The Lonely Lighthouse (Ceramics Fall 2022)

Sculpture #2: Instagram (Stayokaystudio)

The Lonely Lighthouse

The Lonely Lighthouse is a piece inspired by the Instagram artist, Stayokaystudio, who’s core message is that it is acceptable to not be functioning at your best all the time but also to appreciate not being at your worst either, emphasizing that “staying okay” is a perfectly fine way to live.  There is a theme in their work of how existing can be incredibly challenging, so they create little figures to exist with you and remind you that everything is going to be okay.  My piece is inspired by this theme rather than the physical appearance of Stayokaystudio’s work itself, though I did include a little easter egg of my interpretation of their work inside the final piece.

Typically, copying someone’s work exactly is not interesting, so I extracted the theming and drew up a concept around that.  In my experience, the indoors are often the prime places to experience the most emotions, especially when being alone in your room where reflecting on your actions seems inevitable.  Combining this idea with the setting of a lighthouse, buildings notoriously distant from society and paired with loneliness, seemed like the best way to convey the theme.  However, I wanted there to be a shimmer of hope with the message “to stay okay” being delivered, so I emphasized a large window in which a bird could deliver a letter with the message inside (though in the final display the letter was unable to defy gravity in the bird’s beak and was instead set on the table).

Constructing a lighthouse proved mildly difficult, especially when I made the inhabitant so large that in the building accommodating him, I lost the ability to fit more detail and furniture.  As a result, I was only able to fit a table and chair inside the building’s first floor, though I figured this would be enough for the figure to sit and contemplate.  Inspired by the diversity of blues in the tilework in the Wiley Hall bathroom, I opted to tile the floor of the lower floor in a similar style and color.  The color scheme ended primarily blue, white, and black to convey the dreary nature of the lighthouse, with a touch of brown to create a slightly more interesting end product.

The Lonely Lighthouse taught me a lot about strengthening architecture by creating a several story structure in separate pieces.  Though if I were to do it again, I would definitely take more care to allow for dry time so the walls could have lined up flusher and been smoother overall, as the tower is very wonky from certain angles.  However, creating an interactive structure with dollhouse-like characteristics is something I would love to explore again.  I’d also love to explore a more articulated figure like the one I created to inhabit the space, perhaps with elbow and knee joints and a more thought through articulation method.

Future Me Thoughts (Spring 2024)

Ahhhh naïve past me... thinking I could get away with just one or two articulated figures in my ceramics career (as I sit here having done 14 figures in a year and a half).  However this was a great starting place and I'm very proud of my lighthouse keeper as a first ever articulation attempt.  My comments on the structure still hold true, it's a bit wobbly but for a first house it was not a bad attempt.  Now that I think of it, this specific project fueled my entire Ceramics II semester... interesting.  There are several projects in my life that feel like big milestones in my creative and technical abilities, ones that live on fondly regardless of their flaws due to what they did for me.  This is one of those... it'll always hold a very special place in my heart.  It walked so my future projects could run!

WIP PHOTOS

Making the figure first was a big must for me to ensure the rest of the house was in keeping with his size.  As I mentioned above, he was slightly too big in the end and I couldn't keep a perfect scale without making the lighthouse massive

My favorite way of making structures is the slab method.  Doing trims like baseboards act as a great support for the walls without looking out of place (plus baseboards make great detailing... houses without them feel weird to me)

Twist-ties are my #1 choice for attaching figures together as I discovered for the first time here.  Test fits are good throughout the process not only for making sure things fit but also to feel like you're making process

The floors, windows, and cone were done with shiny glaze and the rest was with underglaze.  My light blue glaze for both the floor and the keeper's shirt was actually a Jungle Gem that I picked around all the colored bits with a small brush to make it solid blue.  I'm still SHOCKED that I didn't end up with any of the colored bits in any of this!!

Kiln firing!

The Wiley Hall bathroom floors (which I visited frequently) inspired the lighthouse floors.  I felt that blues and neutrals worked for the lonely feeling

Assembly!

This particular construction is quite simple, one ribbon threaded through the body.  I didn't make the top head hole big enough to re-thread the other end through so I had to tie a knot onto the ribbon inside the body.  This means I couldn't pull it very tight so his head is pretty floppy, a bit of a liability.  Each limb has one hole and the head and body are hollow so the stringing could take place.  That being said a needle is still required to get the ribbon though easily. 

If he had his feet stuck to the ground his was capable of standing (his head knot has loosened so much that this is challenging to do in current day)

Chillin' after the kiln unloading

Staircase Descent (Ceramics Fall 2022)

Sculpture #1: Art Axis (Gloriann Langva)

 Staircase Descent 

             Staircase Descent is a piece inspired by the Art Axis artist Gloriann Langva.  Langva’s work focuses on capturing the fleeting moments from dreams by combining myth with personal experience.  The pieces are often heavily character based, though sometimes they are also interacting with expansive backgrounds, but always with lots of texture and detail added to the surfaces.  Her goal is to create works that reveal more upon further inspection, adding a dosage of unsettling secrets and mystery to the seemingly innocent and whimsical outside appearance.

            I decided to extrapolate the core theme of dream-like settings and characters from Langva’s work by creating my own piece that draws upon imagery directly from my own dreams.  Originally, there was going to be a specifically structured staircase with characters descending the staircase to a pool of water where a figure representing me would lay curled (all being pulled from aspects of various dreams I’ve had).  The staircases were to be hollow with cave-like stalagmites and stalactites creating cracks for things to hide in, drawing upon that secretive theme from the original artist.  However, the piece quickly decided to take on a life of its own and derailed from my concept.  I found I liked the shadows and hollow space of the empty staircases without any cave-like structures, then I found that no character I topped the staircase with seemed to suit it.  The staircase had become so powerful that it demanded to steal the show, so I had to figure out a different approach.

            In the end, I decided on creating things that would aid the staircase in being the focal point but still add a touch of something to bring the piece to completion.  Inspired by a beautiful stray fern I found on the ground outside the studio one day, I decided that finding it was a sign that plants would be a good neutral addition to the staircase.  Using glued together layers of fabric with embedded wires, I created ferns and leaves that I then painted with acrylic to make a cool green, matching that of the original fern.  I had a skull left over from a previous attempt at making a character for the staircase which I had fired with hints of the same glaze used on the stairs.  Using a previously created column, also in the same glaze color, I propped up the skull and nestled plants around it to blend in as my one “hidden” element (to call back to the original artist).  The addition of the plants helped cover up some of the imperfections of the two staircases lining up and added that extra flair and fluidity to the otherwise very bland and rigid staircase.  Although not what I originally planned at all, the end result is something I am very proud of, and I am glad I trusted the process!

Future Me Thoughts (Spring 2024)

            I still stand by that these five works from this semester are some of the best I produced...ever.  Yeah, big praise!  This particular piece paved the way for new techniques that I used in later larger projects (such as the leaf creation method and the use of mixed media elements alongside ceramics).  The sheer amount of happy accidents that I encountered while making this and my relaxed attitude made for a beautiful final piece.  The stone glaze is gorgeous!!  I had no idea it was mottled when I used it on a test piece, one that actually made it into the final piece to support the skull.  There is a fair amount of jankiness to the final assembly that I'm not overly fond of, but I was finding my way and doing minimal planning, so it worked out well in that regard.  I thought I'd never do stairs again after this but I did... and I'd do it again!  The final result is worth the effort.

WIP PHOTOS

Blocking out the basics and the shapes

Adding details (honestly looked really cool as is even unfired and unglazed)

With the glaze

I was delighted to final unintentionally that the two staircases actually lined up to make one long staircase.  Makes sense in hindsight based on my construction but in the moment I was astounded!

I thought I might try some wire only plants to keep the hole visible but ultimately like the opaque better

I was very inspired by this fern I found outside the studio... the colors and shape of it will appear later

All the leaves and ferns are made from two pieces of muslin fabric glued together with a wire in the middle.  Each one was individually painted (including the wires to make them green, thought the acrylic does chip off the metal if scratched)

The sponge was originally just to help things dry upright but it actually made it's way into the final product as I didn't have any better ideas for setting the plants into the hollow stairs

Made them pretty close to the inspiration!

Sculpture Final Project

SCULPTURE FINAL PROJECT

Animated Bones

9 in tall (being held, 13in from head to tail tip laid flat), 4 in wide

        Being allowed to try anything this time, I decided to attempt a long term dream of mine: to create an art doll.  These are posable figures created with clay elements (usually just the head and feet, occasionally other embellishments), a wire armature connecting them, and finally quilt batting cover with fabric to put meat on the bones.  These figures have always fascinated me, partly due to them often being fantastical creatures, but also due to the ability to move in any way.  Articulation is a huge interest of mine deeply rooted in my childhood of playing with my brother's actions figures (or even my own stuffed animals).  His action figures could move in any way you pleased, allowing for endless stories to be enacted without limitations and breathed life into the figures as they did your bidding.  As a result, much of my art has leaned into that unlimited options I experienced as a child at play, focusing on movement and fluidity.

       Without much plan in mind, I began sculpting what I originally intended to be a dragon but quickly turned into a skeletal dinosaur, inspired from my own bone shorthand developed from years of doodling.  I painted and then varnished the clay, preparing to move to the next them of assembly.  All seemed well until I quickly ran into problems with the clay I was using, it completely resisted direct contact with the varnish, and without that the paint around the holes would chip.  So I naturally tried the next closest sealant, white glue.  Once again, the clay resisted this and the white glue also peeled off.  I assumed this was due to the clay's ability to be reactivated with water (therefore never truly drying), and unable to wait through any more lengthy dry times on a clay with such a detrimental property I opted to keep going.

        Troubles continued as I attempted to create a wire skeleton to attach the bones.  Perhaps I lacked the proper wire or the skills to work with wire, but either way I was very dissatisfied with my final skeleton.  Hoping it would get better, I tried covering a small section with fabric, but without the quilt batting to keep the wire from sliding around inside I found it unmanageable.  Finally ditching everything but the clay pieces, I pivoted to another movable figure type, a marionette.  I'd always been somewhat interested in marionettes, mostly due to watching the 1965 movie The Sound of Music frequently as a kid and being fascinated with the yodeling puppets.  Instead of wire, I now used yarn to string together the pieces.  Once again trouble came as I had not designed the pieces for the stringing process of a marionette, so the final result was not able to move like it's inspiration would.

        Although the final result isn't one I'm particularly proud of, the amount I learned going through the process is undeniable.  I discovered that clay quality does actually matter, the limitations of wire, and to ALWAYS test my materials together before proceeding with a project using unfamiliar materials.  Despite being displeased with the project, though I am my worst critic and all, I still hope the piece brings out that childlike fascination in others in the magical movement of toys like I had experienced growing up.  I also hope that the story behind the process helps encourage others in their own pursuits to not give up at first try, but to continue on until the final result is achieved.  I for one will not be stopping here and am eager to give this art form another attempt!

FINAL PHOTOS

Pile O' Bones

WORK IN PROGRESS

Head!

Feet!

Hands and Tail!

First test wiring

All pieces made

All pieces painted

Pieces drying after being varnished (the holes allowed them to be put onto rods for full coverage coats)

Wire Skeleton

Addition of fabric.  In hindsight it looked decent, but the feel and movement was very off from how I wanted it

Scrapping everything and moving onto yarn (I was in a fury that night hence the hectic background)

Found Objects

 FOUND OBJECTS

Flower Finds Friend

8 x 10 inches

        Flower Finds Friend combines found objects, re-contextualizing this source material into a new narrative.  The piece depicts an intimate scene of the meeting between two friends, a delicate moment to breathe personality into the mundane objects that the sculpture consists of.

        As an avid hoarder collector of trash found objects, I already had a large bag of things to pull from.  My goal was to not cover the original pieces at all, but purely to twist how they are percieved.  For example, the arms and legs are forks, which are designed for making food easier to eat.  However, in this context the utensils don't have the immediate connection to eating as they are positioned and bend like limbs.  This continues for the whole piece: a hair clip takes on eyes and teeth, a whistle becomes a head with a snoot, a razor becomes a bug-like body.  Unlike the wood sculpture, I wanted all connection points to be fairly obvious to highlight the separate objects, so the entire sculpture is connected with visible wire (no glue, and the only tape used to keep the bug support in place during transit).

    Upon making the initial figure I knew something was missing, and determined that he needed a friend and an environment to push the narrative.  I was inspired by the process of David Bird and his Becorns, creatures made of natural found objects that then interact with the wild environment.  There is always this fleeting moment captured in his photography where the Becorns interact seamlessly with wild animals, and I wanted to capture that energy, granted in a more controlled environment.  I did so by suspending the dragonfly in air and the figure waiting with an extended flower, hoping this would provide that same tension in that the dragonfly could part at any moment.  I felt this reinforced the piece into being more interesting and less of just a compilation of stuff.

        All of these objects I had been close to as they served their original purpose, and re-using them breathes new life and appreciation for what they have done.  Each one carries a story: the decades old hair clip given to me by my mom and used for years until the spring finally broke, green saran wrap once used for home-made Christmas advent calendars, or even the most recent flowers from a friend's finished project who gave away the extras.  The sculptures were assembled with care and consideration to the past stories to create a new one that highlights their significance.  By seeing the objects so carefully selected, the viewer can wonder why that object in particular was chosen and what it's past was before being used for this piece.  When stepping away, I hope that Flower Finds Friend will have viewers reflect on their own objects used in daily life, seeing them with more appreciation and curiosity as to what adventures they could go on.

WORK IN PROGRESS

After realizing I wanted to make a figure out of my objects, I did a very rough mock-up of a humanoid figure with forks.  A bit horrifying, I'll admit, but it gave me inspiration for the fork limbs

Assembled in one sitting, I created the base for the figure.  I wanted it to look as though he has also found these objects himself and assembled his own accessories

Him vibin'

He needed some touch-ups, like to fill out his skirt and something to finish off the top of the head.  I decided on a large bow to continue my color scheme and compliment the skirt

He needed a friend, so I constructed a small companion who's like a dragonfly bunny... thing.  Upon giving it wings I knew it needed to be suspended on the base somehow

The makings of a base (pot color later changed to match the color scheme better).  This base was too small and didn't give a change to really see the details of the figures.  I eventually decided on something less distracting as well

FINAL PHOTOS