Journal

News from Dowd House Studios: places to find our pottery, exhibitions, classes & workshops, new forms and exciting projects.

Filtering by Tag: Helpful Objects

Just in case

November 08, 2020Jenny Dowd

Early this year I created a prototype artwork for Art-o-Mat. This is something that I have wanted to do for years, probably since I first heard about this project. Art-o-Mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been refurbished and now dispense tiny artworks.

Before realizing how wild this year would be, I came up with an idea to use the billions of porcelain teeth I had carved for past projects. (See some here) I always get a kick out of reactions to these teeth, it’s either a laugh or a cringe, never anything in-between. Last fall I started making little cards, similar to a spare button card, with “just in case.” I gave these to a few friends to see how they reacted.

A few prototypes later, I was ready to test my idea for Art-o-Mat (if you are interested in submitting a prototype check out the info here) In late January I found out that my prototype was accepted, so I put together 50 boxes for my first delivery. Each tooth is numbered and packed in a cigarette sized box. I decorated the boxes and wrapped them in acetate so they will vend.

The neat thing is not knowing where my tooth-filled boxes will end up. There are Art-o-Mat machines all over the country and each host decides what artwork they would like to fill their machine with. When everything shut down this summer I lost the drive to post about my new artwork and the excitement of being part of this project.

But just a few weeks ago I got my very first Green Card! This card shows how many Helpful Objects have been sold and where the machines are.

So, when you are out traveling again, keep an eye out for an Art-o-Mat, who knows what you will find!

categories Process, Projects, Sculpture, New Ideas
tags art-o-mat, tiny art, tooth, tooth sculpture, Helpful Objects

A Poetry Apothecary

September 19, 2020Jenny Dowd

This entry should probably be titled “An attempt to begin to get caught up.” I haven’t posted since May, but there has been plenty going on. I’m starting out with a project from early June because it really set the tone for the summer, it’s also one of my favorites.

Early this year, poet Matt Daly invited poets and artists to collaborate in A Poetry Apothecary with the prompt: A collaborative collection of original poems written by local poets who acknowledge the power of poetry to serve as a balm, a poultice, a splint, a placebo, a treatment, a remedy, a prescription, or perhaps even a cure for some of what ails us in our times of need for healing.

Matt and I have collaborated on projects in the past few years and decided to work together this time as well. We started with the idea of tiny poems and tiny drawings that may or may not be helpful for different emotions or problems. Something like - the problem is ___ so the cure is ___ . It also took on the feel of a game of Memory.

Our piece is titled “Sticky Situations” partly because I kept drawing tiny sticky objects - glue, tape, cinnamon roll - and also it seemed a way to define the current pandemic situation.

The process was fun, I drew a bunch of little drawings and gave them to Matt, he responded to the images with a malady and a poem. And we switched, he gave me a list of poems and I drew an image in response. I love how they make sense and yet don’t. I giggled so much in my studio while drawing these helpful little objects!

The exhibition was installed at the Center for the Arts, and our piece was in the Conference room. In response to Covid-19 we mounted the text and image onto small paper plates and encouraged viewers to flip the plates with a bamboo skewer. Seriously one of the first funny inventive moments of this time.

Check out this link to a tour of the show with poetry read aloud: https://vimeo.com/430154010

Also this review on WyoFile

Below are each pair, the drawing is above the poem it applies to. Click each image to enlarge.

I hope you feel better after visiting this Poetry Apothecary.

Or at least had a good laugh.

categories Art Exhibitions, Projects, Illustration, Collaboration
tags A poetry apothecary, poetry and art, tiny drawings, ink drawing, sticky situations, poems by Matt Daly, Helpful Objects

Flat Foods & Helpful Objects

May 22, 2020Jenny Dowd

Some sort of crazy combination has happened in the studio over the past few months. Something like stay-at-home-covid-19 + delayed shop orders + reassessing my own cupboard needs + ideas that have been rattling around in my head for awhile = this!

What does that all that mean?

At the beginning of this year I was actively preparing myself to apply for a residency with the hope for time and space to work on new pottery designs. I love what I do, but haven’t felt that I’ve had the time to really pursue something new and just because in awhile. I’ve been slowly figuring out how to combine drawing with pottery for years, and want to link these loves.

And then bam! COVID-19. Suddenly I thought, for lots of reasons, maybe this isn’t the best time to try for a residency.

So I did the next best thing. Focused a little extra time (which suddenly I had plenty of) on some of these new ideas.

A few years ago I made a game / drawing / book arts piece for the Laramie County Library and haven’t forgotten how much I enjoyed working with ink while drawing random objects. (Check out the project here)

I wanted to draw random helpful objects onto mugs to start, and while I’ve drawn designs on my pottery in the past (pottery for Market) suddenly I was staring at a truly blank canvas. I thought about tools and how helpless we are all feeling in this pandemic.

The first mug I made was truly random and it even has a title: “Sometimes you need a hammer. Sometimes butter.” I think that just about sums up how I’ve been feeling.

The butter / hammer mug became my glaze test. I was pretty excited with how the butter stick turned out, slightly melty. This mug is now available in the 2020 NCECA Cup Auction, which is online this year. I have donated this mug because it is such a good cause. NCECA will use all the proceeds to support ceramic artists through fellowships and scholarships. Check out my mug here, it will be available until May 31st. And check out all of the other amazing cups & mugs here!

All the decoration happens after the bisque fire. I draw onto the clay with an underglaze pencil, then use a “wash” of watery underglaze to color in areas of the object. Then I carefully layer glaze / wax / glaze to get color where needed.

Next up: espresso and coffee mugs with tools. It’s hard to know what tools we’ll need to get through the day, so I figured why not just include a bunch with the morning coffee?

These mugs represent helpful objects - the top 2 mugs are ideas on how to keep it together. The mug on the bottom is “Measure twice, cut twice.”

Plus I learned how to make lemonade!

Meanwhile, Sam suggested that I make some more of the “good noodle bowls.” We only had 1 in the cupboard and it was both of our favorites for noodle dishes, nachos, and basically everything.

After making the bowls I realized I had no idea how to decorate them. So I went with “flat foods” or food that is probably usually served on plates. I love eating out of bowls, and will seriously put anything in a bowl.

We have tested all 4 of my new bowls: taco, burger, cake, pizza. Happily, they work.

I can’t remember the last time I made something specifically for myself. Usually I just keep extras from orders or seconds, if it’s something we need or I like it, so this is a pretty big deal.

I’m definitely going to keep making more of these designs. I am excited that these pots will have stories to tell and will also be extra helpful, even after these strange and scary days.

categories New Ideas, Pottery In Use, Process
tags Helpful Objects, Mugs, noodle bowls, drawing on clay, pottery in use

New Designs

February 18, 2017Jenny Dowd

The process of developing new ideas, including all the starts and stops, is something I truly enjoy. The frustrations only make me work harder and in turn, the successes are that much sweeter.

About a year ago I made a series of little ink drawings for an invitational exhibition. (Check out the blog post here.) Ever since I've been thinking about how to transfer some of these drawings onto cups and plates.

Thoughts of random objects drawn on my pots turned into drawings of tools and sweets. While discussing surface methods with Sam, the two ideas melted together and I started thinking about objects with hidden elements. Helpful cakes and tools with sweet surprises.

I started by "drawing" the object using an inlay technique on the leather-hard clay. After bisque I inserted the hidden object (a saw or hammer inside a cupcake, or a cupcake inside a chainsaw.) I had a hard time stopping, it was exciting to finally visualize some of the ideas. I layered several glazes and underglazes and tried a few different applications.

I wasn't terribly happy with the results, but it was a good start and gave me more ideas on how to proceed.

The hidden cupcake inside the chainsaw needs more definition, the glaze outline around the chainsaw doesn't work, but the color contrast is a good idea, the tools are too ghostly inside the cake, the cupcake is just ok...

At least this gave me enough information for another round of tests:

I'm happier with these results, though there will be a few more rounds before I start making more of these drawings on other forms and producing sets.

This process can be frustrating and exhausting but mostly it is exhilarating. Once I start working on one cup or plate, I think of so many more ideas and processes. I'll wake up at night thinking about new ways to solve the problems.

All the while I'm thinking about what these little drawings mean- is the cupcake being helpful? What about the secret the chainsaw is hiding? Is this about that time someone called me a tough little cupcake? I'm the kind of girl who likes getting tools as gifts, but I know some who don't- so maybe including a cupcake with the gift (that really isn't for her) would be helpful. (Just a thought!)

Whatever it is, I'm enjoying the experiments and am excited to develop quirky stories for the surface of objects that are meant to be handled and used everyday.

categories New Ideas, Problem Solving, Studio
tags Jenny Dowd, Dowd House Studios, Helpful Objects, Drawing on Pottery

contact us

Dowd House Studios