Phase III: learnings

Opened the kiln this morning: gosh all fish hooks!  If ever I need affirmation that I am on the right track with this "phase" thing - there it was just looking back at me, smiling and winking. 

Runners.

Side projects progress well too! Holy Crap!

So today is a day of finishing up (mounting), and then lots of documentation and analysis.  Then the big question of whether or not I want to show this, and if Yes, where?

Phase III finishes

Today and tomorrow I'll fire a kiln again and finish up phase III.  I'm beginning to wonder whether this is just stage one of many, each with multiple phases.  It is interesting to contemplate these never ending projects.  Everything I've worked on these last months could simply be a portion of a bigger project hmmm.  There is that age old dilemma ... the when to stop dilemma :)

I'm looking forward to seeing phase I, II, and III side by side.  I'll post pictures once I'm done and maybe put a few out to facebook.

On a side note, it was very good taking half an hour yesterday to figure out how I was going to start today.

Pause Points Revisited

I begin to suspect that dividing my time between three mistresses might have true advantages.  My third mistress (Art) appreciates the fact that I'm not rushing through things. I can let pieces dry and set as much as they need to - almost the opposite of "deadlines produce good art". 
The midnight visits and hands on experimenting / sketching / rearranging / pondering ... lead to interesting results.

Phase III continued

As time progresses more and more pieces are finished up.  (Ceramics is what I think of as process based art - wet clay has to set, then dry, then bisque ... and then supports need to be made, varnished, glue needs to set ....)  I find that two things are going on for me:
1) Some of the finished pieces sing
2) Going back over the same processes (even though I'm getting more efficient) is tough and I find I am drawing on the finished pieces (see 1) to keep moving forward.

I'm looking forward to being able to put phase I, II, and III side by side.

I am reminded of projects I've started and finished in the past only because I never really understood the amount of work that would be involved. 

Phase II to Phase III

Some interesting accidents in phase II.  Looking forward to finishing up and moving on to phase III.  I made some decisions with phase II that I'm not entirely content with.  I will have a few samples of finished bisque at the end of this next phase.  I did spend some time deciding that I would not do that and I had good reasons but it turns out I still want to see those finished products sitting side by side.  I took a few chances in Phase II that turned out brilliantly - and I still love the side projects which continue to inform.


Here is what is not obvious about working in multiple passes: 

• The first pass (phase) work keeps talking to you
• There are things in the first pass that actually worked better than things in the second pass (for example sizing (and what I first thought of as an unpleasant clay body actually turns out to be quiet nice.)  Some of the sizing/proportional items worked better first time.
• Phase I + Phase II work generates a completely unique conversation.

Phase II

There are many interesting and valuable things about completely finishing up Phase 1:

• you learn more by going through to the end (supports, finishing support, how to apply finishing touches ....)
• you have finished work to look at and inspire you through the slogging as you start with a ball of wet clay all over again.
• working and seeing finished phase I work changes how you work - almost with more care and attention and to detail
• new ideas, or better yet new ideas that reach much further: I was planning on this finished product sitting on a round of ... and now I'm thinking of switching to a completely clay solution and wouldn't it be interesting if I cut a small circle out of the circle of clay ....

So there is the keeping what worked, enhancing what kind of worked, changing what didn't work ... all in a much more significant way simply because you have finished product to look at.

Phase 1 comes to an End ... and ... Phase 2 Begins

I was able to work on supports a bit in my spare time - nice having a studio so close - being able to pop in for an hour here and there is valuable.  So two big things to work on today: finishing phase 1; deciding what phase two should be and starting :)  Taking pictures as I go has turned out to be a good decision.  Sometime you go past the point where you should have stopped (ironic considering the topic of this project).  Pictures provide razor sharp hind-sight and if you are thinking phase 1, 2 ... then no real damage has been done.

 I wonder if there will be a phase three?

Side projects are informative too ... like a ceramic name for my car.
   Definition:  a quick sketch that allows you to experiment freely; its a solid effort but you kind-of expect things to fail.  I have a not why why not side project in mind now.... to work!

Decision time today

Ceramic projects near completion when pieces are glazed and fired; with sculptural objects, the decision is sometimes to glaze or not to glaze.  And then the question becomes how to display the finished product: context is a word that is bandied about.

Having several off days to experiment with displays and think and discuss has been a real positive.  This mid-project pause (and reflect, experiment, ask questions) that comes naturally when you work on art just 22 hours a week could turn out to be a real PLUS.

Easy not to decide and leave things unfinished – just start a new project – but we won’t be doing that anymore.  Pictures should hit my website soon.  (artofbart.ca)

25 year Jumps

Our son turns 25 today.  Got me thinking about all that has gone on during the last 25 years.  I've also started wondering about all the things that might happen in the next 25 years.  That thinking back and forward itself is interesting ... I don't often move that deeply into the past or future.  HMMMMmmmm  art project?

A Wrap and a re-start

I've decided to run my small kiln without waiting to fill it.  A new way of thinking for me.  Rational: filling means quantity - sometimes without the quality.  And waiting means losing momentum.

One more piece to make for the enough is enough project:  a negative space piece - I'll make two to experiment with "spacing" and also with trim.  And then I'm onto relearning the wheel and wheel throwing.  I see a lot of cylinders coming up.

Sart continued ...

A good first day start to this project.  Sketching is a bit light, but there were sketches and ideas before I began.  I am so 3-d :)

I'm thinking that there will be value in looking at, well, values ... so today I'm exploring something very similar, just with a different, much darker, clay body.  I'm documenting as I go but will  save the "public" photos  for finished work.

Making letters is very timing consuming.


I'm really liking starting the day with pen and paper

Enough is enough!

Is one allowed to make art just for oneself?  Is it still referred to as art?  Sart?  self-indulgent art?

I think any project that makes you smile is enough ... smiley art Sart?

The simple project I have in mind: "Enough is enough".  Fits nicely with other things I'm working on in other areas right now.  The whole day ahead of me ...

clean studio - clean start

Spent today putting away a project carefully - don't want to lose important information that came out of it ... ceramic coins.  And then I took a palm sander to some sad paintings I made in my first and second years ... nice clean supports ... right down to the masonite.  Cleaning up a en-caustic mistake required much more effort (torch and palm sander and lots of sanding paper!)  Super cool results though.  Finally a long needed mopping - nice to have a clean studio!

The Purpose of Art

"The purpose of our art practice is to sharpen both our outward vision and our inner knowing. We want to discover ways to express the shared truth of the human experience in this moment and space."  Cat Bennett writing in Making Art a Practice.