dA wHeEl

I am back on the wheel! It's been two years and I totally forgot how much I missed it. I'm throwing with raku clay for the alternative firing project. It is so much fun to be back on the wheel, especially when it is sunny out. But, it is really hard. I have lost so much and I can't exactly do everything as easily as before. But I'm excited to see where I can go. Summer is almost here. Egads!! :)

MaKe-Up BlOg

So I really should have done this earlier than now, but now I am trying to back up and do what I should be doing. Time for a make-up blog. Thought I'd take a look at the guest artist we have coming super soon.
His name is Pat Horsley and he is a pretty radical potter. I really like how his work is done of the wheel, but uses a lot of architectural elements. I am really excited to see what he can do! His glaze applications are also really awesome.

dOnE

So all of my pieces are done and photographed and I couldn't be happy. I am super excited to work with clay again and I am also super excited about getting my portfolio grade back in July. These are some of my favorite fish the way they photographed, especially the yellow one right above right now is my favorite of them all. I'm giving it to my mom for Mother's Day.

Can't believe that the year is almost over. I'm gonna miss this class so much.

iM dOnE?????

I never actually thought that this day would come, but I'm done with my concentration!!! My work ended up in a totally different direction than I had originally wanted, but it sorta worked out. [As long as certain people...Peter...don't eat the teeth :)] Anyway, I am actually really glad that I took this class because I feel so good about what we have all acomplished as people and as artists. Super excited to get to work with clay again next week!! WOOOOT!!!

Go Pacers!!

Good luck with the showcase!!

I'm BaCk!!

So it's been a LOONNGGG time since I last blogged. I even forgot the url and took me forever to figure it out. Anyway, just because I haven't been blogging, doesn't mean I have not been making art! I'm actually getting really close. After I spend my entire weekend on it, my portfolio is going to be done on monday. It is scary to walk in my garage and be met with 24 eyes staring at me, but it's cool they are getting so close. Still struggling with the teeth... But it'll work out... :)

lOs ExAmEnEs De Ap

I super duper really sure that I hate AP tests. They are really stressful and should just go die.

And I'm really feel down in the dumps about art right now. It's no longer fun and it just seems like another chore that I have to do. That concerns me.

Dismal blog post. Ugh.

But I still love my AP buddies. Sleepover sooooon!

fOuNdAtIoN

So I went to the LOSD Foundation Luncheon today and they wanted me to let y'all know that they are really proud of the work you have been doing in the studio! They said they are committed to working hard so we can keep the study and everything! You guys are awesome!! Remind your parents to donate if they can :)

Whitney, do we get NAHS hours for helping with the phone-a-thon? I'm getting worried about not getting enough hours...

In other news, I decided I am do an instilation with the fish on seperate blocks with seaweed-looking PVC pipe coming out of it. They will be able to be moved individually so that the art can be moved into different spaces.

Well... that's all folks.

wHoLe

So I learned the difference between whole wheat and bleached all-purpose flour this week... I had been using bleached all-purpose flour for my projects, but I ran out and I had a bunch of whole-wheat flour in my house. The problem is that whole-wheat flour is more dense so it holds water longer and one of my fish didn't drive soon enough so it molded. Pretty frustrating... but I guess I learned something...

And congrats to Collin's work in the Review, even if they can't seem to get one single name right :)

iNsTiLlAtIoN?

So, thanks to Whitney, I am considering using my fish in an installation. They aren't weather proof, so it would probably be indoors. I am considering finding a way to incorporate light into the process. Anyone have a good place to do it?

 

The concept of an installation was hard to figure out. "In principal, it means taking a large interior (the exterior can be part of an installation, too) and loading it with disparate items that evoke complex and multiple associations and thoughts, longings, and moods. It's a huge three-dimensional painting, sculpture, poem, and prose work."

Read more: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-installation-art.html#ixzz1Cs2Y0312

 

 

 

Sweet instillation by Lebanese artist Nada Sehnaoui

 

QuEsTiOnS

So the projects are going well... I can't believe that first semester is basically over! It has been pretty crazy lately with the shows and stuff lately, but I know it will all work out well. I do have a couple questions:

1. Are we supposed to be in the room when the OCAC judges are there?
2. /is anybody doing the art competition with Clackamas Regional Skills Competition?
3. My dad told me about this place on Lovejoy in Ptwon that shows you all about 3D imaging. It is interactive and apparently pretty cool. Anyone want to go on a field trip?

DeAr AmY,

You are the most supercalifragilisticexpialidocious art teacher! I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to spend the last four years with you. Your patience and guidance have really helped me figure out where I want art to take me. Thank you for going above and beyond what you had to over the years so all of us at Lakeridge could get some awesome opportunities in the world of art. You make me happy!!

Hugs and smiles, Kenzi

P.S. Good luck with Blake!!

tEeTh

Projects are all going really swell, but I am stressed about getting the ones I want to done by Scholastic's deadline. It is getting tricky to find time to paint them. I am excited about added the teeth to the fish soon. I am gonna use real shark teeth. They were actually pretty easy to get a hold of. Minus the whole smuggling them in from a foreign country thing.

And, Amy, if you read this: Good luck with your baby! Don't let my disgusted looks get you down, it is really great you get a new addition to the Burnham fam. :)

CoLoRs Of tHe RaInBoW

I am going to spend Winter Break painting all of my fishies with acrylics, which I have never done before. I am excited to learn some new painting techniques. This concentration (whatever it is) is breaking me out of my comfort zone and teaching me to let loose. It has been a very strange experience. I am still having a lot of doubts about the quality of my work, but it is fun to do and that is the point, right?

WINTER BREAK STARTS IN JUST A COUPLE HOURS!!

pInK mOnStEr

Concentration work is going really pretty swell. I have three paper mache sculptures almost all the way ready to be painted, which is the part I am most excited to do over winter break. I thought I was just gonna make fish, but people keep saying I should do some dinosaurs or lizards or something. So, here is a picture of a dinosaur but I think I want my stuff to be a little bit scarier than this. It is pink cause I've been home all day with stupid pink eye. Sorry I missed the birthday party, hope y'all had fun! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY.

Well, that's all folks :)

fIsHy WiShY

So, after a Thanksgiving/Snow/Furlough weekend of random art including wooden figurines, metal kinetic sculptures, more tape people, and some paper mache, I decided I totally want to ditch my concentration. Too bad I still don't know what I want for sure. I made some paper mache fish this weekend. I really don't think that their craftmanship looks high quality enough, but they were really fun to make! Who knows what is coming next?  I sure don't.

Anyway, this is a really cool paper mache fish. This Dan Reeder guy is crazy!

For more of his paper mache craziness go to his website. WARNING! This guy's work is CRAZY!

My fishies aren't painted yet.

Well, that's all folks.

gInGeRbReAd HoUsE tImE

So I was talking to Amy about a Gingerbread House Making Contest. I am totally down to bake gingerbread and bring it to class with a bunch of WinCo candy so we can truly discover the champion of cookie casas. Would you guys like to do this? And if so, in class (which means less studio time) or after class sometime (which cuts into our non-art lives)? It would count for NAHS because we would take them to the Stafford. Thoughts?

And in case you need inspiration:

MoViNg On

So I'm working with adding the ideas of movement and light into my metal sculptures. I think this piece is really sick cause it never stops once it gets started: A rEaLlY cOoL vIdEo Of A kInEtIc ScUlPtUre

Really excited to visit some sculpture gardens tomorrow and the GW Art Therapy department tomorrow.

Saw this piece today. Really sick display of masks. (Sam :) )

Go Pacers.

cOnCeNtRaTiOn?

Im really loving this lamp and it goes really well with what I am thinking about for my concentration: Geometric Repition in Riveted Metal Parts. But, knowing me, I'll probably change my mind at least 10 times before I actually have to decide. Anyway, I like the craftmanship of this piece. The base interacts well for me because it is so simply and perfect while the tree is a little more thrown together.

In the studio, I am really pushing myself to be free and just let loose a little bit. My craftmanship is going down, but everything looks like it has more character. Tough bunnies that I can't have both :(

Go PACERS!!

Sidra de manzana fresca en class manana? :)

cOnCeNtRaTiOn

So it is getting time to decide on a concentration. I'm not really sure how to phrase it or whatever, but I want to work with the concept of empty space while working with old metal signs and other sheet metal. The idea stems from several months spent rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Down in the 9th Ward, there were road signs everywhere that had been destroyed by the storm and looked really artistic. Also, road signs can be pretty hilarious sometimes. Example A:

Also..... I like this kid. Here name is Quinn. "Me gusta mi iguana"

TrAsH dAy

So six hours may be a really, REALLY, rEaLly long time to do art BUT.... the day was actually productive and sort of a good release to just let go of every other stress. I learned a lot about my creative style: I can't deal with a cluttered work station, I can't sit still, and I work a lot better with music. With all of that said, I brought a project to about 90% completion. I still need to decide if I should add the terra cotta pots and/or the silver metal things on top. I'm just gonna let the art settle for the while and see what I can come up with. I'm gonna work on just leaving things alone for a bit instead of just making everyday in the studio trash day.

In other words, I have been thinking about my concentration and I really want to work with the concept of empty space (figuratively and realistically). Who knows....

That's All Folks. :)