Anna Calluori Holcombe

Adventure in India - Day 8 and 9 in Delhi

2011-12-30T21:53:00.003-05:00

We flew in early evening from Varanasi. The agency put us up at the swanky Le Meridiane hotel in the city center. We met Ela and Prasnata Mukherjee from New Delhi for a drink that night. Ela was a Fulbrighter at KSU when I was there. It was a brief meeting but great catching up.

The next day, Dolly our guide returned and took us through the old markets on a rickshaw. We walked through the spice market, which was wonderful. We visited the tomb of Hasam, which is pre-cursor to the Taj Mahal. We visited the cremation memorial to Ghandi. We stopped at a small craft "village" where I saw some of the little clay production there is to find in India - tomb figures made with terra cotta clay. We had lunch in a garden restaurant and then were dropped by the colonial era Imperial Hotel to have tea with some time to kill before our flight.

On the trip back, while in Newark Airport, the sun was rising over the Hudson and Roy realized that the last sunrise we saw was over the Ganges Rivers…. not something we are likely to forget.

Adventure in India - The Animals

2011-12-30T21:49:00.002-05:00

Cows are sacred and basically have the freedom to go anywhere, even onto busy streets in the cities. Monkeys leap across the rooftops and walk on telephone wires. Goats and sheep range over trash heaps and small strips of grass. When filling out the customs card and I came to the question about having been on a farm or ranch or near animals, I just had to giggle.

Adventure in India - Transportation

2011-12-30T21:44:00.001-05:00

Getting around is a real adventure. Our tour company arranged a comfortable Toyota SUV with very competent and patient drivers. Although there are many new model cars (Honda's, Suzuki’s, Hyundai’s, etc.) all over the streets (we even passed a Ferrari dealership in Delhi) transportation is quite varied. Trucks were typically decorated with flowers, animals and patterns in the front. On the back, as if the truck drivers needed coaxing, would be painted “Blow Horn.” Horns are substitutes for signals and breaks. The other modes of transportation we witnessed included, an elephant, camels for transporting cargo, bikes, motorcycles galore (they do wear helmets) rickshaws using bikes, and 3 wheel Piaggios with canvas covers as cabs… oh, and the occasional donkey.

Adventure in India - Day 7 Veranasi

2011-12-30T21:25:00.003-05:00

Our last half-day in Varanasi. We both fell in love with the city. This is what we imagined India to be like. It is spiritual yet gritty. Our guide took us to a temple on a university campus, which was interesting to see. There were art students selling their work near the temple – just like here! We went to a red temple, painted red in out and on top. Throughout the tour we had been taken to many shops to be shown a demo and then the hard sell. This time we were shown some exquisite weaving. It is still a cottage industry in India but they have some workers at the shop. Oh, yes, we did buy some textiles.

Adventure in India - The Colors

2011-12-30T21:18:00.003-05:00

One quickly becomes aware of the bright colors of India. They are found in the flowers laid out for gifts to the gods, on buildings, in the spice market and on the saris the women wear. The Indian people are not shy about color and patter, often mixing and matching unlikely combination that contrast against the dirt, dust, trash and decay one sees everywhere. This is just a small sampling.

Adventure in India - Day 6 Veranasi

2011-12-30T21:12:00.003-05:00

Our guide picked us up before 6 AM (ugh) to return us to the Ganges. This is the time the pilgrims come to bathe in the river. Not only is it terribly polluted; we felt cold with jackets, hats and scarves on! Needless to say, we watched from the boat.

Before launching, we received a blessing for a healthy and happy life from one of the priests. After a row to see some other temples and gahts, we got off the boat by the crematorium for a closer look. We then walked through the narrow streets of the old town. There is a Muslim mosque and Hindu temple next door to each other so there was a good deal of security. You cannot go inside the Hindu temple unless you are officially Hindi. We were dropped by the hotel for breakfast and a break. We then went to a small village nearby called Sarnath where Buddha gave his first sermon. Our guide happens to have a degree in philosophy so he has been very informative about religions, gods and ceremonies. There were Buddhists from all over the world – Tibet, Nepal, etc. It was a fascinating learning experience.

Adventure in India - Day 5 Veranasi

2011-12-30T21:00:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Vikrum and the travel agency representative picked us up and got us to the airport and our short flight.

We had a remarkable evening. Our driver could only go so far to get us to the Ganges River. Our guide herded us through the traffic and crowds, many of them tourists for a number of blocks. He placed us in a wooden boat among many others filled with both pilgrims and tourists. There was a ceremony in a major gaht (stairway area leading to the river) and we watched 6 priests do a ritual involving bells, incense, fire and music. One of the ritual objects was shaped light a Christmas tree (or seemed to us). Then we were rowed to see the major crematorium where the dead are burned along the river. It was all so very moving and hard to put into words. The pictures do not capture the true feeling.

Adventure in India - Day 4 Agra

2011-12-30T20:55:00.003-05:00

Yes, the Taj Mahal is amazing. It is actually part of a complex with a mosque and guesthouse and there is also a fort with a marble mosque across the river. The Taj’s marble changes as the light changes. It contrasts beautifully with the red sandstone of the other structures. Both the marble and sandstone are indigenous to this area. Thousands and thousands of people from all over the world come daily. You have to take your shoes off or wear booties on them. The architecture is remarkable both inside and out. It is set in a lovely park with the familiar reflecting pool, which is actually a fountain. Knowing it is one man’s testimony to the love of one of his many wives, gives one pause.

The first glitch in our travel happened in the afternoon. We were scheduled to take the sleeper train from Agra to Varanasi. It was cancelled due to fog, which is common weather issue this time of year, particularly in the early morning and evening. Luckily, our faithful driver Vikrum was going back to Delhi and so we took the 5-hour ride with him. We stayed in Delhi for the night at the same hotel as the first night. It was Christmas Eve and it is a Radisson so we had carolers and even a Santa with a fancy dinner for the event that is really only celebrated by a small percentage ( somewhere around 2%) of Christians in India. Seemed rather surreal. We fly to Varanasi tomorrow.

Adventure in India - Day 3 Fatehpur Sikri

2011-12-30T20:47:00.002-05:00

Today is another day on the road with Vikrum. This highway is much better but the vehicles we encounter are amazing. Camel, donkey and horse drawn carriages, small vans with 6 men sitting on top, trucks of all sizes, tractors and we swerve for the occasional sacred cow or run away goat. The wild monkeys know to stay away from the road it seems.

We past many brick making productions. The earth is scraped for the clay, pressed into molds, stacked into walls then fired around tall chimneys dotting the landscape. Seems like all hand labor. India is growing leaps and bounds.

We stopped to pick up a new guide, Lilit, who showed us around what was an abandoned or “ghost” city – Fatehpur Sikri. It was the capital of the Moghul Empire for 10 years during the last half of the 16^th century. Made of elaborately carved red sandstone, which is found in this region. It was spectacular. It has a temple next door, again spectacular in its carving on marble. Our journey on this day ends in Agra with the anticipation of see the Taj Mahal in the morning.

Adventure in India - Day 2 Jaipur

2011-12-30T20:40:00.002-05:00

We start out early with our driver and new guide, Singh. He is a fine young man, pleasant and informative. The main site is the Amber Palace and City Palace. These are huge complexes. We learn a good deal about the 12 wives and their lives in the palace. The history of Rajiasthan and the Moghuls is fascinating. The area has marble and red sandstone and the buildings are beautifully carved. And yes, we did ride an elephant to the top of the hill and the palace gate!

At the end of the day we stopped at a typical tourist store. I tried my hand at block printing fabric and bought some fabric, which were made into 2 outfits and delivered to the hotel later that night. Roy bought a traditional long shirt that looks quite nice on him. We succeeded at not buying a rug…

Adventure in India - Day 1 Delhi

2011-12-30T20:35:00.003-05:00

Gainesville to Newark to Delhi – a long trip in 2 planes, we arrive in the evening welcomed by our tour representative. Roy and I are “the tour” so it seems strange but we are obviously going to be well taken care of. In the morning our driver, Vikrum returns with Dolly our guide. It is a quick half-day driving around the government buildings. Delhi has lots of parks and trees and boulevards. I keep sniffing for the smell I keep expecting and have been warned about.

The first site to visit was a temple – the Laxminarayan, a modern Hindu temple. We had to take our shoes and sox off and rinse our feet to go inside. I am touched by the religious fervor of this country. The Temple feeds hundreds of people every day regardless of need or circumstance. Vikrum then whisks us off to Jaipur. It is a long 5 + hour drive, bad roads and lots of traffic. Even worse traffic when we hit the city. He maneuvers effortlessly (it seems) between cars, trucks, motorcycles, 3 wheel rickshaws and an occasional elephant. We finally reach our heritage hotel. Dinner is on the rooftop and we strike up a conversation with a Swiss architect here for a rickshaw race of all things.

"Grand Tour of European Porcelain" article is out!

2011-08-03T20:53:00.001-04:00

Page 50 of Ceramics: TECHNICAL

I am very excited to offer my article on my travels through Europe researching porcelain. I have documented my travel in this blog but now you can see a final product and there is lots more to share in the future.

If you do not subscribe to Ceramics Technical yet, I want to take this opportunity to promote this journal for its excellence which is obvious when you take this digital look. You get a digital version with the hard copy subscription.

Enjoy! Anna

Porcelain Canvas by Charlie Cummings

2011-06-19T16:36:00.003-04:00

This porcelain tile was screen printed by recent MFA graduate, Charlie Cummings. Charlie is getting ready to teach image making at Arrowmont and he is a screening wiz! I gave him a sample piece of Porcelain Canvas and he did a 4 color silkscreen with Amaco velvet underglazes. He has to thicken the underglazes up a bit by spreading out on glass to set up until it is like pudding. He fired electric at cone 1. He did not need to heat up the tile like you would have to if it were glaze he was screening. The "ink" is on there. I have an second image of the tile, back side towards the camera on my studio window - it gives a great soft and subtle translucent effect with light. More experimentation to come....

Finished work at ANU

2011-06-09T03:20:00.002-04:00

Although most of the work I will finish with lusters and decals when I get to my studio at home, I finished up a handful of pieces for the ANU Collection. Quick shots I am afraid, and the mother of pearl luster a bit hard to see. The box with about 30 small pieces is packed and ready to go to DHL tomorrow, my last day in Canberra. I will miss my colleagues and the students here, all who have been wonderful to work with. I am on to Sydney for a couple days and fly home on Monday.

Kangaroos and work at ANU

2011-06-07T03:47:00.002-04:00

On the drive back to Canberra after a lovely weekend at Janet Deboos’ home in the Blue Mountains, I finally had the thrill of seeing kangaroos! I can go back home now….

I unloaded the kilns and laid everything out. There are more pieces to glaze and others to luster and decal. This is my last week here. Finished work soon!

Work and fun at ANU

2011-06-06T04:33:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, with the help of one of the techs, Bernie, we fired a glaze test in the new raku kiln he built – firing to cone 6 in just a few hours. Both the kiln and the tests worked well.

Then it was Pizza Day on Friday! I made the sauce, Greg Daley made his famous crust, Janet the cakes and the students provided the rest. The woodstove pizza oven is in the kiln courtyard, designed by Allan Watt, former head of program. It was sunny and warm (this is winter?) and we enjoyed the meal outdoors.

ANU's Ceramics Program

2011-05-31T06:27:00.003-04:00

One of the best parts of my residency at ANU is participating in the program. Thursday morning is an area meeting of faculty and students. Critiques follow for some of the students, while others work on the wheel and still others on glaze tech. I have been participating in the crits and have included some of the students with their work. I have been impressed not only with the work but the students’ ability to talk about it. Thursday at 2 we have a discussion on an article or chapter on theory. The theme has been related to skill and its importance in craft. Friday we have lectures or demo’s. I gave a demo on the tar paper slab technique last Friday. Greg Daley gave a lecture on his work, including new work related to his upcoming book on lusters. We had a curry pot luck a couple Friday’s ago, have a “barby” coming up next and then the week after pizza in the pizza ovens in the Ceramics courtyard. In between I enjoy getting to know the students and their work.

Residency at ANU

2011-05-29T20:55:00.003-04:00

A busy week slip casting the molds I made with the 3D rapid prototype models. You can see some of the molds, the casts and the beginning of the assemblages I am making in the photos. I plan on getting things fired this coming week. I hope to have some fun outside the studio soon. In the meantime it has been great focusing on my work in such a great atmosphere. The next blog will be more about the program and Canberra. Stay tuned.

Australia National University, Canberra

2011-05-22T02:05:00.001-04:00

I have been working in Canberra for over a week now. I am a Visiting Artist in Residence at Australia National University. Ceramics Area Head, Janet Deboos is a friend and traveling buddy from a couple of previous trips in China. She and her colleague, Greg Daley, have been exceptional hosts. I have been enjoying their students, which is an active and diversified group. I have lectured about my work, then on new technologies and I will be demonstrating my tarpaper technique next week. I will also lecture on my porcelain research through Europe as well.

I have a comfortable flat that is attached to the ceramics area so I basically roll out of bed and head to my studio. The School of Art is in a wonderful Art Deco building. Canberra is the national capital and has much to offer. It is a well-planned city and easy to get around.

I have been working on making molds of the 3D rapid prototypes I had printed at UF and brought with me. I will soon start slip casting. Keep checking this blog for new work. More to come!

Australia 2011 - First Stop Sydney

2011-05-19T02:50:00.003-04:00

After 3 plane rides, the longest 15 hours, I arrived in Sydney. Australia. I was warmly welcomed by the Sydney University College of Art Ceramics faculty, Jan Guy, Head, and Dee Taylor Graham.

The College of Art is on their own campus, Kirkbridge, sandstone buildings set in a lovely park. Built in the late 1800’s the facility served as a mental institution until the 1960’s. The philosophy was that people with mental illness would feel better in beautiful setting. The buildings make for a great art school. The space is amazing.

I was put up in a small flat on campus. I gave a lecture and a demonstration while there. I took a bus ride to the waterfront, all too brief as it was getting dark and raining. I plan to take one of those ferries on my stop in Sydney on the way home. Jan and Dee took me to see another part of the bay the next night. Spectacular!

All in all, it was a wonderful visit and a great start to my Australian adventure.

Laser-sintering on Porcelain Canvas

2011-05-17T03:04:00.000-04:00

Before leaving for Australia, I rushed to run a laser-sintering test on the new Porcelain Canvas sample with the help of my digital media gurus, Kenny Wilson and Zach Castedo-Rodgers. Thank you, Rachel Kingston for the samples.

I used Ferro’s Ceramark product for Ceramics and Glass. I have used the black and bronze on commercial porcelain tile with good results. This time I tried the green color. I have to say that the laser-sintering test is a failure – it should appear like china painted enamel on the surface. Instead, the laser cut into the surface of the sheet and stained the areas green. The good news is without the color, the effect would be like a lithophane.

I will plug away at this when I return next month from my residency at Australia National University. I need to follow up with Ferro on the setting for colors, as they seem to be dramatically different from the black as well as test the cutter without the material to see what it might bring regarding the change in translucency in the material. Please forgive the poor quality of the images - quick shots in the studio while packing! More on this….

Experiment in Laser Sintering

2011-03-25T20:47:00.003-04:00

While in Limoge, France, I found this technology at the Royal Limoge Factory, used primarily on the bottom of work to fire on the factory name. The group then visited the Cerlase company to see where they make the laser for this purpose. I found out that the material used is distributed in the US by Ferro. I was able to order a sample and tested it at the UF Fab Lab.

I sprayed the material on to commercial porcelain tiles. I gave them an overnight to dry. Ferro has very detailed specs on the technique. I worked with Dan Tankersley, who put an Illustrator file together to run the test. The cutter fired the overglaze material on to the tile. After washing, the unfired overglaze is removed to reveal the fired overglaze. The advantage is the imagery you can develop through Illustrator and that you can eliminate the "third firing."

I have since ordered more colors from Ferro. Stay tuned for future tests.

Latest work

2011-01-07T21:11:00.002-05:00

The last two posts described the process I used to create models through 3 D scanning and 3 D printing. Molds were made from these models and porcelain slip cast for the objects. The porcelain pieces were made in Hungary this past summer with Herend porcelain. I shipped the work home where I applied and fired luster and decals. I wanted them to be both contained in a box and also displayed with the box and corresponding collage. The collage is actually a collaboration with my father, long deceased but with the use of a flat bed scanner, I took some of his drawings scanned and printed them on archival paper. I layered other images, leaves and hearts, both ambiguous and similar forms, to complete the collages. The boxes are made of museum board, cut and scored on a laser cutter.

3 D Printing

2011-01-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

Once the objects are scanned and finalized, the file is downloaded to the computer attached to the Object 3D printer. This printer is of high quality, printing an object using a resin with forty jets. The support material has no binder and is basically power washed off to leave the hardened model. I have been using these models to make molds for slip casting. The next blog will show you some of the work I made using this process.

3 D Scanning

2011-01-07T20:37:00.003-05:00

I have been working in the University of Florida Art and Architecture Fabrication Lab, with Dan Tankersley, MFA DIgital Media. We have been scanning natural objects then manipulating and finalizing the file. The scanner relies on reflective dots to find the object it needs to scan. SOme objects scan easier than others. The scanner is not thrilled with rough textures and undercuts. These photos are of the scanning process. The next blog post will cover the printing.

IAC Paris 2010

2010-11-21T07:29:00.005-05:00

The International Academy of Ceramics Assembly was held in Paris this past September. We met at UNESCO, as we are an affiliate member. Major works of art were inside and out of this amazing building. The participants were welcomed by the Mayor's Cultural attache at City Hall, a spectacular baroque building. Once again a champagne toast! We had interesting panels, visited numerous shows and museums. There was a boat trip on the Seine to go to the Museum of Decorative Arts. We topped off the event with a dinner night cruise on the Seine. Spectacular! A few us of stayed on a couple days to visit more shows, like Bai Ming' s and to attend the antiquities fair at the Grande Palais.

Paris is so beautiful!

Sevres, Paris 2010

2010-11-21T07:18:00.003-05:00

As a major part of the IAC meeting in Paris in September, we had our members' exhibition in the Sevres Museum. The installation left something to be desired but the work was excellent. Always great to see the diversity of the work from our colleagues around the world.

The Sevres Museum is right behind the museum. It is 80% supported by the French Government and so they can meet their mission of preserving their traditional techniques. They toured us and shared their technical knowledge in a very generous way.

The IAC Pre-tour continues in the Limoges region

2010-10-03T20:11:00.002-04:00

The Limoges area is famous for its porcelain. In 1768, a source for high quality kaolin was discovered and set the gears in motion for world famous porcelain factories to settle in the region. Even today, the area supplies many other factories in Europe with high quality materials as well.

The first factory we visited was that of Royal Limoges. Production is slowly dwindling at this factory, which does not seem to be able to compete with more state of the art factories. The Bernardaud Porcelain factory was bustling in comparison, the quality of its product far superior. We had an excellent factory tour and their museum had an exciting show of contemporary work in porcelain. We had a lovely lunch at the factory restaurant.

Our next stop was the Cerlase Company who is making equipment for state of the art laser sintering (glazing). Yes, a laser is used to “fire” the china paint design on to the ceramic piece, eliminating a third firing. I have followed up on this technique and I am awaiting samples to try in the UF Fab Lab. Very exciting technology!

There was an academic side to the program when we went to the National Academy of Art in Limoges and listened to colleagues talk about the current state of ceramics education at their institutions. Tapio Yli Viikari from Finland is going through major curricular changes at his university that hold a good deal of promise. Torbjorn Kvasbo from Norway , Daphne Corregan, Monaco, Jim Romberg, USA and Bastiene Kramer, France all spoke to contemporary issues.

We visited the Musee National Adrien Doubouche with historical collection of ceramics, including porcelain produced in the Limoges region. The Director of the Museum, Chantal Meslin, then walked us over to an exhibition hall, which had a wonderful show she curated with an interesting theme. She partnered with 12 ceramics museum in ceramics cities around the world, many of which I have had the privilege of visiting such as Jingdezhen, China, Icheon, South Korea, Stoke-on-Trent, England and Faenza, Italy. The show connected these 12 cities with commonalities in technique, form and decoration. The show was beautifully displayed and made its point well. Her tour was most informative.

On the last day, with a stop at an old brick and tile factory now a residency center on the way, we traveled to Paris for the IAC Assembly that would start the next day.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Jacques Kaufmann who was out “fearless” leader and besides organizing the trip and making sure things happened as they should, he made sure we were all on the bus when leaving!

IAC Pre-Tour: Bourges, France

2010-09-25T16:23:00.002-04:00

I have been home from France for about a week now and still nursing a cold I brought back with me like a cheap souvenir. I have been remiss in adding this wonderful and amazing part of my porcelain pilgrimage to my blog.

I will begin here with the Pre-tour of the IAC Assembly. With our “fearless leader” Jacques Kaufmann at the front of the bus and the Atelier d’Arte staff, as well as our travel agents, about 25 of us from a large variety of countries were taken on an interesting pottery tour of the beautiful areas of Bourges and Limoges.

I will begin with the first couple days we spent in Bourges. My blog will in no way be able to cover all the wonderful things we saw and people we met. Consider this an abbreviated tour. The group met at UNESCO where our assembly took place (ore on that later) and headed south to Bourges for a four hour bus ride.

We were warmly greeted at the new Le Bourne Center for Ceramics Creation, which has a gallery, shop and meeting area. The show on display of French ceramics from the area was beautiful displayed. We had out first meal there and it gave us a sampling of the great foods and wine we would have on the tour. The next day we visited a number of the studios in Le Bourne. This is a pottery town where many visitors come to shop. The artists typically fire stoneware in wood kilns. There is a charming Pottery Museum in an old church that we also visited.

Later in the day, we were received (more champagne!) at the City of Bourges Departmental Council in what was once part of a historic castle. The Mayor described the importance of ceramics to the area. Nice to hear!

The following day we went to Nancay to visit the Capazza Gallerie. Wow! Once an old army barrack on a majestic estate, the Capazza family renovated the space into an exciting and vibrant gallery space. The show was very of the highest quality. Once again, champagne and a toast were given to celebrate our visit! I recommend their website:

www.capazza-galerie.com

There is a porcelain factory in the area, Pillivuyt, and we had a tour and visited their enter. The factory seemed vibrant and busy. The work is done mostly in decals and some hand decorating.

Another delicious meal ended our day as well as our visit to the area. The next day and next blog entry will be on Limoges.

Richard Ginori Manufacture and Museum, Florence

2010-08-05T22:14:00.001-04:00

It felt great to be back in Florence, even though it seemed hotter, more full of tourist and a bit dirtier than usual this time. I had a prearranged appointment for a factory and museum tour at Richard Ginori in Sesto Fieorentino, just north of the city. The people there were very open and allowed pictures and want to spread the word about their amazing production, which began in 1735. They have an interesting history, originally making clay slip casts from bronze sculptures. They moved with the times through the centuries and expanded to make dinnerware as well as sculptures. The do a good amount of hand painting even today but they are the masters of the decal. I met the heads of the four main areas - design, mold making, hand decorating and silkscreen printing.

The curator then toured me through their museum. We took a lunch break and I was treated to lunch in the employee cafeteria. So gracious! The museum is arranged chronologically, which was very interesting in order to see how the production changed through the years. They had a room devoted to their major art director from 1923 - 1930, Gio Ponti (also well known as an architect). I am a huge fan of Ponti ceramics and to see so much of it in one place was an exceptional experience.

Overall, it was an overwhelming experience in terms of new things seen and learned.

London's VIctoria and Albert Museum - WOW

2010-07-31T08:54:00.006-04:00

I have been to this museum before and went with some hesitancy as the rooms and rooms of ceramics in old Victorian cabinets, stacked high and rather randomly, would be gone and a remodeled collection would be in its place. I loved those old rooms!

I missed seeing the Queen when she dedicated the new galleries just a couple weeks before. I was more than pleasantly surprised. I could have set up a cot and lived there a week or so to give all the rooms and rooms of work justice in my review. Alas, I only had one full day.

I am focusing on the historic as that was my research agenda, but the study collection goes to contemporary artists and there was a terrific show of contemporary British ceramic artists and one of Richard Slee’s work. Other favorites like Lucy Rie (her studio is reproduced in one of the galleries) and Hans Coper were well represented. Leach, Cardew and Hamada as well. There is a ceramics studio in the room dedicated to ceramic techniques that offers classes and there is a Visiting Artist set up working for 6 months at a time for visitors to watch.

They have a study room and you can make arrangements ahead to have work set up in a room for you to touch and research. Not all, but much of the collection is on line now so it is relatively easy to get information.

This is a must see museum for any serious study in ceramics. They have, as the Brits tend to, some of the best of everything from around the world. It is a stunning collection and it is out for all to see!

Staffordshire Pottery in Stoke on Trent, England

2010-07-17T12:34:00.001-04:00

My visit to Stoke started with a most amazing experience – a private tour of the Wedgwood Factory by one of its managers. I was able to see every part of their production. Their diversity of techniques and products made for a fascinating and instructive tour. I then spent the rest of the afternoon in the award winning Wedgwood Museum. No pictures allowed in either place. The afternoon was well work the trip!

The next day I went to the Potteries Museum. It has an excellent collection of Staffordshire pottery and allowed pictures. Lack of labels was a bit frustrating but the rooms of display are great. They also have a special collection of British Studio pottery including such noteworthy potters as Leach, Cardew, Rie, Coper, etc.

From there I walked through the town center to the Dudson Museum. The kiln is located inside one of the original pottery’s bottle kiln! You have likely not heard about them but you very possibly have used their wares. In the 1800’s they made typical Staffordshire ware. The owner realized demand was waning and so found a niche market in “caterer ware” or what we call restaurant ware. They make dinnerware for hotels, ocean liners and even Disney.

Today I went to the Gladstone Pottery Museum, which is actually a “living” museum. It was a Victorian pottery and saved from demolition when it closed in the 1970’s. There are 5 bottle kilns on the property, demos and recreations of the original pottery’s functions. It was very interesting and informative.

Stoke on Trent as a town is depressed due to many of the potteries closing and factories moving production to Asia. Many of the famous potteries have merged, for example Wedgwood with Royal Dalton and Spode with Portmeiron. I am ready to move on to the exciting city of London tomorrow.

Edinburgh - a magical place

2010-07-16T15:42:00.003-04:00

I am convinced all of Scotland is magical. Edinburgh is a very contemporary city masked by its rich past. I went there not for the porcelain, but to explore the contemporary art scene. I visited with Gordon Munro who runs the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. They will begin building a new building with apartments for visiting international artists, studios and exhibitions spaces this year. I hope to be one of those artists in the future. We also discussed some possibilities for student exchanges with Edinburgh College of Art and SA+AH.

From there I walked along the North Sea to the Leith area where I met with friends of mine that work at the Coburg Studios. I met Frances Priest last year through my dear friend Tony Franks, fellow member of the IAC and former dean and professor from Edinburgh College of Art. Frances has a studio at Coburg and it turns out a previous acquaintance of mine through the University of Dundee ceramics program, where I taught a workshop some years ago, Craig Mitchell, does too. This is a large building with many artists’ studio of all media, an exhibition space and a special section just for ceramics. Frances had phoned up Tony and I was able to visit with them all and see the studios.

I found work of another acquaintance of mine, Ken Eastman, from Glasgow School of Art at The Scottish Gallery. This is new work was made at Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company.

By the second day it was cold and rainy in Edinburgh – just like it is supposed to be in Scotland this time of year. A welcome change from Florida weather.

Berlin - new city made of glass

2010-07-16T15:34:00.001-04:00

Berlin, as you might imagine, has a great deal of new construction, renovation and restoration that has either recently happened or is currently happening. I wish I had stock in the glass company that supplied the glass for new buildings like the Sony Center, Sanofi Aventus, Train Station, and Reichstag etc. Spectacular!

There was a Meissen anniversary related show at the Ephraim Palais – again, a beautiful building housing the decorative arts. Wish we had that concept! This collection was more than just Meissen. It included all the important porcelain manufacturers in Europe of the 1700 and 1800’s. I found the exhibit helpful in making comparisons as the work was grouped by country. I was not allowed to take pictures, alas, just I took lots of notes.

Another interesting comparison I found at the Brandenburg Gate plaza, where the American Embassy is housed. If one looks across the square they can see the Kennedy Museum and then next-door Starbucks, of course. Also on this square is the Academy of Art (Kunst), which unfortunately was closed on a Sunday, but it is another glass wonder.

There was an eerie feeling to this city and I was reminded of its history through the Jewish Memorial, Libskind’s stark Jewish Museum, Check Point Charlie and the double row of cobblestones that mark where the Wall once stood not so long ago.

The Source: Dresden and Meissen

2010-07-14T12:20:00.003-04:00

Dresden was my biggest surprise so far – and a most pleasant one. I expected it to be like Düsseldorf, mostly buildings from the 50’s and 60’s since the city was also bombed out during WWII. However, Dresden made a commitment to rebuild many of its historical buildings with exact attention to detail and it is truly spectacular. My destination was the Japanese Palais for the main 300^th Anniversary of Meissen exhibition. It was an amazing show, with examples of Meissen from museums all over the world – the best of their production. It was organized in a didactic and thematic way. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed but there is a book on the show, which I will buy when I return since it would use up my weight allowance for luggage it is so comprehensive! It was also amazing to see this show at the Japanese Palais, as it is where August the Strong had his collection on display – one floor for the actual Asian imports and one for Meissen’s exacting “copies.”

The next day I boarded the train to the town of Meissen where the factory, museum and visitors center is located. Try as I might, I could not get a tour of the factory. They have a slick demo program in the “Workshop” for visitors. They did allow me to take pictures and videos. They had people throwing, using molds, underglazing, and china painting. Then there was the museum to visit. It too was beautifully displayed with one section by country theme. I topped off the morning with coffee and pie in their café that serves on Meissen ware. That was about as close as I could afford to get to the dishes as even in the “outlet” store has the cups priced at a few hundred dollars each.

Since I had an early start I managed to get back in time to see more of Dresden and while looking over the map I noted there was porcelain at the Zwinger – a Baroque complex of buildings with a huge courtyard inside with gardens, fountains, etc. Well, was I surprised to find that this was THE collection of August the Strong. During the war the German’s wisely took the work out of the Japanese Palais and stored it for safekeeping. The Russians “appropriated” it when they occupied Dresden but returned the collection in the late 50’s. Then in the early 60’s the collection was moved to the Zwinger for display. In 2006 the space was remodeled and designed to show how the work might have been displayed by August the Strong, typically in arches on the wall, pots on fancy shelves and in a symmetrical pattern. The Asian import ware was beyond belief in quality and variety. There was a special display on Bottger, enslaved by August and forced to discover the Arcanum. Eventually he succeeded in discovering the formula for a porcelain comparable to the Chinese porcelain. It was after that the Meissen Manufactur was started by August 300 years ago.

Great story, great collection, great city.

The porcelain pilgrimage continues to Budapest and Vienna

2010-07-08T16:09:00.003-04:00

I had a short day in Budapest on Sunday before leaving Hungary. I went for the second time to the Museum of Decorative Arts. Last time was in 2005, when one of the curators with connections to the ICSHU sent her intern around with me to visit store rooms full of ceramics of all ages and types. There was a Zolnay show up in the galleries, too. This time it was textiles but they also had a wonderful show of their collection up with some great European porcelains included. The building itself is spectaclar with, you might have guessed, Zolnay tiles for the roof and entrance. I have also included a photo of the main market with Zolnay tiles.

Vienna is a beautiful city, so bright, clean and well run. Their Decorative Arts Museum (MAK) was amazing. It is also housed in a spectacular building (are you getting the idea that the decorative and applied arts and design are more appreciated in Europe than the US?). They had a ceramics study collection of almost 1000 pieces. My biggest frustration is that they did not allow photos, not even with an extra fee. I had a book in German as a guide and I took copious notes, some in German, for my research. Vienna had an active porcelain production. I am looking for similarities and difference in the major porcelain producers, in techniques, quality and imagery. The final image included is the Majolica House - and people live in it!

Visit to Pecs for Zslonay luster

2010-07-06T12:53:00.003-04:00

Pecs is a beautiful, award winning and sophisticated city (please disregard the MacDonald’s on the corner of that building in the lovely square).

Pecs was the home of the Zsolnay factory, famous for its lusterware production, including the colorful roof tiles gracing many buildings in Hungary. The factory has been closed for some time, but the town has a museum of the production. I have included some examples.

The tour included some interesting architecture on the way and a stop for a wine tasting on the way home in Hungary’s famous wine region.

Trip to the Herend Porcelain Factory

2010-07-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

As part of the symposium we participated in two field trips. The first was a trip to the Herend Porcelain factory and museum. We had a private tour – this is a rarity I might add but the connections at the ICSHU opened this door to us.

First we were taken to the showroom, where only serious shoppers and wholesalers are brought in to see their entire line - others are relegated to the factory shop to buy. Then we were taken around the factory (managed to get one picture until they told us they were not allowed) to see all phases of their amazing production. I now know why they charge $300.00 – 500.00 for a cup and saucer – everything is handmade and decorated! No decals here.

The tour was given by one of their 3 major designers Tamas Akos. The factory was amazing - clean, people dressed in white uniforms talented people working with impressive equipment that made this production possible to make.

Afterwards, we had a run through the museum and topped the visit off with coffee and pastries served on Herend plates and cups at the café. We boarded our mini-bus to head to Lake Balaton for a meal at a restaurant overlooking the lake. We took a ferry across on our way home. All in all, a most informative and enjoyable time was had by all!

My studio in Hungary

2010-07-04T11:47:00.001-04:00

I had about a quarter of a large room to work in although I spent my first few days in the plaster rooms making about 8 molds of the 3D rapid prototyped models I have a fired example of one of the 35 objects I made with the molds. The pieces are not finished yet and I will be china painting, lustering and adding to the objects after I get home. The work was made in Herend porcelain, which I will write about, in the next post. It is amazingly beautiful fired in reduction to cone 12 – a cold white.

I was able to see the work I made in 2005 while at the ICSHU which is in the collection spread out in attics and basements throughout the compound. Some of that work and the work of Joe Bova and Marc Leuthold, both had also been there prior, are on exhibit at the ICHSU’s museum. It was very exciting to go back and see the work again, especially on exhibit at their elegant museum.

The Symposium - Pot on the Spot at the International Ceramics Studio - Kesckemet, Hungary

2010-07-04T11:37:00.002-04:00

I have left Kesckemet and am in Budapest. I am hoping to catch up with this blog on my 2 weeks of adventure there now that the work is done and the crate is packed. It was a whirlwind couple weeks shared with an amazing group of people. It will take a number of these posts to catch up on all that happened and I will only be able to give you a touch.

This post is about the International Ceramics Studio and you can see the gates to what is basically a compound, private and for people serious in clay. Joe Bova, our fearless leader (although he would claim not to be our leader) had t-shirts made for us all.

International Ceramics Studio - Kesckemet, Hungary

2010-06-27T09:17:00.003-04:00

I have finally found a few minutes to start add to my blog - I am at the International Ceramics Studio in Kesckmet, Hungary working for 2 weeks with an incredible group of ceramic artists, brought together by Joe Bova. More on that as I go along. For now - a picture of the entrance to the room I share with Elaine Henry. We have to pass through Robert Harrison's arch to get there. It is above the museum here.

There is a picture of me next to my piece in their huge and amazing collection (almost 40 years of artists working here and all leave work) from the last time I worked here in 2004.

Janos Probst, Director, hosted a goulash feast for us with his homemade Palinka for the toast. The goulash is cooking over the fire in the traditional way.

I am hustling to make pieces - first I made about 10 molds from 3D rapid prototypes I had made ahead before coming. Now I am slip casting with Herend casting slip. We had a trip to the Herend factory and museum I will describe in another post. Amazing!

There is just a day or two more to make work and get it fired so I am back to the studio. Keep checking in for more! Vislat! Anna

Natura Vita - the latest

2010-05-30T17:33:00.003-04:00

I have continued with this series using laser decals with vintage ebay decals and luster. The plates are 6" x 6" commercial plates.

I will have some very new work soon as I am headed to the International Ceramics Studio again in a few weeks. I am taking 3 d rapid prototypes with me to cast in the luxurious Herend porcelain. I will be documenting the work through this blog - keep checking after the 19th of June!

New work - Natura Viva 2010

2010-02-21T21:13:00.004-05:00

This new series comes out of my explorations laser decals. In response to losing my source of digital decals, I thought it would be wise to see what I could do with laser decals. I spent more time working in front of the computer and on paper than on the plates themselves. I scanned images, cut and collaged them, scanned them and printed on the laser decal paper. These decals were fired to cone 2. The brownish red color comes from oxides in the ink of the decals. Then I applied vintage decals (I find them on ebay) and gold luster then fired the plates one more time at cone 018. The plates are porcelain commercial blanks I purchased from a china supply company. They afforded me the surface and opportunity to develop this new imagery and experiment with the decals.

45th Annual Faculty Exhibition

2010-01-14T22:12:00.003-05:00

The UF SA+AH faculty show was at the university's Harn Museum of Art this fall. I continued the White Tondo Series but in arrangements/installations. I had the pieces professionally photographed on site.

Artist Statement:

My new work comes from experiences in recent artist residencies and travel. On at trip to Jingedzhen, China, a visit to the “decal store” was a new experience, which opened up unique possibilities. I experimented with these Chinese decals while on residency at the International Ceramic Studio in Hungary. I also improved my mold making skills and learned to work with china paints and lusters there. I fell in love with the Herrend porcelain available for my use. Its whiteness offered me a pristine surface for decoration.

I use the decals in a collage-like fashion, cutting and “pasting” them to fit the areas and concept I am interested in. The shift from two-dimensional to three-dimensional as well as the negative and positive space becomes important and is critical to the composition. I started working with vintage decals and digital decals which a more accessible.

This work, although very different from my more typical earthenware work, continues my series of tondos, round wall platters with vessels as relief. Occasionally, I take the vessel forms off the tondo and place them in various installations. Ideas about relationships, with their similarities and differences, influence me as I group them.

Anima Series 2008

2010-01-13T21:18:00.005-05:00

This series involves commercial tiles, decals both digital laser and vintage ebay decals. The tile gave me a canvas to work on. I could be playful with this format.

White Tondo Series

2010-01-13T21:08:00.002-05:00

This series incorporates a magnolia leaf made into a mold, slip cast, thrown plates, digital decals. The plates are about 15 " in diameter.

I use the decals in a collage-like fashion, cutting and “pasting” them to fit the areas and concept I am interested in. The shift from two-dimensional to three-dimensional as well as from negative and positive space, becomes critical to the composition.

This work, although very different from my more typical earthenware work, continues my series of tondos, , or round relief, found in Italian Renaissance architecture , with vessels as relief. Occasionally, I take the vessel forms off the tondo and place them in various installations. Ideas about relationships, with their similarities and differences, influence me as I group them. Recently, I am using tiles as a surface for these forms as well. All this is in an effort to engage the viewer in the visual shifts and relationships.

Méi Series

2010-01-04T08:11:00.003-05:00

Méi Series

These pieces are the most accessible and functional pieces I have made. I found simple forms and made 2- 3 part molds of them. I slip cast with a porcelain slip (wet) clay into the molds. They are fired to cone 10 in the electric kiln with a clear glaze. Afterwards, I apply decals, images made of ceramics glaze materials, on a sheet of coated paper, to the piece. Most pieces also receive a luster application. Luster is made up of metals, gold and platinum, in a suspension liquid that will allow it to stick and stay where applied when fired. The decal and luster is then fired to a lower temperature, cone 018, to finish the piece. Méi is the pinyin Mandarin Chinese word for small objects.

Teapot Series

2010-01-04T08:05:00.006-05:00

Teapots

I have taught teapot making for many years. In 2006, I finally took the challenge on personally, using the form to deal with issues of relationship of parts, decoration and pattern.

They are made with earthenware clay, built with coils on a slab bottom. I repeat the form, a pot on a pot, with low fire slips and glazes on the surfaces, the 2 –d images repeating the 3 –d image in space. The feet give the pots a sense of animation. I like the playful quality of this series.

Fuping, China Residency 2007

2009-12-02T20:52:00.005-05:00

In April, 2007, I traveled to Fuping (Xi an), China, for a month's residency. I am one of about 30 ceramic artists invited to represent the US in the new America Ceramic Art Museum, part of the FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums. This complex of museums is the dream of Dr. Ichi Hsu and is part of the Fuping Pottery Village and factories.

It was a unique and productive experience. The American Museum will open on July 4, 2007. I created 9 pieces for the museum. Here are some pictures of my experience and the work I created.

This is the website for the Fuping Pottery Village and Museums.

http://www.flicam.com/frameset_catalogue%20english.html