Little Bits

The night before my portfolio was due I took photos in the studio of me most recent prints. None of them look very good. Here are two close up bits of intaglio prints from the past month. Maybe better photos will follow.

Notes on Process

At midnight last night I found myself in the sculpture building hallway, waiting for a ride home, wondering how I was still there with my final ceramics critique twelve hours behind me. All that time spent in this building, here is my final project. My professor, Michaelene Walsh helped a lot through out this process.



First, I wrapped dried vines, straw, moss,leaves and paper into nests and dipped them in clay slip. I let them dry a bit on bowl-shaped plaster molds. I dipped them three or four times, then let them dry. I sprayed them lightly with glaze and loaded them into the bisque kiln. As we closed the door, Corrie asked me how the ashes of the vines would burn out without exploding. I had minor panic attacks for the next few days until the door was opened again and they survived.



I spray glazed them and loaded them onto kiln shelves covered with silica sand. Again, a ceramics major asked why they would not stick to the shelves. Again, I trusted my professor because I did not know for sure that they wouldn't. They didn't. All but one survived the glaze kiln. I spent a nervous hour on a ladder hanging all the nests, eggs, and eating doughnuts. I am glad the semester is over.

What's Cookin'?

The end of semester feasting has begun. With the temperatures sinking to 28 tonight, it is a good time to have the oven going. There is sweet potato stew, vegetable broth for soups to come and steamed sweet potatoes to be turned into biscuits.


Meanwhile, this is some of what I hung in the Old Engineering Building Hallway. They are slipcast ceramics, assembled into impossible flying machines. I myself was flying high on sugar as my classmates brought doughnuts, cookies and candy to share for our last day together.

Sale

Red Hot Clay Center in Baton Rouge is hosting an art sale just in time for holiday gift shopping. I will have a few things there while I sit at the Blackird Letterpress table. See you there!

December 2nd!

I had to take a few weeks off to do it, but this month's postcard went in the mail only one day late. Of course, it has taken me nearly a week to tell you about it. This month was a collaboration with my friend Eric Gilyard, currently a resident of a beach shack in Puerto Rico, though we used to live together and before that, work together. To see the image, you will have to subscribe.

Expect daily updates for a while. I have a lot to tell you.

If it's not one thing...

The New Orleans Book Fair was as great as I hoped. I met some great people from Verna Press, saw old friends, met Alex's baby girl all while selling prints and post card subscriptions. Just as I loaded all the remaining prints into the studio, it is time for the LSU One of One Printmakers Print Sale! Towards the end of each semester and smartly timed to coincide with the Ceramics Sale, take over two tables in Free Speech Alley in from of the LSU Union Monday November 15th through Thrursday November 18th from 9 am till 5 pm. We sell handmade prints, books, cards, paper and more all created by LSU students and faculty. Work is affordable and half of the proceeds go to the One of One Printmakers' Club to help us bring visiting artists and guest speakers to our classes. This semester, I finally got around to letterpressing a poster for the event, printed in the same colors as a Rocket Pop.
Also check out the CASA Ceramics Sale under the white tent across the way from us. I buy one thing every year and break it accidentally one year later.

This year, I may not be buying anything from the Ceramics Sale because I made a bunch of bowls, plates and cups in my ceramics class. Above is one of the nicest bowls so far filled with peas from our side porch. We steamed them and ate them on salad last night with lettuce from the garden and a radish from the back yard. I do like Louisiana for its fresh food and great weather in November.

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I still cannot copy the image for the flyer for the New Orleans Bookfair. So go here:
www.nolabookfair.com , admire the artwork then make plans to be there, this Saturday on Frenchmen Street from 11-6 pm. You would be a fool to miss it. I'll be there with plenty of vendors of books, prints, and one guy with spraypainting caps. Last year Becca made cookies and we won the cute war.