Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cabarrus Arts Council exhibit "Word Processing" Opens!

Yay! The day has finally arrived - my group exhibit with the Cabarrus Arts Council finally opened yesterday!  I have been looking forward to this exhibit so much, especially after meeting the group that runs the Arts Council.  They were so nice and so organized and meeting them was a breath of fresh air.  The previous exhibit was still partially up when I got there to deliver my sculptures, and so I got to see the wonderful quality of art these guys have in their exhibits.  I am honored to be showing with them and I can't wait to go up for the official reception and see the "Word Processing" exhibit with my own eyes.

I have been very good about not showing pics of the new pieces that are in the exhibit, and now that the show has opened, I am free to share those here!  I'll show you one of my favorites now:

You got to see a sneak peek of this one just after I finished building it, and then another peek came after I glazed the base.  This sculpture is one of the first that I have added wings to; wings that were meant to fly and could actually lift a body up into the air.  Her wings are small, but they are a beginning, and hopefully will lead to wherever she wants to go.

You can see the wings more clearly in a photo of the backside of the sculpture.  I really like how this piece turned out.  For you clay folks out there, she was fired to Cone 2, and painted with all underglazes.  I did do a top coat/sealer to add a bit of shine and to deepen the colors a bit.  I also love the smoother, satiny finish of the topcoat, rather than the cold, hard feeling of the ceramic.  I fired the base and the body separately, and then bolted them together with a threaded rod and nut.  It makes for easier shipping when the pieces come apart.  That's a tough decision I had to make - whether or not to fire them in two pieces.  Some buyers want the ease of shipping when the sculpture can be disassembled like that, and yet others don't want to have to deal with putting it together.  They just want to unpack it and have it complete.  So I have decided that as my sculptures get larger, I will separate out the pieces for safety. (This sculpture isn't huge, but I was testing out my technique of joining - she's just 20"H.)   Hopefully that won't be a problem for anyone.

In my next post, I will show you another piece in the exhibit.  Both of these are my new favorites!

~Kelly





5 comments:

  1. So beautiful, Kelly! I'm so happy for you, being part of a good group ... have fun!
    Susan

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  2. How wonderful to be exhibiting alongside other inspirational artisans. Enjoy every moment! Looking forward to seeing other 'favourite' sculptures, although I simply adore 'lift' - her face and hands make her look so meek and unsure. Maybe 'she' feels inadequate, ill-prepared and simply not good enough with her tiny, budding wings... but we know better!!!
    Hugs xxx

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  3. So excited and happy for you, Kelly. You are such a talented and hard working woman. I am so proud I have the Fly bird sculpture in my house. Congratulations for all the achievements ! Your work is amazing!

    Sending hugs and love and positive energy for you!

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  4. Far out! That is so super, super cool! I wish I could see your work and the exhibition in person. :)

    Thank you so much for your kind and caring words on my blog the other day! They mean so much!

    Much love xo

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  5. I love it! Congratulations, sweet friend.

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