Hello everyone, and welcome back! Today I wanted to take a break from my usual topics and take a look back into this past semester here at Marywood. Some of you may know that our fall semester has just come to an end and because of that I have been looking back on my personal progress throughout the semester. So please join me in a fun recap of my art this semester!
I am in my third semester of ceramics and for this semester I really wanted to focus on the little things that can make a piece really shine. Sometimes it’s the small details that can make something special. I also really wanted to create things I was personally proud of. So, to do this I took a lot of time rounding edges, trimming, experimenting, and planning. These first pictures are of a set of pots with lids that I made. I’m super proud of these because I learned a lot by trying different shapes and sizes, and I even taught myself how to make the lids. I also experimented with glazes here by layering glazes over our black glaze which I think turned out really interesting.
These next photos are of a pot I made where I experimented with carving and a glaze I made in class from a recipe on Glazy. I’m super happy with how this one came out because the glaze drips perfectly to contour the carvings in the clay. To achieve this I used wax resist in the carved areas to ensure that the glaze would not drip into the carvings but rather around them. It is the first time that I made something like this and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome!
These next ones were class assignments that I’m really proud of! The first one was a self portrait project where we had to sculpt something that represented us. I chose two koi fish with a necklace pendant in the middle. I chose this because I have always felt a connection to koi fish and I also have them tattooed. So, I wanted to recreate it in clay form. I decided to create a necklace pendant to go with it because I often make jewelry in my free time and is a good representation of what I like to do artistically. The second one is a traditional tea bowl which I really enjoyed because the shaping really taught me a lot. I also experimented with the glazing by layering a glaze my classmate and fellow blogger Jenna made and the glaze I made. These are two projects I really saw improvement on and genuinely enjoyed doing.
Lastly, I wanted to talk about my work in photography. This was my first ever photography class and I’m really proud of the the photos I took. The photos below are for different projects we had in class. The first one was to photograph something we love so I chose to photograph my claddagh ring. It is something very dear to me and I’m so happy I was able to capture it like this. The second picture was for my motion project where I had to to photograph something in motion. I chose to photograph my friend throwing on the wheel and I’m really happy with how it came out. The third is for my water project. Originally I wasn’t sure what I wanted to photograph but one day I walked in my room and saw that I had left my window open while it was raining. The raindrops landed on a nearby rose so I decided to use that for my project. The fourth was for my still-life project. For this I wanted to balance colors and different materials which I think came out pretty good. The last one was for my reflection project. This image is the reflection of my roommate in the glass of the window . I’m really happy with the way this one came out because I think it’s really visually interesting. For my first photography class I’m pretty proud of the results!
I’m very happy and grateful I get to share these with all of you because it just emphasizes how important it is to take a look back in time. Just like in art history, taking a look back can show you how far you’ve come and give you motivation to keep going. Thank you for joining me on this recap of the fall semester and maybe this inspired you to take a look back on your own work.
Thanks again!
~Marissa