Last Blog - The Vessel

What is the difference between a vessel and a pot? "$5000"

HOPE, 14 in. (35cm) in height, thrown and hand-built stoneware.
Glazes: Blue Rutile, Shino Brown, Smokey Merlot

To be honest, I did not even know what the meaning of vessel was before taking this class. I realized that how much knowledge I've gain. When I started this project, I had choices between making a teapot or clay connection. Since I had already done a teapot during my own time (Pottery Club), I chose to do the clay connection project, which I have to connect a bunch of pots together to create a form of my own. We had a really short period of time to finish this project, so I decided to throw as many pots with different form and size as possible first only then connect them. Due to the short period of time and my limited throwing skill, I did not really have a theme for my vessel.

Africa | Palm wine or water vessel with
base from the Nupe people of Nigeria |
 Terracotta and pigment | 20th century

This is one of the ceramics vessel from the 20th century I've found which the the idea and form are related to mine. We can clearly see that this vessel is a combination of the different thrown parts: a small pot at the top, a big one at the bottom and a cylinder form in the middle. Connecting pots together not only gives it an interesting form but also creates height just from 3 little pots and parts, instead of throwing a really tall pot from one try. From the caption, this vessel is used to hold wine or water from the people of Nigeria. Not only it looks great with all that surface design but also function great too.

Compare to the vessel of the Nigeria people, I would say that they would appreciate my vessel because I intentionally carve my all of my pot bottoms to give it a function. I cut out all the bottoms because I thought that I could give this to my mom so that she can put flowers in it since she likes them a lot. And I would like to follow their concept and idea of this pot of both form and surface design and coordinate in my further work.

WELL, What is a vessel?
Looking at my vessel and that of the Nigeria people, vessel can be defined as a container with form and shape with the touch of the surface design and also be able to function well. Plus, it also need to pleased viewer's and user's eyes.

Final Alter Ego

Mother Bird

Describe your intentions. Who is your alter ego? What’s the story behind it? Looking back on your first blog about your alter ego, did it change and how? Does the story and personality come thru and why?This bust represents my alter ego. 

My intention is to make this bust look as real as possible. My alter ego is a person that I have always been looking up to.

She is a my role model

She is amazing

She is my aspirin 

She is the best

She is my backbone

She is unsinkable

She is my hero

She is strong

She is my world

She is MAGNIFICENT

She is ... MY MOM.

To me, she is the most beautiful whenever she is happy and whenever she is smiling. She is good at handling stress. Whenever my mom stresses out, she doesn't want me and my sister to know. She just stays calm, put on a big smile and slowly solve the problems. And by putting a smile on the bust will personify her character. 

And yes, this bust is still my mom, but what I did change was the object I wanted to add on. I initially wanted to do a superman cape on her back but the idea of adding on a bird nest sounds better to me. The bird nest here is a symbol of nurturing just like birds do. And there are two eggs, one is me and the other is my sister. She always put us before her. She gave us every best that she could. There isn't enough word to say how awesome my mom is to me. 

Explain a bit of the process used and the challenges you faced.  Did you achieve what you wanted? Is the work what you expected?

HS Art show

The challenge that I faced in the process of making this bust was to make the eyes look real. Eyes are really difficult to get them right as the human eye sockets are much deeper inside and the ratio between the the eyeballs and the face need to be accurately measured. I am really of my bust how it turned out to be. I put a lot of effort into this bust. This is probably the biggest achievement of mine this semester for this class.  

• Did you enjoy and value working with clay for sculptural purposes rather than functional or do you prefer the functional process?

I did enjoy working with clay for sculptural purposes but to be honest I prefer the functional process. I prefer to throw a pot than to hand build it. I am also a type of person who amaze by the smoothness than the roughness and symmetrical things make me happy.

• Take a photo of another student’s clay bust that intrigues you not because it was made by your friend but because it really stands out in your eyes. Explain why it has impact; the form, the story, the expression, the hair, the eyes, the glazes used….React to the work explaining why it has impact.

Kitty's bust

Everytime I walk through the atrium, Kitty's bust probably is the one that I can't take my eyes off. Not because her bust is next to mine, but what really stand out about this bust is the concept that Kitty chose to make hers. She did not do anything like others did. Instead, her bust looks to me is really futuristic, really different and strange in a good way. A story that comes to my mind is that being different doesn't mean that she doesn't have her own voice. I thought that it was very well represented. Her big black eyes from this angle really feel empathy somehow as if she is trying to fit into today chaotic society. And I thought the black parts on her head and on her body are scars left behind from time to time finding her own voice, which represented by the strange language carve on her mouth.

Grendel Chapter 3-4

  What is Grendel’s perspective on the society of men and the history of their wars? what is his opinion of these men?  What attitude toward Hrothgar and his growing empire does Grendel express in chapter 3?  
            Grendel says he doesn't want to be Hrothgar’s enemy, he only wants to take that role because Hrothgar is already so old. Grendel notes how violent human are. He is surprise by how human can be so cruel to each other that even “no wolf was so vicious to other wolves”. Humans are fighting for their honor and justice but Grendel simply thinks they attack each other for gold and other treasure.
           
  Why is Grendel so drawn to the Shaper?  Why is he so afraid of him? How does the Shaper’s story about the wars of the Danes affect Grendel?
            Grendel is drawn to Sharper because Grendel is in love with Sharper’s words. He even says that Sharper built this hall just with his so-convincing words. At the same time, he is afraid of Sharper because he knows that Sharper was lying but the beauty of his words convinces Grendel making him more aware of his difference from the humans.  

  How does Grendel react to the Shaper’s next story - about an ancient feud between two brothers that divides the world between darkness and light?  (a.k.a. The story of Cain and Abel)
            Grendel thought he is somewhat similar to Cain in this story killing people. Grendel believes the some and crys. Sharper’s way of telling story is so powerful that Grendel even convinces himself that he is an evil.


  What is Grendel hoping to accomplish when he carries the murdered corpse he finds to the mead hall? What happens instead, and how does it affect Grendel?
            As we discussed before, Grendel shows such emotions when no one understand him even the human, which is the only race that Grendel could understand their language. Grendel gathers the corpse with the hope that he could be accepted by the human one day.

My Alter Ego

This bust represents my alter ego. My alter ego is a person that I have always been looking up to.

 She is a my role model

She is amazing

She is my aspirin 

She is the best

She is my backbone

She is unsinkable

She is my hero

She is strong

She is my world

She is MAGNIFICENT

She is ... MY MOM.

And yes, this bust is my mom. To me, she is the most beautiful whenever she is happy and whenever she is smiling. She is good at handling stress. Whenever my mom stresses out, she doesn't want me and my sister to know. She just stays calm, put on a big smile and slowly solve the problems. And by putting a smile on the bust will personify her character. 

My biggest challenge right now is to make her eyes look real. It doesn't look right to me right now. It looks rather strange. Getting the ratio of all the components on the face right is difficult too. 

I got a lot more to be done. My plan is to put on her hair and finish with a red cape on her shoulder. The red cape is going to have the "S" like the one Superman has. I choose to put the red cape because my mom is my superhero. 

Wheel-throwing blog

My 6 cylinder in order. (1-6)

 "It took me so long just to get this far"

I really like the glaze effect of this pot. I first used a green slip for the outside and then coated the whole pot with a good layer of Celedon. And, I got the blue-ish strips running around. It stands out from the dark background.

"Yesss. I finally got a 2 inch-"uncentered" cylinder" I dunked it in Dark Green and then dipped the rim with Shino glaze.

"I was playing with the form" The Salt Buff glaze gave the nice effect of a wood fired pot.

This is one of my fav. The rabbit shapes came out perfectly the way I wanted to.  I also really like the Robin Egg glaze color.

"My first bowl shape" 

" ♥ this cup!! I got the LUGs for the inside and glaze pencils and chalks for the vines outside. And it's a lil over 3 inch! :) "

• Does this process have potential to be an expressive art form for you?  Yes, not only that I can choose what form the pot to be, the colors that I glaze them and the designs I put on them do represents something. And this process do have the potential to be my one of the way to express things which are inexpressible.
• Ex: rabbit is a symbol of fertility.

• Are you hooked on it for life, or will you let it go after this class?    I would say that I am really enjoying this class and if I have a chance to work with clay (especially throwing pots) in the future, I definitely will.

• What is the biggest challenge and the most satisfying part of the process so far? My biggest challenge is open the clay without uncenter it. It's real hard to keep it center all the time, to me at least. My most satisfying part of this process is when I realize that I have improved so much compare with when I first start to throw.

• What do you want to do most with this skill? After throwing "countless" pots, I really want to use this skill to throw a really tall vase about 15 inches tall because I really want to make this a present to parents.

WHO AM I?

WHO ARE YOU NOW?

Artists use their own experiences to express joys, anxieties, heritage, memories and loves.

Use your blog to reflect your character that could be expressed creatively in a clay form.

1. Where do you consider home?  Home for me is Viet Nam and Malaysia. I was born, raised and grew up in Viet Nam. Viet Nam is where my relatives and friends are. I speak fluent Vietnamese and not a single English word for the first 13 years of my life. I then moved to Kuantan, Malaysia and lived there for 3 years. I met the friendliest people that I called friends, who treated me so well despite the fact that my English was so broken that they sometimes couldn't understand. I felt really comfortable being around them.

   

   Chubby me and cousins.
   

2. Who are your hero’s? (Real people, animated cartoon, anime, game character.) I can't say that I consider anyone a hero to me, but I definitely have the ones that I admire and look up to. One of them is my mom. She's more than a mom, more like a friend, a sister, a life saver and an aspirin to me. Mom eases all the stress, pains and struggles in my life away just like a pain reliever does. She has been there for me all my life and she would never say no whenever I need her, my lifelong supportive system. She gives me the love that no one else could. I couldn't ask for more. 
   

   
3. What do you fear? "Failure" 
   

   
4. What is your passion, what  inspires and engages you daily? -(Sports, science, music, jumping off mountains, making things?) I love crafting and making things. This is one of the reason why I have been in Ceramics for almost 2 semesters now. And I really enjoy doing Origami.
   

   

   
   
5. What is your favorite food? Dumplings, barbeque, salmon, Korean food, Thai food, cherry, mangosteen, steak.
   

   

   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
6. What brand names or logos are in your life most and that you respect, hate or identify with. (Nike, Ipad, SAS, WWF, Samsung….). Many people like to use Apple products especially Iphone but I can't seem to like it really much. I do have Macbook but not an Iphone. I prefer Samsung and I do own a Samsung phone. Looking around in my house, most of the electronics are Philips and Sharp. My family has been sticking around them for quite a long time. They are reliable brands and quality goods.
   

   

   

          

2 different artists and explain how they're inspiring to you. Intrigued by the theme or the style the artists are using?  

Bust Of A Girl by Kathleen Raven.
The colour palette and the object on her head are perhaps telling a story.

This technique symbolizes a mood/feeling. Thorns in hair add to the 'dull' mood/feeling. Facial features: Eyes looking down (away) adding to the dull mood. I might use these techniques for my bust (symbols representing one part of my identity and monochromatic colours to show mood/feeling)

The Chawan Challenge + Expo

          I took Ceramics 1 in my junior year and I madly in love with clay and making thing. Whenever class time come, I couldn't wait to get to touch clay or challenge myself on the wheel. Wheel throwing is the most challenge thing for me in Ceramics. Being on the wheel after 3 times, I am already see my progress; I've got better! And that is the reason why I want to take this class again. 

The chawan making process I've involve in is hand built and wheel-thrown. After making it for a week or more I think they do deserve the famous Japanese history and glory these artist are giving them . And I also do agree with Steven that a bowl with soul gives people good feeling when they handle and enjoying their tea. For me a well done chawan, the one is made with heart and soul will catch the user's and viewer's heart without trying.

Chawan is a bowl which you receive the cup of tea. Chawan originally came from the history of Japan. It did not take long for the Japanese to discover and incorporate them into their everyday life. The relationship between western civilization and the tea ceremony came to an abrupt halt when Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shogun, forced Westerners out of Japan and shut the doors on them for almost 300 years. Tea ceremony is a social event and it also can have a religious dimension to it.

After going through the Chawan Expo catalogue, I've spotted some chawan that I like but the ones really stand out to me are those made by Chris Prisen from Belgium. I like it really much. I love how she glazes those chawans. It's the glazing that really catch my attention.

 These are 2 of my wheel thrown chawans. They aren't too great but I definitely love 'em.

Title: Tree Moss
Wheel thrown, Stoneware Clay
High fired
Glazes: Blue Rutile, Smoky Merlot

Title: Rise from the Earth
Wheel-thrown, Stoneware Clay
High fired
Glazes: Cobalt oxide, Blue Rutile and Oatmeal

And this is my hand built chawan

Hexagon shaped chawan
Hand built
High fired
Shino, Salt Buff and Blue Rutile glazes

        

All of the chawans in our Chawan Expo Show are great. Each has its own beauty and meaning. However, the one that I am most intrigued by is Chawan #2 by Miguel Castro. 

        By in-laying the glazes, Miguel did a great job showing the marks on this chawan. The marks shows the connection of human touch. The rim is altered and glazed with Temoku created a great effect to it. This chawan reminds me of the perfect harmony of the nature, the earth and the trees, these two will not live well without each other. And this chawan will definitely give the user an unforgettable time!

SAS CHAWAN EXPO SHOW

Every single chawan/teabowl in this expo is definitely gorgeous. Each has its own unique look. By being a part of this chawan show, I realize that making chawans is an art. It is a process and time consuming. Potters need to put their imaginations and souls into the chawan just to make each and every single one of them well done. 

Perseus Archetypes

The myth of Perseus is one of the most famous story in the Greek Mythology. Perseus is a hero who kills Medusa, who happens to be a gorgon in the myth from the book Mythology wrote by Edith Hamilton. There are many archetypes in this myth, but there are a few that stand out really well to me.

http://disney-at-heart.blogspot.sg/2014/02/maleficent.html

The first archetype is the tower which Danaë is imprisoned by her father, King Argos. He has been warned that he would be kill by his grandson. He has been thinking of killing her but he could not. Instead, he sends her away to a bronze tower with no door so that she would never marry and have children. The tower is the symbol which represents the lack of freedom and imprisoned. This reminds me of the character Princess Aurora from the movie Maleficent released not long ago. Aurora was imprisoned, was locked in a dark place without any people. She was alone all by herself.

While Danaë is imprisoned in the bronze tower, she happens to have a baby with a god named Zeus and she names him Perseus. King Argos is extremely furious and with no word, he shut them in a box and send them out to sea. Danaë and Perseus then floats to an island where Polydectes is king. King Polydectes deicides to get rid of Perseus so that he can marry Danaë by force; he sends Perseus out to get him Medusa' head. 

http://www.tomorrowworld.com/artist/superman-spiderman-batman

Perseus and Medusa both are archetypes in this story for being hero and monster. Perseus brings home Medusa's head and stones Polydectes and all his followers and too the sea monster to safe Andromeda, who he falls in love with. Similarly, there are many cartoons and movies with the idea of heros saving innocent people and beat the bad ones, such as in Batman, Spiderman, Superman, etc. 

In the end, Perseus end up killing his grandfather, King Argos by accident. This proves that the oracle, an archetypal character, was right. 

Introduction to Mythology:

What could a hero do in a world without monsters? 

After reading the Introduction to Classical Mythology, what really stand out to me is the part which talking about the role of mythical monster vs hero in many mythology. I think it is true that without monsters, there wouldn't be heroes. Monsters are imagined, created and embedded into stories to give the hero his meed of glory. Monsters, in many stories, chase after innocent beautiful youth woman and  likely there were almost no chance that she won't be rescued by a brave muscular man and ended with a happy ending. People always think of monsters as inhuman creatures, fear and terror. On the other hand, heroes are usually men; they have to be strong and brave to fight off the monster and save innocent people and to be admired for their achievements. Monsters are meant to be bad but they definitely bring in the entertainment and pleasure the readers. Without them, who will the hero fight and what will they do?

World Lit: Monstrous Images

Are these unnatural looking figures monsters? When the word “monster” being mentioned. We immediately think of a great-size, dangerous and ferocious appearance creature. Monster can also be referred as something extraordinary or unnatural, an amazing event or occurrence, a prodigy, a marvel or any imaginary creature that is large, ugly, and frightening in the Oxford English Dictionary. The picture above does seems to match with one of definition listed but what I am seeing here are just human mutants.

Human does undergoes mutations. We are evolving even today; we might be doing so even faster than before. In the picture above, we can clearly see 3 unnatural looking human-like bodies: one with a face on its own chest, one man with a big foot, and the last women with big ears. There are many cases of human mutation out there all over the world. They has been discussed on the news, on the Internet and even on the World Guiness Record. The reason why these 3 are considered monster is that with the absence of high technology and knowledge of science back then, people weren't able to make a difference between monsters and mutants.

Tea pot

My idea for my tea pot was initially a bee hive with a common round handle on. But I wanted it to be more interesting than just a bee hive, so I decided to make my spout a bee which looked like it was flying out of the hive, and my handle a tree branch. 

First, I started out with 4 different little parts. I rolled out a big slap, cut out a circle shape then mold it into a bowl shaped mold to make the top round part of the hive. I then used the rest part of the slap and make a cylinder which its diameter must match with diameter of the mold. The third parts was the bee spout and last is the tree branch handle. 

To accentuate the texture of the beehive. I used the tiny extruder and extruded tiny little coils then "slip and score" them on. It took forever! But I love it. I also decorated on two little bees on the sides and a flower on top.

Finally, I low fired it with some CTL's, Slips and Yellow and Brown LG's.
And it functions as great as it looks.

Coil Pot

I started out with a kite shaped base cut out from slap. Then built up with coils in variety shapes (triangles, rainbow, braid, ...). These are all hand-built coils.  

 

I then, instead of dunking the whole pot in high fire glazes, I brushed them on. Brushing on glazes was a little tedious to feel in all the tiny gaps but it will accentuate the texture better. I chose Tenmoku, Albany Slip Brown and the Blue. 

But, eventually, the blue did not really work out. That's why there's some green white-ish spots but it's look pretty good to me. And I am happy how it turned out to be.