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Art Show Show Thoughts


2010
10.03

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Posted in Artist's Thoughts, Ceramic Musical Instruments, Shows and Sales | Comments Off on Art Show Show Thoughts

I will be showing ceramic musical instruments in a public show next February and March and that is pretty exciting. Other than a few craft shows and private sales, this really qualifies as my first exhibit…and that makes me a little nervous.  There are several pieces that are show ready now, but I’d like to do something that specifically addresses the theme: Invention and Creativity.

Conceptually, here is where I’m going: Imagine a small ensemble, perhaps 3 or 4 musicians playing  what appears to be a family of instruments…and not necessarily the traditional families of woodwinds, brass, percussion, etc. The ‘family’ simply looks like they need to be played as an ensemble.  The key instrument would be an ocarina and key, in this definition, means that the ocarina would be the determining factor as to what musical key the ensemble plays. The second instrument would be a lamellophone, constructed from mixed media (clay and steel), and tunable to the fixed key of the ocarina. The remaining instruments would be more traditional, but whimsically formed, percussion instruments…probably drums and rattles, all constructed from clay. OK, so now the foundation for a display is set. What would make this more creative and inventive, but an original composition?

So here is the plan: design the instruments (probably a few variations of each), construct and fire the ceramics involved, complete the assemblies with whatever media is needed, determine the range of sounds (essentially the musical palette), compose some music to match the limits of the instruments, record music, master the music for a digital playback device, procure or build a display system that includes playback capabilities…and then wonder, sleeplessly for night-on-end before the show, if anyone would have a clue as to what was involved in the process I just described?  Ha!

The answers matter little at this point.  I have just enough time to pull this off and make a decision as to whether this would make the show or not… I just think it would be sufficiently unique, that it would bring smiles to faces and an element of fun for the Invention and Creativity theme. The pressure is off as long as I keep this a secret, right?   Oh. Wait!

Inspiration and image by Barry Hall and Burnt Earth Ensemble‘s Terra Cotta album.

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Working in the Woods


2010
09.06

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Pinch Pot OcainaFirst of all, parked in a paved space with a motor coach at a state park filled with amenities is hardly the woods. And secondly, doing what I do with clay while sitting beside a campfire is so far removed from work that I should be ashamed for typing in the title of this post. OK. I’m over it, but Manipulating Clay in the Comfort of Resort Living is not the sort of title that gets anyone’s attention, right?

The Labor Day weekend has been glorious and restful and fun.  I pulled out a ball of clay last evening just because it was a different stoneware than I have been using for the last year. Sure, I knew that ultimately it would become an flute or an ocarina, but I began the project with just the slightest idea of what I wanted and more in tune with what the clay was telling me it was capable of doing.  The result is a piece that is a bit eclectic and full of discovery and exploration.  The clay is a high fire stoneware and I am not terribly concerned about the survival of the musical parts if the piece actually turns out to be something worthy of decoration.  That is quite a paradigm shift for me…so I’ll rationalize my title as something that the woods is doing that is working.

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Four Hole Ocarina Magic


2010
07.16

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I am not sure why I decided to do this. It may be simply the challenge to make an ocarina that plays a full octave with only four finger holes. Perhaps it is the frustration of carving out 8 to 12 holes and constantly fighting the airway in order to achieve a reasonable tone. Regardless, John Taylor’s English system for a 4 hole ocarina is the challenge I made for myself while taking some time off from the craziness of the office:

It will be a while before I am confident that I can play using this system. The permutations and combinations of fingering is quite an adjustment from what I learned as a second grader playing a song flute in one of dad’s music classes. There are a few tricks and tips that I need to pry from some of my ocarina building friends, but I am thrilled to better understand the magic of how 4 finger holes in a simple clay instrument can produce a full octave scale.

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Ocarina Clay – Campground Social Media


2010
07.05

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We parked the RV in a well shaded space in familiar territory at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. Historically, the fourth of July weekend begins several days before the 4th when the best camping spaces are filled by other first-come-first-served-savvy campers…they were here early staking claims, just like we were.

After the normal cooking area, dining tent, RV awning, and general hook ups were complete, a small folding camp table and a circle of chairs found their way around the metal fire ring. Fire rings are the designated spots where campers are allowed to build campfires in their respective sites without raising the eyebrows of a friendly park ranger. Let’s review quickly here: Middle Tennessee, July, humidity, and a thermometer that reads like it is set on London Broil* – there will be no campfire in this space on this weekend, but it is the accepted space for conversation. To the campfire set-up recipe, I add my clay tools, a spray bottle, a bucket of water, several pounds of pre-mixed stoneware clay, and a handful of my favorite toys clay tools.

Vinepod OcarinaI’m pretty sure that I made it all they way through making the first pinch pot before Ruby, a precocious 8-year-old, walked from the adjoining campsite to ask, “Who are you and what are you making?” By the time the airway on the first ocarina produced a whistle, Ruby’s dad stopped by along with a small contingent of people who seemed astounded that some old dude was making instruments out of clay. The parade of folks stopping by to watch and ask questions during the weekend stay was never an interruption, it was the perfect ‘social media’ to connect total strangers, long-time friends, and even family members to chat about building sculptural ocarinas.

While my long-time friend, Breakfast Bob, was taping a short “how to” segment on his Flip camera, he commented that we needed to take this show on the road. Ocarina building attracted all ages and all types, including the itinerant. campground evangelist couple who suggested that the pottery building thing was a great hook for a ministry. As for me, I’ll stick with Ruby and her friends who wore the pavement out next to our site, waving and yelling, “Hi, Paul” with each bicycle drive-by.

*The weather was actually unseasonably cool for this particular trip, but the threat of steamy weather remains…and this is my story , so hush!

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The Emperor’s New Flute


2010
06.27

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Trumphlute Three
Trumphlute Two
The Emperor's New Flute

I do wish that I had images of the rest of the TrumPhlutes that were part of this series. In the rush to get these from the kiln to a sale, photography became a victim of the crunch. It is a lesson that I learned well and is the reason that I compulsively photograph at various stages of production just so that I do not forget. So what else am I thinking about?…

While forming these strange contraptions, there are a few multi-dimensional thoughts rattling around in my noggin. First of all, it is important that the whistle (or flute) actually play…not always so much that it plays well, but that it simply creates a respectable tone when the player blows air through the airway. I can visualize customers who see these for the first time..and love the change in facial expression when they hear the instrument play for the first time.

Secondly, I believe the form of the piece should allow for whimsical interpretation of some historical reference or context. Often, that interpretation is seeded with a title that provides direction for the fantasy of whimsy. The Emperor’s New Flute (the title of this piece) is a less than subtle reference to a favorite childhood story that carries illusions of royal regalia and fantasy.

And finally, I consider it crucial that a piece should display well. What?, you say??…you are thinking about how someone might display a ceramic musical instrument as you build it? It is like this: if someone pays $40-$50 for something the size of a trinket, they generally don’t take it home or to the office and hide it in a drawer…it will be visible somewhere. So yes, I try to visualize how it might be displayed and attempt to provide clues for several options. For instance, what appears to be ceramic gymnastics in the images on the right are actually different ways that demonstrate intentional efforts to allow for display options. What is not shown is the use of the loop-lugs that would allow for this piece to be suspended or wall hung…or hanging around the emperor’s neck 🙂

It is time to revisit these small instruments. They were a hit at the only sale where I featured them. I can see more of them already, can’t you?

Note: click images for enlarged view

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Chuckerbutty Ocarina Quartet


2010
06.23

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Not that I would ever be party to such a loony musical ensemble, but this gifted group of ocarina playing, crazy men know how to have fun. They had me at “Trout, in C” (Sea), and something pun-ny about scales. Turn up the volume a bit, the sound is recorded a little low. And, be sure to stick with it to the big ‘fin-ish’ (Pah-dum, ching!):

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