New Music: First Aid Kit

A friend recently turned me onto the Swedish duo First Aid Kit. I can't get enough of the sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg's harmonizing. Their track Emmylou evokes four of country music's purest voices/musical duos- Emmylou Harris and Graham Nash, June Carter and Johnny Cash. From the first time I heard the chorus I can't get this out of my head.

"I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June
If you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny too.
No, I’m not asking much of you
Just sing little darling, sing with me. "

Click here to view First Aid Kit's hauntingly beautiful video for EmmyLou. Check them out at http://thisisfirstaidkit.com

Thoughts on decoration @ Arrowmont's Ceramic Surface Forum

Click here to watch a demonstration video where I discuss principles of decoration.

At this year's Ceramic Surface Forum a few of the artists conducted brief demonstrations of their surface design techniques. The informal format was a nice way to share information while witnessing a variety of teaching styles. Carole Epp, from the ceramic blog Musing about Mud, caught a few of the demos on video. I've posted my video discussing decoration principles above. Please visit her Youtube channel to watch videos by David Katz, Richard Nickel, and Jason Bige Burnett. A big thank you to Carole for doing the foot work and sharing these through the digital world.

Arrowmont Surface Forum 2013

Lana Wilson demonstrating surface design, which is the main theme and major catalyst for the surface forum.


Organizer Jason Bige Burnett and blog queen/ sculptress extraordinaire Carol Epp redefining studio fashion.

Emily Reason soaking up the afternoon sun while carving a pot.

David Eichelberger pinching a form.

Sandi Pierantozzi demonstrating textured handles. 
A group shot of all participants. (Left to right, front to back) Elisa Di Feo & David Eichelberger with their beautiful children, Sandi Pierantozzi, Me, Carol Epp, Natalie Tornatore, Kelly O'Bryant, Tracy Gamble, David Gamble, Lana Wilson, Emily Reason, Nate Prouty, Adams Puryear, Roberta Massuch, Rachel Garceau, Jason Bige Burnett, Richard Nickel, Alex Irvine. Elizabeth Kendall is not pictured but was part of the forum.

I want to thank Jason Burnett and Bill Griffith for making this forum happen. I was honored to be included in the group. I had more fun that week then I've had in a long time. For more info on the surface forum please visit Arrowmont's Facebook page.



Willie Jesus at the Hard Rock Cafe and the remains of the Thursday night Piñata.

Arrowmont is located in Gatlinburg Tennesee, one of the crown jewels of Americana culture. The town is full of air brushed tee shirts, BBQ restaurants and Southern kitch. The Willie bust (aka Willie Jesus) is just one of many fascinating cultural shrines in Gatlinburg. If you get a chance, Arrowmont is a great place to spend a week studying craft. Their summer workshop schedule is now available at www.arrowmont.org.

Swedish artist Christin Johansson on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Swedish artist Christin Johansson. Her ceramic sculpture ranges from would be sanitary wares to performative installations.  Her current body of work was produced under the influence of an alter ego, Augustine Adler. The dialogue between Johansson's creative selves fuels the creation of her sculptural objects, as well as providing the conceptual framework in which they exist.

In the interview we discuss the evolution of her career and the role Augustine played in creating her most recent exhibition, Her Alter Ego Universe. For more information on Johansson please visit www.christin.dk.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for the site. Click here to listen.


Feminoir and Vaginal Mirror as would be Sanitary Wares

 

Her Alter Ego Universe images courtesy of Copenhagen Ceramics. Photography by Jeppe Gudmundsen-Holmgreen and Lisa Strömback. All rights reserved to the gallery and photographers.

Chandra DeBuse debuts Romance and Roller Skates at Crimson Laurel

Chandra Debuse has a great show up at Crimson Laurel Gallery. Romance and Rollerskates embodies the same playful joy of her past work with new characters and colors to liven up the surface. Check it out online at Crimson Laurel Gallery.

Check out my exhibition In Full Bloom- Online now

Here are a few highlights from my exhibition In Full Bloom at Red Lodge Clay Center. My regular readers might recognize some of these pots from previous posts. One of the benefits of blogging is that I have a digital record of the thought process that leads up to a show. Here are a few past posts that relate to this body of work. It is hard to believe the mental seeds of this exhibition started to sprout last June and they have now fully matured in January.

In the Studio: Platter Bowl Combo

In the Studio: Yunomi with Tiled Dogwood Pattern

In the Studio: Huggable Fence Jars

The show will be running from now until January 27th and is available for online viewing at www.redlodgeclaycenter.com.

Denmark: Guldagergaard Project Network

A residency at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Residency Center provided the perfect reason for me to travel to Denmark this fall. For six weeks I was paired with seven emerging artists from Europe and the U.S. with the sole purpose of encouraging and challenging each other to take new directions in our work. The highly entertaining and talented group included Katherine Lees (UK), Gislaine Trividic (FR), Mary Roberts (US), Caroline Allen (UK), Line Lund (DE), Charlotta Bellander (SW), Rosemary Head (UK) and myself.



I used the time to further develop a tea ware project that I started last year. For the project I have been interpreting tea traditions from Japan, China, France, England and the U.S. I've included an image of the French set that loosely inspired the elevated teaset below.

French set from the Sevres Museum 1813




English inspired set for Black Tea



Chinese inspired set for Green Tea

Southern American Iced Tea Set

At Guldagergaard the residents live in an early 20th century manor house that previously served as the private home of a tulip and fruit farm. Since 1997 the estate has housed the International Ceramic Research Center, which hosts ceramic artists from around the world for short term residencies. The campus holds a newly remodeled studio, expansive kiln yard, and the Apple House Gallery. We ended our residency with a show in the gallery, which will eventually travel to the Grimmerhus Museum of Ceramic Art. 

Charlotta Bellander


Caroline Allen


Gislaine Trividic 


Mary Roberts


Katherine Lees

This set was part of the exhibition and will be left for Guldagergaard's permanent collection. To see more images of the work that I made at Guldagergaard please visit my Carter Pottery Facebook page.

Denmark: Color and Light

After seeing images of Skaelskor one of my family members asked, "Was it really as quaint as it looks?" YES. The tranquility of the Danish countryside is a bit surreal. With clean architectural lines, and even cleaner streets, Skaelskor resembles a Danish version of The Truman Show.

The northern latitude of Denmark made for short days with a low hanging Sun. Over six weeks I experienced mainly overcast skies, which must be the catalyst for painting both buildings and boats with primary colors. The bright reds and greens were a welcome sight that put a smile on my face during my bike rides around town. 

I'll post more images of the pots I made at Guldagergaard later but for now I'll leave you with the colors and light of Skaelskor.