Clayhaus

Hey everyone!

A few weeks ago I started working at an artisan ceramic tile studio in Portland called Clayhaus, all of the tile is made by hand through every step in production. While working in production is not ideal, this position really has allowed me to continue to learn and to add to my tool set. They are a great team and wonderful people, I am very happy to be working with them.

I am kind of the float studio assistant, helping out wherever I'm needed. This rocks because I am learning new things all the time. Mostly I am working the 30 ton ram press to make tiles, the images below demonstrate the process of making a dye for the press to create tiles.

Okay so the way the dye on a press works is this: It is basically a two part plaster mold. Inside the mold is a wire mesh with a hollow chord winding through it, this will be the tunnel for air to travel through. The mold is hooked up to an air compressor, when you press the pedal air is pushed through the tube inside the mold and then out through microscopic air paths created when the mold is curing. The air and water forced out through these paths allows the clay to release from the mold.

This is the machine the dye goes on.

Inserting the wire mesh with attached hollow chord for air flow.

Sealing the bottom of the dye with plasticine so the plaster won't leak out.

Freshly poured plaster, 55 lb bag! 

Scraping off the extra plaster to create a smooth surface, (this is a bottom dye so it is completely flat)

Air is purging the water out of the plaster creating the pathways for air to travel through when in use. 

Air and stem coming out, this much plaster took a while to kick but you can see the heat! 

Anyways: Here is a little more of the studio, loading and unloading kilns.

In the studio... Unfortunately this new job is pretty physically demanding and leaves me pretty exhausted at the end of the day leaving little time and energy for painting. Here are some paintings and sketches in the works:

I am thinking they are too pastel, not what I was going for but they came out like this. The green saves me I think. I could use a good critique here. I am interested in your thoughts on composition, scale, movement within the work, etc.

My next goal is to work larger, I can feel the beast within me ready to be unleashed. Give me that blank canvas! 

If you made it all the way through this post, thank you and bravo! Share something you have been working on, things you have been thinking about or places you are inspired by.  Keep warm and be boundary thankful! 

Lots of love,

Sami

Hallo from Berlin

Hey guys.

I know I have been seemingly out of the Boundary scene for a while, but you know you are always in my heart.

Just wanted to send a quick hello from Berlin, Germany. I am doing an artist in residency program here at the moment, and it's really putting art into perspective. It is so wonderful to see you guys setting up studios and making new work!

I wish I could send you some pictures of things I have made here, but to be honest I have mostly been writing.

Anyways, this city is truly amazing. I want all of you to experience it! I intend to have a book done by the end of this stay. Will update you.

So much love, I really miss y'all ;)

Maria

New Studio & New Motivation

Hope everyone is well! There is a new post on my blog about this weekend's events in Wilmington >>> kristencrouch.blogspot.com. I'm feeling very inspired and can't wait to work on some new things this week. Also, I will be renting a real studio space downtown with some very talented artists... and not to mention ACME Studios is like the art hub of Wilmington. So blessed to soon be a part of it. 

I am already really loving art blogging. It is more motivation for me to go to shows and connect with artists and really think about the work in a critique sort of mindset. I challenge you guys to start your own art blog in your city, or include some reviews on your own personal sites. It would be cool to see an online network of local art critics. It's also interesting to see what is happening in the underground art scene of a place that isn't always discovered on bigger forums. Have a great week you guys, I can't wait to see what you all are working on!

From Air to Canvas

So this post is for Kristen Crouch! My A-team/ dream studio bud! While I was editing some of the photos from my flight this past weekend I had some hick-ups in Photoshop, these images are the results. Made me think of you Kris.

My favorite one. Maybe I'll make a print!

Anyways, here are more of me actually doing what I was trying to do in the first place...

I am not ashamed to say I paint from photographs. Not just because it would be very difficult to paint something in a moving plane. Humanity takes photographs so literally, people believe that that image is a representation of something true that actually existed at one point in time and that it captured a moment that is otherwise intangible. This is true and it is false, the light that was interpreted by the camera did filter through the lens (or however that works) but it is also not the actual thing. Anyways I work from these images and interpret them in my paintings through my color palette and mark making, to me everything and all experiences are translations of actual existence. So it goes.

Newness

I just started a new, real blog.
http://kristencrouch.blogspot.com/
And a Facebook group. Don't ignore.
I also have been trying to work on some new things. These are done on an iPhone... still struggling whether it's art or just an app but I don't care, I dig it. Thinking these on metal like my previous work. I want to experiment with gifs, sound, and video as well. Please let me know what you think.

Keeping Sculpture Going for the Summer

Hey All

Playing with some clay to keep my creative juices flowing for when I go up to SCAD Atlanta to finish up my sculpture major. Keeping with a theme I have about taking different paths and how those decisions effect what is to come. Crossing barriers and thresholds that create permanent changes. These decisions we make layer us to form who we are. Also themes of inevitable movement with time and the precariousness that comes with it. 


Some work in progress made from clay 
I know they are still boxy

Working Title: Passages

Working Title: Marked Guardians

Meander Series 

 
I will hopefully have the surfaced and finished soon. 

Wilmington Loviin

Hello from Wilmington! I've been trying to stay motivated and working on new projects. Right now the words "Crucifix Heart" are on the brain for a new concept... I'll keep you posted. It stems from the struggles and frustrations that come with graduating and/or a huge transition in life... basically what I'm going through. I'm trying to take the negative and put it in my art to make something beautiful! I starting writing a little something that put the imagery in my head... It started with the looming words "THEY" in my notebook...

They watch

They wait 

for you to fail

They hold their breath til

they can say "I told you you were frail"

They stalk your sleep 

They crush your dreams 

They don't want what's best cause 

they detest 

to see you reach supreme.

They cheer,

they wail, 

they say you're great
but it's too little, too late

because it turns to hate as soon as you set sail.

"You're out of your mind, 

be kind,

you're wasting your time,"

they chime to no avail

Because to them a dime weighs more than your mind,

and your heart deserves a nail.

I'll post more as it progresses, but here are some super preliminary ideas :

    

And some stuff I did earlier, but I am thinking will work well with the concept/ I just really like them :)

  

And here's my studio. It's still kind of messy, and that plywood is going to be a work bench for wood work. And a closer look at my visualization board that is still in progress... but I would encourage you all to do one with things you want to happen/ dreams so they get in your head and create positive attitudes and actions :)




Thanks loves! I'll post more progress soon! Let me know what you think so far!