So I am teaching a class now for 7 students aged 8-14 at Hudson Valley Pottery I am loving it.

The kids want to learn and they listen to me. How unusual. I am so used to convincing students that what they are learning is valuable to them and that they are even "having fun". Here, it is just a gift.

We first started off with making animals and objects, getting to no each other kind of stuff. It helps to get to know who students are a bit before you teach them (at least for me). I also have to get to know their skill set. One kid made a 3 headed dog, another girl made a sarcophagus with an image of a lady on it. Good warm-up. We are now working a lot on the wheel (simply because they love it so much) which is so much clean-up, but it is so worth it to them. They are super psyched to get there each morning to be mesmorized by a spinning disc with mud on it. I think i changes them chemically!


We made pinch-pot lidded vessels as well (which are finished) and we are going to start coil press mold vessels Monday. Yippee! they better work fast or we wont get them done though. Class ends ends this Friday and I will be sad actually! The kids give me a real reason to get up in the morning.

Ethnic Measures....

I've been getting a lot of feedback through facebook on my Ethnic Measures. Most people just think they are pretty. Some want to use them with overly polite company to mess with their heads. I decided to post my artists statement so people know where I am at...so here it is!:

Ethnic Measures

America, being the melting pot of all cultures, is a proud nation of individual heritage(s), yet, it has been ironically labeled an intolerant nation of opposing cultural differences. As a third generation Italian (with a ¼ English, ¼ Irish and ¼ German) it is hard to call myself anything BUT an American. After World War II, countries developed derogatory slang and slurs for almost every culture and country of origin. This created angst, prejudice and ill feelings for different cultures and ethnicities. The words are still out there and are still hurtful to many. Historically, cultural diffusion and the exchange of spices and decorative ideas and techniques (such as the use of cobalt oxides to paint on ceramics) mended cultures through the senses. The reality is that in this day and age, we are creating and breeding families with different cultural backgrounds and religions and birthing our own “nueveau heritage”.

Resurrection video

SUNY New Paltz Summer Graduate Ceramics!: Sara's ^6 Satin White/base

SUNY New Paltz Summer Graduate Ceramics!: Sara's ^6 Satin White/base: "Custer Feldspar 62 Whiting 14 Zinc ox 6 Talc 8 EPK 10 Zircopax 8 Add 8% Masonite 6021 for red Add 1% Colbalt oxide for Blueberry Add 1% Cop..."

A portfolio of images

This is it...the portfolio of ceramic work I have created. It doesn't look like much, but it was a lot of work!

Grand Finale

It's winding down s l o w l y ....

I had to post the final images of my projects. The blog would not be complete without it.

So yesterday I photographed all of my work. Tom still has a few images on his camera, but I just rephotographed them. Not a big deal. I did forget to photograph one of my owls. six of them are the same glaze, so I did not even realize it until I went home. I made 8 owls all together...for the record.

I didn't photograh my project #1 piece in the studio since it was really an installation. Patt - let me know if you want formal shots of each one and I will email then to you I guess. I just feel like i have images of them in their environment - -where they were intended to be seen, which is a stronger documentation of them.

I am trying to think if there is anything left I have to say about my experiences, what I've made or what I have learned in these last 5 weeks of my life. Besides art and self discovery as a creative being...I know now more than ever that when a group of people all go through the same hell, the bond is life forming. I know now how some veterans or crew members may feel after a long journey together: a true kinship. I was lucky enough to do this program for 4 years (thanks again to all that were involved) so I got to meet even more amazing art teachers. I will miss them.

I have some images to post on flicker so this documentation phase is totally complete. Give me time...I need my coffee yet and it is 2pm. A shower would be beneficial too. I just spent 3 hours on Photoshop tweeking my studio pics. The facilities for shooting were not the best. We needed another light to knock out some shadows (a reflector was NOT going to do it)...PLUS if you do use a reflector, you need a assistant or just more equipment to position the foam core properly. I think the pics look pretty good....but not completely professional by my standard. That is what happens when you've done studio photography in NYC, standards go up and everything you do is not worthy. But I have to be accepting of the limitations. Photoshop is my friend.

Reflections on Resurrection

This is my last official school day at SUNY New Paltz as a college student. I hope to never get another degree from this school as long as I live. This is my third degree. I think I am done.

My first project for the ceramics class was a real surprise to me. I had no idea how I was ging to approach it until I actually started doing it. I think I also did not have a complete concept until it was being made.

As soon as I got to Kingston Point I instinctively started to make piles of bricks in the water...almost knowing it would be a challenge, that I would struggle and that it would take much longer. As each pile was competed, the shoreline slightly moved back chasing me into the water - exposing my newly assembled brick pile with the delicate porcelain lace on it. The form was a line that moved into the water marking each 12 minute or so accomplishment.

I stared the project at 2:30 and ended it perfectly at 3:30. After a quick nap at home, I returned to the location to see what happened at 6:30. I gathered my lace, took pictures of what remained and went home.

This video is the second try. Taking Patti's (and some others) advice and I took out the song. I just had sounds of frogs chirping or silence or the waves It may be too long still. I honestly probably need to edit it down once more., but I have been workig on it for about 6 hours now. I do need a break. I need to run it by a few people again to hear what they have to say. I am not sure about the frogs.

The rest of the crit went well. I was honestly uninterested in feedback about my cell phone holder, I do think it was overall a successful piece and the fact that it is functional keeps me uninterested in people's feedback.

I did like peoples response to the measuring cups. I think it was successful. I am still rethinking the red tablecloth. To me it adds to the subconscious instincts in interpretation (red, white and blue or Red communism). I tend to push things a bit too far symbolically so I wish i got more feedback on that aspect.

Radicant Roots

As I finish my final project in ceramics, The Radicant is rolling through my mind. I know my piece fills the assignment, and I know that I would have created this type of art without reading the article first for class. What does this mean? I think that I am a current contemporary artist that deals with issues in her art...period. Some of the current questions deal with nomadic persona, roots; staying in one place, yet having a global knowledge of what ties all of us together. Questions were raised in our class discussion regarding our understanding of Bourriaud's labeling of a current art movement called Altermodern that really seemed focused on the validity of the movement. In our discussions, we rarely discuss the point of view of the viewer....just the creator. Is it just me or is this true. An audiences view of this movement is just as important. What I am saying is that art more than ever educates. Do we acknowedge this? Art makes the viewer ponder ideas. Does the viewer want to keep "getting" the innuendos, metephors and acusations? Will this trend run out of steam beacuse of the viewers exhaustion with current issues. MAybe that is one of the reason why we (viewers) are getting more attracted to beauty...the same reason the 1970's bore minimalism?

So the weeks have gone by so fast that it is hardly fathomable. I knew this would happen, but it is so surreal when it is almost over.

Do I feel happy with the work I've done? Well, it's not over yet! I will know in 2 days. The test tiles I made just made me itch for more. I wanted to make more as soon as they came out of the kiln. But there is this thing called sleep that I seem to ignore lately! The cobalt oxide is definitely the way to go for decorating on my spoons/measuring cups. The lines are finer with a nice mix of gum arabic water. Cobalt carbonate was too light and was VERY hard to paint with. Karen and I agree that the oxide is the best. I have sincere fear today about unloading and actually glazing these cups with racial slurs. this project seems good in my mind. Can I make it better than good in reality. Well, off to the studio to find out.