photographer: Erum Khan
My Second Home
One of the places I work out of is the Skyline College Ceramics Department Studio. Tiffany Schmierer runs the studio to great effect. It is the beginning of a new semester and we are going back to a very clean, bright and newly updated ceramic studio. The upgrade includes new kilns, a new venting system for the raku kiln and new spray booth, new shelving, new damp room, tables and glaze counter. Nothing like a new clean studio to get the juju going.
90999
Text "haiti" to 90999 and $10 will be donated to the relief effort via your phone bill. It's ridiculously easy and you can do as many times as you like.
It's important. It saves lives. Please donate.
It's important. It saves lives. Please donate.
if it walks like a duck...
Nathan Lynch, a sculptor and performance artist, has made collaboration and experimentation major components of his practice. Recent projects include solo exhibitions at Johansson Projects in Oakland and Southern Exposure in San Francisco. He has had residencies and studios at Tainan National University of the Arts, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Vermont Studio Center.
Lynch has performed at the Lincoln Center, New York, The International Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Bumpershoot, Seattle, and the Alvin Lucier Festival, University of Virginia. At the University of Southern California Mr. Lynch studied with Ken Price, and later earned an MFA at Mills College with Ron Nagle. He is currently Chair of the Ceramics Department and Assistant Professor of Graduate Fine Arts, CORE, and Ceramics at California College of the Arts.
ornament & abstraction
Liz Quackenbush is a master of ornament and abstraction. See more amazing pics on her page at ArtAxis.
Liz Quackenbush
Serena Mitnik Miller
Serena Mitnik-Miller is a local gal, lives in the Sunset, enjoys the surf at Ocean Beach, and she's a talented artist. I've never met her; but I like her style.
She's involved at Mollusk SF (Surf Shop) and just opened a store in the Sunset on Irving called The General Store. I popped in the other day. High five! It's a cool little shop and worth putting on your map.
Also, if you don't know; Mollusk SF has art shows regularly supporting the many talented artists in the surfing community.
Serena Mitnik-Miller website
The General Store
Mollusk SF
Art Clokey
Art Clokey died at age 88. Oct 12, 1921 - January 8, 2010.
If you haven't yet seen Gumby Dharma, I highly recommend it.
GUMBY DHARMA is the story of Art Clokey 82-year old grandfather of clay animation.
Art has lead a vital life and influential artistic career, guided in large part by his avid spiritual pursuit. His world famous characters, Gumby, Pokey and the rest of the gang, and his animation of Davey and Goliath, seem to echo the spiritual path of their creator/animator.
Art's journey takes us from the orphanage to inspiring adopted father, from the Seminary to the Hollywood movie business, and from traditional Episcopalian church values to Buddhism and Indian guru Sai Babba. It is a fascinating life and career in it's own right but also in how it gently influenced his characters and story lines for 40 + years.
Art's animation work and personal brand of love of life has for almost half a century influenced millions of TV and film viewers and filmmakers across the world.
put a fork in me
I've been thinking. About forks. Can I talk about plastic forks? How many plastic forks thrown away after one use does it take before we realize our stupidity? Oops, did I say people are stupid? Sorry, meant irresponsible and stupid. Don't we all know better by now.
The argument is that it's a convenience thing, right? But is plasticware really 'convenient'? Really? Convenient for whom? We know it will live forever in the pile right next to the twinkie and/or floating around on plastic-garbage-island like the one right off our coast.
Why does plasticware still exist? Why are we still using it? We've become slaves to the plastic god. Enslaved in our ideals of convenience. I'm not talking about all plastic-y issues just posing the idea of being in the habit of using ones own utensils just for a start.
I carry a 'real' fork in my purse and keep them handy at my desk at work - I'm not talking boyscoutware here - just a sparkly clean fork from home. And hey, you never know when a fork in your purse may otherwise come in handy. reeeer!
If you think it's dorky, whatever, get over yourself. Who doesn't like eating with a real fork if there's a choice? We continue to 'reward' the food packaging industry every time we choose 'plastic'. Why don't we stop? We have the technology and it's cheaper for us to do so. So, why haven't we? The incentives are there, yet we just keep on doing it day after day like slaves building the Great Pyramids of Plastic. What's it going to take to change our uses of plastic? The impact could be so significant it could create an environment whereby the packaging Industry would be required by law to use biodegradeable materials in ALL food packaging products.
come to think of it: why isn't the plastics industry taking the lead on this and why aren't we super pissed that they haven't?
Dorky or not; among many personal changes made in how I live; I'm going to keep whipping out my SUPER FORK where needed! I encourage you to think where you can cut back significantly or stop using gratuitous plastics entirely. Use paper, use your own real fork. While your at it; use your own glass and coffee mug, a reusable bag for groceries and encourage others...
btw, I know some great ceramic artists if you're looking for a specatcular coffee mug!
thing is, I find convenience really isn't at all satisfying.
The Contemporist
I'm addicted to The Contemporist; a SUPER DUPER fab blog I highly recommend.
there are a number of other pictures to see of this GENIUS structure, built by Haugan/Zohar Architects.
and as all my friends are now smiling and laughing at the picture above; can you believe this thing! I am a complete pagan for fire and when I saw this picture I almost burst into flames :)
phew, still trying to recover...
the greatest abstract expressionist you don't know
The Clyfford Still Museum is scheduled to open in 2011. The museum is being built to house an immense body of his work, some 2000+ pieces. There are hundreds of pieces of his work that have never been seen.
Lucky for us in the Bay Area some of his paintings can be seen at SFMOMA and the SF Art Institute - I urge you to see them. Yes, you can find countless images on the web; but it's a flat, dead, lifeless visual experience compared to seeing the scale, depth, and energy of his painting style. There is nothing compared to standing before them. It is impossible to look away. He is by far one of the greatest painters of the 20th Century, his work yet to be truly discovered by the world.
suggested reading & viewing:
Frank Schillo
Schillo Keramic is a German Ceramic artist who makes these brilliant sculpture pieces.
And they are brilliant, Batman brilliant.
And they are brilliant, Batman brilliant.
meanwhile, across the pond
Annabel Faraday
I am addicted to maps, so my interest is immediate; but upon closer inspection the layering and narrative starts to create a moment-in-time feel with her pieces.
Sarah Dunstan
there is such symmetry and compliment to some very different design elements here. I love the Asian/Industrial/Rococo-esque-ness!
Eva Hild
Ugh, lu uh uve these - could go on and on about them...
Claire Loder
the subtle sense of these pieces in combination with the power of the expression in the eyes. They feel like they will watch you walk across the room.
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