Ashevill Adventures

I spent most of the day yesterday in the River Arts District exploring the studios of potters, painters, textile artists and more.  What and interesting place.  They have taken a lot of old brick buildings and converted them into studios next the French Broad River. I went to the Odyssey Center for the Arts and saw the Opinionated Clay exhibit.  I also walked along the railroad tracks and saw some pretty colorful graffiti.  Last night and this morning I have wondered around the downtown area and seen many of the galleries, including the Blue Spiral.  Tonight I take the shuttle up to Penland!

The following four images are the works of Timothy Erdahl.

Asheville, North Carolina

I made it to Asheville today even with the thunderstorms in Chicago which delayed my flight out of Sacramento.  I got a little carried away with my carry on so they made me check it in Sac. With the back up of flights at O'hare my luggage and I did not arrive at the same time. So now I wait.  At least I had the essential toiletries and stuff like that.  And the local Target provided a fresh shirt and cooler pants.  I mistakenly wore a pair of super comfortable fleece pants.  Big mistake, way to hot!  Well, I'm learning.  A seasoned traveler I have not yet become but I plan on changing all that so I'm taking copious notes.

My first order of business was to check in to the Sweet Peas Hostel which I would recommend to anyone.  At $26 a night for a bunk it is a steal.  And it is smack dab in the middle of the downtown club and gallery scene.  The sounds of the music playing from the club next door gently migrate through the brick walls and lends a wonderful ambiance.  The place is spotlessly clean, simple and has a great kitchen.

My second, and more important order of business was a block and a half stroll to the immensely popular French Broad Chocolate Lounge.  The place was hopping about 9pm with live music and I had to wait in line to get chance to plunge into the decadent Quintessential Chocolate Cake.  It was a thick slice of moist cake layered with chocolate cream and frosted with rich chocolate ganache.  Of course I had to order a small cup of local, organic milk, whole fat of course, because that is all that was offered.  Let me tell you, I went into a coma after that and ruined the delicious, light, healthy dinner I had just eaten.

Tomorrow I am off adventuring with camera in hand.  I plan to see some galleries, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and go check out Highwater Clays and Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts.

Of course, tomorrow I need to go back to get the proper chocolate, either a signature truffle with flavors like white jasmin, masala chai, indian kulfi, and canela picante which has cinnamon, dark chocolate and cayenne.
  Umm, somehow I don't think that coming to Asheville is the best place to start a diet.  People here are chocolate connoisseurs and there are other chocolate cafes.  Yikes!

My body is still on California time but here it is 1:45 am so I had better get to bed.

New Website!

I haven't had time to learn the software to update my website that I had made for me a year ago.  But...I had to make one for one of my classes so this other website is what I have been working on.  Of course, at the last minute.  It's due on Wednesday.  Only four more days now until graduation.  My fingers are itching for the clay.  I haven't had time for it with catching up for my other finals.  Ugh!  Can't, can't, can't wait to go to Penland School of Crafts!!!

Lazy Daze

Aww, isn't this pathetically cute?  This is how I feel.  I have been lounging around way too much the last couple of days which is not what I would recommend the week of finals and critiques and a week before graduation!  But sometimes the body says "ENOUGH!"  Yep, my back said I had done too much and called it quits.  So I have been laying on ice, resting, going to the chiropractor.  You get the picture.  The plus side of all this is getting up from my nap and seeing this cute thing on the other side of the bed.  Indeed, a lazy daze.

Graduation Matters

My mind has been more on my graduation which is in just less than two weeks away.  Everything wraps up next week so this is the big push to finish up all the things I have procrastinated on.  Right after graduation I will be jetting out to Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina to take a workshop with Ronan Kyle Peterson of Nine Toes Pottery.  I am so excited.  I have heard great things about Penland and I can't wait to get there.  Ronan makes some very sumptuous pots out of earthenware and I am looking forward to working with him.

New Work Images

I absolutely cannot believe there are only three weeks of school left.  Normally next week would be dead week, but since we clean the studios during finals week that puts the art students ahead by a week.  Yeah! I do say this sarcastically as the realization sank into to my unprepared brain that this week would actually be dead week.  Hell week would really be a better term for it.  I vowed I would go back to school after dinner and stay up all night working but I couldn't convince my sleepy self to do it.  Tomorrow I will have to be better prepared with packed meals, snacks, rewards, anything that will keep me going because I have tons of stuff to do.  Did I say TONS of stuff?  Oh boy, I do NOT have time for sleep.  So bring on the veggies, vitamins, brain food and could you throw in some extra energy, pleas

By the way, here are some more images from my culminating exhibition.  I can barely believe I will be graduating in three weeks.  It felt like it was going to be so far away and for so long.  Not anymore.  I will officially graduate in three weeks with my Bachelor of Arts Degree.  Excited and relieved are understatements.  I am falling asleep as I type so forgive me if anything is illegible.  Have a great week.

Culminating Exhibition Pictures

Close up of the Cased Spirals

Oh the joys of graduating!  After being up for only a week, last night was time to take down the show.  I kept telling myself that I wouldn't wait until the very last minute to take photos.  Did I do that? Of course not.  So I thought I was getting some pretty good images for not having a professional setup.  Then when I downloaded the images I realized I didn't have my white balance set properly.  Ugh!  So somewhere in the last four crazy weeks of school I'll try to set stuff up again in my "home photo studio" and take some more shots.  Hmm...

Left view of the gallery

I had  the reception on Wednesday night with lots of students, faculty, friends and family in attendance.  I had a lot of great feedback and my mom was a trooper for coming with and being there for moral support.  Thanks everyone.

Down the center

Right side

NCECA 2011

Susan Beiner

I finally got my BFA show installed and it opened today.  Big sigh of relief!  It looks great and I will have some images soon.  Now I can take the time to catch up on work for my other classes.  That is if I can resist finally looking through all of my NCECA photos.  NCECA stands for National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.  Every year there is a huge convention and this is the first time I have ever been in all the years I have been involved with clay.  Phew, what a whirlwind!  I had a great time looking at all the work.  It is just incredible to see it in person.  I love the work of Susan Beiner.  The juicy, colorful glazes, texture and use of mixed media really draw me in.  I could spend a lot of time getting lost in her pieces.

David S. Smith

I have started working with cone 10 and cone 6 porcelain and exploring the translucent qualities.  I was excited to see Poison Ball, by David Scott Smith.  This is made from cone 6 translucent porcelain.  His pieces are really great in a darker environment but the detail even in the bright gallery was intense. 

Now it is back to cracking the whip.  There are only five weeks left in the semester and I want to get as much out of it as I can!

BFA Culminating Exhibition

Thinking Through Round

A Culminating Exhibition 

For The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

by

Kelly Daniels

English Porcelain, Cone 10 Reduction

After a hiatus of I don't have any idea how long I've finally decided to update everyone on current events.  I have been spending the last couple of months preparing for my culminating exhibition for my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics. I install the show this weekend so I have been rushing around trying to do all the last minute prep.  I am completely exhausted.  Mentally mostly.  I think its from all the expectation of the last four years.  I keep telling myself that this isn't any harder than any of the craft fairs that I've had to pack up and drive off to.  Hmm, but maybe taking three studio classes in my last semester was a bit too much.  You know, I just wanted to learn everything I could while I still had the opportunity.  I'm like a kid in a candy store.  The show opens on Monday and my reception is on Wednesday at 5pm in the BSO Gallery at Chico State.  Hope to see you there!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family, friends and followers.  Thank you for all of your support as of late.  I'm thinking happy, lovely, mushy thoughts 'bout y'all.  I found this heart in Upper Bidwell Park last Sunday.  It looks like it might have been there since last year.  I like the way the grass is starting to sprout up around the rocks.  Have a lovely week!

Silk Screen Transfers For Clay

I've gotten seriously behind on posting to the blog o' sphere as of late.  I have had so many things occupying my thoughts lately, not the least of which is my rapidly approaching culminating exhibition.   I did take some time to drive down to Berkeley this weekend and attend a one day workshop with Forrest Lesch Middleton, hosted by the glorious trio, Christa Assad, Rae Dunn, and Josie Jurczenia at their Berkeley studio, Fourth & Clay.  What an awesome time I had!  These ladies are wonderful.

 

 

Applying the printing medium to the screen.

Print Samples

Forrest did an excellant job demonstrating his silkscreen transfer techniques.  Wow, I can't wait to try it out.  I actually already have a screen exposed and this was just the impetus I needed to get to printing.  I was awestruck by his method of placing the image on his forms and then continuing to throw and shape the piece.  It was delightfully inspiring.

 Ta Da!

Is this when you told us that joke? 

What's said at Fourth & Clay, stays at Fourth & Clay!

Forrest will be teaching another workshop next weekend at the Sonoma Community Center so if you didn't make the last one you still have a chance to catch up!

Santa Barbara, California

Between Christmas rain storms, I drove down to Southern California to visit family that I hadn't seen in a long time.  Here are some of my favorite shots from my trip.  Enjoy!

Santa Barbara Harbor

Santa Barbara Harbor

Goleta Beach Sunset

Mission Cactus

Solvang Windmill

Valentine Heart Bowls

I just reopened my Etsy shop early this morning and I was instantly chosen for two treasuries!

 

 My Blue Heart Bowl in this treasury.

My Red Heart Bowl in this treasury.

Paul Soldner

 

Paul Soldner 1921-2011

I am honored to have met you.   

Paul Soldner   

Woodstoke 2000 

 Penryn, CA

 

 

Janet Mansfield, Paul Soldner, Morgan Britt

James Coquia, Janet Mansfield, Paul Soldner

Persimmon Bread Recipe

Just before Christmas the sun came out just long enough for me to run out to the persimmon tree, still dripping with rain,  and harvest some fruit before the birds could eat them all.

 

Actually, the tree is so tall I could never get to the top so the birds might as well enjoy those ones. I love the way the bright orange of the persimmons contrasts with the bright blue winter sky.

 

I picked a large bowl while the neighbor cat watched the fruit wildly swinging in the tree each time I would pull one off.  She is a crazy cat.  She loves when the fruit falls and she chases them, picks them up and drags them next door to her happy mistress who loves persimmons.

I left the bowl of fruit to ripen on the counter and got ready to head south to visit family.   These were crisp, ripe and juicy for eating but I wanted to make persimmon bread with them and for that they need to be super soft and mushy.  By the time I got back they were just right for mashing and baking.  

 

These are the Fuyu variety of persimmons which can be eaten while still hard and crispy but I am more used to baking with the Hachiya variety which cannot be eaten until it is soft as it is bitter and mouth puckering when still crisp.  However, if you wait for the Fuyu to get really soft they work just as well and there isn't a taste difference in the bread.   It was too bad the fruit wasn't ripe enough to bake with before Christmas.  When I got to my cousin's house she told me about all the fond memories she had from eating persimmon bread, especially with vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two slices.  Yum! As a New Years Eve celebration,  I baked persimmon bread.  Today I went and got vanilla bean ice cream for it even though it has been freezing and raining!

So here is the family recipe I promised I get to my cousin so she could make some more memories with her family.

Persimmon Bread

Cream together:     1 Cup shortening (I have always used butter)

                               2 Cups sugar

Beat in:                   2 eggs

Add:                       2 Cups persimmon pulp

Sift and add:          3 1/2 Cups sifted flour

                               2 tsp. baking soda

                               2 tsp. cinnamon

                               1 tsp. ground cloves

                               1/2 tsp. salt

Beat together

Add:                        2 Cups raisins or dates

                                2 Cups chopped nuts

                                (I prefer my bread without nuts or raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two loaf pans and fill with batter.  Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.  Test by inserting toothpick in center of bread.  Bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Sorry I don't have a picture for the bread and ice cream.  I am too cold after eating it to get out the camera!

Earth Lovers

I made it into a lovely treasury today!  Yay, and finals are almost over.  Better hurry and get out of here for my last critique!  Plus I just put some fresh pieces in my Etsy store.