Winter Session Classes

Youth Ceramic Classes

I just recently finished teaching my eight week winter youth ceramic classes at the Viehl Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. I'm very proud of my students and their accomplishments this semester. Here is some of their work.

The assignment for this piece, was to make a teapot that had personal meaning to the student. The head is the lid and one of the arms is the spout. I think the end result turned out fantastic!

For this assignment, the students used the coil method to make a face jug. We talked about Appalachian Face Jugs and how they used pottery jugs to store food because plastic containers hadn't been invented yet. This student payed close attention to the detail of the face and captured a great expression.

The assignment for this piece, was to make your favorite food. We used color slips to add color to our food. This student made sushi rolls, chopsticks and rice to create her favorite food. She used pinch, coil and slab methods to create her assignment.

For this assignment, the students were at the pottery wheels exploring pouring vessel forms. They were to create a form that included a spout and a handle. The vessels poured well after coming out the glaze firing.

Most of my students enjoy making miniatures. Here are some of my favorite!

First Ceramic Sale of the New Year!

I will be having my first ceramic sale of the year February 8th 2009 from 10-4 at Changing Hands Bookstore. It is on the corner of Guadalupe and McClintock in Tempe, Arizona. I will have functional pieces that you can give as gifts or use in your own home. My pieces are food safe, dishwasher and microwave safe. Hope to see you all!

30th Annual Contemporary Crafts

On Friday January 23,2009 I attended the 30th Annual Contemporary Crafts show and the Imprints: A Survey of Ceramic Faculty and Guest Artists at the Mesa Arts Center. It had a nice turn out for opening night. The show will be up from January 23-March 15 2009. If your attending NCECA this year or live in Arizona, check out this great ceramic show.

For more information check out the mesa art center website at http://www.mesaartscenter.com/MCA.aspx

The top piece is by artist Julius Forzano. He teaches at the Mesa Art Center and is has been exploring in the art technique printing as well as ceramics. The middle piece is by artist Jesse Armstrong. He is a graduate student at ASU. The bottom piece is by artist Farraday Newsome. She teaches at the Mesa Art Center.

The top photo is of Tom Budzak looking at some of the ceramic pieces in the craft show. The bottom photo is of Tom and his lovely wife Melissa in front of Tom's teapot.

Tom Budzak is a ceramic artist. He has a master's degree in Ceramics from New Mexico State University.He did his undergraduate work at ASU and received a BFA in ceramics. Tom's work is interesting to look at. Every time I look at his pieces I see something new. Nice Job Tom! If you would like to see more of his work check out his website at http://www.tombudzak.com/

Here is Kaori Fujitani and her artwork. She teaches classes, makes her own work to sell, and is the ceramic tech at Mesa Art Center. Her pieces are beautiful and calming to look at and enjoy. Great Job Kaori!

Work Day

I have been working on my colander/strainers for a few days now and they are coming along nicely. Here is the tool I use to create designs in the bowl and make the holes in the colander/strainers.

I end up with lots of little dots of clay. I wish I could figure out a project to do, with all these little dots.

After the colander/strainers are bisque fired I will need to prepare each one for the glaze firing. I will clean each piece and put wax in all of the holes and the foot rings of the colander/strainers. The whole process takes about 12-15 hours to make twenty colander/strainers. This does not include the firing process.

Work day

I'm on break from teaching at the Edna Vihel Center for the Arts. Today was a day to work on artwork for the new year. I wanted to create a new item to have at Made Art Boutique. The owner has told me lots of men visit her boutique during the day. This inspired me to create goblets today. A goblet can be used by both men and women, but I have had more men buy goblets from me. We will see how well they sell.

Ceramic Dinner Party

Gabrielle was nice enough to host an after holiday's pot luck ceramic exchange party. Everyone brought a ceramic piece of their own to be part of a exchange with each other. We were all thrilled to go home with someones masterpiece to add to our ceramic collection. Thanks Gabrielle!

Empty Bowls

Empty Bowls is a volunteer initiative of interested individuals that bring together all facets of the community to raise money for and awareness of hunger issues.

Over winter break at the Edna Vihel Center for the Arts, Connie organized ceramic artists to get together and make, glaze and fire bowls for the upcoming Tempe, Arizona Empty Bowls event.

This year the event will be held on February 27 and 28 2009. 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M. Both Days. The February 27th event will be held at 6th St Park(just south of city hall in downtown Tempe). On February 28th the event will be held at the community center courtyard 3500 S. Rural Rd.(southwest corner of Rural and Southern). Hope you all can make it!