Monday, January 21, 2013

Wait, Is This Even a Bowtie?

Headed to the Summit
      Although this is a ceramics orientated blog, I thought it would be fun to begin incorporating posts about the "other" things that I do. I was fortunate enough to spend the last week skiing in Park City, Utah, with Ali and my great friends Mike and Jen. We began our journey westward on January 12th, and I am proud to say Ali conquered her fear of flying and we did not miss any connecting flights in the hectic Atlanta airport. Thanks to leaving Louisville at 6:00 A.M., we arrived in Utah before noon, with plenty of time left to ski in the day. It was so great to be back out west skiing on real mountains instead of the 300 vertical foot hill I call home, and to top it off, Park City had received over a foot of snow the night before we got there. I would love to be able to say my favorite part of the trip; however, there were so many perfect moments that it would be impossible to choose just one. 
Instead, I am just going to make a list of 
some of my favorites that come to mind as I write... 
Brody and Myself
      If you have read my blog before, you have probably heard me mention crazy stories about a fellow skier named Brody Leven who is based out of Salt Lake City (if you haven't listened to me and checked out his blog yet, do it already @ brodyleven.com).  Through the power of Facebook I was able to shout at him enough to meet up and exchange stories. I met up with him at his hotel before the Powder Awards (see favorite trip moment #2 for more info on that) where he was struggling to tie a bow tie via youtube.com instruction. It was later determined that the tie he had was not in fact a bow tie at all. It's not often you get to meet someone you idolize, and it is even less often that you get to sit down and have a legitimate conversation with them. I feel so blessed that we got to meet up and shoot the breeze for a few hours about skiing, kiln building, traveling, climbing, and of course how to tie a bow tie.
"Follow Me!"
     
      When I first booked my trip to Utah, I thought the timing was perfect because I would be out there during the heavy snow season. Little did I know that the 2013 Powder Magazine Awards would also be taking place during that week (Sundance did as well, but I was not as excited about all the overcrowding that came along with it). I have been following the Powder Awards online for the past decade, and when I heard they would take place less than a mile from me, my heart almost stopped. I was initially devastated to find out tickets were sold out, but when more were released, I jumped on ordering them faster that something that jumps on something else really fast. I think it is safe to say that Ali witnessed me have over a dozen "geek-outs" when I saw famous skiers/filmers like Tanner Hall, Candide Thovex, Josh Berman, LJ Strenio, Ingrid Backstrom, Brody Leven, and Sean Pettit that I have idolized for the better part of my life. Truly a night I will never forget. 
Dru crushing 3 Kings
    
      Throughout the years, many of my friends at Paoli (myself included) have talked about making the big move out west to ski better places. One of the only people to step up and make that move is one of my best friends, Dru Williams. Lucky for me, he moved to Salt Lake City, and was easily within driving distance to spend a day together. We spent a bluebird day cruising the 3 Kings Terrain Park and even hit up the local pizza joint for the first (and only) cheap meal of the trip. It's always a neat experience to meet up with old friends in new places. 
      








Crazy Sport
Although I had been there before, I thought it was necessary to make a trip to the Utah Olympic Park while we were out there. Once again the timing was perfect because we got to witness the concluding day of the 2013 Luge Junior World Championships. My training for Sochi 2014 begins tomorrow..although I cannot picture myself enjoying flying down an ice track at around 90 mph. I cannot tell you how many "Cool Runnings" references I made during our visit, but I think it is safe to say that Ali, Mike, and Jen were sick of me talking by the end of the afternoon. 
   






    I have more memories than any one blog post could ever sum up, and I think the best way to say how I feel is that this trip was the time of my life. I got to visit old hangouts and new places with best friends and new acquaintances. It really was the trip of a lifetime!
The one and only







Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I haven't abandoned the blog yet!


One of many cups for the show
     
     Well I know it has been fifty days since my last post; however, I intend on being more active with the blog from here on out. Since the silence that began October 2nd, I have come across a lot of things worth writing about. 
     
     First off, (drumroll please) I have thrown and fired all the work for my B.F.A. Exhibition which opens in eight days. I did not think it was possible to finish any major task ahead of time, but I managed to surprise myself (and everyone else I'm sure) by finishing over a week early. I am very pleased with how all of the work turned out and will be showing a series of twenty seven of the nicest plates, fifteen to twenty yunomis, and six large vases. I really look forward to seeing everyone that can make it at the Schneider Gallery on November 29th, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
     
     One of my favorite places to fire is down in Bardstown, KY, with my good friend Matt Gaddie. It's always such a relaxing time to get away from the hectic studio life up here in Louisville. We fired up his kiln in mid/late October, and despite the loss of a lot of yunomis off the bagwall, I was pleasantly surprised by how everything turned out. Although the entire firing process is enjoyable, I think my favorite part this time was eating yum-yums while working the 6:00 AM shift with Matt and Ali. Conclusion: donuts are good for wood firing... 
Early morning yum-yums
     
     Every year I tell myself I want to make a better effort to enter juried exhibitions across the country, and this year I finally managed to get my act together and send off some entries. Even though I did not get into the Archie Bray: Beyond the Brickyard Exhibition, I was fortunate enough to get a yunomi and saucer set into the 5th Annual Form and Function International Cup Exhibition in Panama City, FL and all three yunomi and saucer entries into the Cups of Comfort International Cup Exhibition in Terre Haute, IN. There are a lot more juried exhibition opportunities coming up this winter/spring so keep your fingers crossed that I can keep the hot streak going.



     Last but not least- in no way did I forget about posting random photos at the end of every babbling article...
What do we have here?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Two Down, Five To Go!

      The pace has really picked up around the studio over the past few weeks, and although it has negatively affected my "blogging", I have been getting a lot of good work made. My plate count is well passed the century mark and I have finally reopened my Etsy.com site! For those of you who don't know what Etsy is, just follow the link! (http://www.etsy.com/shop
/RademakerPottery)
      Having avoided any major stalls of procrastination, I have even found the time to have some fun over the past few weeks. The pinnacle was attending the Notre Dame vs. Michigan football game with Ali and some of my family. We stood screaming the whole time, and since Notre Dame was able to pull out a win, I think the bucket hat is here to stay as a good luck charm (sorry Ali)!
       The most recent wood kiln (fired September 30th) is sitting painfully at 382 F, making it too hot to unload. However, those of you who know my patience know I have already snuck a peek into the front. The outlook is good, and I hope the results can compare to the incredible first kiln. I do not have images of plates from the first kiln because I'm still in the process of cleaning and sanding, but have no fear, I have plenty of images of other pots. Just as easily as making really beautiful pots, the wood kiln at UofL has no problem making really ugly pots. That being said, I think this is the first firing I didn't pull any dumpster chunkers out of.






   


























      They say "if it's not broken, don't fix it" (or at Paoli, 'if it aint broke dont fix it'); however, I made the decision to alter my clay body slightly. Although I loved the results it was giving, I wanted to substitute some lighter materials for darker ones and see if it would increase the flashing. Needless to say, I have my fingers crossed, hoping I didn't break something that wasn't broken to begin with. We will know at the unload tomorrow...
      Check back soon with more consistent blog posts and hopefully some beautiful new plates from this most recent kiln!

Random helicopter dropping things on the soccer field
Ether is on fire!





Friday, September 14, 2012

Its a Firing Party

     After throwing plates nonstop for the past month or so, the time to fire has finally arrived.  Firing is my favorite aspect of the ceramics process, and I am very excited to get back to firing the wood kiln. So much so that I don't mind losing what little social life I have in order to fire eight wood kilns in the next two months. Seven of the wood kilns will be fired here at the University of Louisville and one will be fired down in Bardstown, KY, with my friend Matt Gaddie. Although I have not decided exactly how I will break up the firing styles, I do know I will fire multiple kilns traditionally while reduction cooling a couple as well.
     I had a major "Leave it to Beaver" moment a few days ago...aka a story for you to laugh at my expense. Having focused the entirety of my time on getting all the plates thrown, I completely forgot about throwing the cups that will be fired on top of the plates. With the firing a week away, I hunkered down and pushed out a few boards worth of cups
     As I get ready to load the first of the plate filled wood kilns, I find myself anxious about how the whole endeavor will go. There is nothing worse than opening a kiln, only to find out that everything did not go as planned. However, I have fired dozens of great wood kilns in the past, and I am trying to keep a positive state of mind.
The perfect firing meal
         Throughout this past summer, Ali and I had the opportunity to become locals at the Douglass Loop Farmers Market. Contrary to popular belief, the farmers market is much cheaper than the grocery (for me at least) and I have developed a relationship with a few vendors that I go back to see every week. My favorite farmers market find has to be Lexington Pasta...based out of Lexington, KY, of course. I would highly advise all my pasta loving friends to stop by any of the local markets and check out their booth. Whether its three cheese ravioli with spinach, four cheese ravioli, or one of their many noodle varieties, I can't get enough. 
     I hate to say it, but todays picture of the day won't be too random. I fired the soda kiln this past weekend (and will fire it again while I'm firing the wood kiln this sunday) and had some spectacular pieces come out. Here are some quick photos I snapped! 
Some of my favorite bowls

Woo Plates!! 
 Just kidding...heres a random one!

This is possibly one of my favorite pictures of all time. A buddy of mine and I were wandering around after a rainstorm and stumbled upon a piece by a local artist with a rainbow just overhead. Timing is everything. 

Friday, August 24, 2012

The Return to School

   
     The dawning of the fall semester is always an awkward time for me in the clay studio. From having the studio all to myself for three months, I must rapidly readjust to having other people and classes in the studio all the time. Luckily, with my graduation in December, this is the last time for that.
What every good studio space needs
   
     The last week or so has been pretty scattered for me. Along with going back to school and pushing out 35 plates, I have also fired 2 soda kilns over the past 10 days. Not bad if you ask me. I fell in love with soda firing while I was still in high school. Our ceramics class was lucky enough to travel to the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts in Southern Indiana to fire their soda kiln. I was hooked after the first firing and over time became very close to the studio director, Norman Silva. Norman is one of my greatest ceramic influences and probably the main reason I still make pots today. When I graduated from high school and was left with nowhere to work, Norman created a job for me at Mount Saint Francis. I got to do all the cleaning work he hated, and in turn, I got to make work up there for free.
Norm, me, and my mop!

      Through working with him at The Mount, I fired more than forty soda kilns over the next two years. After awhile, dividing myself between The Mount Studio and the studio at UofL became impractical, and I began working solely at UofL. Luckily for me, there was a nearly new soda kiln here as well. Unfortunately, there was also a BRAND NEW wood kiln. Needless to say, I have focused pretty heavily on wood firing over the past few years while soda firing has fallen by the wayside. After taking the soda firing workshop at the Archie Bray Foundation with Matt Long and Brad Schweiger this summer, my soda firing interest was sparked again. Why not soda fire some of my plates? The atmospheric surface of soda firing is both similar and just as beautiful as that of wood firing.
Soda Kiln @ The Meadows Pottery
   
     The first soda kiln I fired is located at Matt Gaddie's studio in Bardstown, KY. I have worked closely with Matt for the past few years, and this soda kiln is something I have pushed him to build for some time now.  We started the build in late spring of this year, and with gas lines run and burners built, we were finally ready to fire.  For a first firing, the kiln came out great, and I even got a few finished plates to move my tally up to 8. Sadly I left my camera down at his studio, so no photos of pots for now. I also fired a soda kiln here at UofL with a buddy of mine from the studio. This kiln also came out really well and gave me further hope about incorporating soda fired plates into my plate wall. I promise I'll post photos as soon as I get my camera back!
A full space..and my "borrowed" cart
    
     One major downside to the semester starting (in my opinion) is the need for my space to appear "cleaner than usual". I would not consider myself messy; however, pushing so many pots through a small area can create quite a bit of clutter. This is especially true with all the plates I will be making. They do not take terribly long to throw, but drying and trimming can easily take a week. With limited space to store a large number of drying-sensitive plates, I was left scratching my head for a few days. Luckily, there is a super nice cart that I have "borrowed" to store trimmed plates on. I may not be able to walk into my space, but who cares!











...and always.. the random of the day
I have a twin somewhere! (this isnt actually me believe it or not) 


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

No Plate Tuesday

     Having thrown 10 plates on Monday, I was not left with much space on my table to throw plates yesterday. Have no fear, I plan to make more today! Rather than try and talk about plates everyday, I thought it would be interesting to talk about a different aspect of my process each day for the next week or so.
My best buddy
     A major part of the ceramic process is mixing my own clay. While saying I mix my own clay may be a stretch for the standard definition, I do make it all by hand. Although boxed clay is quick and avoids making a major mess, making my own clay provides me the ability to make it however I want it and tweak small elements from one batch to the next. For example, if I plan on throwing 30 lb. bowls in the coming weeks, I'll mix the clay much softer than if I am making a lot of plates. Nothing is more frustrating than opening a box of pre-mixed clay that you payed a pretty penny for, only to find out that you got the product of a bad batch. Rather than scientifically calculating each ingredient down to the tenth of a percent, I make a rather rough mix that falls in line with Brad Schewiger's "fireclay and water" mix. Starting with reclaim from our studio
I sure love trimming lines
stoneware ( 70% Hawthorn Bond Fireclay, 15% Kentucky OM4, 15% Custer Feldspar, and 5% Silica) in a Soldner Mixer, I mix in additional Hawthorn Bond until the consistency is right. While it is not the most plastic clay I've ever used, I am particularly attracted to the properties of a fireclay heavy clay body. I may not win the tallest cylinder with 1 lb. of clay contest, but this clay body allows me to manipulate forms in ways that most clays would not.
     Another huge plus for this clay is the physical surface it creates. When done correctly, I am a huge fan of marks on pots that reveal elements of the process. For me personally, I try to record part of the process through trimming marks. Like with the throwing slip, these "magical marks" cannot be forced. Rather than setting out trying to create interesting trimming lines, I simply trim and allow the marks to create themselves. Forcing process marks onto pots is always distinguishable from marks that came naturally.
     Lucky for you all, I'll be shutting up for the next few days, as I will be firing a soda kiln down at The Meadows Pottery. However, when I get back, be ready to hear all about mixing throwing slip and see all kinds of soda fired pots.
      Rather than posting a random picture today, I want to spread the word about another blog that I enjoy very much. Brody Leven is a dude, and a very cool one at that. His blog is even more random than mine; however it's incredibly well written and extremely entertaining. It's the kind of stuff you couldn't make up if you
tried, and I catch myself laughing out loud constantly. On that note, if I could ever ask you to do anything, go check out homie Brody's blog (brodyleven.com) and if nothing else, be sure to read the series about the Craigslist creep (http://brodyleven.com/2011/04/05/craigslist creep-part-1-the-saga-of-getting-around/). You have to do it now... I gave you the link! Do it!
Doing it right!
       I lied about not posting a random picture. Do you really think I could pass up the opportunity? For all you know, I've already scrolled for hours, picking a long line of random photos-to-be.



From one of my first firings at UofL..Taken by the one and only Ali Greenwell

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

They Say Magicians Never Reveal Their Secrets..

First successful plate firing @ The Meadows Pottery
      However, I'm no magician.. Although I would love to say otherwise, "slippin" my plates came about because I could not throw good plates to begin with. Always plagued by interior ridges between the foot to wall transition, I yearned for ways to hide these marks. As an avid fan of both Matt Long and Chris Staley, I immediately fell in love with the use of throwing slip as a way to create gestural lines throughout my work.  From the start, I looked for ways to make the slip "my own" in order to avoid looking derivative of those who came before me. Coating the plates in slip both hid the ridges and created an interactive surface for the wood kiln.
First successful plate firing @ UofL
        After wood firing a few rounds of these plates I knew the slip was here to stay. I also knew I HAD to get better at throwing plates. Rather than letting the slip act as a crutch for the lacking formal element, I wanted both the slip and the plate form to develop individual strengths as well as communal strengths that made them inseparable. Those who know me know that when I find something I like, I tend to like it a bit too much. The gears were turning in my head, and my studio space became "slipped plate city". 
        From the start, one of my core interests with the plates was the potential for differing surface development. In my opinion, most wood fired plates need a little something extra to make the surface worth focusing on. Rather than turning to glazing, I wanted to use the natural kiln environment to "paint" my work. In a sense, the slip ridges and cups stacked (the 3 dots you see on the plates are from cups wadded and stacked on top of the plates during the wood firing) on top of the plates act as miniature roadblocks for the flame and ash. Instead of allowing the fire to pass right by, these small additions force the flame to take an alternate path, leaving beautiful flashing marks on the surface. In the same way, ash is encouraged to settle around the cup or on low points in the ridges, leaving behind beautiful ash pools.
       

Look at that flashing!
         Would you believe that all of these plates are fired without the use of glazes or flashing slips? Unfortunately, nobody believes me unless they see the plates going in as bare clay during the loading. While I wouldn't say I have ZERO interest in glazing, my interest is minimal. So is my attention span. Rather, I am far more fascinated with the color, texture, and variety created by the firing process. While there is an exact science that explains all the organic minerals in wood and their effect when burned at a high temperature, there is still something magical about opening up each kiln and seeing all the variety in color and texture. Even identical pieces fired side by side can have completely different results. Whats not to be "fired" up about?
      Back to the whole two plates a day topic. "Office Space" is one of my favorite movies, and I am proud to say that yesterday I debunked the "case of the Mondays" theory. I finished up the day with 10 new plates, and with my tabletop full, I look forward to getting them trimmed up and throwing more.  If you could sit behind the scenes and watch me struggle to fill the pages, you would see that I have far too many images to go with as few words as I can come up with on a daily basis. Luckily, I see this blog as a chance to strengthen my ability to speak coherently about my work. However, for now I'll just stick to posting too many photos to go along with the words.

10 on a Monday


















Random of the day...Angry Bird wood kiln!