I've had some glazing ideas rattling around in my head for a while and was really itching to get them out and into the world, so I took advantage of a window of good weather to get a raku firing in. Of course, the final piece is never the same as the picture in my mind, but that's part of what draws me to raku. The ideas themselves worked out, and I'm very happy with the results. I'm looking forward to developing these ideas further in future works. Mixing a few underglaze colors together to create a specialized palette was especially successful this time around, and you can bet I'll be doing more of that.
The final semester of my BFA program has been an incredible amount of work, and an even more incredible amount of growth and progress. I decided to really challenge myself and focus on raku for my senior capstone project because I wanted to force myself to embrace the unpredictability of the process. It has been quite a journey. A roller coaster ride of success and failure that has only increased my love of the art. Each piece that works is a surprise and a gift. Each piece that doesn't is a learning experience. What a wonderful way to spend my last semester.
Although I'm itching to post photos, I am holding off until the works go up in the gallery. The show goes up on April 21, and opens on the 25th. Check back around then to see what I've been up to. Also, you may have noticed a change in my page identity. I've been working on my "branding". I decided GCPottery doesn't quite say what I want to say as an artist. I'm trying out GEC Studios to see how that feels. I'll wait to connect to my own url until I'm done trying on names. Hopefully I'll be done monkeying-around with that by the time I open my actual studio! After an itchy two semesters away from pottery, I found my way back to the wheel. It felt like coming home. Yes, it took me a few weeks to get the feel of the clay again. To relearn the trick of it. To remember that you can't just force the clay, you have to listen to it, pay attention, respond. And during my clumsy reintroduction I blamed the clay and I blamed the wheel and I blamed the bats. Eventually I admitted it was me, and settled into the realization that these things take time, and dues must be paid. Again. Thankfully, once I accepted it, things progressed quickly.
It's been a very productive semester for me, and I've learned a great deal. For one thing, I learned that if I step outside my comfort zone, interesting things can happen. I also learned that I don't ever want to leave my world of pottery again. Which means I'd better figure out how to get my own studio set up. With graduation looming only a semester away, my days of unlimited access to the campus studio and all its wonderful supplies are numbered. So this is the beginning of my transition from student to studio artist. Wish me luck! |
AuthorGretchen is an artist living in Oklahoma. She received her BFA at Rogers State University. She enjoys various media, and focuses primarily on ceramics. Archives
December 2014
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