Penland People – Page 15 – The Penland Sketchbook

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Penland

Bonded by a Bronco

Students Anna Burke and Krisin Grandy with Kristin's Ford Bronco — Anna Burke (left) and Kristin Grandy (right) with Kristin’s Ford Bronco.

Kristin Grandy, who was a student in the third session clay workshop taught by Linda Christianson, is a high school ceramics teacher in Neptune Beach, Florida. In addition to the usual pottery and sculpture, she likes to familiarize her students about other careers that use clay skills. One of these is industrial modeling, including automotive clay sculpting.

Kristin is also the owner of a beautiful, blue-gray, 2020 Ford Bronco.

Anna Burke was a student in David Wolske’s third session letterpress workshop. She has a BFA in ceramics and graphic design from Alfred University in New York. Since graduating in 2017, she has worked as an automotive clay sculptor at Ford in Detroit. The two women met during the session and discovered they had this shared interest in industrial modeling. It also turned out that on Anna’s first day as an intern at Ford she was put to work shaping the full-size clay model of the exact Bronco that Kristin drives.

That should be a good story for the kids.

If you are not familiar with automotive clay sculpting, here’s a nice video introduction. They work with an oil-based plasticine and move from scale to full-size models, which are then laser scanned.

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Penland

Photo of the Week: Apparently Imin Was Here

During our first summer session, sculptor and paper wizard Imin Yeh taught a beautiful workshop on designing and building forms from sheets of paper, with an emphasis on representing familiar objects. During her stay at Penland, Imin quietly placed several of her astonishing trompe l’oeil pieces in places where only a few people were likely to notice them.

This phone jack, outlet, and charger were on a wall in the paper studio, and were hard to spot even when looking for them. Yes, these are made entirely from cut and folded paper. The little balls above and below each piece are the heads of the push pins that are holding them in place. These pieces are part of an ongoing series called “Paper Power.”

We don’t know if anyone tried to plug anything into them.

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Penland

Announcing New Resident Artists for 2021

It’s hard to believe that we’re here again already, but it’s time to announce the wonderful artists who will be joining the Penland Resident Artist Program this fall. Daniel Garver, Sean O’Connell, and Sarah Vaughan will arrive in October to begin their residencies at The Barns studios. They will join current residents Adam Atkinson, Julia Harrison, Everett Hoffman, Ellie Richards, and Adam Whitney, all of whom began in 2020.

Penland’s resident artists are full-time artists who spend three years living and exploring their studio work as part of our school’s community. Many use this time to explore new ideas and directions, undertake ambitious projects, or develop new bodies of work.

We are thrilled to welcome Daniel, Sean, and Sarah, and we look forward to watching their progress over the next three years!

Daniel Garver
“I approach my casting process with the notion that each piece is unique and stands as a canvas into which I can apply casting slip with a variety of methods from incising, painting, or inlaying colors and designs. In addition to ceramics, I maintain a dedicated drawing practice that stands alone in finished pieces, but also plays a vital role when designing my ceramics.”

Sean O’Connell
“One of my most sincere beliefs is that ‘Making is Thinking’, in other words, the act of learning is not strictly a function of the mind acting independently, but instead responding to what our body is experiencing. I have an immense appreciation and feeling of gratitude for the skills I’ve learned and can express through my hands.”

Sarah Vaughn
“I have devoted myself to learning techniques to manipulate the remarkable material of glass—but I truly found my voice through casting and cold forming processes…I [create] sculptures that balance technique and concept, subtly pausing to reveal unexpected moments and visualizing the precarious balance of life.”

—————————-

A huge thank you to our 2021 review panelists who generously offered their collective expertise and insight to rich discussions and difficult decisions.

Susie Ganch, head of metals in the Department of Craft and Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond); metalsmith/sculptor; former Penland resident artist.

Ché Rhodes, head of studio glass at University of Louisville, (KY); glass artist; Penland trustee

Abraham Thomas, Daniel Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC); Penland trustee.

Sarah Turner, president of North Bennet Street School (Boston); educator/craft artist/designer.