Art Sketchbooks

This week my friend Megan came over and helped me make some art sketchbooks for my students. Wow! Jessica I don't know how you do it. We tried our hand at sewing some of them by looking at the journals you made me. Megan got the hang of it pretty quick. My fingers seem so big when I'm trying th sew the pages together.

I had a lot of fun paper a teacher donated to me which I'm grateful for.

Thanks Megan for helping me with this fun art project!

Jessica you will have to offer a class to me to help me refine my skills. I know when I give the sketchbooks to my students I'm sure they are going to want more.

Sarah

Ceramic Book Part II

I completed our second ceramic book this week. This time, I bound it with a more finished look than

the last one. I also tried out some marbled end papers that were actually glued to the cover. I like

how this one turned out, and I'm more and more pleased with the project with each

book that I finish.

You can find our previous posts on this subject HERE and HERE.

♥ Jessica

Craftsmanship

As an artist I aim for excellent craftsmanship when making a piece. I want to make sure the piece fits the contour of my hand, has no rough edges, and has an overall feel of completion to it. As an artist I struggle with perfection. I read an interesting chapter from the book Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland about perfection. In a ceramic class the teacher told the students that they would be broken up into two groups. One would be graded on quantity and the other on quality. " It seems that while the "quantity" group was busily churning out piles of work-and learning from their mistakes- the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay. If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human;ergo, art is error."(Bayles and Orland)

This summer I worked at making a quantity of work, aiming towards great craftsmanship. I learned from my mistakes and this weekend evaluated my work I did this past summer. I got rid of the work that did reach great craftsmanship and reflected on what I need to work on this fall. It was a great release to seeing what works and what doesn't and how I can't wait to get back into the studio making pots.

Sarah

Rebound: Life Drawing

 When I was in Middle School I decided I wanted to learn to draw. Having artist parents meant that

I already had a solid foundation in the basics, but I wanted to be able to draw people. One of my 

parents gave me their copy of Constructive Anatomy by George B. Bridgeman, and I proceeded to 

copy every drawing in the book. This book was the most valuable drawing resource I have ever 

come across.

As you can see (despite the crappy picture), my copy is well loved. When I got it, the cover had

 been taped and the pages were brittle with several falling out. Every owner of this book 

(my parents got it second hand) had taped and mended it little by little through the years. 

This weekend I was at a used book sale and I found this copy of Life Drawing by George Bridgeman.

 Again, this is a well loved book. The previous owner had taped the cover back on, and taped in several

pages with thick masking tape.

 Since this book is a hardcover with sewn signatures, I decided to re-bind it. I removed the masking

tape, which peeled off easily due to its age, and repaired all the torn pages. 

I then removed the signatures which were in good shape and didn't need re-sewing.

I covered the original cover in textured green paper, leaving a hole cut-out for the center drawing.

I would have done the same with the title, but the glue from the masking tape stained part of it. I decided

it looks good without a title. 

I re-attached the signatures to the newly beautified cover, using a brown textured paper for the end-papers.

I like that this book was worn out. It means that, like my copy of Constructive Anatomy, this book

was valued and used often. 

If you are interested in books by this artist, they are still in print and you can order them from Amazon (or your local independent bookseller).

♥ Jessica

Ceramic Book

Sarah and I decided to do a joint project that highlighted both of our crafts. Sarah created

some Ceramic Book Covers and mailed them to me to bind. This week I completed the

first of these "ceramic books." 

I used good quality art paper, and each signature is surrounded by some rustic textured paper.

The book is a little heavy, but I envision it as an art piece in a nice library, or sitting on a large

desk with a fancy pen for jotting down all sorts of important things. 

I'm looking forward to binding the rest of our ceramic books.

♥ Jessica

 

Book Review

I love children's books. Even as an adult I still read children's books. One of my favorite books is A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. It is a great book for anyone interested in clay. It is about a young orphan named Tree Ear. Tree Ear has admired the work of the potter's of the town he lives in his whole life. He accidently breaks one of Min's, one of the most amazing potter's of the town, pottery. He must pay back his debt for breaking the pot, but it is he who is rewarded with learning what it takes to be a potter. The story takes place in Korea and focuses on making pottery with celadon glazes. Celadon glazes have been admired for centuries and it was great to read about in a fictional story. I love how Park interwines the story of a boy who is so eager to learn and how clay can teach one to be patient.

Sarah

York Beach ME Part II: Kentmere 400 Film

Film photography can be an expensive hobby. My favorite film is Tri-X, but when I saw that Kentmere film was drastically less expensive, I had to give it a try. I read several reviews from people who love it, and several from people complaining about the coarse grain. 

The grain is an issue for me. I'm not sure if it is my exposure, my developing (D-76 for 14 minutes), or my scanning, but some pictures look less grainy than others. I don't mind a little grain, and it adds something in some pictures, but others look odd. 

So, I'm curious if anyone has some tips or trick for reducing grain. 

What is your experience with Kentmere film?

♥ Jessica

Ceramic Studio

For the past eight years I have the pleasure of working in this studio in Arizona.

I enjoy the company of other's while working, but still dream of having my own studio some day.

The ceramic studio is well equipped with pottery wheels, slab roller and work tables. The studio is a nice size not too big, not too small, just right.

The walls are decorated with how to posters and inspiration. We have a nice ceramic library where you can check out books and videos.

Over the years, this studio has collected molds, stamps, tools, and fabric. It has a great selection of shared materials. 

Outside is the glaze yard. It is covered to protect you from the sun. It has two gas kilns and three electric kilns. Again it is the perfect size.

I love this studio and even when I get my own studio I will continue to make pottery here.

Sarah

York Beach ME, Part I

An evening rainbow at Short Sands Beach

I love my Polaroid 101

A Polaroid of the rainbow. Fuji FP 100C Film

 A Polaroid of the crowded beach on Sunday

Treats

I spent the weekend at York Beach, ME. It was fantastic. 

The weather wasn't too hot, or too cold. It was a pretty perfect weekend.

♥ Jessica

Wordless Friday

                                                           

Bowls!! Bowls!! Bowls!!

One of my favorite things to make is bowls. I love getting in the zone of throwing bowl after bowl.

The best part of cooking is picking the bowl that you can use to utilize for the recipe. If you know me, I hate to cook, but I love making pots to use in the kitchen. I love the way the food looks in ceramic bowls. It is all about the presentation.

One of my favorite books is 500 Bowls. I am always referring to it to get new ideas of bowls to make.

Sarah

My Crafty Week

I didn't feel very crafty this week. Between having a cold and being really busy at work, 

I just crashed when I got home each night. Last night I looked through my camera and phone, and
realized that even when I'm not very productive, I still craft a lot. I guess it's just what I do.

I worked on my crochet blanket while I vegged on the couch and watched TV. I'm exactly half

way done making the granny squares.

Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo repainted her daughter's Toms with amazing pink glitter. When I saw the

pictures I had to revive my old beat Toms. I really wanted to do neon glitter pink like hers, 

but I decided to work with what I had, and so I used Martha Stewart's Multi-Surface Paint in 

Silver and Purple Glitter. 

I got caught in a rain storm this morning, and the paint held up

beautifully.

Decorative paper was on sale for 50% off this week at Jerry's Artarama! I stocked up.

 I developed two rolls of film this week. These two photos were taken with my trusty Kodak

Hawkey Flash (flipped lens) with Ektar 100 film. I developed it with a Unicolor C-41 kit.

This picture was taken with my Holga 135BC on Rollei Infrared 400 film.
It was developed in Kodak D-76.

When you develop a lot of film at home, you end up with a ton of empty canisters and backing

papers. I whipped up a nifty little pocket notebook from my Ektar backing paper. It's bound 

pamphlet style with lined paper inside and more of the backing paper as the end pages. 

This would be a good field notebook on photography expeditions.

So, what did you craft this week?

♥ Jessica

Homemade Insect Repellent

My day job often involves working outside, sometimes in buggy swamps and woods. 

Generally, I don't have much luck with store-bought bug spray, so last week I made my own.

It's really simple

I used Tea Tree Oil, Citronella, Lemongrass, Peppermint, and Frankincense essential oils.

There are many scents that insects don't like, but I think Citronella is the best. 

Simply melt down 1 part beeswax and 1 part coconut oil in the microwave. 

Then add several drops of each essential oil. Don't be afraid of adding too much, the smell is 

what repels the insects. 

You can buy empty chapstick tubes and small round tins at the craft store in the soap-making section. 

As you can see, filling them can be a little messy (or maybe I'm just sloppy), but no worries. 

Once it hardens, just wipe off the outside.

I tried out my insect repellent the other day. I rubbed a bit on my exposed skin (arms and neck).

My co-worker was eaten alive, and I escaped the day with just a few bites.

♥ Jessica

Books Come From Trees

This book was a happy little accident. I had made this wood-grain patterned book a few nights ago,

and it was nice, but not impressive. Last night I was at Michael's Crafts and found these leafy stickers

by Martha Stewart, and they added a whole new dimension to the book. Now I'm very happy with it.

Also pictured is a comic covered, graph paper, book, and a sketch book covered with handmade 

cotton paper from India. 

♥ Jessica

Ceramic Book Covers

Jessica and I decided to do a group project. I made ceramic book covers.

First, I rolled out a slab of clay. Next, I picked which stamps I wanted for the front and back of the cover.

I decided to do the same stamps on the front and back. Next, the flat rectangle pieces were fired in the kiln.

Lastly, I picked glazes that I felt best matched the design on the clay. Now it is Jessica's turn to see if she can bind some paper in between the covers. The books might be super heavy but it is a experiment we are willing to try. Can't wait to see how they turn out Jessica. They are in the mail.

Enjoy!

Sarah