Dave Mykins - last blog assignment

Handbuilding Assignments:

• Build 40 Manipulations objects based on list of 40 words
• Spend entire class period making one small object out of (2 pounds?) of clay
• Create 4 drawings of the small object made in class period
• Fold and cut one of those drawings into an interesting composition and then make 4, 4" x 4" models with bilateral symetry.
• Make a 4x scale-up of one of the 4" x 4" models
• Glaze the scaled-up object
• make a "perfect" box using slab structure method learned in class using body measurements as dimensions
• Build a slab structure that contextualizes 12 of the 40 manipulations assignment
• Build a pedestal for the "perfect" box assignment using the same slab technique that either makes the box look heavy or light
• Glaze all three slab-built assignments
•  Take a natural object and a mass produced, man-made object and build a clay object that combines the two of them in an interesting way.
• Make a plaster press-mold of the clay object and make 8 molds of the object
• Glaze some of the molds in cone-4 glaze and some in raku glazes
• Participate in Raku firing
• Phoenix project
  

Blogging Assignments:

• Being of Being Mindful
• Question for Wayne about "Stratocumulus"
• Question for Wayne about our scaled-up project for critique
• This one

Class Presentations:

• The video on that Japanese artist whose name I don't remember but he made those really awesome stone fountains along with other massive stone sculptures.
• The video on Maya Lin
• The video on Louise Nevelson
• Slideshow of Wayne's work

Worst Moments:

• Finding out all of our first major projects for the class broke in a kiln mishap
• The multiple troubles my fragile pedestal assignment caused me

Best/ enlightening moments:

• The Raku firing was awesome
• Realizing that following an assignment doesn't necessarily mean that I can't be creative, even if I don't really want to follow it. I did end up making something that I probably never would have thought of making if left to do something on my own.
• I enjoyed making my orange-headed cats
• Bringing broken pieces to new life with the last project. I'm proud of the way mine turned out, and that it is possible to salvage broken pieces. also realizing that it's not much different than if it hadn't broke because the piece you had in mind when you started is never the piece that comes out in the end.