STUDIO | SNEAK PEAK

I am working on my upcoming solo exhibition at Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City, Missouri.

"SCHEMA: A Journey Through Traditional Patterns and Imagery" opens on October 2, 2015.

 

INSPIRATION | Japanese Tattoos

My travels through Asia last year opened another door for me; I have been inspired by different patterns used traditionally throughout ceramics, fabrics, wood, metal, and the arts in general. Japanese tattoos have a rich amount of patterns and imagery as well, using very traditional symbolism and decorations. I've been collecting tattoo designs, pairing them with the patterns I've collected throughout my travels, and am painting them onto my ceramic pieces made during my residency in Jingdezhen, China.

STUDIO | Cleaning the studio

Although I have been working in my home studio since November last year, I haven't had the time yet to get everything out of the boxes and organize the tools and supplies properly. These boxes were packed at the Kansas City Art Institute when I graduated in 2014... 

I am still missing a lot of my throwing tools and that just shows how long I've not been throwing. I have mainly been working with plaster and casting slip, and most of my time right now is filled with china-painting the vases, plates, and tea sets I brought back from my travels to Asia last year.

The wheel area -
I did sit down yesterday to throw some cups on the wheel -
I still got it, no worries, it's like riding a bike!

My shelving -
the family we rent the space from designed everything for
their painting studio.
We just added some shelving to accommodate our needs
to store shorter stuff.

The china-painting area -
I like to stand up when I work.
It is much easier on my back!
This has just the right height to stand all day
and not get a backache!

Oh, all the stuff I have...
Mostly molds I made during my residencies in
Hungary and China, supplies I used during
my Undergrad years at KCAI, and tools...
... loads of tools...

SHOP | New jewelry in the shop!

I've been listing a couple of items each day to my etsy shop [melaniesherman.etsy.com]: Today's add were two elegant and minimalist white pendant necklaces I made during my time in Hungary:

Porcelain necklace, white with silver chain
Hungarian Porcelain
1 1/4" x 1 1/4"
Chain: Silver, 19"
US$ 36.00

Porcelain necklace, white with silver chain Hungarian Porcelain
1 1/4" x 1 1/4"Chain: Silver, 19"
US$ 36.00

I'm also listing these white porcelain necklaces with gold luster and 15" gold snake chain necklace:

 

Porcelain necklace, white with gold
Hungarian Porcelain
1" x 3/4"
Chain: Gold. snake, 15"
US$ 36.00 

Porcelain necklace, white with gold
Hungarian Porcelain
1" x 3/4"
Chain: Gold. snake, 15"
US$ 36.00 

An elegant way to wear porcelain! These porcelain "tokens" were decorated with a gold luster and then designed into rings, pendants, brooches, and earrings. I make these tokens on my travels around the globe, with local materials, and transform them into a wearable piece of art. These jewelry pieces are assembled by me here in the US in my ceramics studio and every piece is unique. This beautiful porcelain comes from Hungary, where I worked for 6 weeks in 2015. It is one of the whitest, most translucent porcelain.

Studio Nong in KCMO

I took the sculpture workshop with artist collective Studio Nong at Belger Crane Yard Studios here in KCMO. This was my first time sculpting and working with a red clay body, and I enjoyed all the pointers Misty Gamble, Jessie Fisher and Bangmin Nong could give me. Although my sculpture looked nothing like our model Tommy Frank, it was super exciting to work so contrarily to how I usually operate. No porcelain and metal nibs for precision, just red iron stained hands, a wooden tool, and an eye for facial planes and contours.

 

Studio Nong is an artists collective and international residency program focused on figurative clay sculpture and the fusion on eastern and western artistic practice. Made up of eight artists and educators from the United States and southern China, the Collective's current residency program takes place at the Memphis College of Art and the Kansas City Art Institut.

 

 

The work they made during this residency will be in a show called "SunSet | SunRise: Work from Studio Nong" and will be up at Belger Crane Yard Studios here in KCMO from August 28th until September 18th, 2015. I toured their studio at the Kansas City Art Institute yesterday and their sculptures look AMAZING!!