The Trade Exchange

 

"In a State of Flux" Part 1
Friday, April 27 from 7-9 PM
Circle Square Studio 108 SW 6th St. Gainesville, FL

The Trade Exchange as an interactive art exhibition. I am asking for your participation in this event. Make, find, or purchase an object to be exchanged for a handmade bowl.

Requirements:
.Thoughtful consideration of object
.Object cannot exceed 8x8x12 inches
.Photograph must be taken the night of the event with both objects

After a long semester of work and Thesis it is all coming together. I have already moved all of the work over to the gallery and plan to spend the weekend installing and finishing up a few drawings I have been working on at home. Please come on out and join me for the Trade Exchange next week Friday!

A BIG thank you to Shantanu Suman for helping design the flyer!

Surface

I recently came across some wonderful resources for surface and image transfer that you might be helpful. Watch, read, explore, try, and enjoy!

Meridith Host: Decorating Ceramic Forms with Screen Prints and Stencils

Jason Bige BurnettL How to Use Stained Slips and Newsprint to Make Monoprints on Pottery

From the Ceramic Arts Daily Webpage:
CeramicArtsDaily.org is an online community serving active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. CeramicArtsDaily.org provides a wide array of tools for learning about and improving skills, and a place for artists to display their work and to share ideas and perspectives about how their art and life interact to shape each other.
CeramicArtsDaily.org provides a free daily newsletter, access to Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines and the Potters Council, as well as linking you to all the related products and services that these groups offer.

its 'official'

It is finally official after months of waiting, I will be attending Ohio State University in the fall pursuing my MFA in Ceramics. It has been my dream to pursue my love for ceramics since childhood but I knew with certainty after I took my first college ceramics course at Hope College under the instruction of Shoji Satake. (now professor at West Virginia University) I consider myself both an artist and an educator and my goal is to someday become a college ceramics professor. I am looking forward to the challenges and rewards of graduate school. And not so happy about the distance that will still lie between Forrest and I but we both believe this is the right decision. It will leave us 16 hours apart and will not allow for weekend visits that we were so fortunate to have this year. I suppose it will teach us even more to cherish the time we do have together. -Jeni

a week in review

Last week was an adventure Forrest was in Florida visiting for the week. We both love Florida but I am in Love with Florida and I have been overwhelmingly sad to think about leaving and especially to move back to the cold north! The past two years have been some of the best and the Sunshine must have something to do with it! (and that my fingers and toes no longer turn white and lose circulation because of the cold!) So we spent the week embracing what time we do have left here... so I picked up Forrest from the airport and we headed for the spring (this has become somewhat of a tradition). We had amazing time with some great friends thanks to Cheyenne and Nigel for a ride and Charlie and Varian for organizing the event. Monday we traveled south again to Blue Springs with Cari- a spur of the moment decision that made for a rather fantastic day swimming in the spring and a trip to the Deland Bakery one of my favorites. Tuesday we had a chance to check out Lake Alice and visit the The Swamp- Florida Stadium!



Wednesday after class we decided to escape Gainesville once again to relive our first date in St. Augustine. We borrowed a tent from Cari because I have already moved most of my belonging to Baton Rouge, Ohio, or Michigan. (I can't tell you where anything is right now... other then the cloths I have on of course) We managed to get a camp site at Anastasia State Park and WOW was it amazing we set up camp and headed strait to the beach where we did not even take time to lay down and went for a long walk. I have renamed Forrest the 'Shell Searcher'. Walking with Forrest was like walking with a 5 year old I have never seen so must joy and excitement when it comes to sea shells. We were walking and walking and finally we had to turn around neither of us wanted to but it was getting late. I can only speak for myself but my feet still hurt from this walk- we should have known better! Two people with bad joints walking in the sand not a good mix. We went downtown for are date at Harry's Restaurant. Forrest got the crab cakes they were so yummy! We sat on the porch and had a nice view of the water then we headed down to listen to the live music before calling it a night. The following morning was somewhat painful. I had not finished editing my thesis and the first draft was due so I spent way to many hours revising before we were able to have any more fun. We of course went back to the beach before leaving the park to see if there were and more sea shells! Forrest had also gotten up to watch the sun rise and check out the shells before anyone else arrived at the beach- I no doubt was sleeping through all of that! We had a chance to visit the old Spanish Fort Castillo De San Marcos there were even real cannons I tried to move one but with no luck. We then had the pleasure of having dinner with a few of my friends Mike, Stacey and there little guy Joshua. We drove down to Palm Coast and they had us in for dinner. It was so nice to catch up and for Forrest to meet some of my friends. Friday was a busy busy day in studio with glaze tests galore and Forrest was kind enough to provide a helping hand. My phone has been acting crazy and it finally stopped working all together. My friend Nigel was kind enough to offer me his old phone. We headed to the verison store to get that switched over. It took a little longer then expected but for now the phone works. The second round of MFA graduates had an opening that night so we headed out and then we went to Civilazation a nice restaurant in town for dinner with a group of friends. Before calling it a night we stopped at The Top to take a photobooth, it was classic. While in the car Monica noticed we had quite the collection of shells in the back seat. Monica knows her shells and did that ever get us all excited! He left early the following morning at 5 AM. All in all it was a wonderful week and now its back to reality. Hard work and an attempt at play. I spend the following two day in the glaze lab yet again working hard enough to fill an entire oval kiln something I have never done before! And Saturday night was the opening for Through our Eyes: An Interdisciplinary Exhibition of Women Artists organized by my good friend Marah Gaiti. I have a big show opening in less then two weeks all the work is in the kiln, I open it tomorrow! Its hard to believe but the end is in sight. Also, this Wednesday we are have a end of the year pot sale for those of us who are moving away, join us in the courtyard and buy some pots! -Jeni

Thesis Defended!

It's not over yet but its close. Today, I successfully defended my thesis! I feel relieved even though I know there is still quite a bit of work ahead of me. I spent the past semester creating a ceramic resource for art educators. Please take some time to visit my website at www.ohhappyclay.org and spread the word about this great site! I have had an amazing time at the University of Florida. I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have accomplished so much, befriended so many amazing people, and met the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with! With the end in site I must admit it is bitter sweet. I am excited to start the next part of my life's adventure but sad to leave this wonderful place and community I have called home the past two years. Mike(the cat) and I will be traveling north where I am going to pursue my MFA in Ceramics at The Ohio State University. And the journey continues...

NCECA

This past week I was hard at work preparing for my thesis defense and spending time in the studio. My friends and classmates were in Seattle Washington attending the NCECA conference. NCECA is the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. I was bummed I couldn’t be there but I have been fortunate to attend a few of these conferences in the past. Every time I leave filled with images of artwork, new technical information, and a mind exploding with ideas. I recommend NCECA for anyone who wants to learn about ceramics, see more ceramics in person then you have seen in your life, and have a wonderful time meeting arists. Next year the conference will be held in Houston Texas and I plan to attend. The following year Milwaukee Wisconsin and I can’t miss that one with half of my family residing in Wisconsin!