In ceramics, we're planning our next project, and the first one goes into the kiln this coming Tuesday (tomorrow) I think. I spent hours building a couple of cardboard maquettes of possible next projects. We're doing slab building (as opposed to coil building) and I am going to try pushing the edges a bit harder this time. We'll see how that goes.
In art history, I've written my first college paper in well over 30 years. The first draft is due on Wednesday, and final version a week later. It's short and simple, but kind of fun. I might share it later, once I've done more editing passes at it, and seen what the instructor thinks.
In painting, we continue to paint. Last week we were told to "paint anything" but use a limited palate of mixed colors. I had no clue what to paint, so I went around the house and gathered some interesting objects, put them on a table, and viola... Still Life in the House of Jeff:
If you're really curious, here's a photo of the still life setup:
In there we have:
- A light up Flamingo (Thanks to Gretchen for that!)
- A bunch of bananas
- A bottle of scotch (Talisker Storm, for those who care)
- A Ryobi leaf blower
- A dead Harmon Kardon A/V amplifer and remote (and yes, I am researching replacements for it... grumble)
We have homework this week too, and I have to finish that painting today. That one is a mash-up of things found in images and real life. I'm about half done with mine and really dislike it. Still, it's a thing, and there is possibly some interesting learning going on with this one that I might talk about later, if it sticks.
In design, we started sketching a random "thing" that we then built out of cardboard and hot glue. The point here - I think - was not the cardboard and hot glue, but to get these kids to think about sketches and drawings as a vehicle for showing what something will actually look like when it is made. I've done that before - a fair bit, actually - so for me it was just play time. Some of these folks, though, had clearly never thought about these issues in any significant way. One of these days I'll have pictures of stuff I've turned in from this class. Someday.
And finally, drawing class was canceled. The instructor was sick, and her email said she would send out the drawing homework on Saturday, but it's now Monday morning and I still have nothing on that. No clue when that will show up, or how much time I'll have to do that homework. Time will tell. And also no idea how my ginger root cross contour drawing will be graded either. Again, time will tell.
No other school news. I continue to have fun, which is great, but more importantly the ceramics maquette really started some interesting thought processes. I have ideas for new art I want to create when I have time, in stone and metal and clay. Some pieces are just in one of those media, while others are a mixture of two or even all three. No clue when I'll have time to work on them, but it's good to have new, really different ideas to work with.
