Evolutionary intuition

This body of work is the result of exploring new directions. The desire to push and to open myself to new information has always been my driving force. Making these forms required me to work and think about clay in a different way, building on my vocabulary with the material. Producing this series made me stretch and exercise the creative process of coming up with and executing new ideas. There were many starts and stops solving the technical problems that arose. Rather than looking at these issues as stumbling blocks, I chose to look at them as stepping stones that could help lift me and my work to a higher plateau. By combining tools and techniques that I have accumulated with experimentation and intuition, I was able to produce a body of work showing an evolution of my ideas.

EVOLUTIONARY INTUITION by Kent J. Barton A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Art Department of Art and Art History The University of Utah . May 2002 Copyright © Kent J. Barton 2002 All Rights Reserved TH E UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF FIXE ARTS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted bv K e n t Bartoi J _ - A 2 - g 2 - ' PjfadelT' ' llzz ^ s " " i N \ \ I I /• % 1 * 0 2_ 1/ J ( TH E UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLUEGE OF FINE ARTS FINAL READING APPROVAL To the Graduate Council of -The Universitv of Utah: I nave read the thesis o f ___________________K e n t B a r t o n __________________ in its final'form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographic style are consistent and acceptable: (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place: and i3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the Supervisorv Committee and is readv for submission to the Graduate School. C hairperson. Supervisorv Committee Date David P end ell Approved for the Major Department C ^ Kait1 Slater Chairuerson Approved for the Graduate Council I Phyllis Haskell Dean, College of Fine Arts ABSTRACT This body of work is the result of exploring new directions. The desire to push and to open myself to new information has always been my driving force. Making these forms required me to work and think about clay in a different way, building on my vocabulary with the material. Producing this series made me stretch and exercise the creative process of coming up with and executing new ideas. There were many starts and stops solving the technical problems that arose. Rather than looking at these issues as stumbling blocks, I chose to look at them as stepping stones that could help lift me and my work to a higher plateau. By combining tools and techniques that I have accumulated with experimentation and intuition, I was able to produce a body of work showing an evolution of my ideas. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.....................................................................................vi EVOLUTIONARY INTUITION.......................................................................... 1 TECHNICAL INFORMATION........................................................................... 5 PHOTO DOCUMENTATION.......................................................................... 10 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee David, Brian and Sam, for the patient persistence in supporting and assisting me through my development as an artist; their insight and humor encouraged and lightened my spirit. I thank John and Diane who have been my strongest supporters and have accommodated me in every way possible. Many thanks to my patient wife, Charlene, who has sacrificed so much to allow me the opportunity to achieve this goal, and to whom I will be eternally in debt. Thanks. EVOLUTIONARY INTUITION What draws me to clay I may never fully comprehend. However, I do know that the whole process fascinates me. I experience a great deal of satisfaction when working with clay and solving the inevitable technical problems that arise. The occasional unexpected gift that is revealed when the kiln door opens is one of the driving forces that cannot be explained, but must be experienced to understand. When I applied for graduate school I knew I wanted to investigate avenues that I had not yet explored. This body of work came from a desire to push myself even further into the world of clay. It is an evolution of thoughts and ideas that led to intuitive decisions. I draw from a bank of knowledge accumulated from previous experiences, not only from the clay that has become my medium for expression, but also from other lessons of life that have been packed away for future use. The images that make up this body of work are an evolution of thoughts and ideas that come from my desire to create. This experience gave me an opportunity to immerse myself in the creative process, to explore ideas and gain greater insight into the clay, and to come away with a better understanding of my own creative process. When I started this body of work I knew that I wanted to end up with a series that would make the viewers wonder where the inspiration came from. I also wanted them to make a connection to something they had previously seen. I found myself striving to create something that might resemble objects found in nature, yet not emulate any one specific thing. I hoped the object would appear familiar, yet unique. Development and change have always played an important role in my work. As I consider a new project, I know that the first series of forms is only a starting point. The initial forms become the springboard from which an evolution begins. As I work, I observe details that can be built into the next form, expanding the vocabulary and dialogue of the series. During the rhythmic process of throwing and altering the clay, I took advantage of its plastic nature by manipulating the forms, while at the same time, allowing the clay to succumb to its natural tendencies. Working with the clay I tried to take advantage of the natural characteristics, by cutting, tearing and stretching the clay, to provide details that could not be achieved in any other way. I chose to increase the scale of my work, making the forms thicker and coarser. I built movement into the work, allowing the nature of clay to have some say in the final outcome. The clay responded to my coaxing and the forms became more animated. For me, this was a relatively new approach toward working with clay. Previously I would dominate the clay, forcing it into submission, controlling every aspect of the shape and texture. By giving up some of this control, new possibilities emerged. With each step in the process the forms began to take on their own characteristics and really became individuals with their own identity within the body of work. The forms really need to be seen first as a group, an assembly of individuals with their own characteristics that create distinctiveness within the body. It was important to me that in the end, one individual piece did not take the spotlight away from the others, so I knew my presentation of the work would be critical. To provide intrigue, I lit the gallery with dim light, creating a serene atmosphere. I positioned the lights so that the pieces would cast shadows on the wall behind them, adding to the mystery, as the shadows mimicked the forms in front of them. I chose to display the work in a very formal way, almost clinical, lined up along the walls with no one piece in a prominent position. I designed and built pedestals that tapered as they rose to hold the form. This provided a visual lift for the presentation of pieces. The pedestals held each piece close to eye level, allowing the viewers to closely examine each one, forcing them to get within inches in order to peer inside. This was intentionally done so that the viewers would not stand back and gaze; rather they had to inspect the pieces, in order to see the intricate details that would be missed with a quick scan. I also built a table and placed it in the center of the room for some of the pieces to sit on. After seeing my work for a year on my worktable it just felt comfortable to have some of the forms nonchalantly placed, as if they were still at their home in the studio. The table served as a centerpiece to the gallery, and was the first thing viewers saw from the entrance. I wanted the table to draw people right to the center of the room. From this point the viewer would be in position to see the others pieces lined up along the walls, ready for exploration. As I come away from this experience, I look back and see growth. With the ability to focus my time and energy towards one goal, I was able to submerse myself into the work. Never before have I been so consumed by one activity that it literally never left my mind. From this level of involvement I learned that I must work with the clay as a partner rather than as a dominant force. In so doing, the clay responds. As I started pushing the clay, taking advantage of its plasticity, and giving up part of my control to the natural tendencies that clay has, I gave myself the freedom to explore new directions using the tools I have acquired over the years working with clay as my partner in creative pursuits. I found I gained more insight into this material, and in the end, I discovered an evolution through my work. TECHNICAL INFORMATION After trying a couple of stoneware bodies for the forms, I chose to use Big White. This clay body has quite a bit of grog added to the blend, which helps to reduce shrinkage and adds strength to the large thick forms. After some test runs with the clay I elected to add nylon fibers to further strengthen the pieces before firing. This eliminated almost all of the cracking problems I had with the earliest forms. To make the pieces, I would throw a twenty-five pound ball of clay into an eighteen" to twenty" inch cone shape. To help create an organic feeling, I threw aggressive spirals, which provided movement for the form. Then I cut the cone in half from top to bottom. While the pieces were still quite soft, I rejoined the halves by putting the bottom of each half together, creating a boat or shell-like form. The finished edge was created by slicing into it, splaying it open, and then gently pulling the edges apart. This visual element gave mass and a sense of undulating complexity. The pieces were supported with foam blocks while drying to help maintain control and support for the end of the forms, but at the same time I tried to let the clay relax into its final position. Working with thicker clay, I needed to provide longer drying and firing times. The extra time allowed me to live with, and get to know, the individual pieces in the studio. This extra time also provided me an opportunity to visualize different surfaces. I chose to give the forms a sense of history by using glazes that when layered gave a dry crusty countenance. These surfaces expressed a richness of time and provided greater visual intrigue. I wanted the viewers to wonder about the implied history and participate by searching through their own experiences, letting their imagination supply any missing links of information. The following recipes were used as a starting point to achieve a strong rich surface in order to bring the body of work to life. I ran many tests using these glazes, using different colorants, varying the thickness, and testing different ways to apply the glaze, brushed, dipped and sprayed. Each technique provided a different look. I took advantage of this, providing texture and visual interest with the glazes. I also blended and layered the glazes to produce a result that would set my work apart and make it my own. After the forms had completely dried and were ready for firing I sprayed them with blue, black or green engobe, providing a background color for the textural glaze that would be applied in a later step. It was important to have the color on the form since the next glaze applied would crack and crawl revealing the clay body. The forms were bisque fired to cone 06. 7 Engobe Cone 2- 12 Ball Clay 75% E.P.K. 10 Flint 10 Custer Feldspar_____5 Total 100% Add: Mason stain 6 -1 2 % 1 Next, I used two different Lichen glazes with different characteristics to give the form texture and an organic feel. These glazes could be colored with Mason stains and used as the final glaze. However, I chose to leave out the Mason stains. Ball Crawl is a lichen glaze that will crack, with the edges lifting up, and has a very dry surface after firing. Lana's Lichen Glaze will bead up and form a glossy white glaze that gives a smoother texture. I used them together and separately. Both need to be applied generously, 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick, and fired to cone 6. Ball Crawl Glaze Cone 6 Magnesium Carbonate 50% Nepheline Syenite_______ 50 Total 100% 2 Lana's Lichen Glaze Cone 6 Magnesium Carbonate 22% Nepheline Syenite 60 Ball Clay________________ IS Total 100% 2 For the final glaze I used several versions of Lana's Moss Glaze. It is better to spray these glazes on lightly and gradually build up a thick coating 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The application is crucial; too thin and it will not give the desired results. These glazes can be brushed on but will not give the mossy look that I was after; rather it will be a dry surface. To achieve variation in the surface color, I applied these glazes with varying thickness to attain a greater richness to the final surface. I layered them one with another. The moss glazes are sprayed on top of the Lichen glazes after they have been fired to cone 6. The pieces are then fired lower to cone 06. If I was not pleased with the results after firing, I could re-glaze and re-fire them until the desired results were achieved. Most of the pieces were fired a minimum of three firings but some of them were fired up to five times. Each firing stresses the clay, which expands and contracts in the firing process. The risk of cracking goes up with each firing. In order to minimize the risk, I took each firing slow and allowed the kiln to cool completely before opening to help reduce thermal shock. Lana's Red Moss Cone 06 Lithium Carbonate 60% Talc____________________ 40 Total 100% Add: Bentonite 2% Frit 25 (Pemco) 2% Manganese Dioxide . 6-10% 2 _ I mixed twenty variations of Lana's Red Moss, experimenting with several different oxides, and mason stains. I achieved favorable results with 1 Hopper, Robin (1984) The Ceramic Spectrum Chilton Book Company 9 most of the formulas I tried. On my final pieces I used 6% and 10% Manganese Dioxide in the Lana's Red Moss to give variation in color. Two other variations I utilized also came out of the Red Moss tests. They are a similar blue-green, but provide enough difference that when they are layered on one another they produce different fhades, creating a rich earthy look. ' Variation 1 Remove Manganese Dioxide and Add: Copper Carbonate 6% Rutile 5% Variation 2 Remove Manganese Dioxide and Add: Potassium 2% Nickel Oxide 4% Another variation is Lana's Chartreuse Moss. It gives a bright yellow-green color that I used in varying thickness to give a deep variegated surface. I sprayed it over the other glazes in areas that I wanted to highlight. Lana's Chartreuse Moss Cone 06 Gerstley Borate 5% Lithium Carbonate 80 Flint ...................................15 100% Add: Bentonite 2% Chrome Oxide 3% Tin Oxide 7% 2 2 Wilson, Lana (1997) Ceramics: Shape and Surface PHOTO DOCUMENTATION 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 , - r V ^ * * * * > ' • - j t ■ * * . ^jfe* / ■ & . • ■ J 7<f V " * TVtV lPK / i * i ] 18 19