I’ve pretty much been in the ceramic studio nonstop this year, with several projects heading to new homes on both the East and West Coasts. Last month I drove one to NYC, unloading in the middle of Manhattan and thinking… is this real life?
These photos are from a studio visit with @bobbyscheidemann last year, a peek into my backyard workspace where I’ve been spending most of my time. Yes, I really work and live like this: pantyhose, high heels, a lot of tiles, a lot of mess, and inspiration everywhere. The swamp cooler is usually blasting, my chihuahua keeps me company by the slab roller, and the chickens wander nearby. They’ll get their own post soon..
I’m so ready to get back into the wood-shop, but this stretch of making has pushed me in the best way. It feels really good, really real.
I’ve never been good at timing, but it’s never too late to show gratitude ~for friends and for the gift of life. On the last day of my birthday month, I at least need to say thank you to everyone who made this past year one of the best of my life, and archive some special moments. I had a feeling it would be a good one after that fabulous New Year’s Day(Iykyk) but I didn’t anticipate just how blessed it would truly be. Cheers to friends, creativity, hard work, pursuing passions, stewarding animals, and love.
I know that West Texas moonrise meant that more abundance lies ahead.
FORM WORKS FEATURE: Berkeley Beauchot (@dance.backwards )
Beauchot is a ceramicist and woodworker living and working in Austin, Texas. Her practice primarily consists of making ceramic tile for installation and heirloom furniture that combines ceramics and wood.
Beauchot’s piece in Form Works, “Patina Mare Side Table,” features tile that is handmade and hand-glazed, with most glazes mixed by the artist. Beauchot utilizes several ceramic firing methods, such as the complex atmospheric processes of raku, soda, and wood kilns.
These firing methods offer distinct, and often stunning patterns of movement through flame and natural ash glazes that cannot be replicated. It’s a combination of these traditional techniques with novel processes, like 3D-printed slip casts, that results in contemporary pieces with raw, elemental directness.
The wood used is walnut harvested in Oklahoma and finished with hard wax. The simple design is intended to create furniture that contains both beauty and utility, while the relief tiles bring an element of amusement.
To see Beauchot’s work in person, visit Form Works at Women & Their Work through August 28.
Studio photos by Bobby Scheidemann (@bobbyscheidemann ), courtesy of the artist.
#wtwgallery #groupexhibition #texasartists #supportwomenartists #atxart #womenandtheirwork #FormWorks #design #architecture #ceramics #furniture #lighting #textiles #woodwork #glass #tableware #functionaldesign #materiality
First stop on my studio visit with Bobby @bobbyscheidemann
Bobby followed me and my favorite shoes around for the afternoon learning about the different steps of my furniture and tile making process. I'm lucky enough to live down the street from the lumberyard so we popped in and got weird. The selection of the wood is just as important as milling and building. I love the colors here and the smells of the fresh lumber 🔸🔹The team at @fine_lumber_austin are some of the best to do it too. Last pic is my reaction when you tell me you've never gone to Fine Lumber just for fun.
Mudlark Table
Made with Texas Mesquite and handmade stoneware tiles. The name comes from walking through riverbeds, keeping a keen eye cast downward for interesting treasures. There are tiny crinoid star fossils in the grout lines.
Most of these tiles have been accumulated through several different atmospheric firings, like wood and soda at @eyeofthedogartcenter and @eastsidepotshop It feels a little absurd to load all of these tiny things into the kiln in the specific, time consuming way you need to with these firing techniques, but I’ve found that even the smallest tile comes out touched and charmed like the special stone that catches your eye underneath the river water’s surface.
I want to try this style with a sandy or light colored grout, maybe on the wall around a bathtub where the tiles can get wet. While you soak you could run your fingers over them and find a new favorite each time.
Photography by @andreacalo
Still feeling high from last weekend at the inaugural Friends Fair @friendsfair.art
Glam little photoshoot with Jinni J @heyjinnij to commemorate the event & ~the outfit~
It was a sweet goodbye with the Solaris Table, I’m glad it found a new home and they can rest assured it is weight bearing. Thank you @marthas.atx and everyone else involved in the fair and a very special thank you to my closest of friends my stars y’all know who you are (^_−)−☆♪☆♪☆♪
Finally sharing some professional photos of the commission for Meredith & Ricky’s home. The palette from the wood firing process that I enjoy so much goes perfectly with their warm and eclectic taste, and it was an honor (and a biotch) to refinish an inherited piece of furniture. Custom top, drawer pulls and finish. Their enthusiasm around it has really been driving me the last few months and sharing these images seemed like a good time to announce I will be having some work at Friends Fair @friendsfair.art this month in the @marthas.atx room with some other inspiring artists and homies! Forever grateful to have supportive friends! Friends forever!
🐚Two tiles from the last wood firing at @eyeofthedogartcenter ~~When loading pots and other works into the wood kiln, a sea shell can be placed between the wadding and the surface of the work piece. Since sea shells are made of calcium carbonate, under the intense heat from the firing they will turn to powder and leave an imprint in the glaze. I like that even though they are small fragments of the original shape, they’re usually identified as sea shells anyways from just the small bit of texture. These are such little tiles but to me they are precious.🌀
A custom Loose Ends Rope Table delivered to a client in Houston. White oak frame with exposed end grain corners and glazed stoneware tiles. All handmade by moi, dms open.
The Bayou City really stays holding TX tf down..
