My third week at Buffalo Creek gave me my best results yet! I learned a lot in the previous two weeks and the kiln loads of those experiments but ultimately I ended up tossing most of that work. Using what I learned from those failures, I created another batch of the thin flanged porcelain forms and I also experimented with making the same forms but in terracotta (another clay I don’t use often!). Nearly all of these pieces came out of the kiln unscathed – yay! – success!
I also installed a piece from the Umbel Series on the grounds as a part of the permanent sculpture collection. These pieces are soooo tedious to make, every tiny wire is cut and placed and dipped in clay to create the tips of each of the flowers. I swore I would never make more of these flowers but the whole point of a residency is having the time to just make. And so I did. You can see more images of this piece here.
Oh! And as the field trip for the week, we got to tour the Cress Kiln Manufacturing facility which is based just up the road in Carson City… it was pretty cool to see the process of the kilns being made and assembled.
Only one more week to go before I head back into my real life… lots to finish up here and I definitely need to climb another mountain before I go!