Amber Dusick

kiln opening (oh yeah, ceramics! how are you?)

It has been over a year since I last posted about ceramics.

Had been a long time since I did a kiln firing, I had even been holding a batch of work by Marisa hostage in my garage from a clay date last year. I very strongly dislike not finishing things, so I was hugely relieved to fire Melvina last week. I did get Marisa's work back to her finally. She forgave me because she is cool like that.

Some of the kiln was filled with my 4-year-old's ceramics.

Of my own work, these were my favorites:

I made a whole lot of little things with some thrown bowls thrown into the mix. 

I made many beads and tiny little jewelry pieces that I'm excited about playing around with. 

And the houses, oh I adore the wee houses:

I have a fun little project planned for these guys that I'm excited about doing. 

But more on that when I get around to it.  I can't promise that it won't take a year. But it probably won't. Probably. 

Feels SO GOOD to tie up loose ends like this.

clay, meet wood. wood, this is clay.

I got them together at last.  Clay and wood are friends.  Stoneware mounted on poplar... tiles?  Plaques?  What do I call these?  Any suggestions? 

 

I wanted to make work for the walls as I still have some bare walls around the house but not much shelf space. 

I'm having a really hard time deciding how to photograph these.  They go on the wall yet I need to show that they have depth.  Still working on this but I'm just going to go with what I've got and work on photos as I go along.     

I have just a handful finished but I think more are in my future as I'm really loving these.  I think they'd be amazing in a grouping on a wall.  (Note to self: make more with the intention of keeping them.)

  
It felt good to cut wood again, it has been a loooooong time.  Such fun to find a way to combine my two loves.  

(These will be in my Amber Dusick shop soon.  PS - I split my shops, keeping woodmouse strictly for wood.  Even though they play well together I didn't like them living together.) 

three little birds

These three little birds (who sing sweet songs of melodies pure and true) hang above my kiln in my studio.

They tell me not to worry. 

Because every little thing is going to be alright. 

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And just in case you don't get the Bob Marley references, I'm talking about this song. 

I had a dream a few months ago where I was at a big festival of everyone I know and they were announcing everyone one by one and playing their life's theme song.  As they went through the names I tried to guess what some of my friends' songs would be.  My name was finally called and my theme song was "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley, which is extra cool since it was recorded the year I was born. 

Aren't dreams amazing when they are good?  I mostly remember the bad ones it seems so it was nice to have this happy one thrown in.  Remember any good ones lately? 

the first two things I ever made in ceramics

It was first grade.  I was seven.  We'd go to "art" class down the hall once a week and I have no recollection of it except for making this "shelf sitter" figure of my grandpa.  That day I remember, but only flashes of it. 

I remember being excited about making my grandpa a gift.  I remember that each child got the same sized chunk of clay.  I remember having trouble with the hair and the art teacher giving me suggestions.  I remember feeling anxious when I was told it was "clean up" time because I didn't have the legs just right yet.  I also remember being disappointed by having missed glazing his neck, although that was obviously on a different day.     

 

Later that same year we got to work with clay again and I opted to make a shelf sitter of my grandma so they could have a matching set. 

This time I distinctly remember being rushed during the glazing.  I was forced to glaze her pants, shoes and cat all the same color because time was nearly up and the art teacher wouldn't give me any other colors.  I remember her telling me to "just finish up with what you have" because it was "clean up" time.  On behalf of the child artist within me, I'm still peeved about it.

The cat was supposed to be black and white to match Gypsy, our cat.  Check out kitty's "dead eyes" with the little X's for eyes.  So funny!

The funny thing is, when I see them, they look my "my artwork" to me.  Apparently, everything I've done since hasn't strayed very far from these first pieces.  In reality, my grown up artwork has always included a nod to my childhood artwork, whether intentional or not.  However, I could never replicate the playfulness and simplicity I see in these.  They are precious.  One of a kind.           

I'm so glad my grandparents still have these. 

And I'm ever so thankful that I don't have anyone telling me that it is "clean up" time. 

I was looking for a sign

So I made one.

Yes. 

Keep going. 

Yes! 

What sign are you looking for? 

 

house vases progress

So, to follow up my last post with my house vase success, I thought I'd show my progress.  This is the first house vase I attempted:

It isn't that bad.  It isn't very good either.  It is wobbly and wonky.  It is sitting on my shelf now.  I have no idea what I'll wind up doing with all the "learning process" work.  Probably destined for the hammer to be repurposed as mosaic tiles.  My wooden mistakes we just burn in the fireplace.  Ceramics is harder to get rid of.

This is my most recent house vase and the construction is fabulous, phew.  MummySam gave me some behind the scenes form building tips since she has a former ceramics artist hidden inside of her super talented self.  It helped!

The interior is glazed so it is functional and can hold water.  This one is in the shop.  SOLD. 

Above, you can see all three.  I really love the classic red roof one in the center and now that I know what I'm doing (well, a little) I might make more. 

Here is a source inspiration photo.  This is what is left of my grandparent's barn in Wisconsin.  This is the milkhouse.  It once housed gleaming stainless steel vats of fresh milk.  The hole in the roof (where the imaginary flowers go now) use to have a fan/exhaust thingy in it.  

  

a new home for the flowers

I thought for sure I had jinxed it when I posted about this house vase.  Thought for sure it wouldn't survive the firings.  But it did!

Before and after...

In fact, this is one of my favorite things from this recent batch and she is mine, all mine.

This house vase will live outside, ready to give a home to flowers that the little guy picks in the yard.  Which will be many and often.   

Everything in my recent cone 5 stoneware firing survived, but much of it is still in progress or not photographed. 

Also, I just plain hate some of it.  Yeah, it happens.  These growing pains are rough, since there is 6 weeks between firings so the learning process is long and drawn out.  I'm yearning for some instant start to finish creative satisfaction and have some quicker projects in mind. 

 

Ceramic House Vases

Remember in my progression post how I ended it by saying I want to work on stuff in clay that I started in wood but didn't follow through with?

Well, I'm picking up where I left off!  This new house vase above clearly has roots in my pink wooden candy house below.  I always meant to make more structures in wood but never had time.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm keeping that vase.  I hope it survives the firings.  I'm using a totally different clay this time (a higher fired stoneware) and will be testing new glazes too.  Just like my first batch, I'm bound to have some casualties.  I know this comes with the territory of exploring, so I'm okay with it.  Well, sorta.   
   

Progression

Images on the left are wooden items created from 2007 - 2009.  The images on the right are from this month in clay.  

My first firing was very derivative from my old work.  I didn't really know where to start so I picked up where I left off and went with what was familiar. 

It was interesting to translate designs that were sort of 2D/3D by limitation of the wood into a medium that has very little limitations. 

It was also a lot harder.  For one thing, I'm terribly clumsy and with wood I could just toss stuff around.  With ceramics I have to be careful not to drop anything.

Every little bump or nudge makes a mark in clay.  Then again it is also very forgiving.  If I make a mistake it can be smoothed over rather than destined for the scrap pile.  

It felt good to execute these familiar designs.  Safe.  Like seeing old friends.  It was a good experiment but I'm already feeling the call to move on.  

Ceramics has opened up possibilities.  Things I couldn't execute in wood are possible in clay!

I love to look at portfolios of artists and see their progression from one thing to the next and even try to predict where they'll go next.  Where am I headed? 

I'll give you a hint.  I'm seduced by designs I tried out in wood but didn't follow through with...

Yep.  Structures.  Larger.  Functional!  

Hope you enjoyed my geeky comparison photos.  I didn't even realize just how similar it all was (even the angles that I shoot things!) until I started digging through my old photos for this post.

The Radish Spirit

We had our first garden harvest!  Radishes! 

I had to throw in ceramics to this gardening post, hehe.  Made some little house garden markers for my garden!  I rarely make stuff for me, so I've promised myself that I'll make something intended for keeps with every firing.    

Picking!

All rinsed off in the hose.  Like jewels.

Ready to eat with a jar of sea salt for dipping.  These are on a handmade plate my husband brought me from Capri, Italy.  Yum! 

I've only eaten radishes raw with salt or sliced in salads.  What else do you do with them?