Two of my classes used hand-building skills to create these adorable clay lizards. We used the Sax Colorburst glazes. I love the colors, especially the Firecracker!!! The projects remain in the glass case in the Chittenango Middle School atrium.
We looked at the work of the Aboriginals of Australia for inspiration. Different patterns were added to the body, head, limbs and tail using a variety of techniques.
My B-day Art-8 students (Chittenango Middle School) created these clay masks. We used Sax Colorburst glazes. They have silica flakes that pop in the kiln creating confetti-like effects.
I offered students thirteen different colors and asked that they use at least six, making sure to place three coats of glaze on the mask for each color. It was tricky because the glazes transform in the kiln – there is that allowance for serendipity that doesn’t work if you are a control freak, but totally does if you are experimental.
I added a wire to the back so they can hang on the wall. Students took them home today. I miss them already!
Syracuse artists Jacqueline Adamo, Lauren Bristol, Dana Stenson and Tom Huff have joined forces to produce a contemporary spin on texture for the new art exhibit at Edgewood Art Gallery and Custom Frame Shop (216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse, New York 13224).
These four talented people – I am always running into them in town – I saw Jackie at the Yoko Ono exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art; I see Lauren every now and then while hiking at Green Lakes; ran into Dana last week at Target and Tom at the Regional Flea Market. But, weirdly enough, I missed the opportunity to see them all in one place at the same time at the art reception for their show, which was Friday night.
The exhibit is called Creative Thread. I popped in on Saturday to check it out. Edgewood is a small gallery, about the size of my living room, but owner Cheryl Chappell has a great eye and a way with space. Each show brings a fresh perspective and Cheryl does a magnificent job curating – pairing larger pieces with smaller ones and allowing all to shine. She is also a preeminent framer.
Jackie Adamo has created all new pieces incorporating fabric and sewing techniques into her oil paintings. Lauren designs her own patterns in these wonderful crochet wall hangings in addition to displaying several diminutive fiber art narratives. Dana is a metalsmith and has produced some mixed-media art pieces, as well as jewelry for this show. And Tom has chipped in with his reductive soapstone sculptures.
David MacDonald’s ceramics are still for sale too!
This exhibit continues through November 15, 2019.
The shop is open Tuesday-Friday 9:30-6:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM-2:00 PM. For more information call (3150 445-8111).
While the Everson Museum of Art is celebrating fifty years in the biz with all sorts of amazing events throughout the year, the AmeriCU Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival is clocking forty-nine. The fest is located on and around Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, New York with lots of artwork, jewelry, accessories and functional pottery. And musical performances, food trucks (Carvel Ice Cream!) and even a vagabond stilt walker or two. The first two days are clocked out but you can stroll the event tomorrow from 10am – 5pm.
I found Peter Valenti and his wife in their prime location right on the circle. Peter is a retired public school art teacher (East Syracuse-Minoa) who has always been a working artist. He is a member of the Independent Potters’ Association (IPA) and one of the premiere ceramists in the area. If you don’t collect his work, you should.
Valenti creates the slabs then bisque fires them. His fabulous glazing effects are by way of raku firing. The colors and patterning (dragonflies, ginko leaf) lend themselves well with Arts & Crafts style and yet, they have a modern flavor and would compliment any home décor. <3
For more information, contact the artist at pvalentistudios@gmail.com.
Eddie Dominguez transports us to his version of the Garden of Eden in his show at the Everson Museum of Art‘s Robineau Memorial Gallery.
His vision is one that reflects a heritage in which landscape and religion play vital roles. He is from New Mexico, although his art education took him to Ohio and New York, which is why we are able to fall under his spell here in Syracuse, New York. This show was curated by the Columbus Museum of Art and will be on exhibit until Sunday, July 28, 2019.
Dominguez combines ceramics and found objects to create his irreverent world. It is a playful, fantastical and thoroughly original body of work. <3
*** from the Everson Museum of Art website
The youngest of eight children, Eddie Dominguez grew up in Tucumcari, New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Amarillo on historic Route 66. He came to national prominence in the mid–1980s for highly stylized dinnerware sets that also stack into sculptural forms. In his work, Dominguez frequently references his home state’s vegetation, landforms, weather, and Hispano–Catholic culture. The dual nature of Dominguez’s objects, which inhabit the gray area between utility and art for art’s sake, reflects his personal experience as a New Mexican who studied ceramics in the Anglo–dominated East: whether we see “art” or “craft,” local Hispano or melting pot American depends completely on the immediate context.
The Everson Museum of Art is located at 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York, 13202. Call (315) 474-6064 for more information.
EVERSON MUSEUM OF ART HOURS:
| SUNDAY 12-5 MONDAY CLOSED TUESDAY CLOSED WEDNESDAY 12-5 |
THURSDAY 12-8 FRIDAY 12-5 FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH NOON–8:00PM SATURDAY 10-5 |
Gratitude is in abundance in November. It is in the air we are breathing here in Syracuse, New York The cold air that is making its journey across the ocean as I write this, which may actually bring with it a snow day or at least a two-hour delay on Monday (according to my meteorologist friend), is actually clearing our sinuses of the allergens from last season with every breath we take.
We are grateful for the freedom from headaches and nausea associated with said allergies, lol. By we I mean specifically me, but I assure you, there are many who share the same sentiments.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we (again me, lol) are all more keen to bring conscious awareness to our love and appreciation for our lives – our families and the pets we love, our friendships both near and far, and all of the things we love (yes! like art!).
I hosted a dinner party last night along with my friend Bobbi Rock Petrocci – Friendsgiving 2017, our 3rd annual and the biggest to date with thirty people dining together in the private room at Grover’s Table in Fayetteville, New York. It was a blessed evening. I just feel so overwhelmed with gratitude and love for these amazing people.
Last week, I met Bobbi at the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro in Jamesville, New York to assist her in installing her latest exhibition of Christian Brothers Academy student artwork. I did very little. She is an epic installer, equipped with level, hammer, tiny nails and the perfect plan to display these very special diminutive plates. I just provided the oh-that-looks-so-goods, and was the first to make a purchase.
They were made by CBA art club students in grades 7 – 12 for the purpose of fundraising for Hope for the Bereaved, a grief counseling group. These dishes are infused with color and spiritual messages, and/or delicate imagery meant to allow the flow of positive energy to encompass the viewer and subsequent owner. They are priced at $10 each. You put your money in a jar on the counter and write your name on the accompanying master grid to secure the one you want. A butterfly sticker is then placed under the purchased piece until November 30, 2017 when the show comes down and all the artwork are released to their respective new owners/homes.
These dishes epitomize kindness, the idea that we help each other heal; that children are just as capable as adults are to feel, express and share the positive vibe of love. Each piece is unique. I am sure that you will find one that speaks to you.
And while there, give thanks to amazing proprietor Debbe Titus who has been busily creating, crafting and baking pies to sell for Thanksgiving, as well as offering daily specials of breakfast and lunch – soups, salads and sandwiches that are very, very yummy – and of course, desserts like half moon cookies and pumpkin bread, cupcakes and all things deliciously amazing! So grateful! <3
My clay lesson this semester was the fish sculpture. I decided to do it with every class. My 5th grade, the 8th grade art students and the 8th grade Studio in Art students. It is such a great lesson because everyone starts with the same amount of clay creating a slab first that rolls up then adding the hand built elements.
They are all so beautifully unique! I decided to have a fishing derby. I weighed and measured every fish. Each class had a winner. The prize was a small bag of Swedish Fish, lol. Abraham’s was the biggest fish. He won a giant bag of Swedish Fish! So fun!
My new favorite place: the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro! It is located at 6500 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, NY (13078).
Cozy…and delicious! The cupcakes are perfection. This place reminds me of every Wayne Thiebaud painting I have ever seen. Proprietor Debbe Titus prepared amazing quiche and salad (and iced coffee!!!) for my friend Bobbi Rock Petrocci, art teacher at Christian Brothers Academy, Dewitt, NY, and me last week when we visited to discuss our upcoming art exhibitions. Mine will be during the month of October 2016. We installed Bobbi’s show this morning.
Bobbi’s former student Beth L. helped too – a recent graduate who will be attending college in Albany this fall. We used the technique I call measuring! Lol – math and art are like two fingers crossed, as are art and every other subject in school. There was a lot of measuring here – to make sure the shelving was of unified height and the same distance apart and to insure the shelves were level. This part took the longest but once the structure was in place, everything made sense and the pieces fit beautifully. It is the first ceramics show in the bakery!
It was really incredible watching Bobbi work out how to decorate this space. It was as if her vision was coming alive before our eyes. She used the small shelves to exhibit her own work alongside student work created during CBA’s Sizzling Summer Ceramics Camp.
Students created these pieces during the intensive one-week event. The work will be on display through the month of August 2016.
For more information regarding this exhibition and the bakery including hours of operation, contact the owner at 315-492-0110 or check out the website – www.thehalfmoonbakery.com
More information to come regarding my show including a plan to have a little gathering/reception, maybe on a Sunday afternoon. I will be showing a dozen paintings. Super excited! <3 And Bobbi Rock Petrocci will be back in November 2016 with a new crop of CBA student ceramic art! 🙂
Last night I went to the opening reception for the Feats of Clay student art exhibit at the Ann Felton Multicultural Center at Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, New York. It is located in Ferrante Hall beneath Storer Auditorium.
I was invited by my friend Bobbi Rock Petrocci who teaches art at Christian Brothers Academy. I guess I expected to see a lot of student grade work, but noooooooooo! This ceramic artwork is exquisite! The quality is really breathtaking, as you can see from all the pictures I took. But you should really have a look for yourself. Because there are nuances in the glazes that the camera cannot capture. And of course, everything is dimensional.
The work comes from many area high schools, and it is not like one school dominates over the rest. So amazing! So much to see – hand built works, pottery wheel creations, slab sensations, etc.
I did six weeks of student teaching with Robert von Hunke at Fayetteville-Manlius High School over twenty years ago. He, along with fellow retire-ry Peter Valenti (formerly of East Syracuse-Minoa High School) created Feats of Clay twenty-nine years ago. Much like an Olympics for ceramic students, they participate/compete in several events creating clay items, throwing clay – each school working as a team. This year’s competition will take place Friday, May 6, 2016 from 9:45 am – 1:00 pm at OCC.
It has grown exponentially to include this art exhibition, which is currently on display until the same day. Individual area ceramists as well as the IPA (Independent Potter’s Association) awarded students prizes for their work.
These awards included the best in teapots, hand building, wheel thrown and wall pieces. Clayscapes pottery offered an award too. See the complete list of winners on their website – here.
The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm or by appointment by calling (315) 498-7220.
Clayscapes Pottery, Inc. is located at 1003 W. Fayette Sreet, Syracuse, New York (13204). I buy clay for my classroom there – the Miller #10 is my favorite. My colleague and I also buy kiln supplies – most recently new kiln shelves.
In addition to merchandise, Clayscapes offers pottery classes and studio space. They have recently begun a monthly Sip ‘N Turn party, which I have no doubt is a blast. I would say that would be a lot more fun for me than to do one of those vino painting parties where everyone paints the same landscape.
If you are interested in more information, go to their website here. Or call them at (315) 424-6868. You can tour the facilities at any time they are open: Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturdays 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.
There is a gallery space as well. I was there earlier tonight for the Independent Potters’ Association artist reception. It is a group of eighteen extraordinary craftsmen and women. The ceramics were displayed throughout the venue, but instead of remaining for the duration of the exhibition, they were being sold right off the shelves. And selling like hotcakes. The piece in the poster for the show was sold, as well as an exquisite vessel that left its podium in a blink of my eye.
This makes me soooo happy. Thank you, art patrons, for recognizing the talents of these terrific artists.
It was a great party with free food and beer sponsored by Middle Ages Brewery. Get it? IPA for the IPAs (Independent Potter’s Association). Members include Peter Valenti, Don Seymour, Wes Weiss, Jessica Pilowa, Tim See, Tina Parker, Jen Gandee, John Smolenski, Millie St. John, Bobbi Lamb, David MacDonald, Brenda Conley, Lindsey Scott, Matt Hill, Karen Smith, Rebecca Wind, Sarah VanderVoort, and Wendy Emborski.
This show runs through April 30, 2016.
