Archive for the 'Influences' Category

Home as Sketch & Vase

I first made a small house form (little, 4″h maybe) almost four years ago when we bought our home. It currently sits in a windowsill near our front door, reminding me of its idea. Though this little guy was not a vase, vase forms in general have interested me for years because I like the idea of beauty holding beauty, and there are so many possibilities for shape, form and scale. Our house purchase and accompanying sense of Home, gave me the idea to pair my interest in flower display with the new feeling of place, and that first little house sculpture was the beginning.

House_forms_SketchIIIkristen_kieffer_house_vases

Three years later (!), when I was at Watershed in June of ‘08, I worked out an idea for a slab-built house form as a vase for three flower stems. It was related to both the tile forms I’ve been making, but a free-standing version with openings, and the flower bricks. The drawings, above left, are from Watershed (with the addition of a collaged-on bungalow illustration I found and liked). This last year I made more (above right; a detail of this grouping is also my current website header), and have been drawing new ideas since: salt-box and cottage style vases, different “door” and “window” decoration, various “roof” shapes and size concepts in relation to different flower types.

I’ve written before about how important my sketchbook is to my development of new forms. The sketches are like bookmarks for ideas, like the little house in my windowsill. I have one place where I record my brainstorms (even if I draw on random pieces of paper, they ultimately get taped into my latest sketchbook), and so can easily flip back through a current or older sketchbook to re-work or tackle an idea.

House_Forms_SketchIHouse_Forms_SketchIIHouse_vases_In_Progress

Though not all ideas become pots, my tendency is to draw, then make the form and then draw again to reassess what I learned from the first round. There could be a 24-hour or 4 year gap between those stages, but that’s a typical progression. So the  drawings above are from the last six months after that first round.  I still haven’t made the “compound” house form (above right), but did complete the pictured  grouping of small (7″h) house forms yesterday that incorporate some of the different architectural styles I had been contemplating in the above image, left.

I will post these again after they have been glaze-fired, hopefully outfitted with some approriate posies.  This round of houses were thrown on the potter’s wheel instead of slab-built which gave them a natural fuller form (kind of marshmallowy).  I had to laugh when I finished the second or third.  I scaled these down by a couple of inches and also experimented with squares in addition to the rectangles.  The result was a bit more outhouse than house, especially with the little window slit in the door (no moon shapes though!).  I do laugh a lot in my studio, but this is a good example of my drawings only allowing me to see so much two-dimensionally, how improvisation and scale can impact an idea and that fun is really important to my making.

Ceramics in Design

Vautrin_Delvigne_GauffreJ_Adler_Brasilia_Stripes_ConeDelvigne_Vautrin_Panier_perceJ_Adler_Helix_vaseGiapato_Hula_HoopLucchi_Buranoblooming_over_cup_DroogR_McBride_Anamorphic_cupsM_Wanders_Delft_vase_IIR_McBride_GroovewareEva_Zeisel_gravyandspoonairborne-snotty-vases-mwandersM_Wanders_Delft_vase_IM_Wanders_Delft_vase_IIIBoontje_Table_StoriesBoontje_tileBoontje_Other_SideKleinReidStillLifeBlackBisque

First row, from left: Vase Gauffré by Ionna Vautrin & Guillaume Delvigne for Industreal; Brasilia stripes cone vase by Jonathan Adler; Panier percé by Guillaume Delvigne & Ionna Vautrin for Industreal; Second row: Helix tall vase by Jonathan Adler; Hula Hoop by Cristiana Giopato for Industreal; Burano by Michele de Lucchi for Industreal; Third row: Blooming over cup by Mina Wu & Jan B. for Droog; Anamorphic cups by Ross McBride; Royal Delft vase by Marcel Wanders for Moooi; Fourth row:  Grooveware by Ross McBride; Gravy boat and spoon by Eva Zeisel; Airborne Snotty Vase by Marcel Wanders; Fifth row: two more Royal Delft vases by M. Wanders for Moooi; Table Stories by Tord Boontje; Last row: Primavera tile by Tord Boontje for Bardelli; The Other Side Ceramics by Tord Boontje for Moroso; and Still Lfe: Black Bisque by KleinReid.

I’ve done a couple of past posts with wallpaper, furniture and home furnishings by designers I enjoy, so thought I should point out some ceramics too.  (See past posts under Favorites and Influences.)   I find these objects and the concepts behind them intriguing (most from the last eight years), and this group of designers are some of my favorites: Boontje, KleinReid, McBride, Vautrin & Delvigne, Wanders and Zeisel.  There is a strong and curious connection between studio artists/potters and industrial designers: kind of a chicken-and-the-egg history with overlap and sharing (or co-opting).   (Objects that weren’t simply white and black (and royal blue apparently) were scarce.  There must be practical as well as design reasons for the lack of color.)   I feel it’s important to be aware of what other artists in my field are up to, and awareness of form and concept for mass and high-end design markets feels equally important, especially as the lines between art and design have blurred.  Ultimately though I agree with a friend and find these objects smart, appealing and inspiring.

Perennial Influence

I couldn’t think of a subject for a new post, so posed the question (to myself), “What have you been thinking about?” I’m in a making cycle, bisqued last weekend, glazed all week for upcoming deadlines and commissions leading up to another firing, and have some new, big ideas, but what I’m really thinking about is my garden.
AgastacheAlliumAllium_bulgaricumAstilbeBaptisiaCrimson_BarberryBugbaneDianthus
First Row: Agastache, Allium bulgaricum, Allium and Astilbe
Second: Baptisia, Barberry, Bugbane and Dianthus

I love flowers and trees, learning new things and being outside, but when we bought our home almost four years ago, my thumbs all but turned green. My Great Grandma, Grandpa and Dad were each avid gardeners (veggies and flowers), and I enjoy the feeling that I am continuing a family tradition in some small way. Other than the gorgeous results and insects and birds the perennials attract, my favorite part is the escapism. All I think about when I garden is the activity itself and “Ooooo, pretty, pretty.”
Dogwood_Red_twigEchinaceaBlue_fescueFox_gloveGeraniumHelleboreHeucheraHeuchera_Red
Third: Red-twig Dogwood, Echinacea, Blue Fescue and Fox glove
Fourth: Geranium, Hellebore, Heuchera bloom and Red-leaf Heuchera

I have discovered that I garden the same way I make pots: research and preparation balanced with a healthy dose of impatience and stubbornness. I wound up having little interest in planning, mostly choosing and placing plants together based on color, contrast and shape. As an artist, I seem to be drawn to unusual colors (loving deep purple and bronzed–leaf plants, for example, next to the chartreuse and limes), odd shapes (alliums and lupines) and rich textures. Gardening is the quintessential 3D design experience for me.
HostasHydrangea_Pee_GeeLupine_flowersLupine_leavesJapanese_MaplePenstemonSedumSwitchgrass
Fifth: Hostas, Pee-gee Hydrangea, Lupine flowers and Lupine leaves
Sixth: Japanese maple, Pentsemon, Sedum and Switchgrass

One of my goals with the garden—other than mental relaxation—was to attract butterflies and birds.  I become giddy (yes, giddy) as new blooms bring big, clumsy bumblebees, darting ruby-throated hummingbirds, waves of monarchs, lazy tiger swallowtails and lone hummingbird moths (the insect I had never seen before having this garden).  Because the garden is so close to the house, lining the entire front porch, I can stand at the door in the morning when I brush my teeth, or sit out there in the evening with a glass of wine in hand, surveying the scene.

our-garden-808All this happiness certainly feeds my studio time, and I’m definitely aware of wanting my slip-trailed shapes to be outlined like an astilbe leaf, a glaze the color of a penstemon leaf, a stamp the radiating shape of a lupine leaf with droplets of water, a vase shaped like the waterfalling grass…
All images courtesy of my garden.

Artist Favorites

Shepard_Fairey_Mujer_Fatal_muralMartin_Puryear_Bower_80
Alphonse_Mucha_Summer_1896Wayne_Thiebaud_Boston_Cremes_69Claes_Oldenburg_Dropped_Cone_2001

Charley_Harper_Shadow_Dancers_1969Chuck_Close_Lorna_Simpson_2006Shepard_Fairey_flowervine_red_2009Martin_Johnson_Heade_Brazilian_Orchid_1875Charley_Harper_upside_downy_1988Kehinde_Wiley_Encourage_2007Anish_Kapoor_sky_mirror_2006Piet_Mondrian_Composition_1936

From top left: Shepard Fairey, Mujer Fatal mural; Martin Puryear, Bower, 1980; Second row: Alphonse Mucha, Summer, 1896;  Wayne Thiebaud, Boston Cremes, 1969; Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen, Dropped Cone, 2001; Third row: Charley Harper, Shadow Dancers, 1969;  Chuck Close, Lorna Simpson, 2006;  Shepard Fairey, Flowervine Red, 2009; Fourth row: Martin Johnson Heade, Brazilian Orchid, 1875;  Charley Harper, Upside Downy, 1988;  Kehinde Wiley, Encourage good manners and politeness; brighten up your surroundings with plants, 2007; Last row: Anish Kapoor, Sky Mirror, 2006; and Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1936.

These are some of my favorite artists: disparate and similar, spanning over 100 years.  The culminating traits I see here are: formal investigations of line, space and contrast; decoration; beauty; minimalism; poignancy; humor; attention to detail; and a desire for viewer attention and/or participation.  There is overlap of two or more of these elements I enjoy, and hope to have in my own work, in the work by each of these artists.  Good stuff.

Designer Wallpaper Influence

Hoodless_BlossomC&S_SelsbyC&S_DorsetC&S_OperaC&S_Selsby_Flock_on_FoilC&S_Woodstock_FlockC&S_Willow_GardenRetro_Op-Art_Green_&_White_FloralRosies_Pretty_Flower_PotsRosies_Dark_RedRosies_OrientalRosies_Black_FloralRosies_Mod_Circles

Not a big fan of wallpaper for the walls, I prefer looking to it for ideas of pattern and color meshings on clay. The textures and designs on these hand-pulled and vintage papers sure spark some ideas.

First paper: “Blosson in Moss Green & Fuschia Pink” by Suzy Hoodless.  Next six: “Selsby,” “Dorset,” “Opera,” “Selsby Flock on Foil,” “Woodstock Flock” and “Willow Garden” by Cole & Son.  Last six: “Retro Op-Art Floral,” “Pretty Flower Pots,” “Dark Red,” “Oriental,” “Black Floral,” and “Mod Circles” at Rosie’s Vintage Wallpaper.

Favorites & Influences from the PMA

After teaching my workshop last Thursday at a community college outside of Philadelphia, I spent a leisurely afternoon at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday. It was my second visit, and I highly recommend it.  Larger images of the entire collection are posted at the PMA website (I could only snag the smaller to post here).  These are some of my favorite objects, many of which I sketched and noted in my little sketchbook for future reference and influence.
animals_in_diamond_delftchest_over_drawerscompotegreen_vasebird_on_a_troughcandlestick_sevrescoffeepotcoffeepot_ricylinder_desk_and_bookcasedocument_boxdressing_table_pafootstool_americanbird_treegiorgio_morandi_still_life_1946interior_of_a_cafejug_izniklilac_blossomsmj_headepair_of_candelabrapersian_tabouretpillow_songside_chair_paspice_boxtwo_haresvase_on_brass_mountvase_with_lidwardrobesurtout_centerpiecesofayuan_pillow
From top left, first row: Animals in Diamonds (Dutch/Delft tiles) c.1585 Netherlands; Chest over Drawers, Pennsylvania c.1792; Compote, c.1846 France for President Polk; Second row: Vase, Chicago Terra Cotta Works 19thc. Illinois; Bird at Trough, c.1850 Pennsylvania German; Candlestick, c.1761 Sèvres, France; Coffeepot, c. 1800 Pennsylvania German; Coffeepot, c.1899 Rhode Island; Third row: Cylinder Desk and Bookcase, c.1800 PA; Document Box (painted tin), c.1830 PA; Dressing Table, c.1715 PA;  Footstool, c. 1730 PA; Fourth row: Bird Tree, c.1810 Pennsylvania German; Still Life by Giorgio Morandi, 1946; Interior of a Café by Santiago Rusiñol, 1892; Jug, 17th c. Iznik, Turkey; Lilac Blossoms by Christiaen van Pol, c.1800; Fifth row: Orchids in a Jungle by Martin Johnson Heade, c.1870s; Pair of Candelabra designed by Louis-Constant Sévin, c.1862 France; Tabouret (Persian), early 13th c. Iran; Pillow, Song Dynasty (960-1127) China; Sixth row: Side Chair, c.1870 PA; Spice Box (Painted maple), c. 1870 PA; Two Hares in Moonlight by Cho Tai Eok, Chosòn Dynasty 18th c. Korea; Vase on Brass Mount (glass), c. 1910 U.S.; Vase with Lid, c. 1768 Sèvres, France; Wardrobe designed by Sir Ambrose Heal, c. 1910 England; Seventh row: Centerpiece (Surtout), Strasbourg faience factory, c.1729 France; Sofa (one of a pair) c.1725 England; Pillow, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) China.

Household Influences, Part I

Some of the household details I see everyday in our home, which must seep into my subconscious and penetrate my ideas:
kk_tt_tansukk_antique_mirrorkk_blueandwhitekk_asian_plantstand1kk_chair_upholstrykk_dish_from_gmakk_dutchtile_and_soapkk_french_tablekk_gmas_bellskk_haeger_and_jgreentilekk_jewelrybox_collectionkk_kilimkk_nouveau_posterkk_kitchen_blacksplashkk_leaded_glasskk_roadside_lampkk_samuraikk_shamrockskk_sidebyside1kk_us_map1kk_wool_rug
From top left: “Tabletop Tanzu” detail, walnut and butternut, by Trevor Toney (my husband); Antique mirror, beveled and etched, gift from friends; Blue and white plate (New Wharff Pottery, England) from my Grandma Idene; Second row: Asian plant stand, Brimfield flea market, MA; Upholstery from old armchair, Tiffin, OH antique store; Translucent china-painted dish given to my Grandma by her “8th grade teacher and basketball coach for graduation, 1939″; Third row: Dutch tile (antique store in Nelsonville, OH) and soap boxes; 19th c. French country walnut table, salvaged; Christmas bells from my Grandparents house; Fourth row: Haeger planters and Jason Green tile; Various jewelry boxes including antique black and white ovals (Findley, OH), a Shaker oval (Royal Oak, MI), pyrography box by a Great uncle and a Matt Metz; Kilim rug;  Fifth row: Art Nouveau poster (Tiffin, OH); Our presumably 50’s era kitchen backsplash; Leaded glass window from Detroit flea market;  Sixth row: Working lamp from Ann Arbor, MI electrican’s dumpster; Poster from the Worcester Art Museum’s “Art of the Samurai” exhibition, 2003; Shamrock plant bought in Ann Arbor; Seventh row: 1920s oak side-by-side detail from New Hampshire; United States map detail in my studio; and wool rug from MA antique shop.

“Inspired to Make Beautiful Objects”

Kristen_Kieffer_TeasetChris McCormick of the So Cal Potters: Bringing Potters Together from Every Corner of the Planet blog kindly requested an interview with me. Read the interview, Inspired to Make Beautiful Objects—Kristen Kieffer, here. Thank you, Chris!

In Progress—’Script’ Pear Jar

kk_ljarkk_ljarii

This is a large pear jar I finished last week that features some script letters as decoration ((two views, unfired). The letters are primarily flipped and reversed to fit and compliment the shape of the jar.  This is a new take on my interest in incorporating text/lettering into the surfaces: probably an appreciation of Islamic calligraphy too.

Jewelry Influence & Favorites

filigree_gau_box_pendant_nepalesecountess_lettice_knollyskenyan_glass_bead_necklacesingapore_girl_w_jewelry_c1910afghani_hollow_pendant.jpginlaid_buttonMN003200omamorikundan_jewellry_indiatibetan_mans_hair_ornament_c1930tekke_turkoman_amuletfboucher_madame_bergeretjoeseph_descomps_necklacemingei_museum_collectionhaircomb_19thc_indonesiachinese_torque

From top left, first row: Filigree Ga’u box pendant from Nepal; portrait of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester during Elizabethan England; glass bead necklaces from Kenya; photograph of young girl from Singapore with jewelry, c.1910; Afghani hollow pendant necklace; Second row: inlaid filigree silver and brass button; print depicting Fath Ail Shah, the Shah of Persia, 19th c. (photograph by Michael Nicholson); Omamori, a Japanese amulet; woman wearing Kundan jewellry from India; Third row: Tibetan man’s hair ornament, c. 1930; Tekke Turkoman amulet; painting “Madame Bergeret” by Francois Boucher, 1746; Fourth row: Art Nouveau necklace by Emmanuel-Jules-Joseph [Joë] Descomps, c. 1900; necklace from the Mingei Museum collection; haircomb from Indonesia, 19th c.; and a torque necklace from China.

The wearable objects above and the portraits of their wearers are beautiful to me. kk_teapots_pair_ivSeveral of my past sketch/idea books have pictures and xeroxes from museum exhibitions and books about traditional jewelry, beads and adornment.  I enjoy the patterns, shapes, forms, ornamentation, colors, intricacy, layering and elegance, as well as the symbolism and meaning of jewelry from different time periods and cultures.  Elements of adornment have influenced my work in various ways over the years.  My pots can look “jeweled” or like over-sized jewelry components I think.  The shape of a traditional Ga’u amulet lends itself to the idea and drawing of a large covered jar, or the negative shape created by a Victorian necklace becomes the lip of a pot.

rosetutu_feltnecklacetextil_art_necklaceprecious_zipit_necklace

wood_resin_cluster_necklaceI thought I would include some of my favorite contemporary, handmade necklaces too. From left to right: Funky Felt Necklace by Rose Tutu in Montreal; Textil Art Necklace by Maria Cavallero in Argentina; Precious Zip It Necklace by Londi Creations in France; and Wood Resin Cluster Necklace* by Modica Design in Oregon. (*Happily, I received this necklace as a gift from my husband.)

You can click here, Influences or Favorites, to scroll through more of my posts like this, or visit the section at right near the top “Search My Past Posts By Category” to see all posts from these series. “Influences” are objects and ideas that directly influence my work or thinking in some way. “Favorites” are things I just really like a lot.

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