Have I finally found the one?

I am (or maybe was) constantly struggling to find what MY art is going to look like/be. I know what I like, and I know my interests but there are so many options out there that how can you possible pick one way to work. Establishing your own look and feel to an object or work of art is hard. I want to make things that I actually enjoy making. That suit me and my styles and that I could leave somewhere out of context and have someone walk by and say "Hey! Mackenzie made that!!" This is my ultimate goal.

This recognition and familiarity or work is difficult to establish. But I think I might finally have a start.
I have started working with sgraffito (as an earlier post foreshadows) and.... I LOVE IT. It gives me a chance to be creative with my own designs, to be primitive, childish and fun with my drawings and it takes away from my previous disease of blank pot syndrome. Its hard when you have a blank pot and all of a sudden have to give it an identity with glazes. Slip is beautiful because you do it first. Then all you need to do is embellish. Working this way (so far) is working for me. So here is a quick snap shop of some of my in progress, upside down bowls.

yes yes yes

this is me.

AHHH SEAMONSTERS

So in case you didn't know, I am terrified of sea creature. Mostly the ancient marine reptile kind (like water dinos) but, whales and giant squids are scary too. So here is a post dedicated to the most beautiful (and scariest) art i can find.

Whale Pod Archival Print by etsy seller untiedthread

Wow. Now that is a handle! Although I'm not sure if I would like to touch it. 

By Etsy Seller Skybirdarts

Entitled "Sea Monster" but Etsy Seller theinkling

And the cutest of the scariest. A plesiosaur monster. By Etsy Seller CappySueSpice. 

Sgraffito YO

I just finished writting my proposal for this semester. Going back to the black and white things I was interested in working, I think that a really interesting way to do this will be working in sgraffito; black slip on my white m-370 clay body. To get my inspirational juices pumping so I can start planning my images I thought I would share a few pieces from some talented artists. 

This is Jeff Martin. I think he is brilliant. His black/white ratio is great and the imagery and line quality in general in inspirational. Playful, fun, and also meaningful. This is a great artist to follow. 

And then of course there it Matthew Metz. He works with a lot of images from nature. His work seems very innocent and tribal to me in most cases. Although the imagery can sometimes be indigenous, the quality of his work and perfection of his lines is stunning.  

This is a piece by Chris Theiss, it was made in 1989. Although it is not a thrown or functional piece, it is a great example of how sgraffito can be used to create and show off texture in clay. 

And the hanging wall tiles of Natalie Blake found on the unalun tile website. Another great piece or work that shows texture and dimension through slip and the carving of clay. 

Best Christmas Gifts Ever!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Its been a bit busy around here lately with my family being home and the mountains being full of snow so I haven't had too much spare time to update BUT here I am. I would like to share some of my favorite Christmas gifts I got this year. 

This book is awesome. Its perfect for all the crafters out there. The projects are divided by room, and they all teach you step-by-step how to make customized accents for your home. Pillows, bed sheets, art.. its all in this little book. 

I also got a set of 60 china paints! I have never used these before and am eager to try them out. Luckily I am also taking an experimental ceramics class at school this semester so I should get a chance to do lots of tests. Ill make sure I put up pictures of the progress. 

I also received this beautiful knitting basket. Just enough room to hold all my knitting junk, or maybe treasures... It is a handmade basket that all the girl cousins in my family got from our grandmother. Now all the members of the Girl Cousin Knitting Club (GCKC) have baskets to store all our projects. It also makes sure we don't forget to bring anything to our meetings and that we have enough room to carry lots of cookies with us :)

Lots of lovely surprises this year. What were some of your favorite gifts/what was on your wish list? I would love to hear.