November 2010
1 post
2 tags
Through the Fire, Out of The Ashes
The pieces are out of kiln! I just pulled all these magical pieces out of the saggar fire. You never know what you are going to get. The saggar fire process is an ancient pit firing technique where you bury pieces of art in a contained space with all kinds of materials surrounding them. In this case I used steer manure, vermiculite, saw dust, branches from the yard, and a bunch of different...
October 2010
3 posts
12 tags
Exciting, Inspiring & Humbling
It’s so interesting. I opened the article in Sculpture Review (thank you Ellen B. Cutler!), and was so excited when I saw the images of my pieces.
I was and am proud of my work, and of course, seeing it in a publication is always a huge boost. But then I looked at Judy Fox’s work…humbling.
Virgin Mary, 1993. Image from Judy Fox website, all rights reserved.
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2 tags
"Sometimes you have to go away to remember what...
It was 6:00 in the morning and still dark. I was writing on the balcony in candle light…
Its warm and tropical already. The wave sounds are something I could live with all the time. I felt like I was one of the only people awake in the world.
In LA it would be rush hour.
I took my last early morning walk on the beach. I watched the lights go out and the sun come up over the water, a...
2 tags
Mannequin Mayhem....
At my last day I ran around the mannequin factory with my camera and had a blast taking pictures. You have no idea…how cool. Here are SOME of them! I had a really difficult time editing.
As difficult as it has been to be outside the comfort of my studio, I’ve been grateful for the work, and I have to say, it’s been tremendously cool to see bodies that I’ve sculpted...
September 2010
1 post
10 tags
Back in the Studio
I’ve been aching to get back into the studio. I have some new pieces cooking in spite of the fact that I am just completing a massive push on some commercial work—that has brought my credit cards down from a frightening precipice. It’s been exhausting but worth it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. During this time I’ve been making contact with galleries,...
August 2010
2 posts
4 tags
Guest-blogger: Sophie Ragir!
I am ecstatic that Sophie has finally written a statement I get to add to the book, Lifesize Pieces of Women I Love. It’s about her experience of modeling for me and growing up in my studio environment. Here it is, its fabulous…Thank you Sophie!
“I wish I could remember more about the experience of being sculpted at eight years old. What is most powerful in my memory is...
8 tags
Commercial vs. Conceptual
I was asked to be part of an article for Sculpture Review Magazine about ceramic artists - and of course I was delighted. The woman who is writing it is Ellen B. Cutler. - check her out - she’s awesome (www.ellenbcutler.com). But before we talked on the phone she sent me a questionnaire - as she did with the other artists. Some of the questions were general and some were artist specific -...
July 2010
1 post
1 tag
Living A Balanced Life
Living a balanced life – as a woman and an artist is extraordinarily challenging. Being both passionate about my work and my children, making sure there is enough time for people I love… Writing is just one more thing. So…no blog entry for a while.
I remember early on feeling like I wasn’t a REAL artist because I wasn’t in the studio all the time. When my kids were younger I didn’t see the men...
May 2010
3 posts
17 tags
Woman In the 21st Century- Opening Night!
What an incredibly rich experience! For lack of a graceful way to begin I’m just going to start at the beginning.
I arrived and settled in my hotel room within 15 minutes. John Wronoski, the owner of Pierre Menard Gallery, showed up with the show’s curator, Lisa Paul Streitfeld, and we had a “spot weld” evening that lasted through the night. I fell in deep respect with...
13 tags
Venice Art Walk & Cambridge, MA
I wish I had super powers or a time machine! Two wonderful events are happening this weekend and unfortunately I am going to miss one for the first time in its history.
Venice Art Walk is this Sunday, May 23. For those of you who don’t know, Venice Art Walk & Auction benefits the Venice Family Clinic. I have been a big supporter of this event since its inception. Early advocates of...
10 tags
Inspiration and Gratitude
Where do I start? I have never considered myself a ceramic artist—I’ve always sculpted in clay, but for the majority of my career I cast in other mediums. Until fairly recently (the last 10 years-ish) I had very little experience in firing clay. So for me, it was kind of a head scratcher to be surrounded by all ceramic artits. It had never actually occured to me to focus...
April 2010
3 posts
1 tag
Mold Day Monday!
On Monday we made molds on the torsos! Alberto, who I’ve known and worked with for 3o years, came in to teach everyone - so we had an awesome…LONG… day!
First we drew the parting lines on the high points of the figures -
Then we built a wall with clay to separate what would be the front and the back of the mold
We pressed dome shaped keys into the clay walls which will...
9 tags
The Hexagon
While I was in New York last January at the CAN exhibition I met Lisa Paul Streitfeld, an extraordinary writer, curator, and art critic with whom I immediately resonated deeply. She mentioned something about a show in Cambridge, MA in May that she was to be curating, and suggested the possibility of my participation. I don’t think either one of us had any idea where that would lead...
2 tags
What a Tool...aka Proud and Excited!
This idea came to me from my dear friend and incredible artist George Small. He read it years ago in a John Singer Sargent book as a painting exercise. When he offered it to me I flipped out!
My students had to chose a tool from my studio shop wall, study a quarter of an inch at a time (that’s all you can really “hold” in your mind), walk to the other end of the studio and...
March 2010
3 posts
Surprise!!!
This has been a week of an intense range of experiences. I’ve been working against multiple deadlines for a show that will be opening in Cambridge, MA in May 2010, and another in June (more to come on those).
But in the midst of it all, my students gathered around and started acting a little weird, finally saying…”we have something for you!” They surprised me with a...
10 tags
The Greatest Gift
It’s been a week filled with intense work and a quick trip to Seattle with David for the PTG (Piano Technicians Guild) Conference…(Seattle was sunny and beautiful while I hear it poured rain in LA!) The weekend was filled with an extraordinary array of pianos, tools, teachers and human beings, some of whom have become dear friends.
For those of you who don’t know I am...
In honor...
I just found this out myself, but March is Women’s History Month. And since my work and heart are centered around women (although there isn’t anything wrong with men) I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences about the extraordinary women in my life who I have been blessed to work with.
Obviously the two most important women in my life have been my mother and my daughter...
February 2010
1 post
11 tags
My First Time...
This is my first venture into the blogging-sphere, and in the spirit of firsts I thought I’d share some of my other “firsts” with you all!
SCULPTURE
I used to sketch cadavers in my UCLA extension class when I was a teenager. I would cut through the paper with graphite trying to get to the back of the form. My teacher finally told me “You need to be sculpting!” ...