First Firing of the Semester

Last weekend we celebrated our first firing of the semester with the Small Cat kiln! Due to some shelving, knowledge and stacking issues, we under fired... So this weekend we tried it again and got that sucker up to cone ten! It's true what everyone has been saying, it is the easiest kiln to fire (when you stack it well). 

Here's some photos from both weekends.

Boni likes to make a point of stacking 

Good morning Athens!

Getting ready for the second and more successful firing.

Photos: Mike Spellacy

Next stop, the Tube!

Frederick Harris Collection-pt.2

Here are a few woodfired highlights from the collection:

Han Dynasty, Chinese

Silla Kingdom, Korea

Seto, Japan

Shigaraki, Japan

Frederick Harris Ceramic Collection-pt. 1

Shortly after the 2011 school year ended,

Ben Stout (Ceramics MFA), Bryce Brisco (Ceramics MFA), and Kat Hammond (MA 2010)

were hired to accession, document and research the objects donated to the Alden Library by Frederick Harris. The Project was headed up by Gary Ginther (Fine Arts Librarian), Marion Lee (Art History Professor), and Brad Schwieger (Ceramics Chair, Professor). The collection contains over 150 ceramic objects, numerous figures, hundreds of scrolls and paintings, as well as the personal paintings and sketchbooks of Fred Harris, who was an accomplished artist in his own right.

Several outside graduate students were brought in for consultation about the Japanese and Chinese characters. Unfortunately, no paperwork or receipts were recovered with the collection, which has led to much head scratching, and guesswork about the origins of some of the objects.

Marion and I looking at a Sui Dynasty Horse figure.

Kat, Marion, and I with the collection.

Big Cat-Class Firing

The Spring 2011 Wheel Throwing II Class

fired up the Big Caternary Arch Kiln last weekend.

Thanks to Mike Spellacy for the images.

Brisco- Thesis Exhibition Opening

The exhibition opening was well attended, due in no small part to the Southern Baptist style fried chicken buffet and cold bottles of Budweiser. In addition to show invitations and business cards, I published a 32 page full color catalog of work, which was available at the opening.

Super deluxe floral design courtesy of my sister, Lacey Brisco.

Garnitures of Vases and Bottles

L to R:

Tom Bartel, Rachel Clark, Alex Hibbit, Petra Kralikova, Chuck McWeeny, and Brad Schwieger: all the heavies in one shot.

The menu consisted of all requisite southern delicacies :

fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, Hawaiian rolls, deviled eggs, fresh tomatoes, pickled okra,watermelon, oatmeal cream pies, ambrosia salad, and of course, pork rinds.

Thesis Exhibition Installed-Brisco

Undergraduate Exhibition-Brian Pierce

Ohio University Ceramics Department is proud to present

Brian Pierce's undergraduate showcase titled " Individual Paradox".

Brian fired his BFA work in the Tube Kiln.

Below is Brian's Artist Statement.

My work explores atmospheric firing, especially, our attempt to control the firing given the seemingly unpredictable nature of the process. My intention is to understand, learn and control these processes as best to my abilities to express the qualities of atmospheric firing to impart individual surfaces on the work.

I am firing work that has been placed in cut saggars or tumble stacking the work. By placing work in cut saggars or tumble stacking, I am attempting to control how the atmosphere will affect the surfaces. By doing this, each pot becomes intrinsically connected with the others while remaining individual. Paradoxically the individual is then dependent upon the group. Each pot is then uniquely linked to the choices made in stacking the kiln, cutting the saggars, length of firing, fuel and atmosphere. As a group they form a narrative of how the fire travels through the kiln, while individually they show one specific point and time. Despite the fact that all the variables can be repeated exactly the same they will not yield the same exact results.

David Scott Smith-Visiting Artist

Ohio University is supremely pleased to host

David Scott Smith

as a visiting artist, and as the 14th Annual Brat-Off Juror.

David is one hell of an taxidermist, hot tub technician, and/or crab fisherman. He also occasionally gets around to making some amazing slipcast ceramic art.

Check it out here!

Bryce Brisco-Thesis Exhibition Preview

Here are few preview images of Woodfired pots to be included in the Exhibition.

All of these came from the small catenary wood/salt kiln.

Thesis Exhibition Announcement-Brisco

Ohio University Ceramics Department
presents

Bryce Brisco: Pottery

a Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
Trisolini Gallery in Baker Center
Athens, Ohio
May 23rd-June 4th
Reception May 27th, 6-8 p.m

I am deeply interested in Southern American folk wares and the three main cultural influences that this tradition was derived from: German salt glaze, English slipware, and Chinese ash glaze. These formal choices paired with a rigorous studio practice of critical dialogue and conceptual inquiry fuel my attempt to better access and articulate the content of functional pottery. This includes examining pottery from not only a functional standpoint, but the roles it plays historically, culturally, and symbolically. Handmade pottery, especially that from deeply rooted traditions, has survived our culture’s technological advancements, based on its ability to provide a meaningful aesthetic experience in concert with its delivery or containment of food and beverage. Towards this end I employ locally sourced clays and ash, as well as cullet, to situate the pots more specifically to their site of origin. I believe that a close working relationship with a few idiosyncratic materials yields qualities unattainable by those commercially available. The process of minimally refining clay, ash, and recycled glass coupled with wood firing in a salt atmosphere imbues the pots with a sense of liveliness and beauty. I appreciate the unknown factors and surprises implicit in these processes.

+For more information concerning the exhibition, available work, mailings, or a catalog of the show, please contact:

brycebrisco@gmail.com