Show Notes

As promised, here are more images of the show I’m currently a part of, which is titled [Un]limited. Forgive the image quality…lighting was a whole other issue to deal with during install! 

The show was a collaboration between fellow artists Julie Drout, Leah Marie Suber, Elizabeth Jade and myself. We pulled all of our pieces together within two weeks, which for ceramic work is quite a short period of time! We let ourselves primarily play and experiment in our making process, and the pieces that resulted manifested into a cohesive show that we are very proud of. Here are images of all the pieces I had in the show, as well as the titles and mediums.

Absent Minded | ink and watercolor | 2014

Rhythm | wheel thrown porcelain | 2014

Parade | wood and natural matter | 2014

Watermark | plywood, pyrography, and watercolor | 2014

Ciao US, Buongiorno Italia!

Some exciting updates. In just a few days I will be flying across the Atlantic to live in the Tuscan town of Cortona for a few months! I will be part of a study abroad through the University of Georgia, and I will be studying ceramics, book arts and paper making, jewelry and metals and Renaissance Art History. We are starting out in Rome and Florence for a week, then traveling to Cortona and in October we will be in Venice for a weekend during the Venice Biennale! Naples will conclude our trip, with lots of smaller cities in between.

I’m looking forward to how my work will progress and change in Italy, especially as I embark upon Senior Thesis at the University of Cincinnati. To the next great adventure!

[disclaimer: I added this photo taken from my dorm in Cortona post-return!]

Cedric Michael Cox

One of the beautiful facets of the art world is the connection, sharing, and mentoring that can happen. Emphasis on mentoring. Lately I’ve gotten to hear a lot of artists (who are further along and more mature in their artistic practice than I am) share about their experiences and practice, and I’ve found it so helpful and inspiring. One such artist is Cedric Michael Cox, who is based out of Cincinnati. This man is a vibrant human being with a lot of energy and excitement for art.

By Cedric Michael Cox

Check out Cedric’s website, linked  to his name above, to see his beautiful paintings; I’m going to share a few quotes I jotted down from Cedric’s talk, and let you enjoy the advice, marketing know-how, wit, and humor.

“The more personal it becomes the more universal it becomes, and you’ll become more confident in the work. This is important because it’s part of the marketing aspect of work. You have to be personable. You have to take any opportunity that you can.”

“There’s a point where you have to just say no. You know when you’re spreading yourself too thin.”

“Who do you want to have your work? You should want everybody to have your work.”

“You have to be strategic: you have to care about what you’re doing and value the people you’re doing it with.”

“When art is in the studio it’s art. When it’s out in the world it’s business.”

“Adding that level of seriousness in what I do has led to some really great opportunities.”

“Surround yourself with people who are successful or where you want to be. People who have it, or people who are willing to show you how they got it.”

And one last one:

“Things fall in and out of place naturally…have faith guys. It all starts with being personable and getting to know people.”

Dan Dutton

Recently I had the pleasure and opportunity of sitting down with Dan Dutton, a Kentucky based artist, who is the resident artist at Rookwood Pottery, where I’m interning right now. I got to ask him what it was like when he was a new artist and he shared with me some things about the journey that has brought him to his current artistic practice.

Here are a few images of his work, and I’ll include some quotes from my interview that were little bits of gold for the up and coming artist:

“Don’t start tearing your work down with a false modesty…you need to love your work…you tried the best you could at that time. At that point, you’re losing something, backing away from it, and taking away from the person looking at it.”

“I say yes to everything…you must have faith in your ability and the courage to take on more than you know you can do, which is faith in your process.”

  “Blue Jean Hat” by Daniel Dutton

“I can be wrong, right, angry, happy, I don’t have to be the center of attention or a genius. But you do have to have that kind of crazy belief in yourself…it’s one of the most powerful things you can have…being one of the surest people in the room. No one is interested in your insecurities.”

  “Swimming” by Daniel Dutton

“One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is that my life is my own. It can be really scary at times, and sometimes you have to go on a case of faith. But I can take responsibility for it and enjoy it because it really is my own. I’ve traveled all around the world. I’ve met some of the most interesting and amazing people…and some of them have become a very close group of friends. I’ve learned a lot about what life is like on this planet. I’ve hung out with tribal people and with rich people and I don’t even have a preference.”

  “Encounter with Eshu” by Daniel Dutton

And some parting words from Dan:

“Believe in yourself, question yourself, and experiment on yourself. You don’t have to tell anyone about it, but set up your own kind of way that life will be conducted.”

Turn on the Light

“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts- such is the duty of an artist.” -Robert A. Schumann (German Romantic composer)

First of all, I love quotes. Secondly, this quote exemplifies a bit of what I want this blog to be about. It will be a place of curiosity, learning, experimentation in new media and processes, as well as a place to share inspiring art, artists, and other gems.

Thanks for accompanying me on this fun journey,

Emily Farison