80 Days of Clay Project Progress

This weekend I commenced a new project, to make a small clay object everyday. I plan to continue this project through the spring and up until my summer in the studio begins.

my inspiration ideas, folded and ready for random selection

Day 1: Open project

I began the project Saturday. I didn't select an inspiration hint or "assignment." I went into my studio and saw a sprouting bulb and liked the shape, so decided to work from this.

my first inspiration

I worked with my daughter in the studio, trying not to stop what I was doing every few seconds to help her. I worked with two pinch pots to make a hollow form. I didn't have my good paddle at home, so I used a wooden stick which left markings on the side of the piece. I kept the markings and accentuated them. Then my husband stole the wooden stick to clean goop out of the drain, so I will not be using this particular tool again. My finished clay piece resembled the original bulb. My daughter's clay piece resembled a hammered pancake.

my first piece

Day 2: Beth Cavener Stichter

For my inspiration assignment, I pulled out a page that instructed me to make a piece inspired by another artist, Beth Cavener Stichter. She is one of my favorite artists, though my work is not at all similar to hers. I didn't have a plan ahead of time, but thought about it during the day before I went into the studio. In Art Appreciation, I often show a picture of one of her rabbits that is hanging from the wall by a metal collar around its neck. I decided to recreate a rabbit. I thought the ears would be interested.

my second project (just before being interrupted)

I'm disappointed by my rabbit. I was too literal in my interpretation of my inspiration. Today I wish I just used an abstract form with ear-like shapes added on. Instead I have a chocolate bunny without the chocolate. I decided to texture the rabbits surface like my own sculpture instead of like Beth's. But after an hour and a half working, my daughter woke up from her nap and I decided to "finish" since one of the rules I set out for this project was to finish the work in one sitting.

the second project "completed"

Day 3: Monday

Today was another inspiration-less day. I liked the wart-y look of one of the last additions on Saturday's piece, so I decided to make more of these decorations today. I only spent 18 minutes on this piece that uses the texture from a paddled string bag (from cheese) and looks kindof like a moon with prominent craters.

third project (Monday)

Inspiration in 80 days

Problem:
During the school year I don't feel like I have enough time to make my own work. I am not "allowed" to make my work at school.
When I get home I am usually exhausted and I don't want to set up and prepare clay and turn on the heat (in the clay studio, since the clay studio is heated separately from the rest of the house) and wrangle the kid and then clean up afterwards. So I don't make much during the year but I begin to miss making work. Around about March I start to ache to be in the studio.

Unrelated bits of information:
I enjoy maintaining the blog because it encourages me to write about (and therefore think about) what I do as I am doing it. This applies to teaching as much as to making my work. I feel like I teach better when I am actively thinking about how I am teaching, rather than just moving along.
More recently I have felt like I am starting to understand how to teach but I am losing touch with how students feel when they are first encouraged to make work, think creatively or tackle a subject, problem or assignment they haven't seen before. On the one hand I have been working so long that I can't remember how it felt to not know how to work with my material (I find this especially true with clay). On the other hand, I can't remember a time when I didn't have 300 ideas bouncing around my head (or my sketchbook) for things I wanted to make. During the year I get such a backlog of projects I want to do (sketched in my sketchbook or noted in various notebooks or doodled on the edges of important meeting agendas), that when I get to my summer studio time I just rush to make piece after piece. For this reason, more so that because of techniques, I can't understand that feeling a student has when looking at a new assignment and thinking, "where do I start?"

Needs:
I have been thinking of ways that I can make it easier for myself to work during the year. One way is to work during school or at school, but that is frowned upon here (even though the students would benefit by seeing me working). The two biggest obstacles are timing and distractions. So I need to find or develop a working process that takes less time and perhaps involves less setup or clean up. If I could complete this process despite distractions, that would be good too. One of the distractions is four and could potentially be encouraged to participate in similar activities or in her own activities parallel to my project.

Possible Approaches:
I seem to keep running across these daily challenges where people have set themselves a daily or weekly task. The book Julie and Julia (recently a movie, too) started as a blog where the woman cooked all the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook (some cookbook, I don't really care--but she did this stuff regularly). One book that I have heard about and just ordered is "365" by Noah Scalin. The book is basically just a daily hint or challenge. Scalin wants the reader/user to make a something each day based on the challenge or hint. Scalin discusses his personal challenge which was to make a skull a day. Other people followed Scalin's suggestions or their own plans and made a robot a day or a painting a day or whatever. The idea is you document your project online and the community of 365 or of blog readers in general help keep you motivated.

To be honest, I bought the book in part to look for more suggestions for projects for my Design class. I am getting a little bored with a few of their projects and was curious whether the book would give me any new ideas. A couple of the days might serve as starter for new projects.

Anyway, I thought about doing a daily or a weekly challenge. I could make a clay piece at a regular interval or I could make a drawing, a design or even a small book. My daughter is having fun making books after she did a project at Michael's. Some of her books, made of folded paper sacks glued together, have stories, others are basically just sticker support. We've made several of these in the last months. In the past I have liked making books but had trouble filling them with stories.

A design project would also serve as practice or planning for assignments for my Design class. That might be good. Or it might be like work.

Feasibility:
A year or so ago I told myself I would do a drawing a day. Though I like drawing, the "project" didn't last long. I draw frequently in my sketchbook but didn't have the motivation or memory to make just one "finished" drawing each day. Instead I more sketch a bunch of semi-finished things one day and none the next.

Since clay is my medium of choice, a clay project is probably the best way to keep me moving. I suspect I might be able to keep my daughter involved too. A big clay project will take to much time. I need something that is quick. Can be done over and over again and can be completed in one sitting. The problem with bigger clay projects, distractions and lack of time is that if I leave a project incomplete, the clay dries beyond the stage where I can use it.

Interest:
To make the project useful, I think it should answer some kind of question. I need a hypothesis to keep me intellectually interested. The blog keeps me interested because it can help me think through concepts in my teaching or my studio work. I have other keep-at-it challenges in my life, like going to yoga regularly, so this needs to do more than show me if I can do it.

I think a worthwhile question to ask, in doing a daily project has to do with inspiration. Most of the daily or weekly challenges have to do with pushing boundaries and doing something someone wouldn't already be doing if left to his or her own devices.
Scalin's challenges, in particular, have to do with expanding or improving one's creativity. "365" gives readers a different task or a challenge each day. The book specifically says that doing the work as directed is not essential, but I do think the concept of doing an assigned task is different from doing any old task.

I regularly assign students a particular, dictated task. The tasks I assign are usually meant to be flexible in some respects, but I often restrict their freedom in one direction in order to get them to think creatively within boundaries and challenge themselves to address the question of the assignment in an interesting, challenging way. It is this restriction which I no longer experience because my own work is entirely up to me. Though artificial, doing Scalin's challenges, or those listed in The Artist's Way or similar books would give me an experience more similar to that experienced by my students.

Guidelines:

For this challenge, I will make small sculptures on a regular basis, alternating assigned inspiration and open-ended projects.

To limit the setup and cleanup required for each project, I will prepare individual bags of clay with the appropriate amount of clay to create a small hollow form and some surface decoration. I will keep a separate container of basic tools and perhaps a small container of slip handy for working.

The materials and tools will be portable so I can work inside, outside, in my studio, or in the rest of the house.

After the initial day of preparations, set up will be simply picking up a bag of clay and, possibly, a box of tools.

In order to potentially involve the small distraction herself, I will explain the project to her when I begin to prepare the materials. If she is interested, she will have her own corresponding materials. On days when she chooses, she can do the project with me. I can also do the project near her while she does other activities or on my own if she is napping, not around or otherwise occupied. 

I have also prepared a jar of inspiration papers. I wrote down the first 39 days of inspiration tasks from Scalin's "365." To these I added 

a few of my own based on partial ideas from Scalin or other projects I wanted to include. I also included the names of several artists so that I will be making my projects inspired by these artists. 

On alternate days I will select an inspiration paper or simply start to work without an "assignment."

Restrictions:

I will attempt to complete one project per day, but will not feel bad if I do not always make it.

I will not carry-over projects into the next day. Each will be completed (or as complete as I can get them) in one sitting.

I will set the work in my studio to dry and take photographs immediately, but I will not make major attempts to assess my progress until a suffiicient portion of the project has been completed. 

Duration:

I am writing this on March 10. Winter quarter ends next week. We have spring break for a week and then Spring quarter. Spring quarter lasts 10 weeks plus a week of finals. So, there are 13 weeks left before I can get into the studio for the summer. I think 13 weeks is an appropriate amount of time in which to conduct this test. 13 weeks x 7 days a week = 91 days. I suspect I will miss a few, so lets say 80 days, since one could conceivably go around the world in this time, and having a cool name for my challenge is better than not having a cool name for my challenge. Also, if you recall, I wrote down 39 days of Scalin's inspirations, so that works out nicely too (if you ignore the fact that I added a bunch of inspirations as I wrote down Scalin's).

Questions to (perhaps) answer at the end of 13 weeks: 
Is the quality of work improved when inspiration comes from within?
Is work more varied or more interesting when inspiration comes from an outside dictate?
Does alternating dictated assignments with open projects increase the variety of subjects, forms or content in open projects?
How do I, as an artist (or a "student') feel differently about dictated projects compared to open projects?

Beginning:

I began this project Saturday. My daughter and I bagged up 12lbs of clay into smaller pieces (I didn't count how many). Then I took one and she took another and we worked together next to each other.

She wanted a lot of help but I made her help herself. She wasn't fond of this. She wanted me to make her clay flat for her and she wanted me to make it round for her later. I refused, offering her options for making it flat (use a "rolling pin"--actually a dowel, paddle it, hammer it with a plastic hammer) and then distracting her with a slip making project which involved breaking up dry clay and putting it in a jar of water. This was her speed and kept her entertained until I finished my piece and Daddy removed the stove (not a related activity, but a measure of time; I know I started after 5pm and ended before 8:30 but I have no more precise information).

First Inspiration:

We had these bulbs leftover in the studio (in a bag of stuff that didn't get planted in the fall). I based my sculpture on this, not on an "assignment" from the box.

First Piece:

Clay Lectures and Demonstration

Today! 

Ceramic artists, Renee Adams, Rachel Dorn (me!), Carolyn Nelson, Gregory Pierce and Stephen Robison will discuss their artwork at Larson Gallery from 1-3pm today.

Later Today!

Ceramic artists, Eunsil Kim and Mike Hiler will demonstrate their techniques in Palmer Hall Room 107 on the Yakima Valley Community College Campus from 3-4pm.

End of Quarter Student Firings

We are once again nearing the end of the quarter. Right now I am taking a break from loading the final glaze kiln because I do not have enough finished, quality work to finish load the kiln. There are two students in the studio this afternoon and I am hoping they will finish their work in the next hour but I suspect they will do this more efficiently without me standing behind them huffing and sighing for them to get me the work.

I suppose it is inevitable at this point in the quarter to feel disappointment in those students who have not managed to complete their assignments, those student who have stopped coming to class or simply disappeared. At the end of the quarter, I am always concerned with the progress and efforts of my students. I don't think the students and their performance this quarter is far beyond the normal range. I always have a few students who disappear and a few who flake out near the end of the quarter.

The other day my work study students in the clay studio were discussing tattoos and piercings. They were suggesting that students get tattoos and piercings done at the end of the quarter when they are stressed out about finals. I have limited data but it seems to be more or less true for the two of them.

From an instructor's perspective, the students who tend to get themselves in trouble at the end of the quarter are usually the ones who start preparing themselves to be in trouble at the start of the quarter. I'm not sure if the stress relief tattoos are reserved for the students who get themselves in trouble. I remember classmates in college who would stress like crazy over tests and regularly earn As. Stressing was a part of their process. I suspect as a teacher I either see less of this stressed behavior or I don't pay as much attention because I know they will be fine.

It is the clay students this quarter who have me riled up. I have several this quarter who have simply stopped showing up. The last day for students to drop was almost 3 weeks ago, but I have 4 students who haven't come to class a day this week.  One of these students was in the studio in the afternoons last week but hasn't made it to class for three full weeks!


I was writing this yesterday, and took a break when my computer started freezing. I went back to the studio to finish loading only to discover the students were far from ready. I went home and returned to the studio at 6:30 and discovered two more students had joined the ones I left. One hadn't been in class all week. There she was, finishing a piece I wanted finished a week ago, or Monday, at least.

As I started to load the kiln, I realized that I had plenty of work to fill the kiln, but much of the short stuff was wide. I voiced my frustration that the wide stuff would have been easier and more efficient to load with the short narrow stuff I had loaded earlier that day or the day before. This is why I had been bugging them for two weeks to get their work glazed. One student responded, "Why don't you unload the kiln and re-load it."

Makes you wonder what they think you do all day (and all night).

Needless to say, I did not reload the entire kiln. I spent only about 30-45 minutes loading the top 1/3 of the kiln. And to her credit, the student above helped. It generally takes me several hours to load the kiln. The next day I fire it, starting before 8am and ending around 7:30pm. This makes for a long day for me, but it is part of the job. What frustrates me is how hard it is for students to understand the process. I pester them to get their work done early Thursday so I can finish loading Thursday and fire all day Friday. I don't want to fire all day Saturday because I would have to come to the studio every hour between 8 and 12 and then again at 4 and again at 7pm. All this so that the work can be out of the kiln Monday at 10am for their Final Critique.

I suppose I need to work on some different strategies for getting students to understand the firing process and the timing of drying, firing, glazing, loading, firing and cooling. I'm too tired and worn out now, I will ponder it for next quarter.

Pre-School View of Raku Firing

This is what this weekend's raku firing looked like from the point of view of a 4-year old. Fascinating, no?

second breakfast

the photographer is photographed

earlier she was in my arms asking about the sky. I guess she looks at it more than we do

self portrait with feet

self portrait with flash

the view from inside the studio

I had no idea there was a bag under there

Winter Quarter Raku

Today was a gorgeous day for raku. (Much better than last quarter when the heat was off in the building and I couldn't feel my toes.)

We only had a few students show up to fire raku work. The day was warm and beautiful, a bit windy at the end. We fired a load of Mike's work, then a load of Janice's work. We'd just started cleaning up when DJ showed up, but the weather was nice and I was firing the glaze kiln so we stayed to fire his load. None of the beginning students showed up, even though I offered extra credit.

putting on the lid and adjusting the counterweight

technical difficulties: one wire got stuck in the edge of the pulley

the first load: ready to fire

Venturi burner hooked up to propane

post-firing reduction buckets

 Most of the results were good. Janice and Mike's pieces had been glazed ahead of time. Janice layered a clear over one of the glazes that was not firing right last time around. Mike used a simple clear crackle.

partially combusted materials inside

good results: cooling

The mood surrounding the firing was calm and pleasant. We fortified ourselves with plenty of snacks, expecting a crowd because of the pleasant weather and option for extra credit. I should have taken a picture of the food because it was really impressive. We had bright yellow and orange and green and pink frosted cupcakes in honor of spring and someone's birthday. My daughter and I brought blueberries and strawberries and blackberries, but we didn't realized that our veggie tray (empty cookie box) with bright orange and yellow and red mini sweet peppers, carrots and green pea pods would match the cupcakes. Even the donuts had green frosting and green sprinkles.

Lighting the smoke firing

While the raku pieces fired and cooled, Mike smoked his barrel kiln, my daughter experimented with slip and then mopped up. The rest of us unloaded and loaded a kiln and started firing the glaze kiln uncovered end-of-the quarter forgotten work from the shelves and the damp cabinets. We found several pieces, still damp, from week 1 and 2 (it is now the end of week 9).

Sustainability Conference

I went to a sustainability conference last Friday. It was an interesting experience. I heard some good information, but mostly the conference was useful as an adjustment to standard practice and habit. By this point in the quarter (or the year) I have gotten into a bit of a rut, teaching the same subjects I've taught before, grading the same assignments and looking at the same projects. I think we get into habits of thinking and talking and planning and it is nice to be forced, for whatever reason to think differently, be challenged and adjust.

I didn't feel that I left the conference with any major shift or change in my world view or even in how I plan to incorporate ideas of sustainability. I was a little disappointed, because I was hoping for some inspiration, to see how other faculty incorporated these ideas, not just in science classes, but across the curriculum. However, since starting the new week, I have talked with other faculty about how we might incorporate some of the conference ideas into our classes. And I did leave the conference with a couple of real, immediately applicable, ideas and tips for lessons or adjustments I can make in my classes.

But the biggest take-away I got from the conference was an increased appreciation for the value of my colleagues. My colleagues at Yakima Valley Community College are thoughtful, student-centered instructors who are interested in exploring new ideas and are often willing and interested in helping their colleagues (and their students, of course) improve their teaching and classes.

Unfortunately the value of my colleagues was emphasized by several negative interactions with faculty from other institutions. The conference was well organized. The people who ran the conference seemed interesting, intelligent and thoughtful. They were also open to diversity of opinion and seemed to value the variety of viewpoints in the conference.

But I was disappointed, even disgusted with some of the other attendees. Early on in the discussion, one woman told me that "young people who are involved in these [sorts of sustainability initiatives] are not coming from community colleges; they are coming from elite universities." I'm not sure if her goal was to insult me, because she knew I taught at a community college, but either way I was offended. What a negative, close-minded thing to say. I really loathe this idea that students who attend community colleges are incapable of higher level thinking. Obviously elite universities attract students with good grades and high test scores (and money) but I think it is reasonable to consider that students who may not have been served by the best K-12 schools might still be able to think critically. Furthermore, faculty at these institutions should be expected to challenge community college students to improve their critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills. I believe that involving students in efforts and initiatives like incorporating ideas of sustainability into the classroom are exactly the ways to get these students (any students) involved and interested in classroom discussions and learning.

Another disappointing statement came from a man in the first group who explained that he believes students aren't interested in sustainability because they are too plugged in. This "kids today" argument is so silly. Should we believe that the iPhone and Angry Birds are preventing students from caring about the environment? The way students think about the environment may be cultural, but I suspect it is more complicated than "technology". He suggested that if there were a video game, students would care about sustainability. Apparently he hasn't heard of SimCity. He, or perhaps another person at the table, later suggested that the only way to create "green campuses" was to have college presidents refuse to grant pay raises until the college went "green." So I guess his plan was to just blame the other guy, or "kids today" or "the man." But what I can't understand is why he attended the conference.

My last brush with idiocy was the woman seated down the row from me in the presentation on water quality and water sources in the Yakima Valley. The lectures were interesting. The water quality lecture had to do with wells in the Lower Yakima Valley being contaminated with nitrites and other contaminants, likely from failed septic systems or frfarm animal waste. After the talk, I asked what sorts of filters were being used, curious whether the type of ceramic filtration system used by Potters for Peace would be useful. The woman down the table from me responded to me in a very condescending way, implying that I couldn't possibly understand the complexities of water filtration. The ceramic filters may not be appropriate in this application but they are useful filters. I couldn't determine whether they remove nitrites, but they do remove bacterial contaminants that cause diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. The question, in my opinion, wasn't beneath contempt.

Anyway, the conference was interesting and worthwhile. In the past week or so I've also been lucky to be involved with my fellow quality faculty at YVCC on several other projects. I have been working with a group of faculty on an honors program that we have piloted and hope to expand in the Spring quarter and next year. I have been working with the director of the Larson Gallery to encourage faculty to integrate a couple of next years exhibitions into their class curriculum. Faculty have been supportive and interested in both of these projects and the discussion of sustainability. I am pleased. It is easier to keep up one's energy and interest level when colleagues are also energetic and interested.