New sections have been added to the Projects page for you to explore. A back-log of past works as well as a monthly-updated "works-in-progress" page to look at. The Bio page also includes a link to a past project, the Nuclear Family Hour radio show hosted on Brown University's archives. Take a look/listen.
Traveling & purifying
This week has been all about self-refreshing via small trips around New York. Saturday was unseasonably warm and led to some spur-of-the-moment mini-paintings in the studio.
Red Hook sunset, March 15
The view from the Red Hook Fairway parking lot.
Between Sunset Park, Red Hook, Harlem, Williamsburg, the Flower District and Koreatown in Manhattan and a nighttime trip to Syracuse, home/work/studio all feel triply vivified.
Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, while waiting to meet with Sally of Improvised Life.
Midnight snow in suburban Ballston, NY.
Mourning a Shamrock Shake in an I-87 rest stop parking lot.
Drinks with friends at Mary's Bar in Brooklyn. Look at the beautiful tin ceiling.
Choi residence, after Sunday gardening. Various succulents including an echeveria, some sedum and a crassula (left trio), rosemary (center), jade plant (right), marimo moss ball in slow death (far right), blue cat.
On a quest for a kiln (or two)...Part two!
My first enameling kilns...
Second on my list of Big Future Purchases for the studio was a jewelry enameling kiln. Something small and powerful with a front-loading door mechanism for easy in and out access with glowing hot metals. Because I could only just about afford the cash for our glass kiln from the previous post, I didn't think it was in the realm of possibility to shop for one so soon.
Craigslist being the fickle but sometimes shockingly generous god that it is, I managed to catch an ad for two free enameling kilns as well as an entire studio's worth of paints, enamels, and tools, seven minutes after it had been posted. A senior recreational center up in the Bronx was downsizing its creative program to renovate and make room for new activities, and all they asked was that I make any donation that I could. What luck!
I drove up the FDR and the Major Deegan (fun to say out loud and a fun drive as well, you get to ride along the water all the way up the side of the island) and saw that another artist, a very sweet lady named Alexa, had already gotten there and begun clearing out the studio. She very graciously allowed to me take the kilns I had come for, and we split up the hundreds and hundreds of containers of powdered enamels–brand-new bags of Thompson as well as unidentified hand-labeled glass jars–as well as trivets, boards, tongs, gloves, mesh and bins full of metal findings and glass stringers that went home with Alexa.
Thank you to the Riverside Senior Center for letting your Spring cleaning = the beginning of my jewelry studio practice!
Boxes of paints in the cargo of my FJ.
The chaos inside my car with the newer kiln strapped in to the front seat.
On a quest for a kiln (or two)...Part one!
My first glass & ceramics kiln...
Constantly combing the Craigslist classifieds for used kilns, I finally landed on a model that was pre-approved for use in our new studio in Red Hook (read about Supersmith here). As a starter kiln, the Paragon Xpress 1193 seemed like a good choice. I'd whittled down the list of potential matches to either the Xpress or the Paragon Janus 1613, the smallest member of the ceramics-glass mixed use Janus series (still significantly larger than the Xpress). There are plenty of other glass-only models that can work with standard voltage power, but I was specifically hunting for something that could reach all the way up to porcelain-firing temps. Though the Xpress only hits 2300°F, that's still hot enough to fire some types of porcelain clays, as well as handling small glass work.
North Wildwood, NJ
I drove the 3 hours down to the very tip of the Wildwoods in shore-side New Jersey to test our little buddy out. The previous owner was a gold- and silver-casting enthusiast who had bought the unit to melt metals, before realizing that the far more efficient mini electromelt system he now owns was a much better choice. He recounts starting it up the first and last time, waiting several hours for it to hit the proper temperature (he works out of his apartment), and having a glowing red cloud of particles fill the room and his cotton glove catching on fire. The door came slamming down, cracking some of the bricks, and never was the unit used again.
I had a moment of panic while I was there because, despite reading exhaustively about these kilns for days before driving down there, I somehow hadn't realized that this particular model lacks elements in the ceiling (lid), which is an ideal feature for flat glass slumping. We went with it anyway, because I think with such a cozy interior volume (.56 cubic feet) the top elements aren't really necessary, and it eliminates the worry of those elements sagging after some time and needing premature replacement.
I'll be getting the kiln situated with the help of the guys at the studio and doing some tests to find any cold spots in the chamber, and to make sure the metal residue from Nick's casting disaster isn't affecting the clarity of my glass (silver and other metals are used to "fume" glass, aka deposit a fine decorative layer of haze, which isn't something I want occurring all the time).
Stay tuned.
Under construction
This website will be undergoing sporadic changes for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, look around and if you need anything, send me an e-mail via the message form on the Bio page. Thanks for visiting :)