Happy New Year!

Happy New Year folks! I realized I needed to blog when I had the urge to write an entire paragraph on instagram. My last post was August right? after a failed attempt at blogging every day? I think I was thinking too hard and thinking too business-y with the blog. I'm going to keep this blog low key from now on...although I have been thinking a LOT about dying my hair so that adventure will surely be here. Also I'm getting married this year. Also I'm hoping to get into grad school this year x__X

Speaking of which, applications take  f  o  r  e  v  e  r  r  r  r  r. I'm applying to four schools: Rochester Institute of Technology, UMass Dartmouth, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Louisiana State University. One school wants a statement of purpose. One wants a letter of intent. One wants both. Some of them require two applications with two separate fees. Some want writing samples. One of them wanted three drawing examples from life out of the precious 20 images we're allowed to send in the portfolio and i'm like wtfffffffffffffff. It's not like I can't do a still life; my drawing skills are on point (or should I say fleek? What is fleek? Am I old now?). I figured by grad school you wouldn't have to prove these things anymore. SO NOTE TO THOSE APPLYING TO MFA PROGRAMS: photograph EVERYTHING. Even the still lives and crappy line drawings. It may save you later on; I'm so glad I did because I did NOT feel like drawing a damn thing. I'd like to know if anyone has had any experiences with these schools or areas. Let me know how they are! How is Baton Rouge? How about Richmond? Rochester? Come august I'm outta CT!

So if you only follow my blog (bless your heart) you haven't seen my dyed hair, as pictured above. Since I couldn't keep the locs because of my chosen dusty career path, I decided to color it! I'm starting with blond-ish since I know whatever color I want to do I'll have to lighten it anyways. I did the color myself and I have to say I really love how it came out. What I really want though are the wild colors. I want purple, lavender, pink, a rainbow of pastels, maybe even teal...Lemme show you my hair crush:

This is Mermaid Nef. She has gone through almost the entire rainbow and I'm in love. She's also into Sailor Moon and other kawaii things and she's just super rad. This purple with touches of magenta is what I think I want to try next. 

I also want to mention my super serious intention of losing weight. I know this is the time of the year that everyone makes new year's resolutions; I've never really been the type. I've been making small conscious decisions to improve my health since moving to our new apartment. Now that the holidays are out of the way I can really commit to something. I'm getting married and then there's two other weddings happening this year; one of them I'm a bridesmaid. I got a Jawbone UP band and it's really been helping. My complex has a gym so I'm already set in that regards. Here's to a less flabby me!

If you don't already, you should follow my instagram. It's my most updated social media and I'm posting more of my ceramics work there now than I have in the pass. Also right now I'm doing a give away on there of a cute lil' kitty mug soooo...... get on it :)

"Yes Dear" in progress

This is the first sculpture for my first series of works. I feel like it's taking me  f o r e v e r  to finish, but I keep reminding myself it's because I'm still figuring out the process; not to mention it's a more difficult pose than the other pieces I have in mind. The idea behind this piece is basically a stab at male chauvinism. I don't know how else to articulate my ideas about it yet, but make of it what you will. I'm super stoked about it :)

 I started by building solid. It was the easiest way I could think and plan out the form but gravity was clearly plotting against me. One of my friends builds this way after gaining some tips from the NCECA video Beth Cavener Stichter made about her process.

At this point it's hollowed out and taking shape.

Here's where I'm at now! The body is mostly done. I've added legs and have been compressing and smoothing the outside with various ribs. I have to finish up the head and attach it, make a tale, sew an apron and decide on how to paint it after it's fired. I'm really hoping my professor is right when he said the process will go much quicker after this first one. I plan on having 8 to 12 of these little guys by next year. Yikes!

Pottery I show and tell!

Yay for pottery! This was such an amazing experience. I had a really awesome (and accomplished) professor who's body of work is similar to what I like, so I couldn't have been more privileged. It took me a while to get the hang of it but I was able to make a teapot by the end of the class :D Here's a few of my favorite pieces. I'm hoping to build on some of these ideas. 

I really wanted a jar that said ¡azucar! in honor of Celia Cruz and for the fact that my family simply doesn't have a sugar jar.

At NCECA I snagged a bunch of decals to see what they were all about. I like using them; hopefully I'll come up with an interesting set with the remainder of decals I have.

Chinese character for love, "ài." My friend Ninh was teaching me some of his brush stroke techniques.

This lil' dude is one of 5 mugs, all with different expressions. I really want to make a ton more of these!

My first cylinder >__>....

Poop pendants! Ok so it's not pottery but I'm still into jewelry.

I finished all of the assignments in class with enough time for my professor to teach me how to throw a teapot. I can strain my tea in it and everything! ^_^

Needless to say I'm looking forward to pottery II now that I know what I'm doing (sort of, haha). I experimented alot in this class, especially with the glazes. I'm a little bit bummed that I wont have easy access to a wheel for a couple of months but I just bought 25lbs of clay to play with over the summer, so I'll be making pinch pots and trays and other fun handbuilt things. You can check out the rest of my work from the class over on my facebook page.

NCECA Ramblings

NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) was everything I could have dreamed of and then some. I wasn't sure what I would get out of it from the get go, but I knew it could only benefit me. It took (very little) convincing from my peers/friends, but I'm incredibly glad they talked me into it.

As I mentioned in my last post, this trip is in a way "solidifying" my commitment to ceramics. Basically I've been so fickle with my major ever since I've started college. I knew I wanted to do art but had little formal experience with all the mediums. This seriously used to freak me out. When I found out I prefer three dimensional art wayyy more than 2D, I started to gain a little confidence. I realized that I REALLY love clay after my sculpture II class at my community college. This was my second class ever dealing with clay and the community college didn't have a kiln, so we casted and bondo-ed the final piece. (little story: my high school was fortunate enough to have the kiln explode my first semester there, closing school for 3 days. Thus, only 2D work was henceforth allowed) Now that I've moved on to a university with a kiln and chose ceramics (eventually) as my concentration, I feel like such a noob since there's so much to learn about clay and firing. NCECA was the crash course I desperately needed.

It opened my eyes to so many possibilities and venues to take my career and my work. It made me feel confident and apprehensive all at the same time. If anything I know what to tell my mom now every time she asks, "so what are you doing after you graduate?" I learned so much about tools, techniques, and the going-ons of the art world; which is still a bit foggy to me but I'll get it eventually. The crew that I went with were the best and made my trip that much more fun. On top of just being awesome, they answered all of my basic noobie questions like champs and just made me more excited about ceramics.

ANYWHOOZIES on to some pictures of work I drooled over!

This was the first piece I was immediately attracted to. Anastasie by Lisa Clague

Gleaming Antlers Once by Tomoko Nakazato. My first time chatting (sort of) all artsy type with an artist. My friend grabbed her attention and did most of the talking but still!

Ignited States of America by John Runnels. Made entirely of cigarette butts donated by his smoker friends. I got to meet him too; his studio is pretty awesome.

Some cups from the cup sale NCECA holds every conference. There was no name on the black and white cup but I wish there was 'cause I loved it.

The cup I donated to the cup sale. I didn't have too many great options to glaze but I was advised to enter anything just to get my name out there. Unfortunately I didn't get to attend the sale when things were available for purchase, but I hope it sold!

I got the chance to watch a pro, Gerit Grimm, work while talking about her career.

Then there was this guy at the Brent booth in the resource hall like what the hell.

Derailing a bit here but this was on the side of a building near the Mexican/Japanese fusion hotdog truck. It may not be a real Banksy but it was still exciting to see. Also Mexican + Japanese + hotdog = the most confused yet amazing thing I ever ate.

I order the Geisha.

 Not sure of the name for this piece but it was by Valerie Zimany. I stared at her work quite a bit and found my self visiting it over and over again.

My favorite set at La Masa. I just love the colors and the shape and the fact that theres a spoon.


So NCECA was awesome and I'm currently convinced that I should try and attend every conference from now on--at least until I'm a bit established. It'll be a fantastic way to see different parts of the country since it moves every year. Next one's in Milwaukee, see you there?

Off to NCECA!

the bun security patted down...

It's finally here! My fantastic fiancé drove me to the airport bright and early. I'm at my gate a couple hours early and I still feel like its not happening. Getting through security was easier than I thought even though they had to pat down my bun >__>...

This trip is going to be awesome. I'll be surrounded by like minded mud-loving folk and I'll be experiencing the whole trip with 9 other friends and two kickass professors. This is somewhat solidifying (in my eyes anyways) that I am a ceramics major. A little scary, but I'm finally ready to commit to a major AND GRADUATE.

My Facebook page has some new albums!

Today I spent the day uploading. Believe me when I say I had plenty of stuff to upload. As I'm moving away from weebly and onto here I have to find other means to create albums of my work. I'm going with facebook for now; I like that it's casual and I dont have to limit it to a portfolio amount. here's some of my favorite works that I've uploaded so far. You've probably noticed I added some nifty links on the side over there :3 -->

3 8" x 10" canvases, acrylic. my name via Warhol

my precious whale mug i cant wait to use

embossed metal set on wood. 

Watercolor and GLITTERRR (you can see it in person)

till next time, lovelies

Whilst I wait for my ceramics class to start

Last Thursday was the last day of wet clay. All of the ceramics students were frantically working on our finals before the dreaded 7 o'clock came around. It. Was. Tense.

So now everything is in the process of getting fired and this lovely whale mug was one of my first projects. I'm so glad he survived the kiln! He may not be the greatest whale mug ever made, but he's all MINE.

Today's the first day of glazing and I couldn't be happier with the projects I ended up with.