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Published: August 7th 2010
Studio
My stoneware work decorated and ready to be loaded into the kilnMy last entries will come from my studio back in Minnesota. My last two weeks in China were filled to the brim and I had little extra time to make blog entries. Having such a productive summer making work in the Sanbao studio created the issue of needing time to decorate/finish the surfaces for kiln firing. Each piece needed consideration and time for its unique surface. At times I wished I made cups and bowls and could use a beautiful celedon glaze to complete them. I do not find glaze itself to be the right solution for my sculpture. The glossy surface has too strong of connotations to utilitarian work that I look for a colorful but more raw approach. The workers at Sanbao used to always ask what glaze I wanted them to spray on my work. I would say, no glaze. They would look puzzled and ask again "what glaze?" They know know that the pieces are unglazed and are treated with a series of glaze slip washes, decals and stains. It is layering of these surfaces that I am interested in exploring to give each piece depth and life. Having made over forty pieces I had to stay
Studio
Stoneware sculpture loaded into the glaze kiln diligent in finishing each piece quickly but let them be unique. I had two different kilns to fill. First, I worked on the stoneware sculpture. For these many of the surfaces I was relying on the iron saturated clay body to by the final surface. I did use some white slip made from the superwhite porcelain clay body. If I put it on the clay while still wet the surface would be covered a solid gray-white. If I put it on the clay when dry the slip would crackle and create a more organic surface. I tried using some washes of colored stain or decal transfers on top of this slip or over the raw clay itself. Completing the stoneware pieces we loaded the kiln and I began working on the second firing with my slipcast porcelain sculpture.
The stoneware firing turned out well, better then expected in some ways. Taking Jackson Li's advise we lowered the firing temperature to around cone 8 (ceramic term) instead of cone 10. The clay body went a little darker then I would have preferred but I had little cracking of the forms, unlike the year before. Some of the washes over the
Studio
View into the Sanbao kiln room white slip were very stunning, especially when spots of the dark clay burnt through the slip. I will have one last entry where I will download images of finished work.
The porcelain firing turned out as well. I have many pieces I feel are complete and ideas for new work next summer. Overall I am very pleased with what came out and I have many pieces to select from for the exhibition next summer. I photographed the work and boxed it all for storage. I had taken over one-third of the studio with all my pieces. It took a whole day and a half to photograph and another day and a half to box and move to the local taxi drivers house. I rented space from him to safely store the pieces in a second story room at his house. Well above any flood level!
During the last porcelain firing I spent one day in town trying to visit a few workshops for some video footage that I would like to have for my Jingdezhen video project. Jackson's wife Ying and I tried to find a workshop making big pots using more then two throwers and then to
Studio
A visiting group of deaf art students were in Jingdezhen to work at the Pottery Workshop and exhibit their work. One afternoon they visited Sanbao and the studio.
the tile village to see if anyone was rolling out the giant 12 foot long slabs. In both places I came up empty. I need to spend a week focusing on this project and visit the studios each morning to see what they are doing. My current approach is too random and footage comes from the luck of being at the right place at the right time. Perhaps I will live in town for a week next summer and have everything at my access. I enjoyed spending the time with Ying who is very nice and was helpful. I also took her to some workshops that she had never been to before. After so many years exploring I can find many workshops in town...I just can't speak the language. I have now been taught how to say in Chinese, "I am a Jingdezhen person. I can not speak Chinese." My manta!
The last couple days in Jingdezhen were filled with spending time with friends. I got together with Mr. Kim and some of the Korean and Chinese artists I have met this summer by treating everyone to barbecue. My last night was back at Sanbao and I ordered all
Jingdezhen
My visit to the Pottery Workshop and to see the deaf students works. my favorite foods and had the young students working at Sanbao eat with me. Every year I am very appreciative of the help and friendship from the young students who are hired by Sanbao. They give the resident artists their full support and service. Sky, who works as the Sanbao bartender, took me into town one day to help me buy what I needed and was a hoot to talk with many evening in Sanbao bar after dinner. Being a English major this was a good place for her to be in interacting with native English speakers. A two way street.
It is always difficult for me to leave Jingdezhen and my old and new friends. Part of me wants and needs to be home, while part of me wants to stay where each day is so stimulating with new things and people to meet. For me there does seem to be a saturation point for living at Sanbao. The food is delicious but not enough variety. I start craving different tastes. Not necessarily for western food, but just different food in general. I am considering next summer renting an apartment in town for a couple months and just
Jingdezhen
My friend Baixu from the Pottery Workshop. use the studio at Sanbao. It could be a cool experience and a change of pace. I could rent an apartment for around $100 a month. I will investigate the possibilities.
I left Jingdezhen on Sunday, August 1st, flying to Beijing for three days before returning home on Thursday the 5th. I had changed my flight from flying home on the 1st from Shanghai so I could visit some new artist friends living in Beijing who I had met earlier at Sanbao. Wenna got me a hotel room down the street from her home and even picked me up at the airport. We became good friends at Sanbao and I think her drawings/prints are amazing. I am bringing images of her work back to Minnesota and see if I can find some exhibition possibilities for her. Next summer we have talked about collaborating on some ceramic pieces as well. I am interested in seeing some of her drawing on my spiraling forms.
I very much enjoyed the hotel. Unlike Sanbao that wakes up at 7:00 am everyday, I got to sleep as late as I needed/wanted. I did not care if I missed breakfast, my body needed sleep
Jingdezhen
Saturday morning artist sale outside the Pottery Workshop. after the pace I kept for the past two weeks. She picked me up at noon and said she wanted to take me to a street with interesting shops and places to eat. This was Nan Louguxiang, a popular street filled with boutiques, gift shops, restaurants and bars. She was happy I had been to Beijing twice before so she did not "have to" take me to the forbidden city of other popular tourist sites. We had a delicious lunch then cruised down the street, looking into different shops. The afternoon quickly turned into a shopping spree for Wenna. First it was a dress shop, then shoes, then back to the dress shop. It was very amusing to watch her anguish over each purchase but at the same time be like a kid in a candy store. She dropped me back of at the hotel after her spree was over and invited me to her apartment later for a dinner party she was hosting in my honor. She invited five of her friends over to meet me and made many different dishes. She gets together with these friends every week or so to eat and play music. The funny part
Jingdezhen
Artists work at the Saturday artist sale. of the evening was when she was introducing me to her friends she said it all in English then realized who she was talking to and only some of them spoke English. It reminded me of being in Santiago de Cuba in 2006. I was asked to give a short acceptance speech during a ceremony where one of my sculptures was being donated to a foundation. A woman from Brazil that spoke English was to be my Spanish interpreter. I began by saying, "Thank you for this great honor." She translated, "Thank you for this great honor" in English!
My second day in Beijing was a road trip north past the Ming tombs and up into the mountains for a hike and picnic. We wound around many hairpin turns then off a side road. Wenna said she goes here often and learned about the trail from friends a year ago. I could see remnants of the great wall above us in several places. We parked and then climbed down to the valley floor, following a small river over rocks and boulders. It was very beautiful and peaceful except for the numerous other people climbing around. She had invited a
Snooker
A game of snooker with artist friends. One of the few things to do for fun during the evening in Jingdezhen.
friend Zhou Ran, who is a animation artists friend of hers. He was very nice and obsessed with American culture and the NBA. A friend gave him an American one dollar bill that he carries in his billfold. He wants to take that to Las Vegas and win a million dollars! We hiked for a while then settled on a huge bolder to have a picnic lunch consisting of KFC, sandwiches and snack food. After we hiked more until getting close to dusk and drove back to Beijing. There we met another artist friend for a hotpot dinner.
My last day in Beijing and China again began at noon when Wenna and I met Li Xiaowen, a design artists who had visited Sanbao this summer with a friend. They were on a holiday and happened to go through Jingdezhen, heard about Sanbao and stayed for two days. We had a couple nice chats at Sanbao and kept in email contact. Her friend Rachel, Wenna and I had lunch. Then I spent the rest of the day with Xiaowen, first discussing her designing a catalog for my exhibition next summer then Thai food for dinner. We walked around talking and
Snooker
Artist Ding Yi. BFA from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, then went to Korea for her MFA and now will return to Korea for an PHD in ceramics. had something to drink back on Louguxiang until late. It was a very enjoyable way to spend my last day in China. The next morning I left for the airport at 6:30 for my 9:00am flight to Tokyo then Minnesota.
The two months in China was very productive in the studio and I met many new, interesting friends. I now have to drive, cook and clean my studio. My life is really much more exciting while I am in China. I look forward to continuing the new contacts I have made and planning the exhibition next summer. I only have a long Minnesota winter standing between me returning to China next May.
One last entry to come with finished sculpture. Also maybe a couple of interesting videos if I can download them.
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Janeen
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he's BAAAACK!
Welcome home to steamy hot Minnesota... we ordered up some weather that will make your transition smoother ;D I look forward to seeing your new videos and pictures and embellished stories!!!