I’ve been lucky to get feedback from some of my professors at A&M Commerce to critique my work and challenge me to do more things.
My first visit was with Marilyn Thompson. It was very early in the semester so she was able to see some of my work and showed her the first stages of my arm. She encouraged me to keep at it and said that I would be pleased with all the dynamic properties of clay. I’ve certainly been working towards flexing clay in unique textural ways and hope that it will show through this semester in my work.
I later met with Vaughn Wascovich and he challenged me to consider the materials and size - Why is something normal sized versus super sized - why does it have to be made out clay? Why isn’t it 10 feet tall? We considered covid art and it’s relevance 10 years from now. My hand is still on the back burner but I will revisit it.
I met with Joe Daun and we discussed my love of texture and tension with glass and ceramics. He challenged me to make a body of work before the semester is through that is more sculptural. We talked about using “tests” that were more artistic and less sterile in a sense. He talked about how work can be about form and technique and pushing those forms. Joe encouraged me to be more organized with my time each time I’m in the studio and to not let class/students distract me when I’m in the studio.
Finally, I met with Chad Smith who told me to consider using my traditional forms and adding appendages in a sense and still working with that texture. He encouraged me to focus my work but was helpful in making me think about the best next steps and trying to find ways to evoke emotions with abstract forms.