about me

Practically imperfect in every way. Start with a lot of silliness. Mix in some insecurities and a handful of awkwardness. Add a pound of naivety, innocence, and child-like wonderings. Blend well. Half-bake and top off with a sprinkle of imagination and dollop of dreams. It’s the recipe for me!

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quote of the day

  • "Moral of the story: Do not look at the gap. The gap is the mind-killer. Remember how Wile E. Coyote never fell down until he saw the chasm? It’s just like that." --Taylor "Tei" Lindstrom, Rogue Ink

dumbass quote

  • "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps. And I believe that our education like, such as South Africa, and, the Iraq, everywhere like such as. And I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children."

    --Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen 2007

kids say...

  • Jacob: "I need to operate on my frog, but first he needs some amnesia."

copyright

Copyright © 2004-2004 Kerrie Lee. All rights reserved.

Welcome to ART 308 - Ceramics

September 30, 2004

Ceramics is a lot different than other kinds of art because there are many factors over which the artist has little or no control. There is a lot of juggling of projects. For people who like to tackle projects one at a time, ceramics can be very frustrating. I’ve yet to take a class other than ceramics that does not progress in a linear manner. My jewelry class has a total of seven projects. We’ve finished the first three and are now starting project number four. Now take a look at my ceramics class.

There are also seven projects in my ceramics class. They are: #1 one press molded, footed bowl; #2 make a plaster mold and press 4-6 bowls from the new form; #3 an updated historical project; #4 a full-scale self portrait bust; #5 a glazing technique exploration; #6 a large pot; and #7 a teapot.

There are lots of little steps to each project, and you have to wait between most of those steps for one thing or another. Usually the waiting is for something to dry. Other times the waiting is for things like the firings. We only fire the kiln when it’s full, so having a project ready early is no guarantee that it will be fired before everyone else’s.

The short version of the process so far goes something like this. Day 1. Press #1. Day 2. Foot #1. Create form for #2. Day 3. Finish form for #2 and cast mold. Day 4. Clean up mold. While mold is curing, finish rim of #1. Day 5. Press #2a. Roll slabs for #3. Foot #2a. Press #2b. Day 6. Decorate #1 and set on shelf for bisque firing. Foot #2b. Finish rim of #2a. Set #2a on shelf for bisque firing. Day 7. Press #2c. Measure and cut slabs for #3. Begin assembly of #3. Finish rim of #2b. Set #2b on shelf for bisque firing. Roll more slabs for #3. Retreive #1 from shelf for glazing.

The long version looked much too long and boring (even to me!) so I’ll spare you the details. The point is, I’m ready to begin project #4, but project #1 still isn’t finished. And in a ceramics class, that’s okay. It’s probably no surprise that people with poor time management skills do poorly in this class despite their talents. That means people like me with average talent and decent time management skills do well. Maybe they should include time management in the course description.

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about this blog

It’s the spark of an idea that hits me unexpectedly. It’s the silly wonderings I have after a whirlwind of thoughts. It’s about creativity, inspiration, and imagination. But sometimes, it’s just about eating noodles.

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