. Feeling a little disappointed, I strategized as to what was most important for me to see before I had to leave. Quickly, I chose to sign up for more information on Art Loop Open, an organization that helps artist show their work in empty storefronts around the city. My friend, Lauren Brescia, was involved in this project and had much success with exposure for her work. I don't know how 'ready' I feel for this kind of undertaking, but I'd like to be on their mailing list anyway.

My second to last stop was the table for the group called OtherPeople'sPixels. They are a company that constructs (relatively) cheap websites for artists. I signed up for a free trial with them and my fellow Expo visitor had a lot of questions for how to improve his website through their site. I hadn't realized that they were located in Chicago and was happy to hear how willing they were to take suggestions and answer questions. Good job, ladies. Keep up the good work!

Lastly, I traveled to the first floor of the Cultural Center to pop into the space for Project Onward, a nonprofit that works with artists with disabilities. I was very interested in meeting with anyone from this organization because I have been searching for somewhere to volunteer where I could get experience teaching/working with artists with disabilities. After meandering around their shop and gallery for a while, I introduced myself to Mark, one of the directors of their program. He was very helpful with explaining their operations and opportunities for both volunteering and employment. I emailed them today, so I guess I'll see where that goes.

I hope this post was helpful to some of my art buddies out there. It's nice to discover new things in this city that I call home. I must say, it's pretty great, and I'm continually amazed at the gems I find when I'm willing to try new things.

Thank you for reading.

Seana.

Chroma: January 28, 2011-February 27, 2011

This past Friday, I attended the an exhibit at Lillstreet Art Center entitled Chroma featuring ceramic artists Michaelene Walsh and Hiroe Hanazono.

Mikey was my professor last year at LSU and I had seen Hiroe’s work at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia during NCECA last spring. I guess you could say my attendance to this show was both personally and professionally motivated.

This exhibition was tucked into the back corner of Lillstreet’s entrance area, making it difficult to see without getting up close and personal with the work. Although Hanazono and Walsh’s work is disparate in content, the pairing made sense within the context of the space. Both artists use color and surface to engage the user in a variety of ways.

Walsh’s playful animal forms echo childhood memories and inspire a mood of delight when used. I should know, I use one of her squirrel fertility mugs every day for my morning coffee.

Her squat little characters seem to be in conversation with one another on the pedestal, inviting the viewer to join in the fun. Walsh meticulously handbuilds each piece with slabs in both earthenware and porcelain, giving them an individual quality not achieved with slip casting.

Hanazono’s work varies from Walsh’s in both form and function. While, in this exhibit, Walsh displays mostly drinking vessels and luminaries, Hanazono exhibits everything from flower vases to plates, to dishes for ice cream sundaes.Walsh intends for her pieces to be personal in subject matter but also relatable for others. Through surfaces just begging to be touched, she creates items that someone might cherish as a personal talisman or good luck charm.

The color palette of Hanazono's work is a bit different. Comprised of soft pastels, each piece creates a blank canvas for a variety of colorful foods. During the reception, Hanazono gave an artist talk detailing her history with ceramics and where it has taken the evolution of her work.

I was most intrigued by her process. She began handbuilding all of her pieces, but couldn’t achieve the precision she wanted so she moved (as many potters do) to slip casting. Initially, she was creating all of her prototypes out of laminated wood that would then be turned into plaster moulds. Hanazono said that this process was extremely tedious, but she executed her forms that way until recently. Now, she uses a CNC router and pink foam to create her prototypes, saving her hours of time. I had never before heard of this process and, although I am not big into slip casting, I still think it’s pretty cool.

At the closing of her talk, Hanazono gave a heart warming speech about home and feeling at peace with her location. Having been born in Japan and coming to the United States, she said she didn’t feel settled for many years but now, in Philadelphia, feels at ease within that community. It was sweet and nice to hear.

When I left Lillstreet Friday night, I was filled with a feeling that I often get after viewing a good show. It’s a feeling of kinship with the artists being featured and a renewed confidence in what I’m doing here, at Terra.

Thank you for ‘tuning’ in to my first blog here. Hopefully, there will be more to come.

Seana.

First Blog

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