Thesis Update #2

Thesis is hard at least that is what I keep saying. My body is telling me to stop and slow down but the reality of the upcoming show is pushing me onward. I hurt everywhere, my fingers, every muscle, and especially my brain. Thank goodness for a husband who has been wholly supportive even during this most stressful time. He is walking through it with me holding me up when I need it, talking sense in to me when i've lost it, and rubbing my back at night so I can fall asleep. I think Forrest might deserve some kind of award for this as well. Maybe a second honorary degree?!?

My studio has been filled for the last month leaving little flex space to even put down my computer. Over break I made several slump moulds and extruder dies for my dishes. The process is simple but time consuming as is almost everything in ceramics. I start with basic slabs and I am printing my pattern in blue on the white porcelain body with thermofax and screen printing techniques. I then cut it to size with my templates and attach the extruded coils to form the edge of the vessels.

Even through the studio work has been stressful the project has been fun. It is hard for me to show to much excitement right now because the reality is I am still very tired. But I have enjoyed the process of developing this project and getting to know people in my Columbus community.

My thesis project came about a little late in the game. After encouragement from my thesis committee to do something in the gallery, to use the space, and make it happen there. I designed a project about the space. The space being Urban Arts Space part of OSU in the old Lazarus building downtown Columbus. I had to work at this gallery during my first year of graduate school and it was by far one of the hardest parts of my experience here, other than bullies, and being away from my husband for 2 years. The large building used to be a department store and it is not the home to 14 different organizations and businesses. My idea was to have one person from each entity come together to share a meal. This sounds simple but it was not. The building is large it was hard to find where each place even existed. Several were the Ohio Department of _____. And they don't even let you past the front desk. Hundreds of people enter the building each day but few ever enter the gallery.  I am not going into detail about this project because I had planned it well and I hope to execute it in the future at the right 'place'. The day before my thesis proposal was due in early December I received news I was NOT allowed under any circumstance to serve food in the gallery. 

If there is one thing I have learned in graduate school it is pick and choose your battles. So I left this one behind and decided to do something that I wanted to do. I started thinking about Columbus as the place and I decided to combine some of my past projects "The Dish Set Challenge's" together into a new piece about Columbus. I'll update you all soon on whats happening with the new project, Partake Columbus.