This is my small (about 4" across) version of a mud dauber nest, 3 separate chunks. Susan figured out the way for me to make it: rolled newspaper tubes coated with slip. It's been bisque fired but is very fragile. I need to make more chuncks and then figure out a way to put some underglaze on them and fasten them together. Mud daubers like to make their nests up high under eaves but I plan on gluing mine up in a high corner of the living room.
I'd get a lot more done if Susan didn't keep giving me ideas of things to make in sculpture class. She found a picture of some hexagons in a magazine, they were stacked up sort of like this with things inside each one. The sides on each of these are about 5" long and I have no idea what that means the total size is. I lost attention when the discussion involved things like 30 degree angles and measuring 120 degrees. Jason, our sculpture lab assistant, helped me set up the chop saw and I went on a hexagon binge. Right now I have about 25 made and will be arranging them in different patterns for my sculpture class final project.
This little Sweater Child give-away went to the parking lot of the Contemporary Craft Museum in Houston.
Before:
After: (I love the graffiti)
Please know that the Give-Away of the little Sweater Children (or any other art) does NOT mean abandonment. It just means they are going to a new place. Maybe someone will adopt them and take them home. Maybe someone will just leave them there. Maybe they won't be noticed. Maybe they'll be thrown away. Whatever. You can't make art and then keep an emotional leash on everything you do -- you have to take a chance and put it out in the world, either with your name on it or not. Let go of some of your art and there will always be room to make more.
4 comments:
Love your wasp nest and the ingenious way you made it.
The sweater children giveaway is brilliant.
Thank you for telling that story. I had forgotten about it.
I'm back.
I'm afraid of wasps.
However, I love this mud dauber piece. I really want to put it up in the corner of my living room.
We already have something that looks like it in the garage and I'm completely freaked out about it.
Happy weekend!
I love your Dirt Dauber nest! Really ingenious how it is made. I live in Texas too and enjoy looking at the different types of nest each type of dauber makes, some dauber tubes are one long single brown tube while some are multiple columns like an apartment building or single family dwelling.
Your sweater children giveaway was wonderful and really spoke to me about letting go to receive more.
Thanks for the talk about your trip to Tucson, I love it there. I was amazed by all the cattle crossing signs everywhere and few fences. Similar to the deer crossing signs here in Texas.
I would love to go to New York City someday, even more so now.
I love your art and commentary.
Post a Comment