We are officially halfway through the Spring 2010 Concentration at Penland School of Crafts and I have much to share!

First I was excited that Tom Bartel came out to visit for Cristina Cordova's workshop focusing on the human figure. Having been Tom's student at Western Kentucky University I was glad to have him here and to catch up. Shortly before his arrival we discussed doing a short newsprint transfers/screen printing demo together. Having worked alongside a mentor was an incredible moment and I hope that it happens again.

After Bartel left I had another date with Cordova's class on more techniques involving newsprint transfers and mono-prints for clay surfaces. Cristina had asked me in the fall to be a visiting artist for her class to demo transfer techniques that would be accessible for her students. What a great time! Her students are incredible and cranking out large amounts of work! I am very grateful to have had that opportunity as it prepares me for my first invite to a college to be a visiting artist for the day. THANK YOU clay students of Western Piedmont Community College, I am looking forward to the trip!

For those of you who know clay probably know about NCECA. For those of you who don't its an incredible conference held annually in different U.S. cities focusing on the education of ceramic arts (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts). This year the conference was located in the charming city Philadelphia.
Galleries are filled with amazing work and the event brings in over 6,000 attendees. I was fortunate to represent Penland and speak about the school and the Core Fellowship program with many individuals. Reconnecting with friends, mentors, and meeting new amazing people is always the highlight for me. The most important feat was to approach graduate programs and residencies and to become educated on post Penland opportunities.

Back to craft camp. The new core students are incredible! Again I am so privileged to be living with amazing individuals. Their talents and personalities shine and are wonderful to be around. Speaking of core students, the spring and fall we have what we call "Core Seminar", a series of meetings in the spring and fall when core students meet with local artists discussing a particular subjects. Last spring, 2009, Devin Burgess met with us and discussed Marketing and Gallery Relationships, Sarah Martin in the fall focused on "context", and currently Amy Tavern has us thinking about "process". The instruction from these artists are very beneficial and so insightful! These occasions cause for us to step back from our work and to understand ourselves as artists/individuals plus mix in professional development.

Its hard to believe that in the mix of all this I am actually in a workshop myself. I'm currently in Tom Spleth's Plaster Mold Making class and challenging myself on making multiple piece molds and some new production techniques. I have ideas for new cups relative to my "Bro-Ches" and "Bourbon and Boy" cups. I'll admit I'm pretty excited about them. I would also like to add that Tom Spleth is an absolute genius and I have developed a small man crush on him. He knows.

Summer is around the corner and I am already prepping for the summer parties. Thats part of my core fellow responsibilities. But first may we get excited about the 2010 Penland Poly prom!!! I'm thinking utopian disco world of tight clothes and vapid happiness very much like the films "Roller Boogie" and "Xanadu". If you're in the area your welcome to partake :)

There's of course more I would like to share, but I must have my limits. Currently I am practicing balance and boundaries and have forced myself to take breaks, to step outside of myself, and to enjoy being at penland and not always be in the studio. I'll tell you how that goes later.

Happy Spring!

It's that time where I have been saying "good bye's" to outgoing Core Students. Wes Stitt left shortly after New Years and today I had to say goodbye to Beth Schaible. I can't tell you all how incredible these two people are and how much more life becomes special knowing them. Today I drove home to Louisville, KY to take time away from the mountain and to see friends and family before Spring Concentration begins. When I return to Penland Marianne Dages and Tina Boy will be departing shortly after. It's going to be interesting saying a final "so long" to my first year as a core student and to turn around and say hello again to a place that I have been at for a year already. Although stuff will remain the same there are many things in store that will be new like responsibilities, students, and memories. If any of you incoming core students stumble upon reading this then I hope you are ready for what will be one of the most incredible times of your life. I would like to welcome the 5 new core students Amanda Thatch, Dan Beck, Ele Annand, Rosina Saqib, and Ian Henderson. We all look forward to your arrival :)

Personal time in the studio is almost at an end. I have been cranking out as much work as I can for shows and coffee mugs for the 2010 Penland Benefit Auction. Speaking of the Auction, if you are interested in coming and can't partake in the events then please volunteer!!! Its a blast and if your interested please contact Penland at auction@penland.org.

In addition to the upcoming eight week concentration with Tom Spleth I can't wait for the summer. My classes this summer consist of art quilt making, printmaking, drawing, mixed media and a highly anticipated workshop called "Print and Clay Buffet" taught by artists Paul Andrew Wandless and Kathy King.

One last thing... I am really tired of snow.

More to come soon...

As of now three shows are coming up!

"Pretty Personal"
February 5th-March 1st, 2010
Carbondale Clay Center located in Carbondale, Colorado

"Containment"
April 1st-June 30th, 2010
Crimson Laurel Gallery located in Bakersville, North Carolina

"Ceramic Sweets and Small Works by Jason Bige Burnett"
July 1st-August 31st, 2010
Crimson Laurel Gallery located in Bakersville, North Carolina

Tonight is the last night of 2009! Another year is complete and DONE!

I have no New Year's Resolutions, BUT I do have a lot going on next year that I am looking forward to. Shall be an exciting year!

Currently I am assisting Jerilyn Virden in her studio and creating new work. The forms, surfaces, images, etc are things that I have played with separately, but now I have the winter time to explore in the studio.
Plus, I will be starting to make Penland School of Crafts Auction benefit coffee mugs for their "Breakfast at The Barnes". This is a morning event during the auction where attendees pick out a mug, have some goodies, and enjoy the Penland Resident Studios. Planning has started for this years Benefit Auction Volunteer t-shirts. They will be silk screened in house this year by myself and several other volunteers. On top of that I've been asked to make work for an online solo show at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC. For the months of July and August, 2010. Whew...

Upcoming for Spring 2010 is Tom Spleth's workshop. Eight weeks of slip-casting madness!! Wanna now what slip casting is? Here's a video to ease your curious mind: Slip Casting Video.

Penland has posted their summer workshop instructors online here.

Be safe and Happy New Year!

Nothing like listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio after Thanksgiving. I can't stand most of the Christmas music I hear on the radio and at every retail store you step into or walk by, but this I can listen to.

Winter at Penland... so nice :) Now that the season has ended at Penland I am taking the time to be in the studio and rediscover many of the ideas thought about during my 2009 workshop experience. Click here for a sneak peek of new work!

I am looking forward to getting back in the studio to continue working on new plates for an exhibition at Carbondale Clay Center in Carbondale, Colorado in February, and to begin working with Susan Feagin on 500 mugs that must be made for Penland School of Craft's Benefit Auction in 2010. It will be great to back to the mountain after spending time with friends and family during this time off. I was very fortunate to have been able to make a trip out to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to explore the ceramics graduate program while home. Thank you SIUC Art Dept. for the hospitality and insight!

So for the next news... As core students we come in as groups and rotate. This year five core students will be departing as five more come in. I will have to say that it will be very hard not to have them in the house and working close with them as I have this past year. Many of us will miss them dearly and know that Joshua, Marianne, Wes, Beth, and Tina will all move onto more wonderful things. Those who have had the chance to get to know these individuals know how amazing these people are. It has been a true pleasure to have lived and worked with all of them.

Five new core will be moving in late February, and I know that all of us at the school are excited to meet you all. See you all soon :)

Enjoy the holidays!

Experiencing my first Fall here in the Blue Ridge Mountains has been quite the experience. The landscape and all its glorious colors, the smell of the woodfire kiln from the pottery class, the crisp chilly breeze, and everyone bundling up in layers of clothes is very warming.

I had my first Core Show last weekend, October 9th, and what an event! Months and weeks it took for preparation among the Core Fellows and many tireless staff for a weekend event. The show took place at Penland School of Craft's Gorelick Social Hall and what a site to see. 9 students who work in a variety of materials/media came together and showed what was one of the most diverse, but most coherent shows I have witnessed thus far. Works included mixed media sculpture, prints, books, glass, photography, jewelry, installations, video, and much more. Influence within the group was clearly visible and the show highly reflected on the current Core Students. It lasted less than two days, but ask anyone who saw it they too will tell you what a wonderful show. The weekend also welcomed friends, family, and mentors who we all were able to reunite with. I would like to thank the crits who came out and shared their time with us. Kristina, Rachel, David, Sarah, Bryan, Eileen, Andrew, Amy, and Sue thank you for your insight, support, and sincere generosity that you provided over the weekend. Hope to see everyone out here for Core Show 2010!

As I probably have mentioned in a previous news entry I am taking Jerilyn Virden's workshop on sculptural clay vessels. I've been continuing an exploration and play with transfered screen printed images and decals on my ceramics, hoping to create some sort of relationship between my interests in modern domestic satire, mixed with inspired illustrations from the 50's & 60's. The goal for this class is to study form for these surfaces and to create a balance between the two.
While on the subject of Virden’s class I would like to give a shout out to the two studio assistants. These two ladies are incredible, talented, and hardworking. Thank you both so much Roberta and Courtney!!!
Next weekend is Halloween and almost finished with the event poster! Stay tuned and a lot of new images will be posted from work over the summer!

Oh, and if your just surfing the web check out a favorite site of mine that has a lot of great cupcake/baked goods stuff, Johnny Cupcakes.

Laterz…

The "Bro-Ches" that I made during Elizabeth Turrell's enameling workshop are currently located in the UK at Studio Fusion Gallery on display as part of their annual 'Rising Stars' exhibition.

Studio Fusion is the first applied art gallery in the UK specialising in a contemporary approach to enamel. The exhibition runs from August 13th to September 19th, 2009.

"It must be rough being a core student with all these people coming and going throughout the summer?"

Yes, it is.

Today was the end of my last session for summer 2009. I said my goodbyes to new friends and old, was hesitant on the goodbye hugs, and although I am ready for the fall it is still going to be a bitter sweet goodbye to summer. There is still one more session (7th) till the summer is officially over.

I am excited about my work exploring absence, presence, weight, and longing as well as process and production in regards to conceptual thought. Hopefully images will be posted soon for you to see. To think that this resulted from a letterpress class. I am interested to see if this transfers over to ceramics. Speaking of which as of now I will be in Jerilyn Virden's Fall Concentration focusing on techniques to explore pottery forms as utilitarian and sculptural objects.

The beginning stages for planning our 2009 Core Show have started. If you're in the area October 9th-11th than PLEASE come! I am so honored to be here and to share this experience with my fellow Core that this show will be a very special time.

Thats it for now!

OH! and a shout out to Lola Brooks for a helping make 6th session one to remember, and to Tom Bartel whose about to begin his first semester as a professor at Ohio University.

So much excitement!!!
Its halfway through the 2009 6th Session at Penland, and many great things have been happening here that I wanted to write about.

First I wanna link it up! I would like to share these sites and people with you:

Katherine McCanless Ruffin is teaching the letterpress class. This has been my first formal introduction to Letterpress and it has been an incredible experience using the Vandercook Proof Press #4. The second night of class I was stuck on some ideas and Katherine helped me by suggesting some techniques like Blind Debossing. I wanted to focus on a presence of void. As a core student many students and friends come in and out non stop during the summer, and so I started to think about a lot of people from high school, summer camp, college, so on and so on. Although these people are not around me everyday I still have strong memories of them and wonder..."When will I see you again?"

So here's some links to other letterpress/print stuff:
Boxcar Press
Drive By Press
Cricket Press
Hatch Show Print
Yee-Haw Industries
enjoy!

Michael Lease, whom I mentioned in the previous write-up, sent me some awesome information on an artist I wish I had known about sooner. With current interests and scenarios it makes sense to discover and admire his work now. The artwork of Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Marianne Dages, my fellow core student, has been making some super sweet books. She's extremely talented, her craftsmanship is astounding, and I think You should check out her new work.

The Penland School of Crafts Benefit Auction was very intense. I met many people whose work I have admired, reunited with friends and family, and experienced my first Core Open House. The summer is coming to an end in a couple weeks. The break will be long overdue, but bitter sweet too as I will be saying good bye to my first summer.

There is so much more to say, but i will wait till the next posting.

Session 5, 2009 at Penland School of Crafts is COMPLETE! Whew, long and exhausting, but intense and extremely well worth it.

I took Bonnie O'Connel's "Perf, Cut, Score, Fold" In which we used the Vandercook Proof Press to do all the previously mentioned. I haven't had much training or use of the Vandercook Press, but my next class (and last for this summer) will be an intro into Letterpress. I continued screenprinting cards and pop-ups, and keeping a mind set on production processes. I didn't get my hands as dirty as I would have liked, but what I have walked away with is a big deal. I CAN NOT wait for Fall Concentration!!!

Met this really rad girl who sat next to me in class! Nutmeg Press
...

Meanwhile I met two other amazing people who were there to teach and assist the photography class. Alyssa Salomon and Michael Lease. The work their students created from the class was phenomenal, and to have met and talk to them made for a very enriching experience. Thank you both.

Onto The Penland School of Crafts Annual Benefit Auction. Need to finish preparing for the Core Student Open House this Saturday. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces and to be with my fellow core.

Till next time.

These past two weeks (July 5th-17th) have been eye opening in regards to new interests. I always thought pop-up books & cards were neat, but after Shawn Sheehy's "Language of Pop-Ups" I am much more fond of the craft behind this art form.

I enjoyed the workshop and the direction the work went that I decided tosign up for Bonnie O'Connell's Perf, Cut, Score, Fold. This workshop explores inventive means of incorporating scored, perforated, and die-cut components into edition prints or books to enable pop-ups, fold-outs, shaped pages, or detachable parts. I will also study both commercial and fine art examples and then develop individual projects that combine printing with the interactive, expressive, and sculptural possibilities of paper-engineering techniques. Sounds cool, right? Now I won't have to cut every individual object out with an X-acto knife.

I hope to soon have the work I made in Shawn's class online, but until then enjoy the cups I finished from Ayumi Horie's class.

My break off from a workshop has finished! So much I wanted to do, and there was not enough time at all to do it. Its alright though I had a visit from mom and took a trip into Asheville, NC to stroll through the town with my fellow core, Wes. Stopped into a book store called Malaprops and discovered a lot of great books in the arts/crafts section. Urban Paper was the purchase of choice for the upcoming workshop with Shawn Sheehy. The workshop is about making Pop-Up books and although Urban Paper isn't about Pop-Ups I was still extremely inspired by the graphics and construction in the book.

I then started to think about Cardboard. Here at Penland we have a bunch of cardboard from the supply store and the dining hall. I would love to be resourceful and use these for some sculptural pieces. A friend of mine Matt Barnes has created a lot of pieces out of Cardboard that are pretty much BAD-ASS. Visit his blog if you'd like. He doesn't have those pieces on the blog, but no reason why you can't take a look at his stuff!

Soooooo..... time for a new workshop, new materials, and new explorations. I will say that I am very excited to take this class. Onward to Session 4, 2009.

Second Session is now complete, and third session students are beginning to arrive. Luckily I am off this session to digest all the information and influences that have flooded my mind this past month.

The class I attended was Ayumi Horie's "Make Good Work and Get it Out There". It was a mixture of creating our own work, blended with Ayumi's Demo's, and several spoonfuls of slides and networking know-hows. Pretty rad class!

Prior to class was an eventful day of cleaning and preparing the campus with work-study students. On my cleaning crew was Tim Maddox, a student on scholarship for the Wood Studio. Getting to know Maddox throughout the session was one of the many perks of session 2. We had collaborated for Penland's Scholarship Auction which was a hand made wooden crate made by Tim. I then painted and screen printed graphics on the ends. The Baker here made Cupcakes to put inside that were cakes in the shape of cups. GREAT STUFF! Sooooo...... Now I am extremely interested in taking some wood classes. I am thinking about the Wooden Screens workshop in Spring of 2010. I like the idea of large graphic Screens and mixed media. Hmmmmm..... something to think about.

Also be sure to check these artists:
Arthur Halvorsen: Very talented guy whose work is very beautiful. Take a look!
Ryan Kelly: Discovered this guys work through Ayumi's studio assistant. Really like this guys stuff!!!
Sarah Martin: Resident Artist here at Penland whose work I constantly look at and find influential.

P.S.
Marianne Dages and I have been creating posters together to pump up the 2009 Penland Dances. Here is Session 2's Andy Warhol Factory Party posters here.

Just finished my first summer workshop of the summer and four more to go. I had the opportunity to study under our Penland Core Fellow Director, Leslie Noell, and she taught the class "Musings, Matter, & Cross-Pollination". It was a continuation of graphic imagery for me that I can incorporate into objects similar to that made during Spring Concentration. We worked with traditional and alternative materials and found the most direct path from idea to form. Keeping a scale below 12 inches we created sketches, models, objects, sculpture, and relief imagery. I was able to discover a balance between image and object and discuss how materials and methods of making convey content. I can not wait to see how this carries over into Ayumi Horie's class during session 2.

Also, the studio assistant for Leslie's class, Celia Gray, has some very beautiful work. Please click here to see it for your self.

Tonight as I was sitting with a great friend explaining my roommates here at Penland School of Crafts and how lucky i feel to have them as roommates, coworkers, and friends. Each has a different personality, a fresh approach to their diverse mediums, and an absolute pleasure to live with. I would like to share with you all these individuals who are a huge influence in my life right now.

Joshua Kuensting
Marianne Dages
Wes Stitt
Beth Schaible
Christina Boy
Leah Frost
Jessica Heikes
Mark Warren

I was extremely surprised when I received messages from friends in Louisville about a write up of my work in our local magazine, Leo. Being away at Penland it was nice news to hear about especially coming from home. Thanks everyone again for the support!

Check it out here!

If you are around Louisville May 16th come check out my BFA Thesis Show!!!
Check out the article written in Louisville's Courier Journal here.

When:
May 16th, 2009
Opening Reception from 1pm - 4pm
End date June 13th, 2009

Where:
Gallery Hertz
1253 S. Preston St., Louisville, KY, 40201

Any Questions Contact:
Gallery Hertz
502.635.3727

An incredible time for my first concentration here at Penland. I was in Elizabeth Turrell's enameling class. I have not had experience in enameling or metal work before so the 8 weeks were nice to explore something new. The class was made up of students with a variety of knowledge and experience of the materials so we all learned form each other too.

Meanwhile I have been finishing up classes at Western Kentucky University. For one of my classes I had to create installations this spring (check out my Pink Apron Day photos). Other installations involved cupcake decorating to pursue an interest in peoples interaction and connotations with cupcakes.

One thing that I am very happy to have learned is to balance priorities. With three jobs out here, finishing college, and creating work in the studios it can be quite demanding. If it wasn't for the amazing support and advice of several people out here I don't see how it could have been accomplished.

Looking forward to the summer, seeing friends who come to take classes, the discoveries made in studios, and meeting many new incredible people.

If your interested check out these "BRO-ches" I made from the enameling workshop. Thanks Amy Tavern!

While assisting Israel Davis at IUS I gave a demo on a "print on clay" technique. Brian Harper recorded the video for his students at Indiana University Southeast.

Check It Out!

Lark Books just recently published their 500 Ceramic Sculptures and you can find "Cherry Topper" on page 17!