preview

some of the small boxes for the 4x4.

slab construction

So, after finishing slab construction, I am pretty sure that I will not return to it for the following:

a. because it is so frustrating

b. I'm not good with scissors and this needs precision, people

c. because my vessel that was going to be a clock became in epic fail

d. I feel restricted by a necessity for perfection

four by four design

The Start to a Statement

I interviewed a classmate in order to practice writing an artist statement...this is written from the perspective of Dixon about his work.

Structure is my inspiration. I create focused on functionality. If a piece of work exists simply for staring pleasure and contemplation, then it is nothing more than a pile of clay.

Structure is essential. I spent much of my time during high school in the studio. Second to ceramics, I focused on black and white photography, inspired by the structure in nature. I avoided people at all costs—too much emotion and inconsistency. My muse was outside, functional structure and existence for survival. Soon this mindset permeated all aspects of my art, and especially ceramics.

As I entered college, my schedule was functional. I decided to study economics and structured my classes as a means to an end. EARN A DEGREE. Realizing now that the end is imminent, I find myself back in the studio, slab in hand, searching for structure. Processing each method, slabs are the key to construction. Plan. Template. Cut. Slab. Assemble. Smooth. Dry. Fire. Glaze. Fire. Use. If the planned functionality fails, redo.

Aesthetic design evades my concern. I am a minimalist. Clean lines and smooth surfaces—every detail contributing to functionality. 

"Fire! Colorado Under Siege" Denver Photo Art Gallery

            At the Denver Photo Art Gallery, the current exhibit, entitled “Fire! Colorado Under Siege,” depicts photographs from several artists as a benefit for the Colorado Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Photographers Aaron Ontiveroz, Richard Saxon, Steve Smith and John Wark successfully capture the emotional devastation resulting from the fires that swept Colorado. The collection of photographs details the sheer magnitude of force to the cultural impact to the heroic actions involved in combating the Colorado inferno.

            Three photos in particular create stark juxtaposition between the enormity of nature and the frailty of the human condition. Some people experience this realization in the mountains, sleeping outside, seeing the innumerable stars for the first time outside of a city and realizing just how little space the individual occupies. I experience the humbling reality at the top of a fourteener, looking across the Colorado landscape and acknowledging just how small I am. Others may find the notion at the bottom of a redwood tree or at the edge of the ocean. Regardless of the details, the contrast between one small individual and the whole of creation is a sobering and grounding reminder. In moments of solace and serenity, the notion fails to evoke the same sense of gratitude as in moments of catastrophe. When vast forces confront the existence of life, I realize I am ephemeral. I say this not to brew anxiety or create a morbid tone, but to depict how this truth evokes a deep, inexplicable gratefulness for life. Ultimately, nothing fully evokes this emotion except for the actual experience; however, Aaron Ontiveroz, Steve Smith and John Wark capture this moment of insight to the greatest capability of a lens.

             Ontiveroz captures an anonymous boy staring up as the smoke envelopes the Poudre Canyon outside of Fort Collins this past June. Smith depicts a frame of smoke, billowing into the sky, interjected at the bottom of the image with two small firefighters lingering on a ledge. Wark, looking down on a forest of evergreens, finds a helicopter spiraling through endless acres of smoke, attempting to restrain the uncontrollable force. The child, the firefighters and the helicopter pilots remain intentionally anonymous so that the audience is present; I’m his babysitter; I’m their coworker; I’m his copilot. The flames are incinerating my neighborhood, the ash is suffocating my lungs, the smoke is blinding my view. Capturing the natural calamity, each artist conveys a sobering reminder of this transitory life.

            Although the body of work centers on images of smoke, the remainder of the photographs augment the three pieces previously addressed by illuminating various impacts of the fire. Yes, the subject material is consistent and at times repetitive, but the emotional kindling evoked throughout the exhibit results in a posture of cathartic reflection on exiting the gallery. 

Mezclada (artist/designer)

The more I reflect on my intentions and purposes, the more I realize that I am a creation of multiple dimensions. Not in a schizophrenic, multiple personality sort of way, but rather I crave different avenues of expression.

Until recently, I confined myself into the Design Side. My type-A personality squeezed my free spirit into a pigeonhole of right angles and typewriter handwriting.

Disclaimer: I blame my Design Side for a lot—like spending several hours folding laundry because the toe side of the sock must be concave and the heel side of the sock must be convex so all the socks together form a unit. Scary, I know. And that was just the sock pile. Any sarcasm directed toward the “designer” is simply a reflection of my terribly boring and psychotic past—not because designers are all boring and/or psychotic…not saying you’re not, though.

Continuing on, I innately possess an eye for design. Some consider it a gift; I consider it the ability to produce by hand something my Mac could replicate ten times faster. I utilize my design side. And by utilize I mean my family and friends really enjoy the gifts that come their way because of the exploitation of DESIGNS BY LU. Stationary, house warming presents, bedroom décor, you name it…it’ll be wrapped with a bow for your birthday, the next holiday or some random time that I feel especially love-y. My designs are clean cut, minimalist, systematic. Classroom doodles turned brilliant—or crumpled up paper in the trash. The Design Side frequently annoys me because it is a reminder of the days when Perfectionism harassed my every waking second. The tedious replication that often pervades my projects causes waves of irritability that only subside upon completion, replaced with an overwhelming satisfaction—because of course, the end result MUST BE PERFECT.  Sarcasm aside, I truly am thankful for Design…mostly because the decorations that cost $176 at Cost Plus World Market hang on my wall, personalized, and the $176 is still in my bank account (or would be if I had that much to drop on décor).

Side note: I really do make gifts for people. If you need something made, talk to me.

Thankfully, my life changed. I mean big time turn of events, of which this is not the time or the place to share. If you’re actually interested, come say to me, “So Laura, I hear you’re an artist now,” and I’ll probably be really confused, then understand what you’re asking and finally proceed to be an emotional peanut allergy providing way too much detail about the transformation. CAUTION: this is an emotionally charged lady. But from a year ago when my friends continually counseled me to “feel my feelings” because I was a numb psycho confined in DESIGN SIDE, we have made significant progress, people!

I digress.

Raw. Shocking. Layers. Beliefs. Thoughts. Change. Time. Soul. Freedom: ART SIDE commence. Words fail to fully embody the magnitude of catharsis I experienced when I finally discovered the freedom of expression that evaded me for years. I craved to reveal the reality inside my mind, but feared it. Everything about it. Through the life change, Art became a safe haven. I didn’t have to edit or erase, simply express. I love mediums that change; that I can readdress; that are experimental; that depict my flow of consciousness. A canvas is my mute counselor and the residence of my free spirit.

I have recently dreamed of living in a studio, similar to the lair in Phantom of the Opera—the Hollywood version with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson. (If you haven’t seen it, let’s have a movie night because it is simply pure genius). I love that the Phantom’s “studio” holds nothing back. He creates and destroys and restructures and develops all thoughts and emotions into art. There is nothing clean-cut and minimalist about it. It is raw, and it is true.

I pursue truth on the ART SIDE. Not that DESIGN SIDE is a lie, but truth, even when ugly and painful, is imperative to my freedom in ART.