Changing Topics Conversation: Getting Started with New Ideas

Artists in "Getting Started" from L to R:  Dennis Meiners, Ben Skiba, Jordan Pieper, Aleka Tomlinson, Ivan Carmona, Thomas Orr, Grace Weston,  Joanna Bloom (not pictured),  Suzy Root .

"Getting Started" is a topic we like to revisit each year at Ash Street Project, and this September was no exception.  We invited several Portland artists to join us, each bringing their own experience and history to the table.  One underlying theme that emerged was how to deal with the interruptions, innate to studio artists, whether they be due to a move or the back and forth of a supporting job.  Though it is hard to find definitive solutions to some of these issues, a consensus was reached that success is directly proportionate to time in the studio.  It is always valuable to see where these issues intersect between seasoned and emerging artists, and getting started (or maybe restarted) seems to be a universal challenge.  

Thank you all for your inspiration and honesty.  Again we are so grateful to have such a rich community from which to draw.

A Conversation with Muralist Jade Rivera

Just a few weeks ago, Ash Street Project had the good fortune to be part of Portland's city-wide,  Forest For The Trees mural project.  Each summer, this non-profit group brings artists from all over the globe to work on walls throughout our city.  We are so grateful to have been selected to provide the palate for Peruvian painter and muralist, Jade Rivera. 

Jade had a mere 6 days to complete the piece on Ash Street's west wall.  Watching the process was fascinating.  Where many muralists work with spray paint, Jade used a brush for most of his painting, adding a roller only for large areas of color and when he felt pressed for time.  This gave the piece a decidedly different feel than many murals.  

Jade started painting when he was 14, at which time he was drawn to graffiti.  A gifted, prolific, self-taught artist, he has filled notebooks with sketches, drawings and paintings for the past 18 years. The “WORKS” section of his website shows the incredible trajectory that his work has taken in in this time.  He is a great fan of manga/anime, and claims Hayao Miyazaki  his greatest influence.  If you look back to his earlier works, this reference is quite apparent.

Now at 32, Jade paints murals all over the world.  He tries to limit it to five murals a year.  In the US, you can find his work in Miami (Art Basel), New York, New Jersey, L.os Angeles and now in Portland.  Jade has asked that the subject matter of the Ash Street mural be open to the viewer's interpretation.  However, he did share that this is his favorite mural to date.  

Summer Session 2015: Looking Back

As with all carefree, summery things, Summer Session 2015 had to come to an end.  It seemed to fly by, and yet the two weeks were very full, providing enough time for quite a bit to be accomplished.  Our invited six artists fearlessly joined our core studio for two tremendous weeks of making. With no specific outcome required, each visiting artist brought their own approach to the mix.  Time was used to sketch out ideas, create molds, test clay bodies and glazes, collaborate, and expand upon pre-existing bodies of work.

A huge thank you to our six visitors Victoria Christen, Judy Teufel, Dennis Meiners, Brian R Jones, Dylan Beck and Lisa Orr for being open to coming and making together in our studio, and for creating a fantastic debut Summer Session.  And thank you Ash Street Project hosts Ted Vogel, Chris Lyon, Matt Causey, and Brett Binford for creating the welcoming and at times even hilarious backdrop.  And thank YOU, community, for supporting the cup sale and dropping in for daily brown bag lunches!  Year one was a huge success and we look forward to doing it next year. 

In our recap discussion with the artists, it was decided that there would be a follow-up show.  Since it is too soon to process the ways in which this time influenced the artists' work, we tentatively have the exhibit scheduled for February of 2016.  In the mean time, please visit the links section of our website for more on each of these artists.  

Matthew Causey Sets Out For New Territory

The time has come.   Ash Street Project's outrageously animated resident artist, Matt Causey, is preparing to exit and take on the world. It simply will not be the same without him. As many know, Matt came to us as one of our first visiting artists.  Yet, as it often goes,  things shifted for Matt during his time in Portland.  The decision for him to stay on as a long-term Resident was logical.  

When Matt initially came to Portland, he was known for his cleverly illustrated black and white pots and wall boxes.  These gems exude Matt's hilarious and outspoken personality and his copious illustrational talents.  His "Famous Potter Series", as profiled by Garth Clark (click here), are fantastic caricatures of Pete Voulkos, Beatrice Wood, George Ohr and the like.

Similarly, Matt had been making face jugs that riffed on the influences of both his southern upbringing and his love of folk art.  His version of the face jug, had an animated sensibility so uniquely his own.  

But over time, Matt became interested in how he could adopt methods to reproduce work without painstakingly hand-painting each piece.  He felt he had lived that experience, had the base knowledge, and now wanted to work towards production that he might, at some point, simply oversee.  

Over the course of his time at Ash Street, Matt experimented with everything from slip casting and decals to clay bodies and firing temperatures.  Factoring heavily into the experimentation and discussions were honing the options for selling work, from brick and mortar venues to craft shows to on-line sales.  At a small business workshop he attended at ADX, he connected with CrowdSupply, a local crowd sourcing business, and together they visioned his new product line.  His clever new "emojugs" are having their debut "sneak leak" this week at several fun local locations (see Facebook post).  This will also be a chance to wish Matt well, as he heads off next week to North Carolina and France in search of more permanent digs.  You can follow Matt's adventures by following him on Facebook or Instagram, where Emojugs have their own page!  

Summer Session Preview

We are truly excited to be getting ready for our first Summer Session here at Ash Street Project.  The Summer Session was an idea we hatched in an effort to shift the studio environment with the season's inherently different pace and rhythm.  Each summer, we will invite six artists to come join us for a two week period.  This is an open time for them to discuss, create, and share in an exchange with each other, our studio community and the community at large.  This summer, from July 13-24th, we are pleased to be hosting the following six artists.  Please click on each name for a link to their website, and see below for a couple of additional details relating to community participation.  

                                                                  Austin, TX:    Lisa Orr

                                                              Portland, OR: Brian R Jones

                                                        Portland, OR: Dennis Meiners

                                                         Portland, OR:   Victoria Christen

                                                          Portland, OR:   Dylan Beck

                                                          Portland, OR: Judy Teufel

There will be a reception for the artists on Tuesday, July 14, from 6-8pm (and a limited number of cups for sale created by each artists) as well as daily brown bag lunches from noon - 1pm.  Please feel free to come on by and see what we are up to!

Collaborative Residency: Dan Anderson and Jason Sturgill

About a year ago, at the Half Pint Cafe across from the studio, we were introduced to  illustrator Jason Sturgill.  He had seen Matt Causey's work in the shop and was asking Marko (the owner) about it.  As it turned out, he happened to be the son-in-law of ceramic artist Dan Anderson.  In short time, plans were hatched for Jason and Dan to come to Ash Street Project and participate in  a collaborative residency..  

This week was the culmination of this project.  Jason, who has worked for Nike, Laika, Wieden & Kennedy, Dark Horse Comics, and teaches at PSU, brought his illustration/design knowledge to the mix, so as to literally add a new layer to Dan's signature industrial vessels.  This was new terrain for both of them, with Dan typically wood firing his work to create its rich surface history.  At Ash Street, he was undaunted by the limitations of the electric kilns and worked with low-fire, conventional underglazes and glazes.  He will return to sandblast the surfaces, in an effort to try and recreate that history.  Jason both hand painted images and designed decals, with help from local source Ellbergen, as the final layer on top of Dan's work.  

As is typically the case in these short term residencies, time flew!  Dan returned to Illinois today, and Jason is soon headed to London for a comic and illustration festival.  It was so wonderful to witness the collaboration of two different art forms coming together like this.  There is so much to be learned from watching the problem solving process that is unique to collaboration.  We are grateful that Dan is a part-time Portlander, and hope that he (and Jason) will be in and out of Ash Street when time allows.  

Note: Please scroll over names, etc. for links to sites.

Changing Topics Conversation: The Ethics of Selling One's Work

Particpants in "Ethics of Selling" from L to R Front:  Kim Murton (artist), Joanna Bloom (Ash Street Project), Thomas Orr (Ash Street Project), Victoria Christen (artist), Dan Anderson (visiting artist ASP), Second Row L to R: Aldin Huff (artist), Mariel Pitti (Museum of Contemporary Craft), Brett Binford (Eutectic, Mudshark, Portland Growler), Ted Vogel (artist, Lewis & Clark), Chris Lyon (Eutectic, Mudshark, Portland Growler), Jason Sturgill (visiting artist ASP), Mary Lou Zeek (artist, Mary Lou Zeek Gallery), Very Back, L to R:  Careen Stoll (artist), Matt Causey (ASP resident).

May's conversation was well attended, with our base crew, two resident artists (Dan Anderson and Jason Sturgill) and a representation of artists and gallerists from the community.  The discussion helped both artists and gallerists share perspectives on the challenges of their jobs.  We weighed in on the many ways an artist can sell work, from on line shops to virtual galleries to craft shows.  Many attending seemed to favor working with galleries.  We discussed the contractual agreement artists hold with galleries, and how important it is that there is a mutual respect.  As for the conundrum of when work is ready for the market, both sides of this issue were put forth.  Some felt strongly that the artist "has to be out there" rather than "existing in a cocoon", while others voiced that every artist needs a good shard pile, and that "when work is fresh, it's easy to put back in the pug mill".   

Thomas' Work, from Glass to Installation, Part of TravelLing Craft in America Exhibit

Well the dust is finally settling now that hundreds of ceramic tea bowl's have been boxed and crated out of the studio!  Art and Other Tactics: Contemporary Craft by Veteran Artists opens next week at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles.  This exhibit will travel California for the good part of a year.  Here's a brief description in the words of the curator, Emily Zaiden: 

The first major exhibition to explore the powerful role that craft has played as a channel for creativity, expression and transformation in the lives of artist veterans since World War II, Art and Other Tactics: Contemporary Craft by Artist Veterans will convey the contributions of artist veterans and the pathways that craft has taken through their visionary work.  The exhibition will examine the way that military service has impacted the outlook of artists over seven decades and led numerous veterans to pursue creative channels.  Bridging between earlier craft philosophy to current day practices, at its core, Art and Other Tactics will explore how craft is a constructive antidote to the war experience.

Thomas' work will be in good company.  Other artists included are Thomas' mentor Paul Soldner, William Daley, Otto Heino, Peter Voulkos, Phil Cornelius, and Val Cushing. Among these greats are many younger artists that Thomas has had the good fortune to get to know: Jill Allen, Ehren Tool, Giuseppe Pellicano, Drew Cameron, Jessie Albrecht and Daniel Donovan, to name a few.

This exhibit opens at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in L.A. on May 23rd and then travels to the Museum of Craft in Design in San Francisco where there will be a second opening in late September.  Please see the Craft in America website for more details.

 

Combat Paper at Ash Street

Last week Drew Cameron came to town to bring his Combat Paper project to PNCA and Oregon College of Art and Craft.  Combat Paper workshop participants, with the help of Drew and an ancient Holland beater, pulped into paper a variety of materials (often uniforms) that connote the spirit of a loved one.  We were fortunate to have several days with Drew and the crew at Ash Street Project.  Our stop was a low-key respite at the end of this series of public events.  Drew was interested in using our time together to experiment with sculpting pulp into clay forms.  We were game and the results were promising. 

To culminate the paper making events, an exhibit was held at the Ash Street Project gallery space.  Drew, Jessie Albrecht, Mark Pinto (Coming Home Project), Aaron Hughes (Warrior Writers), Giuseppe Pelicano and a host of other veteran activists, held the space for the evening as they shared readings and discussion with the community.  Thank you Giuseppe, for many of the images.

Update on the Tom Beardman Scholarship

It has been well over a year since we launched the scholarship in honor of our late studio partner Tom Beardman (see earlier blog post).  The nearly $2000 raised over this period was generated through t shirt sales, sales of work, and several generous individual contributions.  

The Ash Street Project T shirt program has been a great success.  From the Maldives to Sayulita, Santa Monica to Santa Fe, we have loved receiving your t shirt pictures!  Keep them coming!  We will be rolling out the 2015/16 T shirt (mystery) color on May Day.  Thank you all for spreading the word and being so supportive.  

This year's first round of scholarship money has been designated to offset tuition for program participants.  All of our incoming 2015/16 mentees will be working part-time while completing the program, and the need for assistance is strong.  We continue to measure how the money is best spent, as well as investigate non-profit status and other ways to help support our donors.  THANK YOU DONORS!

Ash Street Profile: John Shea Headed to University Wisconsin Madison Grad School

John Shea was a special student at Ash Street Project this year.  He had studied with Thomas at OCAC, and went on to work for Bullseye Glass and Mudshark Studios.  During this time, he had his sights set on going back for an MFA, and came to us for time and space to create a new body of work and put together a portfolio to apply to graduate programs.  John was accepted to his first choice school, University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he will study with Paul Sacaridiz and Gerit Grimm.  We took a moment to talk with John about his time at Ash Street.  Here's some insights he shared into his process and why he chose to work with us:

"I came to Ash Street because I needed to improve my portfolio.  I needed a space outside my own studio that had a lot of conversation happening, that would let me interact with other artists, ensuring high quality work.  I wanted to take advantage of the exhibition space, which provided a goal with a concrete end date, allowing me to show what I was working on at that time...and get feedback on it.  The experience was all good.  The lunch talks, the evening conversations on Thursdays were really nice. "

What's next for John?

"Three years of just working, which will allow me to explore some ideas Thomas and I talked about and not have to work (at a job).....working with an expanded field of Professors again.... I would love to teach.  I am pushing myself towards a place where I can apply for teaching positions."

Congratulations John!  We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you!

Ash Street Project's First Mentee, Aldin Huff, Prepares to Exit

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Aldin bravely jumped on board as our first mentee at the Ash Street Project.  It has been a fantastic experience for all of us, watching Aldin's work grow while we simultaneously grew as a program.  He will always be a part of us and it will be hard to see him go. 

Aldin came to us shortly after our doors had opened.  He was confident that the mentorship program was the right fit for him and that this alternative model was the way he needed to learn.  In hindsight, we think he was spot on.  His interests in the program were diverse, driven by a desire to pursue connections with professional artists.  He explored an interest in curation in the exhibit "Purple", which he took from concept to execution.  He assisted artist Ryan Labar in the installation and break down of two large ceramic shows in the Pearl District.  He did some teaching at Ash Street and traveled to Joseph, OR to help a group of international artists, visiting the LH Project, with a week-long woodfire.

  We asked Aldin if he would reflect back a bit on his experience, and share just a few thoughts.

"I always wanted to work with my hands.  At a young age, I loved making swords, etc.  This was my motivator through school.  But art school (felt like it wouldn't be) the way I was going to succeed.  I (decided to seek out) other teachers I trusted that were participating in the art world and directly pursue (work) that way".

Aldin's situation was somewhat unique in that he came to us having done some glass work, and as it turned out, decided to use his time at Ash Street to continue with this medium.  His work grew from tiny glass rings to intricate 3d guns and life-size motorcycles.

"I wanted to figure out that technique (torching stringer).  I saw drawbacks with clay.  Stringer was more practical than glass, less equipment and expense.  Ultimately, Ash Street Project gave me the freedom to come into myself, (to discover) what kind of artist I was, and what kind of artist I wanted to be". 

We are in awe of the growth we have witnessed in Aldin's work.  Aldin's desire, at this time, is to do some traveling, expand his horizons, and set up a studio in Bellingham, Washington. 

Reflections on our First Year

2014 was a very exciting year for us at Ash Street Project.  In some ways we found that the project drove itself, morphing organically and helping us to see what it was people were looking for and how we could adapt to provide that.  In January, we were still building out the space while welcoming our first participants.  Fortunately they proved to be not only resilient, but helpful in taking up slack where we needed the help. We will always be a work in progress!

A wonderful group formed organically, encompassing artists from diverse backgrounds and experiences.   Along with our mentee Aldin Huff, visiting artist Matt Causey ended up staying on as a resident for the year, Brett Binford and Chris Lyon joined us from Mudshark Studios, and John Shea and Ted Vogel spent extended periods of time at Ash Street working out new ideas. This all was peppered with visiting artists and community night class members.  It was wonderful to see all these threads woven together.  Lunchtime organically grew into a daily brown bag event, often including members of the community who would pop in to visit or discuss issues.  Our third Thursday evening "Conversations" provided us with an opportunity to spread our wings and meet with artists from many disciplines throughout the community.  

This inaugural year has truly been better than we could have imagined.  Now, with our first mentee officially finished, we look ahead to our Summer Invitational Session (more on that soon) followed by a new group of mentees come September.  

Thank you to each and every one of you who helped support Ash Street during our first year!  

Changing Topics Conversation: From Individual to Industry

February's conversation involved an inspiring sample of artists/designers/entrepreneurs from Portland's growing community of production ceramists. Ash Street Project artists had the opportunity to gather insight and share thoughts on the topic of industry and production with ceramists and designers whose work runs the gamut from wheel thrown, one-of-a-kind pieces to full scale production lines. Though time flew and we left with many unanswered questions, we also left with much to ponder.  Thank you to all of our guests for carving out this time for us! 

Changing Topics Conversation: Mentorship

At Ash Street Project we continue to host our "conversation" series, a monthly dinner where we invite a handful of artists and educators from the community to share in a meal and discussion on a chosen topic.  In an effort to reflect back on our inaugural year, we kicked off January with the topic of mentorship.  Many good ideas were brought to the table, with a focus on the need for community connection and scholarship.  More on these developments soon. Thank you to all who participated!  

All participants are artists, affiliations follow.....PIctured L>R: (front row) Daniel DuFord (educator PNCA), Ted Vogel ( educator Lewis & Clark), Brett Binford (Mudshark Studios, Eutectic Gallery, Portland Growler Co.), Thomas Orr (Ash Street Project), John Shea (UW Madison grad student), (back row) Jordan Pieper (OCAC thesis student), Joanna Bloom (Ash Street Project), Brian Jones (artist, Jonescast), Matthew Causey (Ash Street Project Resident), Sarah Coderre (PNCA student), Aldin Huff (Ash Street Project mentee), Chris Lyon (Mudshark, Portland Growler).  

Get on the Bus! Forbidden Fruit Tour

Forbidden Fruit tour at the Chihuly Boathouse

Bus Tour Stop at Ash Street Project

Patti Warashina's Studio

Ash Street Tour

Private Tour SAM Porcelain Room

Lino Tagliapietra at the Tacoma Glass Museum

Chihuly Boathouse

Tour Stop Ash Street Project

Chihuly Lap Pool at Boathouse

This past October, we had the good fortune to have the first annual Ash Street Project show open amongst a wealth of fantastic ceramic events in the greater Portland area.  At the center of it all was the Portland Art Museum's opening of "Forbidden Fruit", an exhibit of Chris Antemann's work from the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory in Germany.  Running concurrently with this event, Chris and her partner Jakob Haslacher, of the LH Project, hosted two dynamic exhibits in the Pearl:  "Nutured by Nature" and "Art out of War",  works by two different groups of their resident artists.  At the same time, Brett Binford of Eutectic Gallery, mounted an exhibit of the works of LH board members, entitled  "2x4".  Following this, Chris and Jakob generously hosted a tour for artists and collectors, to visit studios, collections and galleries in Portland, Tacoma and Seattle.  The Ash Street Project was grateful to be a part of these events!

Night Class

Over the years, we have periodically offered community classes at Ash Street Project, mostly by request.  They are social affairs as much as they are about making, and valued as such.  Our recent night class, " Handbuilt Tableware ", was proposed by a group of friends who wanted a weekly creative escape.  They are now finishing up " Handbuilding 2, the Sequel ", and have given as much to us as we have to them!  This experience has prompted us to rethink how community classes could potentially add a rich layer to the Ash Street Project, providing additional opportunities for our mentees to build experience and connection.

Thomas Awarded Emeritus Status

Though this is a year and a half overdue, we feel it important to share that back in May of 2013, Thomas was awarded the honor of Professor Emeritus from Oregon College of Art and Craft.  This news came as a great surprise, as the college has never bestowed this honor on a faculty member before!  Needless to say, we were and still are thrilled.  This is further proof of Thomas' gift as a teacher and mentor, and it helps provide encouragement for him to continue on this path as an artist and (somewhat) retired educator.  Much gratitude to the faculty and administration of OCAC for acknowledging Thomas' efforts and skills.

ASP: The First Year

In October Ash Street Project mounted an exhibit of our inaugural year.  It involved the work all who participated in our program in 2014.  It was a lively event, overlapping with several fantastic ceramic shows in town.  More on that in another post.  

Our first year show included the work of mentee Aldin Huff, visiting artists Jennifer Anable, Miles Spadone, Cathy Bloom and Amanda Salov, resident artist Matthew Causey, and participants Brett Binford, Chris Lyon and John Shea. 

Visiting Artist: Miles Spadone

Ash Street Project is thrilled to have Miles Spadone arriving at the end of this week!  

Miles is an artist and designer who lives and works in Portland Maine. He holds a BFA in ceramics from Maine College of Art, and was recently honored as an emerging artist by Ceramics Monthly Magazine.   His work blends the study of materials, the process of prototyping, and the utilization of production techniques to create objects of beauty and function. Miles works primarily in clay and gypsum, but relies heavily on wood-working techniques to explore preliminary ideas and concepts. Prior to Maine, he studied at Montana State University and Oregon College of Art and Craft. 

Please stop in for our First Friday reception to meet both Miles and Cathy and see their work, as well as the work of 9 other ASP artists on display.  Details to follow.