Various Inspirations

Karen Karnes, Boulder With Three Openings, 1993

I like a lot of Karen Kanes's work. I love how they look naturally occurring as opposed to made by a person. Her work lets me think about a lot of possibilities in altering thrown forms. 

Desalination plant, Ikeshima, Japan

spikejapan.wordpress.com
I like the idea of abandoned buildings. The quiet demeanor they have as well as the fading from time is especially appealing. The structure in the stairs and piping offer a lot of detail but it doesn't seem busy because of the suggestion of abandonment.

Rolls of Hay

http://picslist.com/image/country/country_summer/country_spring/summer/spring/hay/hay_rolls/rolls/hay_bales/bales/bale/hay_bale/haybale/harvest/h/30187486947
Much like the above photo, I like this because of its supposed "quietness." I also like to think about how sort of strange these things are, just sitting out in the fields. Its like when animals make nests or other structures that are of uncertain purpose. I like to imagine I don't know what they are used for. They are just these surreal, quite, monolith-esque objects that could be anything.
Anasazi Village, Mesa Verde, Colorado
https://oopsjohn.wordpress.com/bio/
I am very interested in environment, I particularly like ones that are some sort of combination of landscape and architecture. I really like the concept of interior and exterior spaces. I love the sense of adventure and curiosity surrounding them. I visited Mesa Verde when I was 9 years old and the village beneath the cliff left quite an impression.  
The Rescuers (1977), 
There is so much I love about The Rescuers. To start off with, this movie was great at creating atmospheres and moods with its scenery. This is shown in the bayou and rain photos. They used a lot of dingy colors and then had a couple bright spots to emphasize mood and lighting. I also really like that, because this is a movie about mice, everything is drawn from the perspective of a mouse. Everyday objects can now be seen at bridges, boats, ladders, or dwellings. Details become so much more important visually, and there is an inherent need for exploration within the environments.  
Mary Poppins (1964)
Specifically the scene where they are cleaning the chimneys. I could not find the exact picture that I think of, but in the movie they get sucked up the chimney and come out the top. They sort of float down on the smoke coming out of the chimney and look out at all the smoke stacks on the roofs of the houses in the city when the sun is setting. The light catches the smoke during the sunset really well and they stand there while the sun sets. I just really like the sort of quiet that there is on top of the roofs and the repeated forms of the chimneys and the quiet movement of the smoke. 
last photo by Kim Seng
http://captainkimo.com/about-hdr-photography-kim-seng-captain-kimo/
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Shallow stream
I used to go hiking a lot as a kid and I love exploring the woods. I lived next to the river. Back by the river was an abandoned brick factory that had been torn down. There was no building there, but there was a lot of bricks half buried in the dirt and sitting in shallow water. There was also a pond that was actually where they used to dig the clay for the bricks. Apparently this hole, that they filled with water was absurdly deep, which was kind of cool and scary at the same time. 
I loved catching tadpoles in the pond and skipping rock across the water. I really like how the rocks look just below the surface of the water. Not only do I like the color, but there's something cool about all the texture of the rocks just under the absolutely smooth surface of the water. Hiking was always to quiet and peaceful but exciting at the same time. 
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​Work by Charles Simonds
A classmate of mine recently told me about Charles Simonds thinking I would like his work. I do. He makes a lot of these little environments. They look very Anasazi inspired. I think he's got to be one of my favorite artists now. I love the amount of detail and the color palate.  
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Radio Towers
My parents used to take me on road trips to visit my grandpa. We used to leave late when it was dark out. I remember looking out the windows and seeing nothing but empty fields and tall, quiet radio towers with their slowly blinking red lights. They always give me a really comforting feeling. 
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Orange Sodium Street Lamps
I used to run through the streets at night with my friend. We would climb in peoples' backyards and jump fences and hide in bushes. A lot of people don't like the orange street lights but I associate them with a sense of excitement. I also love night time. I love being awake and going outside at night. 
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The forest in Alice in Wonderland
Loving to hike in the woods and also loving to run through the streets at night, the forest scene in Alice in Wonderland was always my favorite. I liked how dark it was and the weird pops of bright color that didn't quite make sense. Alice always seemed distressed during this scene but I would have loved being in this forest. 
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Snow at Night
This also goes along with liking to be outside at night. The snow is extra pretty at night because of how it glistens under the street lamps. The snow also adds an extra layer of quiet somehow. People don't like to be out in the snow, or at night, so the combination makes it even emptier. I like how the wind sounds on nights like this as well. It's kind of hollow and ongoing. 
John Neely, Ewer with Cups, 2012.

My favorite part about John Neely's work is the material and surface treatment. Normally I care mainly about form and shape but I love how Neely uses stoneware as an integral part of the aesthetics. His pots look like literal stones that have been growing moss. He used ash glaze in this particular piece for that mossy effect. I just like how natural and earthy they are. 

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Cristina Cordova

Cristina does sculptures of the figure but what I like about them is that they create their own sort of context and atmosphere. My favorite ones are when she places the figure on a boat or standing on a rock. She often puts other environmental elements within the space as well. She uses an understated color palate that really ads to the peculiarity of the pieces. I just think she does a great job of creating an aura within her works. 
Eric Boos, Bowl for Four Strawberries.

​Aesthetically, these aren't my favorite. But what I really like about Eric Boos work is the form. They are so strange and really creative in how the components come together to make a whole. I also like that they are meant to be slightly functional. This one, as stated, holds four strawberries. It's not meant to be entirely practical but I think in terms of presentation, it is very cool. It is such a fancy way to hold strawberries.  
This is jar and the next two pieces are from the Ken Ferguson Teaching Collection.

I really like how strange and the shape of this is. It is very organic and sort of amorphous. The fact that it is a jar is cool as well. I would love keeping something in this weird container.
These teapots are fantastic. The shapes are so unique and the craftsmanship seems so clean. I also like the glaze- satin, metallic black. 
I like that this is a little scene, sort of a narrative with its own small environment and its also a teapot. I think its such a creative combination of the two. The glaze really suits the piece as well. 
Recently I've been particularly interested in sound and amplification. I am mostly interested in amplifiers for their form and function. I am looking into older analog amplifiers like this American two-horned sound locator from 1921. The analog amplifiers rely on form and physical volume to produce sound. This also makes the shapes more visually interesting. I also like how strange some of the older amplifiers looked. The science of the time seems so alien and unusual. 

​http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/COMMS/ear/ear.htm 
Looking at these images have also helped me understand what sort of forms would work best for amplification. The two most prominent shapes have been cones and dishes. I think I can build off of those two basic shapes to make more complicated forms to add visual interest but maintain function. 
It's so funny to think that this type of equipment was state-of-the-art. It seems  too clunky and excessive. I like how exaggerated the forms were but that they worked!. That's what I want. I want some ridiculous, strange forms with the added amazement of function. I know nowadays there are much more practical ways of amplifying sound and listening to music, but if I am going out of my way to make it out of clay, I might as well make it as completely strange and excessive as possible. 

Design is a topic I am interested in. I am attracted to the idea of having a functional object that also looks good. I also like the excuse that some designs have in that, in order to have the object be visually interesting, it sacrifices a little bit of practicality. I think it is important to distinguish between functional and practical. I very much want my work to be functional. I do not, however, have any intentions of practicality. Much like this rocking chair, I favor a visually compelling design over something with maximum practicality (i.e. uses less space, material, takes less effort to produce, can be made quickly and cheaply). This chair design is far from practical (its probably difficult to make and very expensive), but it still functions as a rocking chair and it looks super cool. 

For the above reasons, I am very interested in extreme architecture. The following three photos are from HGTV's Extreme Homes series. These architects went above and beyond to make fantastic, ridiculously expensive homes, that would function equally to, if not better than any standard, practical home. On top of that, architecture interests me because of the idea of interior and exterior space. I like that there is something separate and uncertain to be contained within the fantastic exteriors.

This relates to my current project (sound amplifiers) in that I am designing the outside to be visually compelling and somewhat unusual, while the interior must maintain very specific shapes and textures in order to serve its function. I like the idea of interior chambers and canals meant to alter the sounds coming from the amplifier. For me, this relates to the compartments (rooms) and hallways, or sky walks of a building. 
Lastly, in regards to concept, I am interested in objects of structures that are so peculiar or have such a strange exterior design, that it is uncertain what their function is, or if they even have a function. This feeds into my wanting fantastic, impractical, yet functional designs. If something has clearly been designed, but it is obvious that it is not practical, the functionality automatically comes into question. I would certainly be hesitant to sit in that rocking chair from earlier. And would this house to the left really work all that well as a house? Or is is just meant as an attraction or oddity?


I think that is why I am particularly interested in some ancient architectures. Sometimes structures were built of massive stones carried across far distances, which was clearly an impractical method when easier materials were available. But then, why did they go to the trouble of building such things? What is its function? Some look incredible and possess functions that are not obvious at first glance. Some we may never know the function of.

^ Another reason I am interested in those WWI amplifiers. It would be hard to guess their function out of context.
​This for example is an acoustic locator dish in England built in the 1920's .

This piece is by Andy Goldsworthy. It looks as if it could serve some function, perhaps even relating to sound. However, it serves no particular function outside of its fine arts meaning of the ephemeral and nature. 

These are tetraforms on the coast of Japan. They are massive and look as though they could be decoration. However, they serve the specific purpose of preventing the erosion of soil along the coast caused by frequent tsunamis. Their shape is not for aesthetics. Their design specifically allows them to interlock and diffuse the force of the waves as they meet the band of cement forms. 
One object that is pretty special to me is this trunk. It belonged to some variety of great-grandma of mine. I didn't even know it existed until a couple of years ago  (2014) when I was moving into my first apartment as a sophomore in college. I was talking to my mom about how cool I thought old trunks were when we were visiting an antique store. She told me we had one in the attic of our garage, and that I could have it!
I took it down, and cleaned it out, washing the insides and out and oiling the wood. My mom sewed little liners for the inside. Taking care of it really made me feel like it was mine.
From what I'm told, it was a traveling trunk from the 1880s or 1890s. Personally I am impressed my the condition. I like to imagine how some great relative of mine carried all of their belongings in this. Now I use it to keep my socks and other clothes. I love the picture on the inside- decoration of the day and age.

I have always really loved containers-tins and boxes of all sorts. I love this one for not only its looks, but also its implied history and continued functionality. 

Eva Zeisel

I imagine my work in a domestic setting. Primarily, I want my work to be used  or at least appreciated on a closer personal level than it would be in a gallery. 
Eva Zeisel made her work in an ergonomic way for specific function. Though they are not an ordinary design of salt shakers, they function just as well and would suit perfectly as both something beautiful to look at in a home as well as to use. Out of these three examples, hers is my favorite. Their function is still a little ambiguous. 
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Robbie Lobell

Robbie Lobell's work is blatantly functional and clearly meant for a domestic space. It can still be appreciated as art beyond function though because of its handmade origins. He makes his work out of flameware which I would consider ceramic functionality at its highest in terms of kitchen utensils. Honestly, Iv'e thought about trying some flameware clay because I am honestly so intrigued by the idea of setting a pot I made on the stove and cooking with it. 
Bridget Bodenham

Bridget makes a wide variety of functional ceramic work: cups, utensil holders, planter, jewelry etc.
These are all meant for personal use. They are designed for function but also her designs are meant to clearly reference the domestic. Personally, I am less interested in directly referencing the objects intended space or function. I would like to keep the ambiguity. 

I just found this designer- Paolo Cappello. His work is super relevant to mine currently. He designs many functional objects, but these are cabinets with ceramic horns on the front. They hook up to bluetooth. Cappello talks about the connection he is making between analog and digital, which is something I am exploring.

I really like these photos of the pieces showing them in a domestic setting. They are both sculptural and aesthetically pleasant to look at as well as functional. I like how they are just part of their surrounding, like any other piece of furniture, but better looking. 

The glaze on them is fantastic as well, Beautiful satin. 

I wouldn't personally opt for gold, but it works nicely with the black accessories and the wooden cabinet. It honestly looks super classy.

I like wood, not only aesthetically, but because of  its associations with the domestic.

This is by Terri Saulin Frock. Honestly, I am only interested in the table that the work sits on. I really like the look and feel of concrete and think it would be awesome to make a stand with it. I like the weight of it as well as its associations with stone and architecture. 
I think if I made a stand for one of my amplifiers out of cement, it could still live within a domestic space, it would just have a more sculptural or artistic effect than it would sitting on a shelf. I like the ideas of both though. I am thinking about wooden shelves and cement stands. 
These lamps are by Francis Upritchard. I like that the wooden shelves make the lamps feel more "homey." They have simple designs but aren't quite ordinary shelves. If they were rectangular, the lamps would seem too ordinary as well, so I like that bit of design in the shelves. 

My process includes making many simple positive shapes from which to make molds. Most of my shapes were thrown but this one was designed in Rhino and milled out of foam.

I cast many of these simple shapes to be used as building blocks essentially. I collect the pieces, store them in damp boxes, and then grab out pieces and assemble them intuitively. 

This is the first piece I assembled. I like that it is slightly reminiscent of a teapot while clearly being something other.

I went to do a lot of glaze testing. I made work in both porcelain and stoneware. I have a completely different palette for each. The porcelain will be satin pastels while the stoneware will be raw clay body, flash slip, and mossy green glaze on the interiors.

A lot of my porcelain pieces cracked while drying. I think it was partially the clay body and the drying went too quickly.

Glaze testing is tedious. I measured out .4 grams of colorant, mixed it into a base, and repeated about 10 times per colorant test. 

The flash slip tests came out really well. I just have to fire them in the manual kiln as opposed to the automatic.

I ended up with a wide variety of shapes. The more combinations, the better.