Monday, June 20, 2016

Carey Morton Floats! How a Clemson University Art Department MFA Candidate Spent Two Weeks of His Summer at the Penland School of Crafts Building a Wooden Canoe.

Carey Morton, CU MFA in Art (sculpture emphasis) candidate, in Penland's woodworking studio.

Clemson University MFA in Art candidate, Carey Morton (sculpture emphasis) spent the first two weeks of June at the Penland School of Crafts in the North Carolina mountains in Bill Thomas's
Building the Fox Canoe workshop making a wooden boat.   As the course desription states, the "Fox is a decked, double-paddle canoe, a boat intended for protected waters and lakes. Fox boasts two water-tight compartments for storage and flotation and a comfortable seatback and caned seat. She is 14-foot 7-inches long with a beam of 30 inches and a finished weight of just over 40 pounds."

Carey Morton, CU MFA in Art (sculpture emphasis) candidate, sizes up his boat.
Bill Thomas is Studio artist and small boat designer who has taught at the WoodenBoat School, and Chewonkiin Maine, as well as Lowell’s Boat Shop in Massachusettes.  He is an online course instructor at Craftsy and Off Center Harbor, in addition to being a registered Maine Guide and leader of kayaking and sailing classes.  billthomaswoodworking.com
Carey Morton will begin his second year of Clemson University's MFA in Art program, where he is completing classes in order to obtain the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art with an emphasis in sculpture.  He also holds a BFA in Art (sculpture emphasis) from Winthrop University.



Carey attended Penland with funding from the 
Clemson University Art Department and Center for Visual Arts Scholarship Award fund.  For more about the Penland School of Crafts, go to: http://www.penland.org/.

Adrienne Lichliter, Clemson University Art Department MFA Alumna, in Two Great Articles About the Art Scene in Corsicana, Texas and 100W

L to R: Adrienne Lichliter, Lindsey Byrd, and Brent Pafford
Corsicana Diaries: The Art of the Small Town

Published June 12, 2016
THE TOWN

"For artist Kyle Hobratschk, a derelict building in a quiet town was the perfect place to find creative inspiration. Now he’s sharing it with other artists"

By Christopher Wynn | Staff Writer

To read these articles, please go to: http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/corsicana/ 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Kathleen Thum, Clemson University Art Department Assistant Professor of Art, Also in New American Paintings South #124, June 2016!

Kathleen Thum, Slope Scarp, 2013
Ink and Graphite on Layers of Mylar
21” x 16”

SOUTH #124

Newsstand Dates: June 2016 / July 2016

COMPETITION WINNERS


Kathleen Thum, Clemson University Asst. Prof. of Art

KATHLEEN THUM

Region: South
City / State: Liberty, SC

In my drawings, paintings, and wall installations, I obsessively render a continuous line to create intertwined, tubular forms. As I draw, I consider the effect of how the transmission of fluids and gases, along with pressure and gravity, would influence these imagined forms. The forms are layered, and they loosely follow aspects of linear perspective to become networks that reference the vast and intricate transportation, processing, and refining systems of oil, natural gas, and water as seen in our industrial landscape.
In 2010, I followed the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico through live video streaming. The video image of the pipeline seeping oil presented the earth to me as an organism suffering from a faulty and altered system. I have since referenced the pipeline in my work as a living, breathing entity, pulsing and growing with energy. My interest lies in capturing the ongoing shifting of power between mankind and the earth, as well as presenting the intermingling of manufactured systems and biomorphic configurations.

Juror: Emily StameyCurator of Exhibitions, Weatherspoon Art MuseumEmily Stamey arrived in North Carolina this past October to become Curator of Exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She came to the Weatherspoon from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona where she was Curator of Contemporary Art. Her recent exhibitions at SMoCA included Kelly Richardson: Tales on the Horizon and Leslie Shows: Surfacing. Prior to her work in Scottsdale, Stamey was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University in Kansas. Her projects there included such exhibitions as Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles; Tony Feher: Extraordinary Ordinary; and Odili Donald Odita: Television.




Sarah West, Clemson University MFA in Art Alumna, in New American Paintings South #124, June 2016



SOUTH #124

Newsstand Dates: June 2016 / July 2016

COMPETITION WINNERS


Sarah West (nee: Butler), CU MFA, Art (painting), 2012.
City / State: Washington, DC
"My paintings depict hybridized spaces in vivid colors, alternately fragmenting and coalescing. I consider play and discovery important components of both the execution of the painting and the viewer’s experience with it. I position my viewer as an explorer and navigator roaming through various spaces coexistent within a single composition, addressing the potential for fluidity between the material and the virtual.
"This series combines references to Early Renaissance painting with digital symbols and software references. By pairing sacred narratives with digital symbols, the work suggests the spiritual undercurrents within digital technology, in its potential for enlightenment, transcendence, and evocation of the infinite. Emphasizing the role of painting as portal, the work points to our persistent desire to be transported by visual means."

Juror: Emily StameyCurator of Exhibitions, Weatherspoon Art MuseumEmily Stamey arrived in North Carolina this past October to become Curator of Exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She came to the Weatherspoon from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona where she was Curator of Contemporary Art. Her recent exhibitions at SMoCA included Kelly Richardson: Tales on the Horizon and Leslie Shows: Surfacing. Prior to her work in Scottsdale, Stamey was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University in Kansas. Her projects there included such exhibitions as Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles; Tony Feher: Extraordinary Ordinary; and Odili Donald Odita: Television.



Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Clemson University Art Department MFA Alumni Featured in the June/July/August 2016 Issue of Ceramics Monthly!


1 K&R bud vases, Rod’s Bod Clay from Aardvark Clay Company, AMACO Velvet underglaze, and Satin Matte White glaze, fired to cone 10 in a gas reduction kiln.


"Working Potters: Kat and Roger"

Ceramics Monthly
Copyright © 2016 · Ceramics Monthly
June/July/August 2016, pp. 34 – 37.

It is hard to say what our initial reason for pursuing pottery as a profession was. It seemed to be more of something happening around us that we felt we could and wanted to be a part of. Timing plays a huge part in our story. Initially, Kat and I were both teaching part time and also working at Heath Ceramics when we realized the potential of starting our own business. At the time, ceramics was once again gaining popularity and we knew there was a window of opportunity for us to venture into something fun, creative, and that would allow us to work to our full potential. We both received MFAs from Clemson University in South Carolina, Kat in painting and myself in ceramics, so it didn’t take much to motivate us to start our collaborative business, Kat and Roger (K&R), where we make hand-thrown and hand-painted ceramic ware.

Career Snapshot
2 Kat and Roger in their Los Angeles studio. Photo: Ana Morales.
  • Years as a professional potter: 3–4 years (in business of KR)
  • Number of pots made in a year: more than 100 and less than 3 million (we really have no idea)
  • Education Roger: MFA Clemson University, BFA San Jose State University 
    Kat: MFA Clemson University, BFA University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 
  • Apprenticeships/employment ROGER: Adjunct Instructor at Glendale College, Glendale, CA; Studio Assistant: Heath Ceramics, Los Angeles, CA; Instructor: Xiem Clay Center, Pasadena, CA KAT: Adjunct Instructor: Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach, CA; Sales Associate: Heath Ceramics, Los Angeles, CA
  • The time it takes Making work (including firing, studio maintenance, cleaning): About 80% Promotions/Selling: 15% Office/Bookkeeping: 5%
  • Where it goes Retail Stores: 90% Galleries: 2% Studio/Home Sales: 2% Online: coming soon Pop-Up Events: 6%
  • Where to see more Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR, http://eutecticgallery.com Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA, April 17–Sept. 11, 2016, www.pmcaonline.org
  • We usually do a pop-up event at a retail stores during the spring/summer months and a holiday sale at our friend’s studio.
  • Learn more Website: www.katandroger.com Instagram: @katandroger

Living and working in Los Angeles, California, is a huge inspiration for us. We find ourselves inspired by the laid-back spirit of Southern California.


Location Matters
K&R began as a part-time venture. Starting in a one-car garage, we made work during our time outside of our day jobs, working after hours and weekends, until we finally gained momentum to invest back into our business. We moved into a house with a larger space but still felt that our studio was temporary. After months of searching, we finally came across a manageable space where we set up our very own studio outside of our home. Located in a small business district of an East L.A. neighborhood, our studio is technically a store-front. There is a large window that provides great natural light; we keep it fresh by displaying whatever new work we are working on for the community to have a chance to see. We chose the space for the potential to play multiple parts. We have ideas for having small shows in the front of the space, also involving more of our community of artist friends, while hosting a few of our own pop-up events throughout the year.


Partners in Life and Business
The pros of working as a collaborative team: Getting to work with each other every day. Cons of working as a collaborative team: Getting to work with each other every day. Seriously though, the advantage of our partnership is that we share the commitment to our work as a collaboration, and what one lacks as a weakness, the other compensates for with their strength. We tend to fill the gaps pretty well, which makes us a great team.
3 Kat and Roger’s studio and store front in Los Angeles, California.
Tough Decisions
Operating our own business is full of difficult decisions, but the toughest one we have had to make was to leave our full-time jobs. We knew we would be compromising our financial security, health benefits, and the comfort of working a standard 9–5 job, but we also knew our opportunity was out there. What we compromised in security we gained in freedom to pursue our dream of being full time artists. We know we are very fortunate to be doing what we do, and now looking back at that moment when we decided to make the big leap, it was a giant step in the right direction. Kat was the one who really decided it was time to work for ourselves and it has been without compromise nor regret.


Wholesale Pursuits
K&R is primarily a wholesale business. We make functional work that we would actually use in our own lives and see the potential of others enjoying the same. When designing and making forms on the wheel, I always consider the surfaces that Kat will paint, and mutually, Kat will paint pieces to thoughtfully consider the forms I throw. It’s a great collaboration where we have so much respect for each other’s process, which makes this whole thing so special.

As a wholesale business, we realize we do not have full control over how our work is presented to the public, which is why we carefully select the retailers we choose to work with. We tend to do business with specialty shops and independent businesses who carefully curate their merchandise while working with independent artists like us.

Working in wholesale is exciting, because each shop gives the work new life and a new community who may not have otherwise seen K&R. We have so much respect for how much our business has grown through the thoughtful and caring people we work with. They do not just try to push sales of a product, they truly care about how their merchandise is made and the materials used to make it.

8 Kat’s corner.
Social by Design
In today’s digital world, we have the power to present ourselves in the way we would like through social media. Instagram has become our primary source of networking. We post images of our most current projects, so people can find our work and to connect us with the world outside of our studio. It’s really the best tool for any working artist and business.

Atypical Days in the Studio

We do not really have a typical day in the studio. So much of our schedule depends on what we are working on at the time. This year is going to be especially interesting because we have a few projects planned that are an extension of our pottery brand. This spring we are doing our first collaborative, large-scale installation at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, so that has made for a very different type of day than we have had thus far. Most days are full-on production, consisting of throwing, trimming, and painting. But a good deal of our time is spent with studio visits, planning future projects or meeting with clients. We also try to make time for brainstorming new products and to create our own work outside of the pottery production. When we are in the studio, we consume lots of tea and coffee and listen to our favorite radio shows and music stations. And we’re always accompanied by our favorite ray of sunshine, our dog Sugaree!
9 K&R bowl set, Rod’s Bod Clay from Aardvark Clay Company, AMACO Velvet underglaze, and Satin Matte White glaze, fired to cone 10 in a gas reduction kiln.
Hard Earned Advice
Some advice for those who are interested in pursuing studio ceramics as a profession would be to have faith in yourself and get to know your audience, because they are the backbone to the success of your business. Also, understand the importance of getting your work out into the world. If it is truly going to be a profession, you cannot expect people to just come to you, no matter how amazing the work. It is hard work making a product, but it requires just as much hard work spent giving it life outside of your studio.


Note: Originally published in Ceramics Monthly (http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org), in the June/July/August 2016 issue. Reproduced with permission. Copyright, the American Ceramic Society.  Also reprinted with permission from Kat & Roger themselves. Many thanks to all!