During the Fall semester I was assigned to do a collaborative project with another grad student.  To my joy I was paired with Anne Gregerson.  We spent some time throwing ideas back and forth.  Anne is a wonderful figurative artist and I also love to reference the human figure in my work.  We decided that Anne would sculpt the figure and I would do the final firing and mixed media elements. Doing collaborative work can be enlightening as you get aquatinted with other artist’s processes.  It is a good way to expand your own work and vision.  I really enjoyed working with Anne on this project and look forward to doing other collaborative works with her in the future.

Here are some images of the work we created.  It was sculpted in stoneware, soda fired to cone 10, and then I used mixed media / found objects to complete the piece.

Watch the full episode. See more Off Book.

I have always been drawn toward the Steampunk aesthetic and have been working on incorporating more of it into my artwork.  for those not familliar with it the linked video is a great introduction to Steampunk and what it is all about.  Also below is one of my favorite Steampunk themed webcomics Girl Genius.  It is worth going back and reading from the beginning.

Girl Genius

– Jerel

I spend a fair amount of time in my search for reference material for my sculptures and pottery.  In one of my recent searches I came across Daniel Murtagh.  He is a photographer who in his own words, ““My work has been described as victorian noir. For me it is a form of alchemy and poetry.” Daniel Murtagh’s work explores the notion of presence, the experience of a person not merely seen but also felt. The influences of both film and painting combine to create a feeling of time suspended.”

I greatly enjoyed looking through his portfolio and getting a look into his creative eye.  I recommend taking a moment to look through his work*.  Seeing other peoples artistic vision helps me to define my own.

– Jerel

*There is some nudity in his portfolio.