Atmospheric Biomorphism

Transcription

1 Atmospheric Biomorphism A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by Amanda Lehtola May, 2008

2 Thesis written by Amanda Lehtola B.F.A., University of Iowa, 2002 M.F.A, Kent State University, 2008 Approved by, Advisor, Director, School of Art, Dean, College of the Arts ii

3 LEHTOLA, AMANDA, M.F.A., MAY, 2008 ART ATMOSPHERIC BIOMORPHISM (24pp.) DIRECTOR OF THESIS: KIRK MANGUS Ceramics has a long tradition of artists whom have created vessels which were fired in a dug pit or wood kiln. These containers served as necessary objects for everyday life and were designed to withstand use and time. Salt firing was discovered in Germany around 1400 A.D as a way to glaze functional ware without applying glaze. Since its discovery, German salt ware rose in popularity and influenced the discovery of soda firing as a materials alternative. Salt firing and wood firing ceramics was a process used for functional ware and each method has its own aesthetic. In contemporary ceramics, these firing processes are used in all aspects of the medium as artists no longer have to make pottery for the civilizations to survive. My thesis work combined a contemporary vision of the vessel along with atmospheric firing. The sculptures combine organic forms with controlled firing environments to create objects with multiple meanings and interpretations. The work is a nod to and extension of ceramic tradition.

4 Table of Contents Page List of Figures iv Acknowledgments... v Atmospheric Biomorphism... 1 Technical Guide..5 iii

5 List of Figures Figure Page 1 Installation view Installation view Installation view Orb m Orb m Orb m Orb m Snail, back view.13 9 Snail, front view Snail, detail Fish Tail Fish Tail, detail Bird Bird, detail Orb wall group Orb wall group, left detail Orb wall group, right detail Orb pedestal group Orb pedestal group iv

6 Acknowledgments I would like to thanks Kent State University and its faculty for the help and support to obtain my Masters of Fine Arts degree. I would like to give extra thanks to my thesis committee for its support and guidance: Kirk Mangus, Janice Lessman-Moss, and Sean Mercer. My greatest amount of thanks is owed to my family for encouraging my decision to pursue graduate school, and to continually assist my pursuits as an artist. I owe special thanks to my fiancé, Jon Scudamore, for helping me in the studio, being an outstanding support system, and aiding my artistic ideas. v

7 1 Atmospheric Biomorphism The work created for my thesis, Atomospheric Biomorphism, was made out of different stoneware clay bodies and fired in either a salt kiln or wood kiln. I chose four different clay bodies formulated from testing and adjusting over the past year and a half of atmospheric firing. From my research, I chose clay bodies which would achieve surface variation in both the wood kiln and salt/soda vapor glazing. The work varies in scale and presents interpretations of natural objects. The shapes are organic and take a biomorphic presence because of the ambiguity, abstraction, and suggestiveness of each sculpture. Pieces were created intuitively and from sketches. I also respond to the clay as I work. I draw inspiration from plants, animals, sea life, and anything soft, flowing, and naturally occurring. I abstracted my forms to leave the viewer with a familiar, yet undefined quality, so they may interpret for themselves what the work represents. The first group of work, which is in large scale, was inspired by plant and animal drawings from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. For this work, I drew my sketches from biological drawings of exotic plants and creatures. My intention was to leave the form detached enough that it would leave the viewer with their own interpretation of what the form was to represent. I chose this inspiration because of its whimsical nature and interpretation of natural life. Fish tail, Snail, and Bird are large forms frozen in slight gesture or movement. The oval bodies of each sculpture sits on the pedestals with a heavy pose. Appendages move off the bodies in a graceful motion suggesting antennae, arms, or

8 2 a tail. The focal point of each form is the surface color, texture, and variation. Through atmospheric firing, I was able to achieve a variety in complexion, gloss and scale-like texture. The second group of work is minor in scale and could be easily handled by the view. In contrast to the large scale, working small makes the pieces more inviting to the viewer. Because the sculpture could easily fit in the hand, they command examination, interpretation, and ask to he held and considered. These pieces were influenced by further abstraction of plants, gourds, and organs. These orbs are curvy, hollow vessels with cut stem openings. Holes added to the surface create movement and tension comparable to skin being pulled away from a shell. The third group of work portrays large, kidney shaped vessels. The gentle curves of this shape are voluptuous. Concave and convex curves, in combination with the stem openings, create an ambiguous form. Orange and peach coloration, along with thick scaled patterning, fill the recesses of the sculptures suggesting decay and death. I work with clay because of its malleability and ability to create a hollow shell. The forms combine a hard shell, flowing curves, and soft flash and gradation of color. To help strengthen the clay for scale, tooth, to stand up to burnishing, and to lighten the pieces post-firing, I added 4-6% paper pulp. Atmospheric firing is used to enhance the surface of each piece. Along with placement in the kiln, the type of clay body used, and any slip, glaze or resist applied can also vary the surface. This type of firing created color and texture variation, creating visual flow for each composition.

9 3 The forms fired in the wood kiln were controlled by clay body and placement of each piece in the kiln. These sculptures combine clay body with ash deposits from the wood kiln to produce pattern and movement on the surfaces. Flame marks, flashing, shells and wadding shadows, and natural ash glaze enhance each sculpture, leaving a surface record of what happened in the kiln and how it was loaded. After wood firing, surface color and variation can be further amplified by re-firing in an oxidation environment in an electric kiln. Scale contributed to how the forms could be loaded and fired in a wood kiln. The smaller orbs typically were tumble stacked with shells and wadding for surface variation. Packing and spacing was also alternated to allow different amounts of clay surface exposure to flame. For the larger sculptures, I load and fire them right-side up to avoid excess rotating and movement. In contrast to the wood kiln, I used a combination of slips, stains, and resist washes to create a visual flow on the soda/salt fired pieces. Materials were applied in thin and thick layers, blended to create a surface which flows visually with the movement of the forms. Shells and wadding were used to prop pieces up off the shelf when fired. Placement and angle created further surface variation, beyond the sprayed elements. The larger pieces were fired right-side-up, but the smaller orbs were fired in various directions and rotated when displayed. I chose to fire soda instead of salt because of its possible use to create blushing, flashing, and a surface with textural variation. While my firing was not purely soda

10 4 because I fired in a well-coated salt kiln, I was able to achieve similar results. The subtle, less intrusive surface of a soda fired form, instead of a heavily orange-peeled, high-gloss surface most commonly associated with salt-firing ceramics, has a more organic quality about it. My thesis work combined organic form with atmospheric firing to create work with a natural quality. Each piece stands on its own, and yet, as a group create an environment which the audience can become involved. The work nods to both the vessel and traditional firing. The sculptures represent process, tradition and the elemental qualities of ceramics.

11 5 Technical Guide Clay bodies White Stoneware, Talc (A) White Stoneware, Helmar (C) 35 EPK 40 Helmar 20 XX Saggar 20 XX Saggar 20 Nepheline Syenite 20 Nepheline Syenite 10 Talc 10 Silica 10 Roseville 10 Roseville 5 Fredricksburg Fire Clay White Stoneware, G-200 (B) White Stoneware (D) 35 EPK 25 Helmar 20 OM4 Ball Clay 20 XX Saggar 10 Nepheline Syenite 20 Nepheline Syenite 20 G Silica 10 Roseville 30 Roseville 5 Fredricksburg Fire Clay Englobes, Resists White Englobe for Bisque, cone 6-11 Resist#1 6 EPK 1 Part Alumina 14 Ball Clay 8 Parts Water 20 Kaolin, calcinated 4 Frit # Nepheline Syenite Resist #2 5 Talc I Part EPK 19.5 Silica 6 Parts Water 3 Tin Oxide 2.5 Zircopax 5 Borax

12 6 Figure 1 Installation view 1

13 7 Figure 2 Installation view 2

14 8 Figure 3 Installation view 3

15 9 Figure 4 Orb m01

16 10 Figure 5 Orb m02

17 11 Figure 6 Orb m03

18 12 Figure 7 Orb m04

19 13 Figure 8 Snail, back view

20 14 Figure 9 Snail, front view

21 15 Figure 10 Snail, detail

22 16 Figure 11 Fish Tail

23 17 Figure 12 Fish Tail, detail

24 18 Figure 13 Bird

25 19 Figure 14 Bird, detail

26 20 Figure 15 Orb wall group

27 21 Figure 16 Orb wall group, left detail

28 22 Figure 17 Orb wall group, right detail

29 23 Figure 18 Orb pedestal group 1

30 24 Figure 19 Orb pedestal group 2