Bridge Pier/End of Week 4

At the half-way mark of our eight-week project we are beginning to see the results of all our hard work. "Lenny" is finished and we have started "Lloyd", the second of the three high-relief lizards.

We had quite a few visitors this week: Patty Machelor for the Arizona Daily Star (thanks for writing a great article Patty), photographer James Wood, Lorraine Hernandez, Bob Peterson, Professor Aurore Chabot and friend.

Much gratitude goes to Professor Chabot who is generously allowing us to use her kiln, which can accommodate 100 tiles at a time!!! Rebecca bought a 50-foot roll of foam to cushion the transport of the green-ware tiles across town. Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

Renowned ceramicist Angelica Pozo has provided us with lots of good information for mounting the lizards. Special thanks also goes to Kristine Stoner and Susan Gambel from Santa Theresa Tile Works!















Rebecca beginning work on "Lloyd".

Caitlin and Rikki rolling slabs.

















Tile meister Emily.

Public Art Bridge Pier/end of Week 3

We accomplished a lot this week. Almost 230 of the 380 tiles are done. Elements in the kiln were finally replaced for 208 voltage. I did a test of glazes today. To expedite firing we are using a one-fire process at cone 5. We are only glazing the recessed part of the tiles so I am also running an experiment to see if we can stack the tiles in the kiln. My concern is if there will be enough oxygen circulating. So I am looking forward to opening the kiln tomorrow morning.

Detail of first lizard's head.














Lizard body in progress.












Tiles drying.










Rebecca and Rikki hard at work on "Lenny".

Lizard Wall-Week 2

We are moving along quickly. Councilwoman Carol West, her assistant Lorraine Hernandez, TPAC liason Mary Ellen Wooten and Tucson DOT Bob Peterson came Monday to approve the final design. Bob took lots of pictures and was very impressed with the design. Everyone thought it was an ambitious undertaking.


We have lost two of our student workers since we began, but I anticipated that. We do have five incredible young women working with us who show up early and leave late!















After working on small high relief lizards it was time to start the tiles for the background. Each person is averaging six a day so we are on schedule. We will begin the large lizards next week. I plan on having Rikki work with Rebecca on the lizards while the rest of us roll slabs of clay and create the tiles. I am letting the tiles dry very slowly.

















I am continuing to paint the small paintings from life I began earlier. What a wonderful excercise.

Fortune Cookies, 5x5, oil/linen mounted on panel









David has been working on a painting inspired by Marlowe's "Tamburlaine", Part 1. He recently received a commission to do a painting of Martin Luther. No one knows their history like David.

Public Art Project/Bridge Pier

Aside from being in Germany, I can't imagine a better way to spend my summer. We began on June 4th and we have exactly 8 weeks to finish an artwork installation on a bridge pier at Wrightstown and Tanque Verde. The following are two images of the design concept. The lizards are blue for placement purposes and will not be that flagrant.



The design motif in the background is borrowed from a pottery pattern on a Hohokam pot. The ancient Hohokam had many settlements in the Tanque Verde Basin. Although the design appears to be simple, it is really quite complex.










The background pattern will be constructed from 8"x8" relief tiles using a terracotta clay. The lizards will be created in high sculptural relief using a B-mix clay with grog. The wall is almost 12 by 15 feet, so that means a lot of work and a lot of clay!



I am fortunate to have six wonderful young art apprentices to help. Rebecca is my artist assistant and I don't think I could do the project without her. BTW, Rebecca finally has her website up: Rebecca Macaulay

A big thank you goes to principal Hans Raymond at Tucson Accelerated High School for allowing us to use their art classroom.

I am amazed how quickly the girls are learning to use the clay. We began with learning how to cut clay, then to make relief, and now they are doing small sculptural lizards to prepare them for working on the real ones, which will be six feet in length.


Rikki




















Trenna


















Rebecca's experiment with a small lizard.
















Rebecca at the slab roller.



Caitlin


















Emily


















Ali


















Brittany