Wednesday, March 26, 2008

New Home for Geisha Pot

A great ending to this year's show at the Celebration of Fine Art - the collaboration between myself and Joe Woodford, the Geisha pot pictured in previous posts, has found an elegant new home in Scottsdale. It is the first of a body of work to come at next year's show.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Last Day at the Tent

What a great show! Thanks to all of you who helped make this one of my best years! Tomorrow we start packing up, but tonight we just unwound with friends from the tent, swapping stories and eating, eating, eating....tomorrow we return to health food, try to lose the ten pounds I gained in the last six months. We're all tired, but full of ideas for next year - new work, better booth spaces, different living accommodations. Nine months and we'll be back in Scottsdale at the Celebration of Fine Art. We hope you'll be there too!

Meanwhile, keep an eye on my blog for news about our trip back to NC where we'll be making some additions to our building, getting ready for our Open To the Public month of May, with workshops, classes and work in the galleries. Check out the link to EastSquare ArtWorks.

This next week we'll be all about packing up, but if you want to reach me, you can call the number on my home page.

http://www.eastsquareartworks.com

Friday, March 21, 2008

LAST WEEKEND 4 THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATION OF FINE ART!

This has been a fantastic show! We are exhausted AND exhilerated! Monday morning we'll all be packing and heading off to our "other" lives in near and far flung places, gearing up for the summer shows, exhibits, working on commissions taken at the show. But SATURDAY AND SUNDAY we'll be present and looking forward to seeing you, so don't miss this weekend, and especially don't miss the art that's at the show....we've all worked throughout the ten weeks and even on this last weekend there are NEW pieces to see. And something else...you should see how Emma has grown!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Sunday, March 16, 2008

WOW! Here's the process...

The next step, after carving, is applying color or glazes...

Coming out of the kiln - red hot! That's Joe with his fire gear on.



Joe lifting the pot out of the kiln. Look at the red hot interior!

3 pics of Joe spraying a chemical solution onto the glazed pot, changing the oatmeal color to a dramatic bronze-gold. The black "splatters" turn deep reds at the pot cools.

The reduction of oxygen process - Joe places 55 gallon drum over the hot pot which has been placed in a sandy pit. Then he packs the bottom with newspapers, which ignite, then shovels sand to shut off all air to the inside of the drum.


Removing the drum - will the result be what we hoped for? And here she comes! Beautiful!



Inspecting the finished Geisha.

Admiring...










Friday, March 14, 2008

Firing Tonight

Tonight's the night! Joe will be firing the Geisha pot....keeping our fingers crossed, but excited to see how it comes out.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Two weeks left!

YIKES! Only two weeks left at the Celebration of Fine Art this year. I can't believe how fast the time has gone, and we are all still creating NEW pieces - what an amazing group of artists gather for this show! I was out for a few days with the flu and while I was gone my show neighbor and friend, Ken Newman, sold his beautiful wood carving of a Pheasant. If you can see this before it gets shipped, it will linger in your memory. And painter Linda Koch has new pieces hanging. Linda's work is so beautifully imagined and painted that it brings a whole new expression to the terms organic, abstract and botanical. It is the perfect crossover work for those seeking something less representational and yet organic and natural. She is the best colorist I know! I'll post some pics of all this tonight.

Today, back in good health, I'll be glazing the Geisha pot. Come on in and visit!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Prickly Pear Pics


Finishing touches on a cold day in the tent, and the finished piece - Prickly Pear, carved and painted gourd, approximately 18" diameter, finished in a combination of high gloss (flowers), satin (cactus pads) and matte (shadows).

Collaboration on Geisha Pot


Carving the design in while keeping the rest of the pot from drying out, and Joe pushing areas of the head, hands and obi out for dimension.


Pinning the design onto the wet clay, getting ready to scribe the outlines on.

http://www.celebrateart.com
http://www.josephwoodford.com
http://www.whitneypeckman.com

Monday, March 3, 2008

Geisha Pot

The Woodford-Peckman collaboration continues. The Geisha pot is almost ready for its first (bisque) firing! Thursday's the day. Working in clay is a lot different than carving on gourds....I had to work much faster before the clay got too dry. Joe kept telling me to be careful to spritz the pot so it wouldn't crack. I spritzed away, carving and spritzing, spritzing and carving. YIKES! The clay began to cave in! Joe came over. NO MORE SPRITZING, WHITNEY!

Only three weeks left in the show! It's going quickly and if you haven't stopped by, don't miss it! Come on Thursday and see the firing.

http://www.celebrateart.com/
http://www.josephwoodford.com/