raku and raku too

The ceramics class is so large this year we had to split the Raku firing into 2 events. Photos of each event below...

The first night, before Daylight Savings Time ended...

KJ, one of the lid lifters all scrubbed in and ready to go

Shunny looking like some kind of ceramics bandito. She volunteered to be the photographer for the first firing.

Jonny Cupcakes on the left, me in the middle, KJ on the right.

Putting the first few pots in the cans.

Adding one more to the can. That might be Erin, Lydia & Abby behind the cans.

Abby's lid stuck and it took 3 people to free it up.

And then it exploded! Just kidding. This was the "burping" of one of the cans.

Ashley "The Wisk" doing her victory dance

The second night, after Daylight Savings Time ended...

A scary bunch. Brandy, Tavern-E-A, Josie, ElizabethE & Anne

I gave them the safety talk and this was their response.

Waiting on the cones to fall. I lack patience. AnnieBob took this photo to compare the reflective surfaces of the kiln and my head.

Just as the second cone was falling, suiting up and making sure no skin was exposed.

Devin on the left and EllenBess on the right. They were the gatekeepers for this round.

Cracking the lid open.

Pulling the first pot.

Very warm.

Still pretty warm.

Making the white crackle crackle better.

This is the part everyone likes.

AnnieBob and Bethany photographed the second firing. No one was singed at all and everyone was anxious to see how their pots turned out. Everyone did their job well and I may have even been a little proud of them. Of course, I'll never tell them that.

seen at secac in savannah

Fiber artist Beth Melton. She gave a great presentation and she said she'd send me some of her "Pee-Paw's Pecans".

The river. Nice to look at but very cold to run by early in the morning.

Sculptor Ann Hamilton. The Lander gang plus Beth sat down front at her keynote speech.

The longest Veterans Day Parade I've ever seen. The marching bands punctuated the talks on Thomas Kinkade making them even more goofy to experience.

SCAD's reuse of old stuff. Great use of existing structures and great use of color on the new stuff.

Churches. Southern city....lots of churches.

Liza Lou's trailer exterior. SandySingletary and Beth wait while Georgie views the interior.

Liza Lou's trailer interior. Very shiny. Very impressive.

Mapplethorpe photos. Naked flowers, not people.

Kehinde Wiley's massive paintings. Just as slick as they were in the art magazine but even more perfect and awesome in person.

River Street. Newly acquired fact: Running on cobblestones is not fun or easy.

Some real life "Occupy" people. Not impressed with their level of dedication. When the drizzle started they ran away.

This. War monument and lots of other public art. Public art rules. It appeals to people and makes them want to come to your town and walk around.

A pirate ship. It wasn't really a pirate ship but when Blue sees this photo he's going to call it a pirate ship and I'm not going to rain on his parade.

weldors wielding welders

JAW welding on a periactoid

AnnieBob welding on a periactoid

What is a periactoid? I'm not completely sure, but I do know how to make one. It's essentially an extruded triangle that stands upright. These mammoths are 16 feet tall and will be covered with cloth and used in the upcoming theater production.

You can see these being used in real life at...

Golden Samurai

"Set in the once poor town of Utagowa, Japan, this fairy tale tells the story of a town now rich beyond belief. But when someone comes to take away their wealth, the citizens of Utagowa have a thing or two to say about it! In doing so, they examine the age old proverb: all that glitters is not gold. With sword fighting, puppets, and other fun effects - this is not a show to miss!"

Location: Lander University's Cultural Center Auditorium

Dates: Nov. 16, 2011 8:00-10:00 PM

Nov. 17, 2011 8:00-10:00 PM

Nov. 18, 2011 8:00-10:00 PM

Nov. 19, 2011 3:00-5:00 PM

great moments in sculpture #82

MAT "Soundsuit Project" inspired by artist Nick Cave

Blue's moment with Langhorne

great moments in sculpture #478

work begins on "the peg-leg project"

the chainsaw was a big hit. so was corey's dreadlock protective covering.

Over the first several weeks of the semester I watched at least 3 students as they held a power tool for the first time. They literally trembled as they prepared to pull the trigger. One student did her best to avoid using the chainsaw. When she finally gathered her strength and used it to carve on her project she loved it so much she asked her parents to buy her one. Probably not what you'd expect to hear from your college aged daughter.

I maintain that we have more fun in Sculpture than in any other area. I mean, come on.......we have chainsaws.

free hugs, angry birds & langhorne slim

A photo with Shoeless Joe. Because it's never too early to start warning your kids about the dangers of hanging with the wrong crowd.

The last two days of Fall Break ended up with time spent at Fall for Greenville. The kids are all about some festivals these days and Greenville is always nice. There were rides....

...and shameless ads aimed at children....

...and free hugs (apparently)....

...and there was Langhorne Slim.....for free.

Fall for Greenville is all about food and music. The food is cheap and the music is free. We met some friends at the stage for Langhorne's show and we walked up and seized a spot right in front of the stage. Ever the caring parents, we had our 5 year old and 2 year old in tow. Before you get uptight about that, just know that the music was not too loud and as a daytime all ages show, the language was pleasantly PG at the worst. And what kind of parents would we be if we let our kids grow up thinking that the radio was the only source of music, that that Bieber kid was worth hearing, or heaven forbid.....that they NOT know what the word Americana means?

So we sat down on East Washington street, right on the center line and waited for the band to tune up. I'm a realist (most days) so I understood that the only way our kids were going to sit still and relatively quiet for an hour or so was with some technology help. At the first sign of fidgeting I handed Blue my phone and he went to town on some Angry Birds. When the show started everyone was on their feet.....everyone except Blue. He sat in the street with crazy fans jumping all around him for the entire concert. He didn't look up but he did catch the beat a few times and start swaying to the music.

For the final tune Langhorne launched into a particular song he's known for singing while moving through the crowd. At the Handlebar last year he sat down with a fan in the seats near us and sang to her. At the Visulite a month or so ago he jumped off stage and walked right up between G and me. Sunday he climbed down off the stage, jumped the metal barrier and walked right over to where we were standing. He was singing away when he spotted Blue sitting on the ground playing games on the phone. Langhorne smiled and quickly sat down in front of Blue and began to sing directly to him. Blue was so into the games I had to tap him to get him to look up. He saw what was happening and this huge smile washed over his face. Then Langhorne got up and continued his stroll through the crowd. Since Blue had my phone I couldn't get a photo of the experience. But as a wise man once said, "We have it in our hearts".

This was just after he left Blue's perch. That's Ginger's hair on the left. I took the photo and Blue asked for the phone again so he could finish his game. He's a tough crowd.