In Progress, Forever.

The hollow forms are progressing well. These new works are labor intensive and there is lots of problem solving to do. As I workout one solution others present themselves and I realize I could be working on this series for a long time. I have to work hard to keep my mind on one theme and not wondering off on all the possibilities for new pieces. I do some sketches, take some photos, whatever so that I don't forget all the exciting options I am being presented with.

The last work I showed progressed to this-

But I knew it wasn't finished, still felt it was lacking something. So I made some dummy parts that progressed to final glue ups (solid laminations)-

 

And now I feel satisfied I have the right form-

 

 

I have started on the next forms, which are of course even bigger-

 

I am getting better at making them and faster too, although I did learn that our local hardware store, Economy Supply, sells bendy plywood! Amazing! So much easier and cleaner than making all those kerf cuts in that crappy and cheaply made luan-

 

 

Next I have to start working on finishes. I know what I want I just to have to experiment and find where to get the right stuff. Finishing will, no doubt, be a big adventure in itself.





Color

Construction of my daily compositions, as a friend calls them, has slowed down a bit, as expected. For two reasons; our summer semester started, and I had to slow down as I needed to start doing more composing of the forms.

The first group of works were kind of like 3d gesture drawings, I jumped in not knowing or really planing where I was going. As forms, commonalities, and relationships began to develop I knew I wanted to slow down and make deliberate decisions about where to go next. The hard part is not losing the freshness and spontaneity apparent in the first works. So far so good. I started adding larger laminated sections and fabricated parts that required clear decisions and planning in the construction phase. I like how things are going, and they are getting bigger and stronger. I also decided it was time to start experimenting with finishes. Hand painting was not going to work, too may inaccessible spaces for a brush and many of the works will not come apart to paint individual pieces. So I tried spray paint and although it requires great patience the results have been very pleasing, and I am getting the bold saturated colors that I want. I have an excellent spray system, but right now I am using too small a quantity of paint in any one color to justify the expense of the paint itself, and there are so many excellent spray paint choices.

Right now I will be doing more of my daily compositions in clay, mainly because my intense summer teaching scheduled will keep me in the USM studio pretty much 40 hrs a week straight for the month of June. I will have several hours a day to work side by side with some of my upper level ceramics students and so far it has been rewarding, and they seem to be getting a lot out of seeing me work too.

I'll still work on the wood ones, but at a slower pace and probably on weekends. My goal with the clay and the wood is to get bigger.

Ormond Memorial Art Musuem

Here are some images from the show I am in at the Ormond Memorial Museum of Art. Located in Ormond Beach Florida (about 1 1/2 hours south of Jacksonville) on the Atlantic coast this lovely museum is a real gem in a lush coastal garden. Susan Richmond and the staff are amazing and I think did a great job in installing the work. You see this is the first time that I have had anyone else install one of my exhibitions. I feel every satisfied that it looks fabulous and represents my work well. Below of some images of the install. Enjoy!



All photos by Virginia Rivera



Final Show Images

The show is up and done! The gallery talk and reception were perfect. Here are some images of the final installation. My next solo exhibition will be in October at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. I am looking forward to it!

Installation In Progress

Images from early on in the installation, lots of art still on the floor and Taylor up on the ladder as we begin to hang stuff. Cell phone images are poor quality, better images of final set-up to come!

Still up in Tennessee, the installation went well. Tonight is the opening reception and gallery talk. Taylor has been a huge help with getting things done and a good hotel roommate for the past few days. One more night and then we are back home. Yay! Can't wait to sleep in my own bed again and get back to my students and my art work.

I also wanted to thank Steph King- Ten Sewing Machines and a Surger for a beautiful Sunshine Award!! (See sidebar.)

In the Studio Today

Images of tagged sculpture ready for packing and Red Boats, just out of their bath.

After going for a much needed and very nice run this morning I ran a few errands and took care of some laundry and dishes, I then finished making additional hanging brackets and they are now painted. I then drug out eight of the Red Boats, a very popular show item, and gave them all a bath.

After that I felt good about what was done and spent a few hours working on the train engine for the next show. It still needs a ton of work but I did get some stuff done and I feel the final solutions to some of the formal issues are beginning to peak through.

Now I will start wrapping stuff for travel. I feel as if I am ahead of schedule and that's good, but there are still many details to take care of. For example, I need to get all the installation tools and supplies together, including but not limited to, fishing line, bolts, screws, drill bits, sand paper, cleaning tools, a knife, portable drill and saw, paint for touch ups, brushes, etc... Rain is on the horizon for tomorrow so I will probably go and wrap some of the outside stuff first...

Not Exciting (but important non-the-less)

Today was another full day in the studio. I started the day with a pretty expensive trip to the Depot. I needed to get hardware for hanging 'boats' as well as plastic and other stuff needed for the trip to TN. Back home I oiled the Swamp Shack, did some repair on some broken stuff and pretty much spent the rest of the day making hangers, brackets and other hardware necessary for horizontal wall mounting of some of the 'boats'. Making the stuff is not hard but it is repetitive, I have plenty of good tools and steel, it just takes lots of time to customize them to each boat. It went better than expected and I hope to make more tomorrow, should go faster.

I really have to start wrapping stuff for travel. Now that's going to be a real pain... I'll admit I am ready to see this show up. I need to get back to some of the new work I am interested in, like making more swamp shacks and such. That is what is getting me excited these days and I want to finish the engine (I need to 'cause it's due at the end of the month). I was just invited to do another solo exhibition with a stipend up in North Carolina in October, I'll say more later when everything is ironed out.

Tomorrow is more studio work... To be continued...

Today in the Shop

Working on the Swamp Shack.

Inventory

It's been a crazy busy week. Luckily for me this next week is spring break. On top of that the weather has been perrrrrfect; mid to high 60's and sunny. I have moved all the finishing outside and got an assistant for the day. Bryon and I worked all day, he cleaning and oiling steel and cast iron works, me applying finish with my spray gun to wooden boats, among other things. A lot was accomplished. Today I did inventory, lost a few things I had on the list and found a few that I forgot to put on. Friday is trailer loading day and we drive all day Saturday. My friend Taylor will make the trip north-east. It should be a fun and interesting journey. The show will get installed on Sunday and Monday. It will be nice to see all the sculpture in one place and out of my house!

Grinding Away

Here are some images of raw castings, one shows the works with the gates and vents still on one of the pieces and the others show the gates cut off and some grinding done on the surface.

There is still lots to do with getting the surfaces cleaned up and then giving them the rusty patina I like so much. I also have another one from a prior pour I still have to do.

It's pretty nasty, dirty work, but they won't grind them selves, so I've got to do it. There is a lot of satisfaction once they are done.

These "homes" are part of a larger installation called Homes for Everyone. I have about 15 already complete and they are made out of all kinds of materials; clay, iron, steel and wood. They are also all different sizes and colors. This variety is an important factor that for me as it echos our ethnic mixture in this country. For me it's all about the housing crisis and how so many different people have been effected. I actually came close to losing my home this summer, it was a shocking realization. I truly believe that all people deserve a safe place to live and this art work will be just a small token to express my feelings on that.

Fuel for the Fire

Images from ABC Coke in Birmingham AL.

Right now we are heavy into preparations for our annual iron pour. Yesterday James and I headed east for the 3.5 hour ride to Birmingham to stock up on much needed raw materials. Our first stop was to ABC Coke. For years they have generously donated the coke (refined coal) that we use to fuel our blast furnace to melt iron for making art castings. We'll typically get between 4 and 6 thousand pounds per trip. Sounds like a lot but considering that ABC usually sells coke by the rail road car, what we get are just crumbs to them. We also made a stop a Specialty Foundry Supply to get some other supplies and then it was back home. A 12 hour day in the truck, thank God I had my good buddy James with me and a Ipod full of exceptional Jazz.