Really Big Hills: Savoring the Seconds Between Sweet Relief and Terrifying Thrills

You know how it feels to ride your bike down a really big hill.  First you catch your breath as the wind delivers sweet relief of the burn it took to get you up there. Momentum nudges you faster and faster.  You only have a few moments to savor the thrill of speed. Colors whizz by in flashes and blurs.  A bug or two might even slap your face.  You hold off pumping your breaks as long as possible, but ultimately the fear of losing control wins. As you approach the bottom, the next hill looms as you wonder how much speed you can still maintain. You start pedaling like mad again.

The last couple of months have felt like that.  At the end of March, I had the opportunity to present my work in front of thousands of people at the NCECA Conference in Seattle, WA and I was named one of six emerging artists.  As the May issue of Ceramics Monthly came out, I was recognized as one of fourteen emerging artists featured in the magazine (the people's choice awards are open for one final day, you can cast your vote here.)

Delivering my presentation in Seattle at the NCECA Conference

While delivering my NCECA presentation, I  had the opportunity to publicly thank those who have supported my efforts.  I have so many reasons to be grateful right now.  Sherman Hall's From the Editor in the May issue of Ceramics monthly addresses key points of community, working together, and gratitude.  His words resonate with me as I look to the last few weeks of my residency at Arrowmont.

This year at Arrowmont has been one of community:  working together to accomplish many tasks.  The other residents and I just finished installing our end of year exhibition: we produced a catalog of the show that can be viewed online here. It is very appropriate that we will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Arrowmont residency by hosting a reunion retreat: "Celebrating 20:  Building and Maintaining a Community."  I am excited to meet and hang out with 50+ past Arrowmont residents for one week right before I leave this wonderful place.

Sometimes I think the biggest challenge of the really big hill is savoring the moment on the way down.

My next adventure (the next hill) will be establishing my own studio in Kansas City, MO.  This is something I have wanted for some time and I am jittery with excitement about this move.  I wonder how much speed I can build.  Better keep on pedaling.

May 2012 Issue of Ceramics Monthly

Containment III

Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC is gearing up for their third Containment exhibition, a celebration of the ceramic container.  This year's theme is "The Nesting Instinct."  Taking cues from the Russian doll theme, artists designed pieces to be nestled, hidden, and contained within another ceramic form, such as a box, tray, jar, or some other structure.  There are many joyful pieces in this exhibition.  It's definitely worth taking a look and unraveling each piece through the pictures on the website.  Each artist gives the viewer an unexpected surprise.

The folks at Crimson Laurel Gallery really understand the art of the online exhibition.  They take great care in photographing the pieces, treating the viewer to several angles and arrangements of each piece (not a simiple task, I assure you).  You'll want to have your credit card handy, because they make online purchasing easy too!  Check it out here.

Tree Jar with Flowers
Chandra DeBuse
Crimson Laurel Gallery Containment III: A Nesting Instinct

The Museum of Contemporary Craft: A True Learning Environment

The Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland is hosting a Betty Feves retrospective exhibition through July 28.   Her sculptures and pottery offer a glimpse into a parallel history of making in the mid-20^th century, from a female perspective.   I had not heard of Feves before seeing the exhibit, but during my 90 minute exploration, I was able to gain a pretty good understanding of the modernist sculptor/potter's background and processes.  

What makes the Museum of Contemporary Craft so enjoyable is that is is a true learning environment.  The 4500 sq foot space is airy, with giant windows and tall ceilings.  The modular pedestals are pared-down, utilizing plywood construction.  The exhibit includes ample quotations, printed on simple cardstock, giving the viewer a glimpse into Feves’ thought processes from her own words.  Viewers can scroll through digital pages of Feves’ sketchbook.  On the second level, a special display about Feves’ techniques included her meticulous glaze notations, test tiles and some of her tools and brushes.  The interactive lab allows museum visitors to engage in the direct process of making, using pebbles and stones, modeling clay, cork and wood.  Visitors can jot down a few words about their making experience, as well as place their creations amidst the other creations made during the exhibit.  

Sculpture by Betty Feves

View of the 1st floor gallery space

Interactive sketchbook

Display of Feves' process

CraftLAB displays museum-goer's creations

The Museum of Contemporary Craft

Location

724 NW Davis Street
Portland, Oregon 97209
tel. 503 223 2654

Hours

Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am–6 pm
First Thursdays, 11 am–8 pm

Evolving Forms

I have been repeating a mantra in my head.  It's a simple phrase based on something Kathryn Finnerty said at UF when she was there as a visiting artist a few years back.

Garden Treat Server, 2012
Chandra DeBuse

"Trust in the process of Making to propel your work forward."

New Juice Cups

Garden Juice Cups, 2012
Chandra DeBuse

These new juice cups are hot out of the kiln and on their way to Minneapolis, MN where they will be part of a preview for the 2012 American Pottery Festival at the Northern Clay Center.  Loop-de-loop lines, florals and stripes are awakening new ideas for pattern and form: my creative mind feels just like a spring bloom popping out of the ground.  

Ever feel like this?

Studio Juju

Kristen Kieffer, Chandra DeBuse, Amy Santoferraro, Martina Lantin

Call it mojo, juju, or good vibes, I feel lucky to be occupying the same studio at Arrowmont as these three clay-stars once did.  They were on campus for the ceramics surface symposium in January and I stole their souls by nabbing a photo in "our" studio.

Arrowmont has such a rich history that I can't help but think about the ghosts of Arrowmont's past when I'm walking the gravel trail from my house to studio:  former students, residents, staff--- all the way back to the days when Arrowmont was a settlement school.  One hundred years of history equals one heck of a lot of ghosts.  These three talented ceramo-s from Arrowmont's more recent past can haunt my studio anytime.