Glebe road open studios 2010

This is my third year at Glebe road Studios and the third time I showcase my work at its Open Studio days.
Looking at my work I may say I keep in the same paths ( both sculpture and functional work) but the results are much better. It may sound pretentious, but looking at my work inspires and urges me to create more.
I have to praise the work and talent of my fellows at Glebe road too. All together we offer a good insight on what can be done in Ceramics nowadays.

Exhibiting at The Dig

This Thursday 4th of November I will exhibit one of my sculptures, at The Dig.
The Dig takes places at The Nest which is the new name of one of my favorite venues, Barden's Boudoir. 36-44 Stoke Newington road N16

THE DIG - LATE NIGHT UNDERGROUND ARTY PARTY
http://the-dig.co.uk/wp/?page_id=166

As part of East London’s famous First Thursdays, The Dig will be running debauched late-night lock-ins on the first Thursday of every month, bringing mind- blowing bundle of creativity from artists, writers, musicians, film-makers, designers, thinkers and dreamers.
 
The night will also be the official launch party of The Dig’s Creative Journal.

opening the cocoons

Today is the big day.
The ceramic sculptures have been fired and their shell will be open at early evening. The hollowed tree like structures were covered with wire mesh and 9 layers of paper coated with clay slip. This was done to help them to keep the heat and to protect them from brusque temperature changes. The wood to fire them was stoked inside the sculpture which was its own kiln. The wood consisted mainly of ash tree and some oak.
Just one of them collapsed. This could have been due to cracks in the tree like sculpture which made it to break apart when it was still firing. The fragil cocoon shell was not able to contain the collapsing body and broke open to our dismay. The crack may have been caused because the clay was not properly prepared. The clay in Church Farm has plenty of big chunks of flint and chalk in it, they were not removed.
In any case the last 5 sculptures seem to be alright and have finished their firing being now in the cooling down process.
They are waiting for the people to come to witness their birth.
Food, music and fire will be part of the spectacle/ celebration.

farming

So, here I am, in this idilic setting called Church Farm, Arderley, not far from Stevenege, wich is not far from big black hole London.
What am I doing here?
I am helping Valentin Manz to build and fire his tree like clay sculptures. We are working in the farm grounds, where at some point in the past there was a clay pit. Which is the reason Valentin choose this setting.
The weather has been kind of awful since I have arrived, but with that I get to appreciate the brief moments of warmth that the sun gives. Someone here said we should cherished those moments like a love affair.
The farm workers are mainly a group of student interns coming from all over the world but mainly Europe. They get payed £50 a week and they are fed and sheltered for free. It is not a bad deal. The farm has paid workers too
The Farm consists basically on cows, pigs, chiken,geese,and sheep who are roaming almost free on their respective fields.
The space dedicated to agriculture does not look that much compared with the quantity of animals.
There is the cafe restaurant, a shop for selling the farm own produce, which includes meat, eggs, vegetable boxes, and other organic products produced elsewhere. There is also cabins to be rented for short stays and conference rooms.
I would have preferred myself a less meat based farm. With more vegetable production.
I would not mind to have a cow and sheep from whom to steal some milk from time to time, to make cheese and butter, but without killing their babies, neither depriving them from mum's milk. Some hens to have eggs. No pigs.
I would like a huge garden with many vegetables and crops, lentils, peas, rice, corn, millet. Lots of fruit trees, avocado, kiwi, apple, orange,lemon, mango, figs, vine, nut trees and etc, etc...
I guess this would involve much more work.
Or maybe I am just naive.

Pot Fest Scotland 2010

This is a ceramic fair, a festival for the potters. The event has been running since 1997, and for what I was told it has a sentimental charge for many of the participants who bring their wares every year to this event.
http://www.potfest.co.uk/coxs.htm

This year the fair was relocated to Stirling as the original site in Perth was not available. I can not compare between the sites as this was my first time at it. Nonetheless I enjoyed the location for the fair
The new site was in a huge Mart outside Stirling, of easy to access by road and with plenty of space to park unload and display, camping area and services, delicious food and coffee
I was traveling by train, bus and foot, with all my work inside a suitcase, a tent and a sleeping bag. My arrival was a comic sight as I was told by some of the potters.
The Mart, was surrendered by fields and a twisting river, on the far backgrounds the mountains, the castle and the tower. The high sky like a busy highway for winds and clouds, charming...

Color in Scotland is very saturated

My display was neat and simple. We were provided with as many tables as we manage to carry to our spaces. I could not bring with me any props or plinths to create different levels so I was forced to displayed my work all at the same level on the table. I had white and black fabric to cover the tables and some of the cubicle fence. Some flowers collected from the nearby fields gave the last touch, It looked alright, fresh and rich in color.
There was a constant affluence of visitors during the three days of the fair.
I had positive feedback for my work and good sales.

To Pot Fest I brought my functional work. This work is intended to be used and liked. In it I explore and combine highly functional table ware forms with a colorful surface of layered glazes forming abstract landscapes. The glazes I use have depth and saturated colors. Color is provided by oxides. My functional wares are meant to be aesthetically attractive and functional.
I see my making of functional ware as making flowers.


The good thing about Pot Fest was the socializing with the other potters. There was some communal activities organized for us, we have food and drinks together and many chats. There was even a bonfire waiting for the dawn to come.
The mood was very amiable. Most of the people new each other for many years, meeting in previous Pot Fest or at other fairs.
Pot Fest was for some the beginning for a season of traveling with their wares. During conversation potters discuss the different fairs, work, methods, lots of jokes and some gossip.
I see myself coming back next year, I am looking forward to it, to catch up with all the lovely people I have met in this fair.

Caprichos at BCAF

This weekend I will be exhibiting my new work At the Battersea Contemporary Art Fair. http://www.bcaf.info/exhibitors.htm
The title of the series is Caprichos.

Caprichos is an allegorical set of archetypes materialized as three dimensional figures. They are the product of the creative union of my conscious and unconscious mind.

As a group they have a few things in common, the processes and material used; clay.
Drawing is my first step to consciously visualize and capture images from my unconscious. But it is not enough, I need to materialize them in 3D in order to finish their individuation and define them.
I follow a kind of ritual during their production.
They all originated from a pinched pot, two pinched bowls which are joined together to form a ball. This ball is like a planet to become or to be inhabited by the figure. The figures grow from this primal ball of mass and define their forms during the process. In some of them the ball gets transformed into something else, a skull, a turtle... In others, it disappears to become the core or heart of the piece.
I do not always strictly follow my drawings though they are the starting point.

The logic behind my choice to name these figures Caprichos is that I felt like indulging myself in their production. The term Caprichos also refers to Goya's series. They have in common with Goya's a the humor, but even if I consider them as food for thought it is not my intention to enlighten or to lecture the viewer. The viewer will make up her/his own stories. Caprichos are triggers, devices to stimulate cognitive (thought) processes.

construction line

I participated in this event last week. I was very excited and looking forward to it. It was a great experience, I did not have enough.


A review and photographs of the event can be seen at:

"http://detailsonrequest.blogspot.com/2010/05/report-on-fridays-performance-of.html"