my students are amazing

I realize I might be a little bias but I had some amazing students this past semester! Below are a few images of the work they created spring 2013 while enrolled in High Fire Ceramics. The first project was narrative based and focused on handbuilding skills. The second project was focused on wheel thrown vessels. For the final project students created a food specific vessel where they were asked to reconsider how the food they chose was presented. Our final class was a celebratory feast where everyone brought in food prepared specifically for the dish they created.

a little behind/

I know I am a little behind on posting... Life was moving faster then I was able to keep up. After completing my first year of graduate school (I guess it is technically my second first year) I am ready for a break. I am excited to head down south for part of the summer. I leave for Baton Rouge, LA to see Forrest at the end of the week with a stop in Atlanta, Georgia to see my friend Kaylie!

This semester was filled with so much excitement, that was at times overshadowed with sickness, stress, and an abundance of school work. Maybe it is my personality but I never feel as though I have done enough, worked hard enough, dug deep enough. At the same time as I reflect back on this year I can hardly believe I was able to accomplish everything that I did. I hope to keep this in mind during my next two years but it is hard to see the big picture when you are so absorbed in the moment.

So here it is....

I taught my first ceramics course this semester. It was a dream come true in every way. I had the most amazing, talented, and hard working students any instructor could ask for. I enjoyed getting to know my students and helping then to grow in both skill and appreciation of ceramics. And I learned a few things.. things I will do again... and things I will never do again...

 Kelley Eggert came in from Houston for our spring visiting artist. I had a great studio visit with her and she did a cold working demo. Something I am not familiar with at all so I found it very informative! 

My friend Lindsay Scypta had her MFA thesis show, it was impressive!

 I traveled to Houston Texas for the 2013 NCECA Conference. 

Michael Strand.

We stayed with our friends Alisha & Bobby in Houston and Katrina came to visit from Austin.
&
UF reunion.

 I may have fallen in love with Aventurine glazes, now if I could just make one.... Apparently large amounts of Iron can cause this glitter affect but I have yet to create something as beautiful as this.

We even made it to the Rothko Chapel!

 I took a Material Science course this semester and we visited Logan Clay where they make pipes of all shapes and sizes as well as a clay dig at Haydenville Cemetery. 

Logan Clay was started in 1876 in Logan, Ohio and is still producing pipes today.

 It all starts with shale and some fire clay.

A long, long, long car kiln.

Haydenville Cemetery for the clay dig.

 They say the tunnel is haunted.

The continued clay dig attempt..

Modular building System and architectural advances.

This semester at LSU, I am taking Romanesque Art History. One subject that we have focused a great amount on is- church architecture. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire there was instantly a need to build Churches faster and bigger. In class, we learned about the modular system- which advanced the efficiency of constructing the buildings. The modular building system is based on proportions rather than exact measurements and therefore it allows multiple parts of the building and floor plan to be laid out at once for a faster and more exact construction. 

I found the modular system to be extremely interesting and wondered how something so simple can make such a big difference? Is the modular building system that started at the Monastery Church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim actually more efficient? 

My final project for Romanesque is an exploration of the modular building system. The focus of my project is to explore the process of building in a modular system and not as much in producing a final permanent art object. By building these constructions, I am not actually making the entire building to look identical I am just laying out the groundwork and floor plan while mapping the location of the walls and columns, and piers.  

To discover how and why the modular system is an advance compared to exact measurements, I first had to construct a building that was not designed and based off of the modular system. The first Church that I built was  San Pedro de la Nave.  

As you can see from the video, building without the modular system required me to make every measurement before making any architectural placements. I was constantly referring back to and taking measurements from the plan before making a mark in the groundwork. 

Now to build using the modular system. This time we look at Abbey Church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim.

As you can see building with the modular system and using proportions is a big advance. Before laying out the ground work I took measurements from the plan and transferred them to another piece of paper which I cut a perfect square out of. 

 The square can be laid down and each corner of the square marks a spot where a heavier pier will go. 4 piers make a a perfect square and this unit of proportion is applied throughout the entire floor plan.












In Between the piers the space is broken up with columns. Some columns on the sides are directly half way between 2 piers. To do this fast I was able to take my paper guide and fold it in half to mark the spot of the column. 

In the nave there are 2 columns between every 2 piers. This breaks up the space more allowing it to be more open and appears to more complex. However I just took my paper guide and folded into thirds which allowed me to mark the spot of 2 columns at one time. I now understand how and why the modular system works! Incredible!

I'll leave you with more pictures, including a comparison inside the building, looking through the nave and into the altar.

“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” 

― E.E. Cummings