CHQ 2012

I have just returned from a week of teaching beginning ceramics, critiques with resident students, and chillin' in the Institution on the lake...more precisely, Chautauqua Institution School of Art in Chautauqua, New York. It was great to return to a place where in 08, 09, and 2010 I spent the entire summers firing ceramic work, making glazes and clay bodies, ordering supplies and generally running the ceramic facility with help from my trusted techs and dedicated ceramic resident student workers, and knowing all I had to do was teach a morning class and participate in critiques for a few days. That was truly the best way to spend my Chautauqua week long experience. I was also happy to catch up with old friends that I knew from being there those three summers as well as to revisit some of my old beer and wing haunts and breakfast joints.

me making strange glaze room gestures as the students look on and wonder what was really in my coffee mug.

Besides all the easy going activities to check out like opera, theater, symphony and visiting artist talks, I got to check out a few really great shows in Chautauqua's awesome gallery spaces. Judy Barie is the Director for both of these beautiful galleries and does a fantastic job in getting great work and exhibiting it in a way that showcases the individual pieces as well as the cohesiveness of the overall show. One such show was the "Contemporary Portrait" exhibition that had work by one of my faves Wesley Anderegg as well as awesome work by Michael Ferris of which I had only seen in pictures...his work was really massive and incredible in real life. See pics below...click to see bigger.

detail of Michael Ferris's work

Wesley Anderegg

Michael Ferris and more in the Contemporary Portrait exhibition...Strohl Art Center.

Vanessa German

Another show also being held in the Strohl Art Gallery was by artist Vanessa German entitled American Ju-Ju: Root and Power for a New Century.
 This show blew me away...the work was both fantastic and powerful and demanded my continued attention to visually explore all the complexities that were included in each object.

In between my teaching duties I was able to squeeze out  some more "pour-overs", get them bisqued for travel purposes and even use one(flawed one)for a glaze demo. Check it out here...this one went to cone 5/6 and I re-visited some old fave glazes. Here it is sitting on top of a mug I was given by visiting artist Chris Miller...and in a couple shots by its lonesome.

 Note the new bottom...the ones on the previous post had a flange on the outer part of the rim and fit over the cup, these have an inner flange so it doesn't slide off the mug.(thanks Barbara Donavon)... The other image is a teaser for things to come...all it needs right now are some scientific diagram decals

The cool, wet weather up there marked the end of the summer for me in more ways than one...its time to make more work for the wood kiln at Little Mahoning Creek Pottery...its time to buckle down and get ready for the Fall season as far as having a big inventory goes. So, let me send out thanks to Lois Jubeck and Don Kimes who are the Managing and Artistic Directors for the School of Art there within the Institution...thanks for everything including making us feel at home and even walking Max. I wish you a good year and I hope to see you again down the line...now its time to get my hands dirty. Stay tuned...

see more pics from Chautauqua here...and see old CHQ posts here and here.