TAMMY VITALE

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Torso_pink Pink, hand and slab built clay torso by Tammy Vitale

Pink had her picture taken still warm from the kiln this morning.  Am on a tear making torsos since I am loading into Joie de Vivre in Cambridge this coming Monday for a 3 month show and have a very long wall to fill, and sold 2 torsos at Unique Boutique this past weekend.

Pink is joined by 3 raku torsos (more below) and A Promise of Peace (right). Peace got her name mainly, I think, because that’s what I was Torso_a_promise_of_peaceblogging about over at myspace this morning – cohesion vs division (as in country divided by fear and hate – on purpose by Karl Rove and crew vs community being championed by Barack Obama’s vision)(hey – if "experience" gives us "W" and crew – I’ll take "only" community based organizing skills and Senate experience any day)(but I digress).

Three raku torsos were made with Husband’s help when I was moving from kiln to pit.

Torso #1Echo of the Ancient Sea, popped twice within 10 seconds of puttingTorso_raku_echo_of_the_ancient_sea her into the warmed up kiln.  Popping noises when firing raku pieces are never a good sign and sure enough I peeked in and she was shattered at the hip.  I fired her anyway and the result (left) is a shorter torso (and a hip piece I’ll make into something else).  Her name comes from the fact that she looks like a primeval forest and I’ve put bleached out shells on her.  When hiking out in California, the Sierra Nevada mountains, we cam across sea shells and imprints of sea shells in the mountains.  Signs noted that somewhere in the misty past, the ground we walked on was under water.  Hence Echo’s name.  I note that today’s named pieces are more suggestions of stories than names – must be the winter coming in and changing the naming energy.

I learned that good crackle comes from soaking the piece in the kiln a bit after turning off the flame and before pulling it to go into the raku fire pit.  And that same technique also refuses to give up good copper – for good copper, once must go as fast as one can from turning off the flame, to pulling the piece, to placing in the raku pit and covering.  I learned that my commercial glazes still aren’t working as well as I’d like (altho the commercial white crackle did as well as the Soldern’s homemade white crackle now that I understand:  fire to very mature, soak, oxidize a bit before the raku pit – GREAT crackle.)

So, speaking of crackle (crazing on purpose), here’s Torso_raku_snow_hip_detail Torso_raku_snow_crackle_detail Torso_raku_snow_1 Snow, full torso, closeup of crackle and detail of hip.  If you click on these pictures (or any pictures on this website) you get a great close up.  You can almost see the fingerprints from my making the piece.  (I really love the way pictures will enlarge on typepad’s blogs).

You know, it wasn’t at all cold yesterday.  I was in a light long-sleeved shirt (after all, it was raku – bare arms are a definitey no-no no matter what the temperature) to do the firing.  Yet the names are circling around winter and frost and snow and cold….again – must be the leaves all changing color and the (dratted) time change and my body getting ready to hibernate (eat lots, snuggle under feather blanket at night – pulled over head like my very own cave.  Well, not necessarily my very own as Doggie likes getting underneath with me when the air is brisk and if I don’t let her under she will stand at my shoulder and heave big sighs into my face).

And last but not least,Torso_raku_an_unexpected_frost Torso_raku_an_unexpected_frost_hip_detai Torso_raku_an_unexpected_frost_promise_d here’s An Unexpected Frost, full torso and hip and shoulder details.  Maybe it’s all the white glaze I used that is bringing on the cold allusions.  At any rate, this piece got great copper (see hip detail) but not great crackle (see above for how all that works – I’m finally figuring this stuff out!).

I have another raku clay torso sitting in the kiln this morning cooling.  Today will be finishing up all these torsos, staining yet another torso that is waiting (unnamed) to be finished, and hopefully getting around to making 3 or 4 totems and finishing 2 that need staining and wiring before they can go out.  And then, if there’s any time at all, making a few masks that I just might finish before next Monday, if I push the drying process (and pray for no bubbles).  And then, maybe work on the administrative side of a show:  tags.  Lots to do today (see myspace blog 10/31 for the hamster running in my head).

Okay.   I now need to run get my coffee and think about arranging my day to accomplish all my work (yes, ladies and gents, this is "work" – and a better job you couldn’t find anywhere!)

thought for the day: The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place:  from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.  Pablo Picasso

1 Comment

  • yes, a wonderful job you have!!

    loving the torsos, the unexpected frost piece in particular. great work!

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