UNMASKED

CLAY MASKS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

clay & oxides

My Beginning 3-D kids love this assignment.

For many of them it's their first time to work in clay,

and they are surprised by how much fun it can be.

They take great pride in their creations.

Let's take a look.

Ok, 

got to be honest. 

I'm guessing at a couple of these names.

This first one I think was the creation of senior Sophie Yang.

On these pieces I stress and require lots of surface design.

They have many choices:

inlay, stamping, applique, carving, incising & piercing.

Sophie has used 5 of those which really makes this piece sensory,

so very pleasing to the eye.

This next one is the work of junior Sahana Ramesh,

and she has used all 6 design techniques.

We all enjoyed her elongated face and the way she moved the leaves thru the face.

These pieces are all concave,

and were draped over top a wadded up newspaper taped mold to hold their bas relief form.

8th grader ,

Bhumika Kalaimalai,

 made 2 pieces because her first one on the right broke in half..

I told her no worries;

use the first for extra credit and make a second for grading.

I felt she gave us the most beautiful and balanced surface design in both.

I'm guessing again on this super sweet one here,

could be junior Kiana Hernandez or 8th graders Shivani Kedila or Viviana Cruz.

I will hunt them down on campus and see if they can help me identify them.

Definitely check out the really clean craftsmanship of the construction 

and the staining of the oxides.

Perfection!

I know for sure this is the work of junior Dustine Ansiboy because it was memorable 

to me due to the fact my step-daughter Julie loves owls,

and I knew she would really enjoy this piece.

It also is beautifully crafted and finished.

And I''m pretty sure this belongs to junior Rachel Tibayan.

Rachel is a terrific designer and always comes up with super original ideas.

I also love how expressive it is

(a requirement).

And we end with 11th grader Sandra Chea (a guess here)

& 8th grader Yusuf Karan (who I remember did the one on the right).

I really like putting 2 pieces together so you can see how each student solved the same subject.

I think I've mentioned this before but I really dislike art teachers

who have all the kiddos make the same exact pieces.

I've been in classes like that and there is no critical thinking/problem solving going on.

I never learn in classes like those.

In fact,

I paid ahead of time and then walked out of that kind of  watercolor class

a few years back where the teacher explained nothing,

demoed nothing,

and gave us all the same xerox picture to copy in the exact same colors.

An almost paint by the number technique.

No thank you.

Good-bye.

THERE IS ALWAYS A PLAN "B"

From a broken/destroyed coil pot to a magnificent mask form

I applaud senior Christian Balbido for not throwing away his broken coil pot pieces

and taking my advice,

saving them,

and putting them back together at a later date.

If you click on Christian's name above 

it will take you to the post that I published earlier in the year about his misfortune.

Christian was one of my most talented 2-D and Ceramics students this year,

and a top award winner at Senior Awards Banquet Night for his art.

I'm so proud of you Christian and look forward to seeing where your critical thinking skills, 

your design skills,

 and your creativity will take you.

May all your dreams come true!

Disney Animation is waiting for you  :)

ONE OF THE KIDS FAVORITE ASSIGNMENTS

CLAY MASKS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

clay, oxides & melted glass shards

Besides this being a favorite of the kids

(they love the tactile feel of the clay),

it's also a project that works so well for me as an art teacher

that I've never discarded it in 38 years.

Let's take a look see.

We start with 8th grader Dylan Lin and his exceptional design.

So well thought out in both the masks design,

but also in how he finished it off with with oxides.

Bravo young man!

This cutie was done by 8th grader Loren Kim.

Everyone loved the sweet innocence she was able to capture in her piece.

And clever 12th grader Julie Ahn carved out the mouth area

 and was able to fill it with glass shards that melted during the last firing

to compliment and balance her flower over the eye area.

Also,

 the contrast between the red-browns and turquoises is quite lovely

and so is the contrast between the smooth and the textured areas.

11th grader Lynette Lee came up with this stunningly beautiful design

reminiscent of a Chinese dragons face.

And Jillian Morris was incredibly brave to pierce out the mouth and teeth area.

This is a very delicate procedure where only a surgeons touch will do.

Why?

Because the piece becomes very fragile where the upper and lower jaw connects

(the thinness of the connection)

and will most likely crack during the making or the firing of the piece.

I also was very impressed with how she used her oxides.

I found the texture that 12th grader Daphne Wang was able to bring into this work

was extremely visually pleasing to the eye.  

My eye also loved that carved out area on the left where she inlay-ed the tiny balls.

Fantastic work Daph!

This next one belongs to English teacher Donna Hall.

Donna spent a lot of hours agonizing over her design,

as well as in the execution of it.

It was much loved and praised by all!

In fact our Principal John Briquelet was so taken with it 

that he insisted it be hung in his office. 

Donna told him he could have it until she retires in 5 years.

ha ha

One of my personal favorites was this one created by Couch Milan.

Not only did it appeal to my fussy sense of craftsmanship,

but I loved the slight asymmetry of it

 and of course the way he used his oxides.

And the special treat of melted dark red glass shards in the lower right ear is very pleasing.

A FINISHED PIECE

I may have mentioned once or twice that I rarely finish an art piece,

especially my clay demos.

But this last school year I used this mask that I made a few years back

 to demonstrate how to apply the metallic oxides.

The kids have four to choose from:

Red Iron (the brownish one),

Rutile (the pumpkin color),

Cobalt Carbonate (blue-black),

and Chrome Carbonate (greenish).

For some weird reason the Chrome rubs off,

even after being high fired to 2150 degrees (Cone 5),

but I've found that if I brush the Cobalt over top of it,

then sponge the two off together it doesn't rub off

 and I end up with a wonderful turquoise-ish shade. 

Love it!

UNMASKED

CLAY MAKS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

clay & oxides

Every year I'm so pleased to show these off.

For many in the class it's their first experience with clay,

yet they control it like pros.

I'm starting here with superstar senior Elias Rodriquez.

There are two ways to see this work,

 first as a mask but also as a torso.

I'm wondering if he was aware of that as he was creating it?

And if so, what it meant?

Next up is Helen Park.

Helen has really impressed me this year with her designs and craftsmanship,

as well as her willingness to spend tons of extra hours perfecting each piece.

I really like how she controlled her oxides to create contrast between her design edges.

Very difficult to do!

And senior Charity Lizardo always delivers.

I love the ears she added and how playfully expressive her piece is.

I also like that she was brave enough to add a touch of paint for extra emphasis.

But it was junior Cheryl-Mae Mallabo's mask that really stole the show.

Two sided, 

super expressive,

and dynamic.

Cheryl is another one who has really outdone herself this year 

and I'm sure hoping you will be returning next year!

And check out the craftsmanship and design on this next one by 8th grader Malia Pulido!

So superb,

it's going on to the district art show next.

And how adorable is this one by senior Jordin Toney?

Brilliant how she embedded the paper clips into the clay.

And then young 8th grader Carl Estrella brings us this very strong skull mask.

And we end with junior Insha Khan.

Fabulous texture and patterning,

and love the beads she has glued on after the firing.

ANOTHER LITTLE DEMO PIECE

Woo Hoo, 

actually finished something  :)

Feeling good!

Gifting it to one of my favs at Whitney,

our Drama teacher,

Jodi Improta.

Tomorrow we will see the clay masks that my students made after this demo.

Demo pieces take usually no more then 20 minutes each

because that seems to be the longest I can keep my students attention.

Hard these days competing with the Internet,  

Ha ha

WHO'S BEHIND THE MASK?

CLAY MASKS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

clay, oxides, metallic rubbing compounds & various metal embellishments

One of my favorite clay assignments to throw into the 3-D art curriculum are Masks.

They always turn out amazing,

and the kids love making them.

We build them over newspaper moulds that we make

 so that the masks are slightly concave.

And after finishing them we string them so they can be hung for display.

Senior Sunny Kim chose an elongated mould and built this highly expressive piece.

Note the nose piercing and the incredible finish.

Sophomore Amy Wang put a lot of thought into her piece 

so that she could convey her message.

Note the cobalt carbonate finish on the left and the red iron oxide on the right,

a great contrast.

Junior Joann Chung also has brought in a lot of contrast through color,

and she played with lots of metal hardware.

We see more metal in senior Adhora Islam's mask.

Look closely and you will see that some of the metals tarnish more than others 

in the high fire that we do.

I also really like how Adhore blended rutile with red iron for her finish,

and then glued on beads for more interest.

And then senior Evelyn Aldana brought in a bit of metallic compound over her cobalt finish

for a super cool look.

And don't you just love the happiness she captured in her work?

Terrific job all of you!!

Clay Masks _Student Work

EXPRESSIVE CLAY MASKS

Beginning 3-D Art

The kids love this assignment.  For many of them it's their first exposure to clay.  

We drape slabs over a newspaper mold to hold the concave shape as they build them. 

Requirements include tons of surface design, and expressive quality.

This is the first year I've given them a choice as to how they finish off the surface after bisque firing.

In the past it was to stain with oxides like the one below, but this year they could have chosen to sawdust fire them, then rub with metallic compounds.  So you will see a variety of both.  

Enjoy!

I loved the scale that junior Daphne Chiang worked to in this piece above, as well as the fact that she chose to add some metal embellishments that melted during the firing to add even more interest.

These next two by seniors Vinisha Kothari and Ema Shah where done in the sawdust/metallic method.

It's so fun to see all the color combos. both girls brought to their masks.

Senior Alyssa Wakamiya and junior Alice Hong both used the oxides for their finishes.  Alyssa used Rutile with Red Iron and Alice choose the Cobalt Carbonate.  Alyssa also has incorporated melting metal pieces.

These last two, done by senior Tiffany Kang and junior Bianca Tolentino, were also finished with the oxide stains.

Check out the text that Bianca brought into her design below.  

And she got lucky, her nails (hardware) stayed intact and didn't melt,  just look a bit crispy  :)

Clay Mask Time - My Work

I have the best job, getting to demo every art form I love to young impressionable minds.  

Here is my latest example for my Beginning 3-D kids.

Tomorrow I will show you their masks, so stay tuned.

Farewell My Lovely's

I just said good-bye to these two masks up at The Trinket Trader in Crestline.  This top one was one of my favs. that I made recently and demonstrated with for my students, and wasn't sure if I should let it go, but I've got to pay the rent, right?  I wanted to show the kids what all the oxides looked like stained onto the clay body, and I really liked the effect.

The one below was done several years ago for my students and it's fun to compare the two and see that my style is evolving, getting more textural and colorful.  We'll see what I do this year for them, the demo is tomorrow.  :)

Clay Masks - Student Work and Mine Too :)

My Beginning 3-D kids where really excited to work with clay, and because for many it's their first experience with it, I want it to be easy but with great results.  And I know that's what I get with this mask assignment. 

The piece above was my demo that I did for the kids.  I never pre-plan my demos so I never know if they will turn out well or if I will crush them up and put them back into the clay bucket for recycling.   This year I liked my result, so it went thru the bisque fire (1800 degrees) and then all 4 oxides were stained over the surface, then back into the kiln for the glaze firing (2150 degrees).

All my students came out with terrific masks, so let me start by showing you senior Fernie Jacinto's piece.  Fernie had a definite advantage, he took my Ceramics I class last year so he came to this assignment with lots of experience.  He produced an incredible work in clay.  Below is his piece in the greenware stage (before firing). 

I have the kids work over a newspaper mold and roll out a slab to begin with.  Before the slab goes over the mold I have the kids put in a lot of surface texture with stamps and cylinder rolls.

Here is Fernie's finished product and a close-up.  I love how it turned out, Fernie thought it was ok, and he will be selling it at our Open House sale.  Crazy boy to part with such a beauty.

Next is senior Briana Johnson.  She has never worked in clay before but took to it like a duck to water.  Her craftsmanship was  impeccable and her design, amazing!

Next we have 8th grader Jacqueline Yu with this fun, expressive piece.  One of their most important requirements was to be able to identify an expressive quality in the end result.  Jacky nailed it!

Below is senior Priyanka Shah's work.  She included teeth which is very difficult, but it adds so much.  She also incorporated a bit of steel which is a nice detail.  

I wish you could see this next piece in person, it's so detailed and wonderful.  It was done by 8th grader Jenna De La Paz, an up and coming art superstar.  Jenna always pushes herself so hard and gives me everything she has, which is going to take her far.  

Below hers is senior Eugenia Jacob's.  I love how she used a bit of red nail polish after it came out of the glaze firing for more drama.

Above is a very unique piece by sophomore Laarnie Barcelon.  So much attention to detail, so well thought out, lot's of steel, and such a great job with the oxide staining.  Plus a bit of waxed linen as embellishment after it came out of the kiln.

These next three were all fabulous, and again you will be able to see them in person at Open House this Wednesday Nite, April 17th.  They were made by junior Ashley Duru, sophomore Reis Misaka, and 8th grader Lauren Kennedy.    

Below we have some of my favorite students this year and their greenware masks.  Junior Tristan Eddy, whose spun yarn I featured earlier in the year, junior Beah Tolentino, Ashley Duru, and a young one who makes me laugh and smile everyday, junior Kaya Quarels.  Love you all, you've made this school year Great!