4/25/16

AtoZ Letter U...Unexpected Realism and Reflection Underglass

The SAMFA's Spring Showcase is featuring a National Ceramic Competition which opened April 15th and will be on exhibit until June 26th.  Yesterday, on my day off, I made time to go.  Before I get into the focus of this post on Letter U, let me share a bit of my background in ceramics.
 
As part of my Masters degree in Art Education, I was required to take graduate level ceramic courses.  Since I had not taken even one undergraduate course in ceramics, I was a complete novice when it came to clay and all it entailed...including the potters wheel and the chemistry of  glazes.  I was a Painter, Graphic and Fiber Artist...not a three dimensionalist. 

I LOVED CLAY!  From the first time I sat at the potters wheel and threw my first pot, I was hooked and successful.  It was like I had been molding clay for years.  I think I was a potter in a previous life...a utilitarian potter.  It seemed every pot I threw had to have a use...be it a cup, plate, bowl or vase.  I was no more an Abstractionist in clay than I was in my two dimensional art forms.

Being a Realist through and through, I had to learn Abstractionism through the rules and skills of abstract thinking and how they applied to Art and specifically to Ceramics.  Which brings me to attending a Ceramics Show whenever the opportunity arises.  I have learned to appreciate, admire, and be in awe of Ceramic Artists Abstractionism. 
Was there Abstract Ceramics at this show? 
Absolutely! 
Was I appreciative and in awe of the Abstractionist? 
Undeniably!
Needless to say, I was blown away by this
Unexpected Realism and Reflection Underglass!
 
Undeniably...Abstraction Underglass!
More Wonderous Realism/Abstractionism in Letter 'W'.

4/23/16

AtoZ Letter T...TEXAS Trivia

Texas is a State of Mind. Texas is an Obsession. Above all Texas is a Nation in every sense of the word. John Steinbeck

Texas IS an Obsession…Just ask any Texan!  Everything IS BiggerNBetter in Texas. Just ask any Texan!

Texas has it’s own language.  Just ask any Texan!  They’ll tell you Texans don’t have accents. You simply gotta understand TexasTalk.

For instance, in Texas all sentences should end in a preposition, and though English is the primary language spoken in Texas, for some reason, you have to learn Spanish in order to understand it.  Comprende!
 
How about some Texas Trivia via my 'Texas My Texas' Quilt.
~The Bluebonnet is the Official State Flower of Texas and the Yellow Rose is the Un-Official State Flower.
~The Mockingbird is the State Bird of Texas. 
~The Texas State Mammal is the Armadillo....Really! 
~Texas is known as the 'Lone Star' State and as the 'Friendship State' as seen in the block of Stars.
And the rest of the State of Texas Trivia
 
*State Capital...Austin
*State Tree...The Pecan
*State Song...Texas My Texas
 *Un-Official State Song~The Yellow Rose of Texas
*State Insect...Monarch Butterfly
*State Gemstone...Blue Topaz

Ya'll Come!