My e-portfolio is finally finished!
If you have already seen it, please leave a comment here.
I tried to use a fancy "guest book" but it didn't work!
If you haven't yet visited my e-portfolio, you can see it at http://www.geocities.com/chezolson/artistic.html?1174756426145
I used Geocities to post it!
However, Geocities can be rather buggy so I linked the main page to pages in my blog and to photos in photobucket.com. If you have any trouble, you can probably access everything from this site.
Enjoy!
(and I hope you are all so inspired that you do your own e-portfolios!)
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Inspiring Pieces by Other Artists
I wanted to include a tribute section to my fellow student artists and a few others.
Included here are pieces that I purchased and the reasons why they are interesting.
Wheel-Thrown Pieces
Plates by Janet:
I am a big fan of Janet's work in general. She's definitely a pro with glazes and her work has a nice weight - not too light, not too heavy - just right!
Compare with my small plate
Mine is tiny and heavy when compared to Janet's! You can see where I tried to duplicate the overlapping glaze effects she created.
Bowls by Matt:
Matt's work has a really interesting hand-made feel to them. However, this is a set of one large bowl and six matching bowls that actually match. This is really difficult to do by hand although we are used to identical pieces made by forms. The basic black glaze is especially well done since it goes all the way down to the bottom of the piece.
Compare with my blue bowls
Both are small when compared to Matt's. Also, the glaze misses the bottom of the bowls by about an inch. One bowl shows a nice consistent glaze. The other shows how difficult a basic black glaze can be. This bowl also shows interesting "ridges" which happen when the pressure is inconsistent while throwing the bowl.
Vase by Yumiko:
This light-weight vase is of very high quality and is very thin. However, what makes it remarkable is that it is a mixture of two different clays. The outside is left unglazed to show this feature. As a result, the vase has an interesting texture as well: rough on the outside, smooth on the inside.
Compare with underside of my small plate and my Indian Motif Bottle
I mixed two clays for this plate, following Yumiko's instructions, and it actually turned out pretty nice. (If you look carefully, you can see a drawing of me "cutting off" the plate). The Indian Motif Bottle looks similar but remember looks can be deceiving in pottery. When you pick up this bottle which is 1/4 the size of Yumiko's vase, it actually weighs more than the vase! The weight is "hidden" in the thickness of the walls that you can't see.
Cups by various artists:
These cups were produced by professionals. However, what is remarkable here is the glaze work.
Compare with my blue cup
This cup is a pretty nice little cup actually! One of my success stories. However, artists always want to take the next step! So, imagine this cup with a more interesting glaze job.
Whale - Hand Built Raku by Inga:
Inga is a fellow beginner but she already has good technique. Her whale rattle makes a beautiful sound when shaken. The whale was glazed with the Raku process, which is very exciting to watch. It involves fire and a lot of luck. The hot piece is pulled from the kiln and newspapers are poured over it. The newspapers catch fire easily and are allowed to do so for a few seconds and then a bucket is clamped down over it to snuff out the fire. Inside the bucket, the glaze reacts to the smoke and the fire causing variations and iridescent effects.
Compare with my Raku Turtle
Again, another success story! Turtle is quite cute and turned out well for a Raku piece. However, if you pick up Inga's whale and my turtle, you would notice the weight difference. Hers is much lighter and more consistent in texture. Her rattles have a lot of room to move. In my turtle, they move but not as much, which indicates that the walls are thicker. So my next step as an artist is to follow her example.
Included here are pieces that I purchased and the reasons why they are interesting.
Wheel-Thrown Pieces
Plates by Janet:
I am a big fan of Janet's work in general. She's definitely a pro with glazes and her work has a nice weight - not too light, not too heavy - just right!
Compare with my small plate
Mine is tiny and heavy when compared to Janet's! You can see where I tried to duplicate the overlapping glaze effects she created.
Bowls by Matt:
Matt's work has a really interesting hand-made feel to them. However, this is a set of one large bowl and six matching bowls that actually match. This is really difficult to do by hand although we are used to identical pieces made by forms. The basic black glaze is especially well done since it goes all the way down to the bottom of the piece.
Compare with my blue bowls
Both are small when compared to Matt's. Also, the glaze misses the bottom of the bowls by about an inch. One bowl shows a nice consistent glaze. The other shows how difficult a basic black glaze can be. This bowl also shows interesting "ridges" which happen when the pressure is inconsistent while throwing the bowl.
Vase by Yumiko:
This light-weight vase is of very high quality and is very thin. However, what makes it remarkable is that it is a mixture of two different clays. The outside is left unglazed to show this feature. As a result, the vase has an interesting texture as well: rough on the outside, smooth on the inside.
Compare with underside of my small plate and my Indian Motif Bottle
I mixed two clays for this plate, following Yumiko's instructions, and it actually turned out pretty nice. (If you look carefully, you can see a drawing of me "cutting off" the plate). The Indian Motif Bottle looks similar but remember looks can be deceiving in pottery. When you pick up this bottle which is 1/4 the size of Yumiko's vase, it actually weighs more than the vase! The weight is "hidden" in the thickness of the walls that you can't see.
Cups by various artists:
These cups were produced by professionals. However, what is remarkable here is the glaze work.
Compare with my blue cup
This cup is a pretty nice little cup actually! One of my success stories. However, artists always want to take the next step! So, imagine this cup with a more interesting glaze job.
Whale - Hand Built Raku by Inga:
Inga is a fellow beginner but she already has good technique. Her whale rattle makes a beautiful sound when shaken. The whale was glazed with the Raku process, which is very exciting to watch. It involves fire and a lot of luck. The hot piece is pulled from the kiln and newspapers are poured over it. The newspapers catch fire easily and are allowed to do so for a few seconds and then a bucket is clamped down over it to snuff out the fire. Inside the bucket, the glaze reacts to the smoke and the fire causing variations and iridescent effects.
Compare with my Raku Turtle
Again, another success story! Turtle is quite cute and turned out well for a Raku piece. However, if you pick up Inga's whale and my turtle, you would notice the weight difference. Hers is much lighter and more consistent in texture. Her rattles have a lot of room to move. In my turtle, they move but not as much, which indicates that the walls are thicker. So my next step as an artist is to follow her example.
Reflections on Working With Clay
I really love clay as a medium, partially because it is so tactile. You have to use your hands!
Displaying my pieces on the web only gives you part of their story. To understand their strengths and their weaknesses, a person has to hold them. I thought this was strange at first when my teacher would always wait to grade a piece until she had picked it up. However, now I understand that the weight of the piece told her something about the quality of it Lighter pieces are more difficult to make than heavier ones. She was also measuring the consistency of the wall thickness and feeling for places where the clay had uneven weight.
The dimension of weight also affects the feeling of the piece. Picking up "Baby Owl" for example, one might notice that it is about the same size and weight as a small baby. "Yappy Dog" is clearly an "overweight" piece and its heft coveys the feeling of an older dog who has led a comfortable life but can no longer chase the squirrels and he had done in his youth and now must be content to bark at them from a distance. "Thin-Walled Bowl" is very light weight and is impressive until you feel the sides and notice that they grow thicker towards the bottom - a reoccurring problem with many of my wheel thrown pieces that I need to continue to work on.
However, producing anything in clay requires patience. So much can go wrong in the process. Cracks can develop in the drying process. Glazing a piece can be a matter of luck but it has severe ramifications. A good glaze can save a poor piece, while a thinly applied glaze or a poor chemical reaction of a properly applied glaze can ruin the most promising work.
Since I am a beginner, my work can be sorted into the following percentages:
25% of it is really awful and can't be saved
50% of it is in a limbo state - neither good enough to keep, nor poor enough to throw out immediately
25% of it is appealing
As one develops skill with working with clay, I expect the percentage of appealing work to go up BUT what I have seen in reality is that one's standards simply become higher. Accomplished aspiring artists that I know can produce work that is appealing to me and my criteria quite consistently. However, they often express dissatisfaction because they are working towards higher goals.
Displaying my pieces on the web only gives you part of their story. To understand their strengths and their weaknesses, a person has to hold them. I thought this was strange at first when my teacher would always wait to grade a piece until she had picked it up. However, now I understand that the weight of the piece told her something about the quality of it Lighter pieces are more difficult to make than heavier ones. She was also measuring the consistency of the wall thickness and feeling for places where the clay had uneven weight.
The dimension of weight also affects the feeling of the piece. Picking up "Baby Owl" for example, one might notice that it is about the same size and weight as a small baby. "Yappy Dog" is clearly an "overweight" piece and its heft coveys the feeling of an older dog who has led a comfortable life but can no longer chase the squirrels and he had done in his youth and now must be content to bark at them from a distance. "Thin-Walled Bowl" is very light weight and is impressive until you feel the sides and notice that they grow thicker towards the bottom - a reoccurring problem with many of my wheel thrown pieces that I need to continue to work on.
However, producing anything in clay requires patience. So much can go wrong in the process. Cracks can develop in the drying process. Glazing a piece can be a matter of luck but it has severe ramifications. A good glaze can save a poor piece, while a thinly applied glaze or a poor chemical reaction of a properly applied glaze can ruin the most promising work.
Since I am a beginner, my work can be sorted into the following percentages:
25% of it is really awful and can't be saved
50% of it is in a limbo state - neither good enough to keep, nor poor enough to throw out immediately
25% of it is appealing
As one develops skill with working with clay, I expect the percentage of appealing work to go up BUT what I have seen in reality is that one's standards simply become higher. Accomplished aspiring artists that I know can produce work that is appealing to me and my criteria quite consistently. However, they often express dissatisfaction because they are working towards higher goals.
Friday, March 23, 2007
My Ceramics Club Work
I joined Foothill College's Claybodies Club in the Fall Quarter of 2005.
I have served as Secretary to the club since that time.
My responsibilities were writing and e-mailing agendas and minutes for the meetings.
I provided organization and leadership when necessary.
I have also served as the Organization Board of Directors (OBD) Representative for part of that time.
My responsibilities were filling out the necessary OBD forms, meeting OBD deadlines, and addressing the
OBD body with our proposals.
In the School Year 2005-2006, Claybodies Club had the following activities:
In the School Year 2006-2007, Claybodies Club had the following activities:
Challenges:
Reflections:
I learned a lot about group dynamics from being involved with Claybodies Club.
I have served as Secretary to the club since that time.
My responsibilities were writing and e-mailing agendas and minutes for the meetings.
I provided organization and leadership when necessary.
I have also served as the Organization Board of Directors (OBD) Representative for part of that time.
My responsibilities were filling out the necessary OBD forms, meeting OBD deadlines, and addressing the
OBD body with our proposals.
In the School Year 2005-2006, Claybodies Club had the following activities:
- Holiday Ceramics Sale Nov. 28 - Dec. 1
- Mask Making Workshop March 14
- Mother's Day Ceramics Sale May 10 - 11
- Low Fire Salt Workshop May 17 & 22
- Soda Fire Workshop June 12 & 19
- Photography Workshop June 26
In the School Year 2006-2007, Claybodies Club had the following activities:
- Guest Speaker: Jenny Morten Nov. 15
- Holiday Ceramics Sale Nov. 28 - 30 & Dec. 2
- Guest Speaker: Christa Assad Feb. 28
Challenges:
- Keeping Club Members Enthusiastic and Involved
- Recruiting New Club Officers (We've had some turn over each quarter)
- Filling out OBD paperwork correctly and getting it in on time
Reflections:
I learned a lot about group dynamics from being involved with Claybodies Club.
- Groups don't move quickly to do anything and if you want to get something done it is important to assign it to someone specific. Doing everything yourself is exhausting and it does nothing to build team.
- It is important to communicate verbally and in writing, especially if your message is urgent.
- Bureaucracy can be difficult to work with but usually rules and regulations are there to protect everyone's best interest. Missing OBD deadlines can be frustrating but usually it is for the best and the event is better when it is planned welland not at the last minute.
Monday, March 19, 2007
San Francisco State E-Portfolios March 19, 2007
Week 10
Thought I would look at some e-portfolios closer to home this week.
For those of you who don't know, last semester, I took Greek 3 up at San Francisco State in addition to my Foothill Classes. SFSU has a beautiful campus but they also have beautiful examples of e-portfolios. Check out some samples at:
http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu/gallery.php
I like the range of examples that they included. There is a creative writing student, a business student, a California studies student, a multimedia studies student, and instructional design student, etc.
The sample templates are very nice! For those of us who are starting from scratch, they make good guide lines for what fields to put in.
On this site, I would recommend you check out Pony Smith's example. This ePortfolio is written in a nice conversational style that might be great for this class.
Catherine Magee's and Rachel Poulain's e-portfolios are very business-like -- more so than the business student's-- but they are both studying public health.
Meiko Swartz's portfolio is interesting to artists but the SFSU link goes more to a reflection page, then you have to click on a link to get to the main portfolio:
http://www.monstersgalore.com/portfolio/
Also, they seem to very a lot. Some seem to be more like an on-line resume without many artifacts, while others have a lot of supporting material showing their projects as well as their reflections.
All in all, I would recommend checking out this site from San Francisco State University!
Thought I would look at some e-portfolios closer to home this week.
For those of you who don't know, last semester, I took Greek 3 up at San Francisco State in addition to my Foothill Classes. SFSU has a beautiful campus but they also have beautiful examples of e-portfolios. Check out some samples at:
http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu/gallery.php
I like the range of examples that they included. There is a creative writing student, a business student, a California studies student, a multimedia studies student, and instructional design student, etc.
The sample templates are very nice! For those of us who are starting from scratch, they make good guide lines for what fields to put in.
On this site, I would recommend you check out Pony Smith's example. This ePortfolio is written in a nice conversational style that might be great for this class.
Catherine Magee's and Rachel Poulain's e-portfolios are very business-like -- more so than the business student's-- but they are both studying public health.
Meiko Swartz's portfolio is interesting to artists but the SFSU link goes more to a reflection page, then you have to click on a link to get to the main portfolio:
http://www.monstersgalore.com/portfolio/
Also, they seem to very a lot. Some seem to be more like an on-line resume without many artifacts, while others have a lot of supporting material showing their projects as well as their reflections.
All in all, I would recommend checking out this site from San Francisco State University!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
E-portfolios for Wisconsin Art Teachers - March 06, 2007
- Week 9
This week's winning website is :
http://www.uwstout.edu/art/artedportfolios/help/index.html
"This site and its contents were created by the following K-16 art educators in Wisconsin as part of a University of Wisconsin-System PK-16 Grant titled "Developing Electronic Portfolios for Pre-service and In-service Art Teachers," during the 2001-03 academic year."
I think this site will be helpful to everyone but especially so to those of us in the class who are working on "art" e-portfolios. It has technical tips for getting started, examples with feedback, tips on wrting an artist statement and a section about "reflection". It also has lots of links to helpful resources, including some to our "friend" Helen Barrett's articles.
I hope you can check it out! It is definitely worth a look or two!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Quick notes: 2nd Post for Week 8
Here is the second post for Week 8.
Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my new site!
technical difficulties resolved ... more info on Blackboard Portfolios can be found at:
http://www.blackboard.com/products/portfolio/demos.htm
Note on "rote learning" and Friedman -
I see that Friedman's observations on the subject fall in Chapter 8. This fell outside of the reading assignment, so I haven't got to it yet, but I think I see your point. He definitely says
creativity can be learned.
However, I think the nature of the Chinese writing system implies a certain amount of rote learning that isn't necessary for an Alphabet writing system.
To my evil editing, drum-smashing friend who writes:
And thanks for the pointer to the JFK quote on Reference.com.
It fits nicely in with the themes of our new book Earth Odyssey.
"In an address before the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, in part, 'Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.' "
Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my new site!
technical difficulties resolved ... more info on Blackboard Portfolios can be found at:
http://www.blackboard.com/products/portfolio/demos.htm
Note on "rote learning" and Friedman -
I see that Friedman's observations on the subject fall in Chapter 8. This fell outside of the reading assignment, so I haven't got to it yet, but I think I see your point. He definitely says
creativity can be learned.
However, I think the nature of the Chinese writing system implies a certain amount of rote learning that isn't necessary for an Alphabet writing system.
To my evil editing, drum-smashing friend who writes:
"I didn't know that Alex Haley could trace his lineage back toyes ... I will be more careful in the future.
West Africa as could ancient Icelanders. Those Vikings got
around. Edit carefully."
And thanks for the pointer to the JFK quote on Reference.com.
It fits nicely in with the themes of our new book Earth Odyssey.
"In an address before the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, in part, 'Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.' "
An Award Winning Eportfolio - March 05, 2007
- An Award Winning Eportfolio - March 05, 2007
- This week I've decided to follow Dr. Scott's example and comment on an URL that is interesting.
In the fall of 2005, Clemson University began requiring a General Education ePortfolio from all of its students.
http://dcit.clemson.edu/resources/articles/gened_eportfolio.php#jump11
Located in Clemson, South Carolina, this university has anticipated the needs of the future student and are requiring them today. This is a great site to visit for those of us still struggling with what an eportfolio should or could be.
However, it is also nice because it gives the school's rational for the decision.
Also their is a recreation of the best ePortfolio at Clemson (designed by Josh Reynold's) which we can view at:
http://people.clemson.edu/~jsreyno/portfolio/
worth checking out! As are Josh Reynold's comments about e-portfolios."He said, 'The whole point of the portfolio that I made was to help me realize the connections that I made across the curriculum, and to make these connections obvious to the people who view my portfolio, to show that I indeed did learn something, and not just how to regurgitate the assignments of the past semester.'
Reynolds explained that incoming freshmen will need to understand that 'this is an opportunity for students to demonstrate how well they can link their experiences across the gen ed competencies. They have already proven that they have the knowledge to answer specific questions by passing their classes, but it is just as important for them to demonstrate that they can make connections among those things they have learned. This is where I believe the value of the ePortfolio lies.' "
I also tried to investigate the platform "Blackboard" that this University was using.
http://www.blackboard.com/us/index.Bb
but ran into some technical difficulties when I tried to find out more about ePortfolios on their site.
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