SERIES 2
Objective:
I will create one of the farm buildings that I remember from my childhood and incorporate multiples(cow tags) into the building itself. The multiple pieces will be added into the roof, walls, etc., where I am hoping to add my love for mixed media into the structure somehow. I am wanting to experiment with print-on-clay and transfer handwriting from my father/uncle/grandpa/brother onto the pieces to showcase more of a deep meaning on the struggles and challenges that the farming industry faces. I plan to experiment with my own glazes and stains to create a distressed and weathered appearance.
Timeline
February 23
February 28
March 2
March 21
March 23
April 4
April 13
Goal and Project Plan due
Share Top Ten Global Artists
Materials and Processes Research
Wet Critique
Bisque Fire
Glaze
Critique
INSPIRATION
My inspiration for these pieces stem from my home. Our farm had/has several grain bins that are essential in a farming industry. Replicating the forms and texture are goals I wanted to strive for while still able to keeping the piece functional. I wanted to experiment with alternative firings along with additional media with clay. My focus is to create a more atmospheric and rusted affect while using an electric kiln and experiment with architectural forms found on family farms in the midwest.
PROCESS
Multiples
This piece is connected to series 1, but with the addition of using "multiples". I really loved how my cow tag vase turned out last semester where I was experimenting with RIO and a peppered wheat claybody out of Kansas. They overlapped and creates some really interesting contrast and negative space that I wanted to incorporate into this project. For the building, I decided to replicate our "hay shed" that I remember from my childhood. My dad and grandpa used this shed to store square, then round bales when we had cattle. Before I was in high school, they made the decision to sell our herd and use the pastures as farm ground and simply farmed soybeans and corn. The hayshed was pretty much useless at that point and we turned it into a storage area for half of it and the other half was used as a swing for us kids. My dad hung a rope from the middle of the roof which attached to a 2x4 plank of wood and we would take turns pushing each other back and forth or around in circles. This shed was pretty tall, so we would end up swinging pretty high. It was a lot of fun and we use to spend hours out there. This building was torn down when dad decided to demolish our bull shed.
I decided to continue my experimentation with underglaze transfers and transfer my grandpa's writing onto this roof as well and add the date 1969, which was the date our initial ground was bought. The cow tags were created using a press mold where I attached them to the roof. I had considered adding parts onto the sides as well, but decided against it and just added texture to replicate wood plank siding.
The plan is to add pillars using welded steel to a flat bottom plate. I considered using wood or creating them in ceramic, but based on the weight and size of the top, it would more than likely collapse.
FINAL PIECE
The top was constructed out of clay, while it was then combined with wood pillars and base. This piece also has a multitude of cow tags arranged on the roof that reveal writing that says, “We are buying the farm to make a home for our family and not to make a profit” and “1969.” The cow tags symbolize all the hay that was stored in the building for the herd of cattle we once had. The saying is taken directly from a letter that my grandpa had written to the original landowner about buying the property and starting his ag career. The hay shed was basically the heart of the farm and located in the middle of the property, and I felt like this deserved to have this saying on it, along with the year that the farm was purchased, 1969.This piece is something I am deeply connected with. I am happy with all parts of this piece and have had the opportunity to build the base with my dad. The top of the piece has parts of my grandpa’s writing, the base was constructed with my father, and I was able to create the top out of my favorite piece of art. The amount of love that went into this piece is something I will cherish forever. I will never sell it and every time I see it, it will bring old memories back to life along with now, new memories.