Alec Soth, Pauline, 2007

Robert Polidori, Wall detail and Surveillance Camera of Grand Cabinet de Madame Victoire, 2007.

at the Weinstein Gallery through Saturday.

And this is the last weekend to visit the Art Shanties.

Have a great weekend even if you don’t choose to look at pretty pictures or get some icy bright sun in your eyes! 

Upon opening up what I thought was going to being the last kiln before bringing my work to the gallery for the upcoming Jerome Exhibition (more on that later), I was initially quite pleased.  The top layer couldn’t have been better.  The second looked pretty good too.  But when I removed the shelves to see the bottom layer of the kiln, I did gasp.  And though my memories of the following moments are foggy, I probably did swear out loud when I found that one of my stilts bent and caused one piece to fall onto another.  Disaster!  Two beauties fused together.  

Of course the pieces were the only two of their scale in the kiln, and of course they both would have been quite stunning had they not become one.

I probably spent an hour staring at the piece(s), brainstorming how I might remedy the situation.  Would sacrificing one allow me to salvage the other?  Does Dremmel make a saw-like attachment?  Could a chisel do the job?  Many other questions raced through my mind before I realized that realistically, with the work due to the gallery in one day, I probably ought to save myself.  So I found a bit of grace, and a great deal of humility, and let it go. 

While I really wanted to include one or both of those pieces in the exhibition, I do have more than enough work to choose from, and that is a really great position to be in.  So I took a few deep breaths, had a last moment of, “oh how could this have happened now!??!” and set about editing the work and grouping the successful pieces together.

If I don’t think about the two-that-became-one, I’m quite pleased with how it has all come together.  The work is now out of the studio and in the dust-free gallery, and that feels great.  On Monday I will put up the installation piece, and then the only part left is to show up at Northern Clay Center for the Opening Reception on Friday January 15 at 6 pm. 

I will be  happy to see you there!

In the NY Times Thursday Styles section a few weeks ago I read this great quote from William Faulkner:

“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again, since it is life.”

Blue Segment, 1921

Aside from spending time with a few of my besties, the favorite moments of a recent (and way too brief) visit to NYC were spent at the Guggenheim seeing arrested motion moving again.  The Kandinsky show could not be in a better venue…to be able to see the paintings from so many different views and levels was truly wonderful.  Breathtaking indeed. 

And Memory, the Anish Kapoor piece, is a gigantic jewel!  He is a new hero.  Inspiration at it’s best.

You have until January 13 for Kandinsky and March 28 for Kapoor.  Get there!

If you are in the Twin Cities, there is still time for you to see the MNWCA group show. As a teaser, I thought I would show you some of my favorites. 

I love that in the first image Kelly Connole’s rabbit is tucked in next to Ursula Hargen’s most wonderful pitcher.  And I really like the more muted (and so not her usual) color palette that Mary Roettger chose for this piece.  There are a few faves that were overlooked…a problem with being distractible.  But you can find your own favorites when you go.

Take advantage of this weekend’s Art Attack and see much more than just ceramics.

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments.  The decision and the submission has been made and I’m happy to have that complete before a bit of time away.  I’m going to Kripalu where cell phone use is restricted, and wireless capabilities will most likely be limited.  So here’s to checking out for a bit!

It’s time to select an image to be used for the Jerome Grant press, and I am having a hard time deciding. 

The pieces that were recently photographed are still rather new to me, and I’m not sure that I see them clearly for what they really are…especialy when I see that some of my very delicate details may not be so apparent in the images here.  This makes me  question even more how something may appear in print (that may or may not be of the highest quality). 

So all of you who have not seen the pieces shown here in the reals, are being asked to weigh in.  Please leave a comment below as to which image you think might be the best one to use for press.

Gratitude to you in advance! 

 #1

 #2

#3

A wonderful group show opens this evening from 5-10 p.m. in suite 332 of the Northrup King Building.  The show consists of sculptural and functional ceramics by women artists living and working in Minnesota and was juried by Gail Kendall and Janet Williams. 

I am proud to be part of such a talented group.   

I’ll be gallery sitting on Monday, November 2 from 12-4 p.m. if you want to avoid the crowds.

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This year’s Solar Decathlon was  won by the German team.  And while I’m a bit sad that the University of Minnesota Team didn’t get the big prize (5^th is still impressive), there is no denying the pretty of this building.  

And it’s not just about the pretty.  It’s efficient too!  Big contractors and developers could learn a thing or two from these college and university students.

The image comes from Dezeen.  You can see and learn more here.

In conjunction with the great show currently up at the Walker Art Center, there are three good things to do in the next few days here in Minneapolis.

Tonight 

At 7pm Beverly Semmes will give an Artist Talk at the University of Minnesota Regis Center for the Arts.

Tomorrow 

There will be a Panel Discussion at 7 pm between Ann Agee, Kathy Butterly, and Beverly Semmes at the Walker.

Friday

Ann Agee will give an Artist Talk and Demonstration at the Northern Clay Center from 10 am-12pm and again from 1-3 pm.

All events are free and should be quite insightful! 

images (in order of appearance) are courtesy of atoa.org, walkerart.org, and artnet.com

Since last week when the calendar turned to 5770, I have been meaning to post.  Despite the intention to post more frequently (what is it about a new year that inspires one so much more than the new days that we wake up to so much more frequently?), I’ve been having a hard time getting back in the game.

Just before I left the studio this evening, I turned the page on my mini wall calendar.   When I saw the gorgeous Roger Vivier satin evening shoe covered in hummingbird feathers shimmering for October, I knew right away that would be the simple post that would be quick and easy and not take a lot on my part.

I love the slant of the heel, and the shape of the negative space created between it and the foot-bed.   So very glamorous.  And feathers!  Blue Feathers!  The shoe reminded me of the beautiful feathers that Martha posted images of here.

Because Roger shares the same name with my girl Clare, and because the Costume Institute also included shoes by Herbert Levine in this calendar, I have thought about making a shoe post all year!  I’m feeling rather pleased with myself that I didn’t wait until the absolute last minute (as per my usual character) to do this.  Here is one of the H.L. shoes from the calendar 

 There was also a really cute bootie that I almost showed, but since I’m not wanting to put away the sandals yet, this one was appealing.  The indulgence of the loopy structure make me think of cocktails, card games and Miami.

Wishing everyone health and happiness in the year ahead!

I have a new body of work to share with the world and the opening is this Saturday at gallery 360. 

At this time (pre-installation), I do believe that I am most excited about the wall pieces.  I can’t wait to install on Wednesday!

Hope to see you at the opening.

I just read here that Rocco Landesman was confirmed yesterday as chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts.  This Obama nominated change coming into the art world makes me hopeful (even on a very early morning after a not long enough night).   And I like Landesman’s simple and to the point new slogan for the institution: ART WORKS

This is some of my work:   

Some of the in-progress components of an installation going up later this month at Gallery 360 (the opening is August 22).  

Since returning from France I have been mostly in the studio getting ready for this show and haven’t taken the time to sort through images and post about my time there.  It will be nice to revisit it all in a week or two when the final kiln is loaded! 

It is the same almost every summer….I must force myself to be in the studio.  With the sunny skies, warm air, and just plain preciousness of it all, I would so much rather be swimming, going to outdoor concerts, playing in the garden, preparing fresh foods that are finally coming from  close by, and quite simply, making life rather than work.

 Since I have a show in August, I’ve been making a lot more work than life lately.  And since I’m not quite sure about the work (what it is about and where it might be going), there have been some trying days.  It is an interesting place to be.

I have been wishing that my friend Kathleen was still living in Minneapolis and not Ireland.  I am quite certain that if she could make a studio visit, share a bottle of wine and some words with me, I might feel a little better about the mysterious forms that have been coming about without much concept.  But she is there, and I am here, and a virtual critique just doesn’t seem right.  So I’ve been pressing on, trying not to think too much, trying not to dump too much into the reclaim bucket, and trying, really trying, to not question too much.  And that last piece has been challenging.

I picked up Maya Lin’s book Boundaries the other day.  It’s a beautiful piece about her process.  I found big comfort in the last pages when I read her statement, “I do not think you can find a reason for everything you make.”

 As a maker, I wonder if the need for finding reason in one’s work is implicit or acquired.   At this point, I’m not sure if there is either (or other) type of reason to this latest work.  Until it becomes clear, I will just keep repeating Maya’s words, and try to be good with that.

I will soon be packing a bag and getting on a plane to spend some time in southern France.  There most certainly will be time to contemplate my work and find lofty ideas about it all, but I think it is much more likely that instead I will gaze out at sunflower fields, be happy for a different perspective, and enjoy some good summer living a la francaise!

My week in the Badlands was a whole lot of everything.  I think it is that way when one who is used to spending lots of time by herself is all of the sudden one of sixteen!  We were a wonderful group of makers and seers and some amazing collaborations took place. 

 But for me personally, I noticed how having my little pocket digital, easy-to-shoot camera with me while wandering the buttes and pinnacles of the flipped over and dried up underwater landscape brought me much closer inside than out.

It is tricky to document the grandeur, strength and power of such a big place.  Especially while still showing the ease with which that same land can crumble beneath ones fingers.  

It was good to get real close, and try to capture a bit of sentiment that way.  And it was even better to set the camera down and simply take it all in.

I would like to go here. 

 Santa Maria Church

 And then swim here.  

 Sport Facilities ‘Ribera-Serrallo’

Photographs of Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza’s works were taken by Duccio Malgamba, curtosy of Dezeen. 

Instead, I’ll be visiting the Badlands.  I”m heading to the Wild West tomorrow, and will return with new inspirations, good stories and some images of my own!

Pompeii, Campania

2006

Archival Inkjet Print

Last night I went to an artist talk in conjunction with a photography exhibition by Brett Kallusky.  The images he captured while spending time in  southern Italy on a  Fulbright grant a few years ago had a stark dreaminess to them and were quite lovely to see.  But my favorite part of the evening was his mention of the oh so Italian manner of festina lente.  I’ve heard this wonderful phrase before which means to hurry slowly, and was delighted to be reminded of it on a most spectacular spring evening.

I’m experiencing a lot of impatience lately.  In the studio as well as in my life in general.  I’m happy to be where I am, but I am anxious for the next thing. Consequently, I’ve found myself pushing in ways that are not really fruitful…pushing a bit against time and real circumstances in an effort to dodge the uncomfortabelness of uncertainty.

Surely spring will bring on the real warmth of summer.   The ambiguity of my experimentations in the studio will soon lead somewhere.  And certainly some sort of clarity and resolve will arrive.  But until the process is complete, I am happy to be reminded to festina lente.  In fact, I think it shall be my mantra for the next little while.

Though I did not have the clarity and intention that festina lente provides, the glories of springtime have been slowing me a bit and I’ve been bringing lots of flowers indoors.    Filling vases and  enjoying  bringing the outdoors in.  Last week, lilacs filled my home with fragrance, and now the delicious sweetness of lily of the valley greet me when I open my door.  I love their smell, but I almost love better cutting their tiny little stalks, thinking of Thumbelina.  And today, I love that this simple act that brings me so much pleasure is a very easy way for me to be a little bit Italian and  move in a  festina lente kind of way.  

There is a hot wind blowing strong today in Minneapolis.  There are moments when it is snowing elm seeds in my yard.  In an effort to slow the hurry, I lingered a little longer at home this morning, spending some extra time in the green and bloom of my garden!    

(Maybe soon I will learn to collage digitally!)

Last week I received a most wonderful and unexpected package in the mail.  It was a copy of 500 Ceramic Sculptures from Lark Books. 

These are the two pieces of mine that are featured in the book.  

Vessel #160, 7×4.5×4.5                                       Vessel #163, 6×8.5×8.5    

#163 looks really good on a page all by itself.

I love that I can now say my work has been published.  And after I add some new images to the gallery here, I will be happy to make a new line on my resume!

                                                                                                 This image isn’t timely, but the content fits.  It comes from  a  demo and lecture I did with Richard Bresnahan a few years ago.   

This Friday I will be in very good company when I do a demo of  sculptural vessels at the American Craft Council show in St. Paul.  I will be part of a posse from Northern Clay Center.  My peers, Ginny Sims, Kip O’Krongly, Kevin Caufield and Mike Helke might all have more flash and drama than I, but I am hoping that my gift for gab will make up for that.  

Hand-building is slow and not very exciting until the work is complete…a bit like watching snow melt.  For these watch-as-you-go type of things, it’s all about the prep work.  And channeling Martha Stewart.

So if you are in the hood, come say hello and then be wowed as you see all of the cool clay tricks fly out of apron pockets.  

And if you can’t make it to the ACC show, I’m posting a video so you don’t feel like you are missing too much.  Ayumi Horie won’t be anywhere near the RiverCenter this weekend, but until the Shonen Knife version of On Top of the World had to be removed for licensing reasons, this was one of my favorite videos (and it’s still quite good even without a soundtrack).  

 If you are interested, you have until this Sunday to submit a new song to accompany the video.  Details are here.

Last month when I was in Los Angeles, my dear sister friend Clare was just beginning the preparations for an event that was held last week.  The lovely Heather, of Taylor de Cordoba Gallery, offered up her space for a trunk show.  Since the space is too small for pedestals and people at the same time, and since the walls would be filled with the dreamily precise works of Melissa Manfull, questions arose of how the treasured Vivier gems would be shown. 

When I suggested the swings, I envisioned tiny linked and very shiny chain of some sort.  So I was quite surprised and pleased to see how the simple (and probably re-usable) rope really worked quite nicely.

The wood for the slats is not only special (and re-made too), but adds nicely to the collaborative effort that is well in effect here.   It came from a container that traveled all the way from Denmark that held some of Else’s mother’s most cherished belongings.  This is transformation at its finest and most glamorous!   

When I suggested hanging bags directly from the ceiling, I imagined  slick and supple rip-stop nylon bags coming out of some kind of chain or cord in bundles like bananas or some other organic form.  The single bags hanging solo, in relation to each other and Melissa’s drawings, is way more chic and much more right for Clare.  

And all of this makes me hope that one day, she and Else will be able to help me install a show.

(all photos here were taken by Thierry Vivier)