Lineage
In this work I enjoyed thinking of vessels as portraits. I’d like to push this exploration further as my throwing skills continue to improve. When I first set the goal of creating a series of six jugs I only hoped that I could create a set with such clarity of form, character, material, and symbolic decoration.
Intent
When I originally conceived of this installation last semester there were three elements - the idea of a line/path that could be traveled by the viewer between two series of six jugs. One would be decorated in a traditional manner while the other series would be decorated using an animation and video mapping technology. In essence the viewer would travel through both space and time through form and material. There are still issues with our video mapping projector and the university firewall that Jonathan and IT have not been able to work out. I would still love to be able to create that installation.
But, it seemed fitting that this first series of jugs - or something approaching that first idea be a part of this installation.
changes
I’m not sure if change is the right word for this work. It feels more like clarity. First, I’ll address the form. When I began this thesis my throwing skills were really not up to this challenge. Last semester was the first time I had spent any length of time throwing in twenty five years. A large portion of my practice this semester was making this form over and over, finding a clay that could withstand the stresses of closed neck forms of any size, etc. Once I began to gain some level of comfort in throwing the form my next step was to begin to develop my own visual language for the form. What is the right size of the foot to shoulder ratio for my jugs? What is the peculiar shape of the neck and rim of my jugs? I developed this particular style of jugs by throwing more than 50 jugs over the course of the semester. As I progressed in my practice I began to think about my own indexical marks. I really like this two finger indention that can clearly be seen in these forms.
The idea of the thread as a way to mark/decorate the jugs came early in the semester but the technique for this particular aesthetic took several weeks to develop – as did this way of showcasing my native clays by including a percentage of them in my neutral white throwing body. Once my tests for this series were complete I knew how to complete this set. Unfortunately that required traveling to UNC Greensboro to find the right kind of atmospheric firing while ChengOu learned more about our kilns and worked out how to keep from over reducing our studio clay body.
I’m very happy to be ending this semester with one form/style that is truly my own, a couple of surface techniques that are repeatable and also my own, and the skills and materials to continue exploring this line of work in my future practice.
deinstallation
I am not sure what the future of these pieces is but I know I would like for them to remain together as a set. For the time being they will remain in my personal collection.