Space Suits

Being at home over the holidays gives me a certain amount of free time.

How do I choose to best use that time? Clearly, looking at NASA space suits is the best way.

Check out this great slideshow from the New York Times Website: A Space Wardrobe

My New Hero: Cyprien Côté

Radio used to pick up whale's songs from around the world, Chant de Baleines

"In 1968 Côté took a trip to Italy that would change his life forever. One morning he was outside exercising when a small earthquake took place. He noticed a beetle near his feet that left his den while the earthquake was progressing. Intrigued by this Côté took the beetle back to his lab. As it turns out, this insect- the LoDuca Beetle- can sense earth tremors and always comes out to the light when he senses anything. Côté immediately took over a thousand of the Beetles back to Quebec and designed his earthquake warning system, INSECTES TREMOLOITANTS. The device was simple- one dark room, one light room, one tunnel. If someone would ever see the beetle, they would know that an earthquake would be on the way. Insectes Tremoloitants has saved over 800 lives and counting."-Matt Brown, Design Fancy (It's a great article, read it!)

Hairy Cups (?)

Some new pieces using old fur (and faux fur) for coozies on to-go cups.

Hairy cups? They smell like grandmas and cigarettes.

Stirring in the aether... A transmission...

....What's going on here?

Dream Excursion Module

I found this here.

Between furniture and micro-architecture...

Winter Madness

Daniel's birthday wings...

In a new slip-cast bowl, fresh from the kiln

And then one day this guy just showed up...

Fun!

I found this fellow here: http://seaquence.org/
you create an organic petri dish, with basic parameters such as wave shape and volume.
Its worth a try/ listen.

First Round of Casts

This is what is at the bottom of a bucket of slip that has sat for months. It looks so weird.

Pertinent Information

The Norge's Expedition across the North Pole, 1926.

Oh Flickr....

Luxury Dirigibles

Full article- here: http://www.dezeen.com/2008/01/10/manned-cloud-by-jean-marie-massaud/

How cool would this be? I mean.... seriously.

From Dezeen.com, my favorite way to time travel (i.e. lose hours of my life)

New Work for CORE Show 2010

Shipwreck

Large Flyer

Small Flyer

Generator

These are 4 sculptures I finished recently and will be in the 2010 CORE Show at the Penland Gallery opening October 8th.

Research!

Thank you Libraries of UVA.

Paint Samples

I am currently in Charlottesville, Virginia. There is a bridge near the Art Department building where students paint murals advertising events (the "Beta" Bridge). This has been going on since at least the 60's, and over the years these millimeter thick layers of paint have added up to over an inch of paint over the whole bridge. I was curious what a cross section sample would reveal, and above are the results. Pretty amazing and beautiful. This is from a relatively thin section, but you can see the amazing variations created by years and years of information layering. I'm not sure what to do with these objects, but stay tuned.

And, speaking of information layers, the UVA Library system is an incredible resource.

Current Topics of Research:

Technical Ceramic Material and Chemistry

Space Architecture

"Primitive"/ Vernacular Architecture

Swimming Pool History/ Construction/ Conceptual Ramifications

Historic Porcelain (Wedgwood)

Airplane and Ship Design

Gene Wolfe/ Book of the New Sun Scholarship

Vessel Chainsawed

I tried to create a vessel with the least amount of effort; using a chainsaw, I limited myself to 6 cuts, plus an indention on the top creating a cavity. It is cherry wood covered in a mixture of raw clay and milk paint, and gesso in the cavity.

Glaciers

In process plaster glaciers.

PlayForms

Made with a chainsaw, a lathe, and belt sander, then painted with milk paint. I hope to make molds of these objects and cast them with porcelain.

ReCap

As I am officially done taking classes at Penland until the Winter, I thought it might be interesting to make a list of all the classes I have taken while being a student here. I could write about each of these teachers, but it would not do them justice. I am thankful to each of them for their willingness to share information that has taken them a lifetime to accumulate.

Clarence Morgan- Painting: Color, Repetition
Brian Boggs- Hand Tools: Sharpening, Use, Design
Ledelle Moe- Armatures and Skins
Susan Halls- Animal Sculpture: Anatomy, Material
Jay Burnham Kidwell- Blacksmithing
Tom Spleth- Slipcasting and Moldmaking
Yuri Kobayashi- Joinery: Wood
Phil Renato- Plastics: Casting + Moldmaking, Rapid Prototyping, Fabrication
Jo Whaley- Photography: Lighting, Composition
Mark Gardner and Stoney Lamar- Sculptural Wood Carving

Now, a week off to get things together for the Core Show in October. And in the fall an independent study with Tom Spleth.

Resistance is Futile

Photo: Hannah Barefoot

Give in to the unstoppable adorableness of this image. How could you resist?

Censer Bearers

Detail

Detail

Pen and Ink, Acrylic Paint, Walnut Ink, Pencil- 18"x20"
2010

Shibboleth- Cloud Bear

Pen and Ink, 2010
12"x20"

Detail

Flying Machines Modeled on Insecst Flying in Front of a Porchlight

Detail

Detail

Whole Piece (23"x23")

Flying Machines Modeled on Insecst Flying in Front of a Porchlight, Pen and Ink, 2010

Anemograms- 2009

Anemogram with Stencil, Summer 2009

Anemogram with Paint, Summer 2009