Birdog

For the final project in Ceramics Sculpture 1, we needed to create a small sized sculpture using methods we've learned. I decided to do another art piece of my dog Kura as my subject. While forming her body after working on her head briefly, I found the clay resembled the shape of a bird's body. So, I thought it would be fun to go that route instead and create a flying "Birdog"! I created a removable stand using wood, a steel rod, and black acrylic paint. The Birdog's body is all matte colors except for her eyes and nose, which are glossy.

Under wings and belly (hole is for the stand):

On top of the wings and back:

Deep Dreams room

For this Ceramics sculpture project in Spring '08, we used the slab method to build a structure, room, or building of our choice. I chose a simple 3-D cube structure and added a lot of detail. It is a fantasy, dream-like underwater environment containing a chair to be in the midst of all the wildlife.

The interior of the room is a tropical and friendly environment, yet since it is a dream...a penguin is diving in (rather than a dolphin), emitting air bubbles. Also, the starfish wrapped around the ruin archway is huge in comparison to all the other elements. I added a lot of texture for the gritty sea floor, full of debris, snails, shells, a jumbo clam emitting air bubbles, coral, plants, oyster shell, barnacles, kelp forest, and fish feeding. The exterior of the room is to be the outside of a regular city building, having cracks, leaks, and a spigot/faucet. The seagull is atop it all and balances the two environments, tying the two worlds together. It is sitting atop the wall, floating on the water's surface, looking down into the sea. I titled it "Deep Dreams."

I added a lot of details in my sculpture. But then after learning about creating surface colors and glazes, I realized it may not have been necessary, since I could have added texture from specific glazes (matte) and other surface techniques. When I say glazes, I'm not meaning the glossy type that you would normally be familiar with. I've learned about the whole world of engobes, stains, oxides, and matte glazing to create textures, colors, and layers.

Below are photos of my first run of getting color on. It didn't turn out the way I had imagined, but it's all unpredictable when dealing with this type of chemistry and firing medium. I carefully colored all the elements, then sprayed layers of various blue engobes for a gritty underwater view. I looked at underwater photos for reference and remembered times I've snorkeled, so realized how all things have a blueish tint and tried to convey that here. It went on heavier than I'd hoped, covering most of all the colors I spent hours applying carefully with small brushes. It's hard to capture it all in the photos. I didn't coat the bird, however, since it is not in the underwater environment. A few fragile pieces broke off that need repairs. The exterior city walls are not shown here, since they still need work. I'm going to continue working on this piece, since the surfaces/colors can be reapplied and re-fired in the kiln. The interior's look is growing on me now, since I've seen it in different light, which casts shadows nicely to make it feel like I'm looking at an underwater world. Also, since the colors are layered, they change as the light changes, as you may also notice in the photos - color changes and the way the camera interprets them.

Fortune & Glory hat

In my Ceramic Sculpure 1 class of Spring '08, we had to do a Trompe l'Oeil sculpture of a real object, such as an accessory.
Here's some info. on what that means...The French term Trompe l'Oeil literally means "deception of the eye". It is a style that utilizes the knowledge of perspective and games of light and dark to create, if only for a moment, the illusion of something that in reality it does not exist. These illusions, whether serious or playful, allow the viewer to perceive art and nature through a different perspective.
So, basically it is a piece of art (i.e. sculpure or painting) that fools the eye to think it is real.

My inspiration is a rugged leather American handmade hat, which I bought in another state during my work travels years ago. It says "adventure" to me. I call this piece "Fortune & Glory", which is what Indiana Jones said in the film, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, when asked why he wanted to venture into an unknown and dangerous area to help a village.

The real leather hat:

This was my most difficult ceramic project of the semester. Very hard to build. I created a pattern using old torn up shirt material and tracing the hat's sections. Putting it all together with soft and thin slabs of clay was very difficult, as they also overlap. After many hours, I pulled it off. I had to experiment with different glazing methods to get as close as I could to the real thing.

Everything you see, including the metal snaps were all created with clay. Unfortunately, due to handling by others to fire it, the fragile rim broke and is still in need of repairs. But, in the meantime, I'm posting this one since it's a great achievement, I want to update my blog, and have received many compliments. It also does fit on my head, but not so comfortably!

Sculpture on the left, real hat on the right:

After the final firing, in need of repairs:Real hat is on the left (the color is off in this photo)...

Dolphin Dreams & C.C.A.C.A. 2008

Here are shots of my finished carved abstract Dolphin, called Dolphin Dreams.

This Dolphin ceramic sculpture above was chosen by my instructor to be included in our University's ceramic sculpture gallery display at the C.C.A.C.A. (California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art) in Davis, CA. I went to help out with our gallery and it was very inspirational to see other student and professional galleries. Ours was given great compliments by professionals in the field. It was also great to hear feedback and compliments on our (and my) work.

Our gallery was very unique, since it's a free-standing landmark. It is a log cabin which used to be a Boy Scouts Hut for meetings and such. It has been converted to an art gallery, keeping a lot of the original integrity, and is across the street from a modern strip mall and the large modern gallery that owns it and sponsors the yearly conference.

Here you can see the old cabin's fireplace and Boy Scouts' signs above it.Kura (my dog) came along, so was a mascot and part of the welcoming committee!

Another site...

Hi everyone,

I have an artist profile on another site for artists (www.myartspace.com). The site is like myspace, but for artists. It is an edited version of this blog and only shows some pieces in their best photos. It's a work in progress - as I get pieces done - and more like a start to an online portfolio, until I have my own site later. This blog is more about the process, including details. Feel free to check it out. There are artists on there from all over the planet. It's all free too.

Copy and paste the below address into your browser. OR go to www.myartspace.com and do a search (artist) for Tania Kelvin, then click on me and my profile will come up.

http://www.myartspace.com/artistInfo.do?populatinglist=home&subscriberid=67ku1ej2aa1ugvv1

Best,
TK

dolphin

Here are photos after the final firing of the clay project using the coil method. I showed my dolphin I made in the last post and the carving I did before this firing. Now you can really see the carving, since the surface is now black, and the cream color is the clay underneath - exposed from the carvings. I have to make some repairs - due to cracking and chipping, but thought I'd post now anyhow.