Tag: #ceramics

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NCECA in Richmond 2024

This time of year is hectic with show calls for entry, and the upcoming NCECA Ceramic conference in Richmond in mid-March which was cancelled the first time due to COVID and now it is all set to see what is up in the ceramic world regarding education, upcoming trends and the various popups in the convention but most importantly Outside of the venue with different concurrent exhibitions going on the week from March 20-25th, 2024. I am again participating in a couple of shows there(but stay tuned to my IG for more information) as it gets closer to the event.

Whether a part time potter, teacher or student, It is always important to see the new aspects of the Industry. There has been a revival of interest due to TikTok and other social media platforms as hobbyists, influencers and professionals are gettin online to instruct, promote and use social media to reach a vaster audience and create a stir about their work. This has become part of the game to find new ceramic artists, or communities of potters and hobbyists.

The image above is one of the pieces which was presented in the last NCECA in Cincinnati at the Carl Solway Gallery, collective show of Erotic Ceramic Artists called “Obscene” and was a big hit with the ceramic crowd as an obligatory stop of one of the concurrent exhibitions outside of the Ceramic Conference. More than 90 concurrent Exhibits in and around Cincinnati and though exhausting, I want thank the organizers of the show for their hardworking effort to make that show a success.

Hopefully you get the opportunity to come to Richmond and check out this year’s conference and the concurrent shows going on that week. Discover new ceramic artists, network with the potters community or even donate a cup to NCECA so that in some way you can support the initiative in some way so that the ceramic community can grow stronger with many interesting forms of expressions in clay.

All for now, hope to see you there.

thehornypotter

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After NCECA,Getting Back To The Blog

Too much time has passed in the last year to keep up online to keep you all up to date with the goings on in my studio and am just getting back from doing a collective show from the NCECA Clay Conference in Cincinnati ,OH with other talented ceramic artists in a show Called”OBSCENE” which was in a funky gallery space, @The Carl Solway Gallery.

This was my first adventure off line and into the mix of physical shows where the organization, shipping, manning the show were all part of another way of “self- promotion” in order to get your work noticed and way to network with many other talented potters who share the same purpose to strengthen the ceramic community.

I am truly grateful to the organizers of this spectacular show for this opportunity to showcase my work at my first ceramic clay conference. It is always a crap shoot when deciding which shows or events are ideal for the placement of your work, and sometimes the risks do not always pay off. It is a better bet to “always” search out the locations, other participants who might be more well established before deciding if that or this is their right venue for work.

The quality of your work and that of others needs to be determining factor when you are decision making. The world of Art in general and shows is shifting as of late, and we see that due to social media, the way creative work is being discovered along with other unknown talents is partly due to the fact that the “online reality” has taken hold and now is an integral part for the creative community and an element to learn how to use to get your work outside of your comfort zone and into the creative community’s sphere of on and off- line events.

These shows do come with costs, shipping entrance fees, accommodations, travel expenses and much more are part of these types of adventure. And remember that no one works for nothing ,and eventual percentages should always go to the organizers, who risk the most for these types of pop-up shows.

Shows of this type are aways a great way to contact and network with other creatives, who you might until now follow online and have never met in person. It was great to hook up with fellow potters and ask technical questions on their work processes. I was amazed at some of the work in the show by Jason Briggs and Jamie Bates Slone.

In the end this w as a learning experience, a big learning curve on how to promote and connections for the future, we are all invested in positive experiences and also sales of our work. Hopefully this will be the start of new adventures in many new directions for me and the other potters in the show.

Go online and check out NCECA 2023 and Obscene Show at the Carl Solway Gallery to see images of the work presented and the talented artist that took part in this event,

All for now,

thehornypotter

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Changes @ The Torpedo Factory Studio

For the first time since returning to the US, I have decided to take on my studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center solo. My studio partner of many years has decided to sublet in other studios, so this leaves me with the decision to take my studio on alone for a couple of months and determine if it is do-able.

Believing in your creative work and gambling to see if your artistic endeavors can pay off is always the dream of many creatives, Sometimes solitude gives you the space to create un-interrupted and the flow of creativity can change and be altered.

There are a lot of changes going on at the Art Center, New artists arriving, another round of re-jurying of current artists, and the departure of many long time artists is happening within the building. So tensions are high, and many changes are occurring.

Change , for many is difficult butt sometimes necessary….For better or worse, it is a fact that everyone must adapt and take on the decisions with that come to us in the art community.This will help us to grow and maybe shift our focus in our work.

Working in front of the public isn’t the easiest aspect of being at the Art Center, stop and go is part of the routine to welcome art admirers and clients as you work through the current work at hand. Being a monkey in a cage, is not for every artist but providing the public the possibility of seeing the work process, and inspiring other part-time artists is important to show that it is possible.It also gives you the possibility to SEE the reaction of viewers to new work…..

This coming year, I will have to re-jury into the Art Center and have to be able adapt and prepare for the jurying. As my studio partner moves out after years of sharing a studio, I will be able to re-define the space and better utilize the walls and space to show the paths of creativity in 2D and 3D in ceramics, mix-media and illustration. Exciting and scary at the same time, hoping in the end that the added financial burden will pay off…

Will keep you all posted as things evolve……

thehornypotter

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No Time to Write, Just Produce

Due to un foreseen circumstances, my writing has taken a back seat to priorities as I find myself in the studio producing many new works for artist calls and a jurying process that I must focus on as the deadline nears. Been a rocky time since the last time I was able to blog, a lot of things are in continuous motion, and changes to the ceramic art scene. Some of the galleries I have participated in are closing their doors, and the search for new places to do group exhibitions are on the horizon, as I continue to look at different possibilities where my work can take hold and be open to a new set of viewers and art enthusiasts.

Change is good, as we all start to feel stagnant in the same shows and exhibition spaces. I want to thank the online community for the various opportunities that I have seen online, and new places to explore and visit.

How do you see your work in the scheme of things? With the arrival of Summer and the end of lockdowns, I think that it is essential to try some new things such as applying to collective exhibits, online or in person and maybe even a workshop to increase the knowledge of your chosen skill or craft.

It seems that there are many out there that, aside from taking a class have never pushed the envelope and gone on to the next steps of applying to a show, local or far away and start to look at new opportunities that may be about.

Right now , I am about to start my side hustle of teaching for the next 10 weeks and doing a workshop for some advanced students. As I teach , I also learn the capacity of my students and learn new things about technical aspects of the workshop that I am teaching.

Learning to step out of the box, and your usual routine, will help you to grow and not just settle for the things you know, and the places you exhibit. Finding new venues will help you challenge yourself and most importantly “learn” how your work is perceived and in some ways helps you to adjust your journey to make the adventure more profitable and time worthy. Yes there are costs along the way, but you get nothing if you do not invest the time in yourself and your work. Hopefully, this will inspire you to look at the various calls on Call for Entry or Entrythingy, or similar platforms that promote calls, residencies and even solo show. Give it a try and thank you all for understanding about my long silence online.

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Call for Entries and The Digital Divide

I thought That I would write to you all about something that has been currently occupying my time as of late, Calls for Entries and other submissions to Regional and National competitions where there is the opportunities to see where we all are in the life of Creative Souls and what the reactions is to the our work that we put out for artist calls for entry.

Not just in you neighborhood or local places but reaching out , to new venues that are done through the calls for submission of work, based on a specialized theme and the possibilities of getting into a group or solo shows that is not on your home turf…

As many galleries and creative venues are beginning to open and the hope that a return of a “New Normal” ,the various Art Spaces are having events to attract back the crowd that disappeared during the Covid Lockdowndue to restrictions. During that time, under the COVID lockdown, I focused my thoughts and energy more to the online reality and promised myself to apply to at least 3 calls during the year, regardless whether I get accepted or not.

It is really important that we all discipline ourselves to put our work out there and see how we measure up to the rest of the art communities. Depending on your medium, there are a lot of sites out there that are dedicated to the open calls, the fees, the image formats and how things need to be named and size restriction. and shipping back and forth, commissions taken by the organizations and the list goes on and on…..

We as Creatives need to grow a thick skin and put ourselves out there with the best. Painters, Fiber Artist or Potter/Illustrator like myself. The challenge of wading into” the unknown” is frightening and exciting at the same time. For those of you that are not exactly tech savvy, this is the opportunity to better your skills to the practical sides of the creative process, and Learn to do it better than before. Take pictures , re-size images, pay the fees and read the fine print is actually an important part of the Creative process. I especially am speaking to the generation of mid-life artists that are not so tech oriented. For them and all of you I want to say that with the advancement in technology and the internet. THIS is now part of the game. Everything is done online and we all need to get accustomed to it as it will not go away. We need to change with the times and adapt and learn the new ways that Calls for Submissions are done now and not 20 years ago.

Knowing that many of the older artists and some newbies too, do not know what to do….I will give you an example .Case in point, working in front of the public, I encounter many “wannabe artists” that want to show me their work on their phones, sometimes it can be actually decent, but most times it is mediocre…. Not to be mean, but this represents a lot of wannabe artists that are in mid-life, and have no idea how these things are done in regards to getting their work out there, where to take classes, the venues etc…. This happens to me quite frequently and am amazed that some people regardless of age , have seemed to miss the boat about the internet, social media and how things are done in the real world, especially during COVID and the lockdowns The virtual reality became very important to us as it was our escape from isolation….. Still I see many that have missed the boat…. As an artist we all need to be informed and it is ALL out there at the reach of you smartphone.

Where are you in this moment?

How many artists calls have you done during the COVID lockdown?

How many virtual shows or gallery submissions have you done that are OUT of State and not local?

Do you have someone help you to do the technical things associated with an artist calls for submission?

Do you fear of being rejected from these calls, because you feel others are better, so you continue to do the same things you know and do only this every year?Or some other excuse?

TOUGH questions, I know but this is what is called “growing” and “growing a thick skin” which we all need to do when, we put ourselves out there. Never easy, always difficult and time to stop making excuses and get on board. Many of my fellow artists are great people, but they only want to do the things they know…The reality is that if you do not put yourself out there, you will never know of all the possibilities of new venues tops your work, or grow a bigger audience that is attracted to your work, followers and perspective clients…

Do yourself a favor, look in the mirror and be honest with yourself and see where you fall in the TOUGH questions above, and do something about it. My blogging is not here to nag you, but INSPIRE you about all the possibilities out there….

Until next time, peace out….

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Why Erotica? Question Asked So Often

Getting away from the usual blog entries, so that I can answer a question that many have continued to ask of me about the Creative Use of Erotica in my work and the Pros and Cons of this decision…..

Many wonder why my site and social media entries are sometimes centered on the question of Erotica as subject matter for a lot of my work and, the answer is relatively simple. This is part of my research and story on trying to create work based on historical ceramics and the modern artifacts of such work applicable to Modern day….

I am not the first, and certainly will not be the last potter, who uses Erotica as one of the main influences on my work. The Chinese, Etruscans , Mayans and the possibility of living overseas for many years have helped me see my work as a chronicle of modern day society, the mores, and attitudes towards sexuality and the way it has grown into new groups for sexual deviance and more relaxed attitude towards sexuality towards the main stream audiences.

The Historic References have always been part of my research and the things discovered are quite amazing. From fables or woodblock prints to artifacts that I have uncovered during the time I read and research have lead me to the need to re-interpret this stories in my own way that it is pleasing to the eye for the decorative aspect and where technical execution of the construction and firing meet my critical eye and standard to work that I produce.

My aim is to appeal to a small niche of collectors and art enthusiasts that collect my work for fun as collectors and to use in every day life as they were meant to be when making functional wares, though decorated in a less common way. I like the fact that, something normally forbidden can be used everyday instead of destined to a collectors shelf or show case. As a potter, I firmly believe that functional wares need to be used and enjoyed everyday as we live our lives.

I hope that this answers the question , aside from the fact that I have a dirty mind which I am willing to admit…… Next time more about working in front of the public and less about personal preferences