"The Surrond"

1. In studio: When I came in for the first class this semester, I found my shelf cleaned off, and my clay, bone dry, in chunks. Instead of being upset by the loss of aged porcelain, I realized the possibilities contained within the dried pieces. I thought of how ancient peoples carved many of the things they made, and of how soft the porcelain I had on hand was. I have a great many thought behind this project, but I cant seem to make a single, cohesive thought to sum it up. Here is what I have written in my sketchbook:
-idea of time decreasing, then adding value to an object (vintage/antique/old/worn out)
-recycling vs. putting things on display/preservation: if we continue saving everything, we will eventually run out of resources
-trash may last a long time, but it returns to the earth, creating new resources, etc, as does something recycled many times over, but by preserving things we stop this natural process
-would melting down ancient pieces of metal make it more readily available in today's society? decrease their value?
-humans are the only species that save old things to this extent. animals may hold a place as valuable, like elephants with their graveyards, but they do not cling to objects.
-basic recycling of dried out clay has saved it from being thrown away, but is it now removed from the cycle entirely from the cycle? preserved?
-animals represent ancient artifacts/idols found preserved in temples, and difference between animals and humans practices of recycling.
-if we continue to preserving EVERYTHING, will archaeologists eventually run out of things to discover? level of preservation in society. versus examples in Pompeii, egypt, etc, where technology could not preserve everything permanently.

2. dream..... dream.... you know, I haven't dreamed in a good while. When I do dream, it is always very surreal, but many of them contain a sense of recognition from people I feel like i really know, of places I have been, despite the knowledge that nothing is as it is in reality.
3. When I was young, and still did not understand the importance of visiting museums, hence, complained quite a lot, my parents took me to see one of Dale Chihuly's exhibits. One of the pieces was a huge collection of blown glass surrounding an entire room, with a glass panel as the floor so that the viewer could stand, completely surronded by the colors and forms the glass created. I was young enough that i do not remember where it was, how old I was, where we were living, or, until I asked my parents recently, the artist's name. I did, however, remember the feeling of standing in this room, similar to looking up at a starry night, a part of something bigger, yet, completely insignificant.



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new direction

While I still plan to make the first project later, I found lumps of dry clay left from last spring, and I could not resist making them into something more. I have an entire idea behind the project that has come forth, and Will share at Crit.

"What is it?"

This summer I spent working at the local quilt store near my parent’s house in Northern Virginia. My boss has been designing quilts, and fabric specifically for quilting since before I was born. She started when she was living in Africa and making quilts out of any and all scraps she could come across. She has lead the way in the movement bringing quilting into the art world, and has been a huge inspiration to me. As far as getting art work done this summer, I did get a few quilt tops pieced, and a few projects quilted, but found myself staying inside the realm of quilting and getting no other art work done all summer! This experience is wonderful for me to have, however, as I plan on incorporating as much of my knowledge of the quilting world into what I make as an artist.

Also over the summer I got to talk to a different sort of quilt artist named Paula Nadelstern. She designs quilts and fabrics based around kaleidoscopic designs. She recently had an exhibit up in New York, and is gaining recognition within the art community, as well as the quilting community.

First post

Just a note so I can be sure everything is working properly :)