Spring cleaning is a tradition for many people. It is therefore a good time to look at ways to tie in the spring cleaning idea with your ceramic art.
There are several ways this might apply. For instance, you can create a piece of ceramic art that is used to clean something else (a broom). You can make a glass or china piece that represents what you wish to accomplish in your life (clean water, clean air, etc.). Your art could be how you like to see yourself or others in their purest form. You could use spring as an inspirational starting point for a piece of ceramic art.
Many ceramic artists look at Spring as a time for creative thinking. It’s a natural time to clean out your studio and think about new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new approaches to old problems.
The following are thoughts on spring cleaning your studio:
1. What is in the way? Take even just a few minutes and go through your studio. What would you like to move? Where do you have space that would be better used if some pieces were moved? Maybe it’s time for a reorganization.
2. Where are the gaps? Look again at what is in your studio. Is there anything missing that you would like to have? Is there something you haven’t used in a while? Maybe it’s time to dig it out again or give it away.
3. Where is the light? Are there places where you could add more light without too much expense or effort? Or maybe you want to move some things where they get more light, so they dry better and faster, or so you can see them better when you are working on them.
4. What does your workspace look like? If you could change anything about how your workspace looks, what would it be? Do you want to change colors of walls or flooring,
The world of ceramics is a big world. It has many sub-genres and is constantly changing and evolving. So, it makes sense to pay attention to the trends and get involved in what’s happening right now.
For example, there are a lot of ceramic artists who are working on personal artistic style and creating their own brands..
We’ve created an infographic that shows how ceramics can help you develop your brand and yourself as an artist. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our full article here: http://www.ceramicartsmagazine.com/opinion/the-branding-process-for-ceramic-artists/ .
Also, if you’re searching for more ceramic art news, ideas or inspiration do not hesitate to follow us on Twitter and Facebook . We would love to hear from you!
The first time I tried to clean my studio floor, I realized that I had a lot of stuff. It wouldn’t fit in the trash bin and it would be too expensive to take to a landfill. So I did what any artist would do. I made art out of it.
I have been collecting and making art with the things that would otherwise go into the trash. My work is called “Ceramic Art: What Would Go in the Trash If Only You Had a Reason.”
The pieces are in the form of boxes, or open on one side, so you can look inside. It is important that you can see what is inside. The problem is that when something has no reason for existing, it can’t be beautiful. So my work looks like a box, or an open box, but I make sure there is something inside that makes sense only if you know why it’s there.
Once you understand what your box contains, you can think about it as art without feeling guilty about throwing stuff in the trash. And if you don’t understand why it’s there, ask yourself what part of your life needs an invisible box.”
When I was in college, I worked for a ceramic artist as a studio assistant. She would make these beautiful, delicate looking vases and planters from soft materials like paper-mache and clay. I could never figure out how she did it because she hardly ever fired her pieces in the kiln.
She started working on this project about 9 months before it was due, which is pretty typical for most ceramic artists who work on large projects like vases and planters. She has a deadline to meet so she needs to work quickly. She also needs to be very clear in her head about what she wants the piece to look like when it’s finished so that she can keep that image in her mind while doing the actual work.*
The process of making each piece looks pretty simple but there are many steps involved. She makes each piece by rolling out some clay with an acrylic roller. Then she cuts out several shapes along the length of the rolled out sheet of clay using a sharp blade and then puts them together to create whatever it is that she wants to make.**
**If you’re interested in learning more about ceramics and how they are made, my studio used the book called The Ceramic Studio Handbook (ISBN 978-07603068
First, clean your ceramic art.
Ceramic art is like the trees outside your window. The trees are covered with a dusting of snow and ice. The wind carries debris and drops it on its surface. The tree is cold and dead until the spring sun melts away the snow and ice and warms the tree to life. Then comes blossoms, then leaves, then fruit, then the fall winds blow again, dropping the leaves in piles on lawns.
You have to clean your ceramic art; otherwise it will be covered with encrusted grime and dirt just like a tree in winter. If you were going to paint your ceramic art, you would want it to be free from all this encrustation before you started painting, wouldn’t you? Of course you would. And so you should clean it.
When you start cleaning it, what do you do? Do you use turpentine or some other solvent that will dissolve all of the glaze but not your design? Or do you use something that will not hurt your design but not dissolve any of the glaze underneath the dirt? What do I mean by glaze? Well, let’s take a look at what ceramics is made of.
Ceramics is
Spring is a great time to clean and freshen up your art studio, but you already knew that. What you may not have considered is how this relates to the creative process.
Tidy up your materials, reorganize, purge, salvage useful items. Clean up your computer files and back-up copies of everything. Organize your supplies in a way that makes sense to you – and that makes it easy for you to find what you need when you need it. You don’t want to be frustrated when it’s time for your next project.
There are several good reasons for organizing your studio:
• You will have a plan and an organization system in place so that as new supplies arrive and new projects come along you can easily find space for them in your studio.
• You will be able to pinpoint exactly where things are when someone asks you for them or when something needs replacing or repairing.
• Your studio will be more attractive and inviting to clients who would like to visit and see the space where you work.
• Your studio will feel more inviting and comfortable to work in if it’s organized so things are easy to access and use.
What better time than now? We’re all inspired by the beautiful colors of spring flowers, nature’s lush
