I'm in West Palm Beach! (an update)

This Fall of 2016 I began my new life as an Artist-In-Resident at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its an 8-month residency. 

Its been a bit of a blur around the country. After Interlochen Summer Camp (a whirl in itself), in Northern Michigan,  I drove back to my studio in Greenville, NC and took down my solo show at Emerge Gallery. In about a week's time, I bought a trailer and loaded it up with sculpture and drove it down to South Florida. 

As an Artist-in-resident, I'm supposed to spend half my time working on my artwork and half the time teaching classes for the Armory and doing general maintenance and outreach. It's been a blast so far. Here are some photos from my phone, just to give you an idea of what its like here.

Jaded Lovers

 I brought Jaded Lovers on the trailer and was able to install it in front of the Armory, which is neat because it matches the white star design. Its a very new piece. I made it right before leaving for Michigan last Spring. This is the first time it's been on display and people seem to like it. 

Here is a view of a sunset on the street I live on. That's my trusty Dodge Truck on the lower left. I was super lucky and found (through connections at Interlochen, MI) a small "carriage house" to live in a short walk away from the Armory Campus. Its like furnished guest house and very small. My bed is a few feet away from the kitchen! It is perfect for me. I come home, cook dinner, and read Game of Thrones.

Tree frog that surprised me in my mailbox!

My first class is Intro to Welding. The class learns the basics of Oxyacetylene Welding, Stick, MIG, and plasma cutting. I picked the Cube Project because they learn how to construct a simple shape. I like teaching here. There's no grades, no attitudes, just learning. The people are so nice. The students sign up eager to learn welding. It seems there hasn't been a welding sculpture teacher here for a while, so people are eager to get in here and learn the equipment. 

Student's 6in Cube. A+

Here I am repairing a 30-year sculpture that was outside the Armory.

Students MIG welding

Student lighting her torch.

Student MIG welding

Another class I'm teaching is Shadowboxes: the Art of Joseph Cornell. This class was very small at the beginning of the session, but we had fun re-using students' collections of found objects into presentable wall hanging artwork. 

I've been working on a few new sculptures and face-mugs, but a show opportunity popped up real quick. All my sculptures were tied up in other shows here, in NC, or still in progress. So I took stock of the work I had and came up with this sculpture. The show was a last Saturday at Studio 1608 in West Palm Beach. It was a group show and I talked and met many people from Palm Beach. 

Heads of States of Existing 

I've got some real awesome projects in the hopper, but don't want to spoil it by posting too many Progress shots. Just follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see more. 

I'll try to post more often here. I'm not sure if the Blog is still a good format for me. There are so many these days. I think sometimes I am "oversharing". The blog is kind of a throwback to Myspace, where I'd share my thoughts and what's going on in my life, before Facebook. 

Anyway. There's the update on my life so far. Hope ya'll are doing well and living the dream, too.

38th Annual Tri-State Sculpture Conference Schedule of Events

Randolph County, North Carolina
Schedule of Events

Wednesday, October 5, 201610am-4pm:
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Self Gallery, Asheboro NC
Installation of student sculpture @ Downtown Seagrove Gallery, Conference only
Installation of outdoor sculpture @ CBS Sculpture Park, Conference only unless prearranged

Thursday, October 6, 2016
8am-10am:
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture (must be registered and checked in to participate in today's events)

9am-1pm:
Behind the scenes tour of the NC Zoo Design Exhibits and fabrication shop and a tour of art in Africa region of the zoo and art in North America region of the Zoo, free but reservation required

10am-12 noon: choose one
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Self Gallery, Asheboro NC
Installation of student sculpture @ Bank Vault Gallery, downtown Seagrove, Conference only
Installation of outdoor sculpture @ CBS Sculpture Park, Conference only unless prearranged

1pm-3pm: choose one
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Tour of NC Pottery Center, Seagrove Pottery tour on your own
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Gallery, Asheboro NC

4pm-6pm:
Walking tour of downtown Seagrove potteries and TSS Student Show

6pm-8pm
Reception @ NC Pottery Center hosted by Seagrove Area Potters Association (SAPA), Heavy hor d'oeurves and wine

Friday, October 7, 2016
8am-10:30pm:
Conference Registration Check in @ STARworks

8:30am-12 noon:
Vendor tables open
Coffee and donuts available
Vendor raffle tickets sold (for vendor gift baskets)

8:30am-9:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks – Joe Grant
Presentation # 2 –ACRATECH, Rigging Large Sculptures, Jerry Klinke and Neil Hayes
This session will introduce the participants to a basic understanding of rigging equipment and techniques used in the handling and lifting of sculptures and artwork. It will include the selection, inspection and usage of rigging equipment as well as case studies of the lifting of various art objects.
Presentation # 3 – Artist Estate Planning, Amy Kincaid, Board Certified Estate Lawyer

9:45am-10:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks Glass Studio, Sculpture building with Thoryn Ziemba
Presentation # 2 – Arts Entrepreneurship at NCSU, Gary Beckman
Presentation # 3 – STARworks Clay Studio, Ceramic Sculpture building with Erin Younge

10:45am-11-30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks Glass Studio, Sculpture building with Thoryn Ziemba
Presentation # 2 – STARworks Clay Studio, Ceramic Sculpture building with Erin Younge
Presentation # 3 – Clay Plaque Making From Photos, TJ O’Connor
Presentation # 4 – Applying for Artist Grants, Jeff Pettus, Senior Program Director,NCDCR

11:30am-1pm:
Lunch on own: Food trucks available
1pm-2pm: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks – Ceramic Fire Sculpture, Anne Partna, Blue Hen Pottery
Presentation # 2 – Clay and Steel, Merged and Fired, Mark Gordon
Presentation # 3 – Creating Your Own Plasticine and Other Modeling Materials, Joel Haas

2:15pm-3:30pm:
Roundtable Discussion: Life as an Artist
Share in a discussion with artists Ed Walker, Jim Gallucci, Carl Billingsley, Steve Bickley and David Fernandez who are making a living creating art, teaching art, making art for others, and working in an arts non- profit. How did they get started? What advice can they give you? How do they make time for their own creativity? Join us in a lively question and answer session and bring some questions of your own.
Vendor tables open
Vendor raffle tickets sold

4pm-5pm:
Walking tour of downtown Asheboro Outdoor Sculpture Show
*15 person shuttle bus to go to downtown Asheboro from conference hotel

5pm-6pm:
Reception for Tri-State Sculptors exhibition @ Sarah Smith Gallery

6pm-7:30pm:
Dinner @ 105 Worth Event Center

7:30-8:30pm:
Keynote Speaker, Noah Scalin, with Coffee and Desert: Open to the public
Lifetime Achievement Award
Vendor Raffle winners – must be present to win
*15 person shuttle bus to return to conference hotel

Saturday, October 8, 2016
8:30am-10:30am:
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Coffee and bagels available
8:30am-9:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Sandcasting Demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Presentation # 2 – Crossing Barrier, a Mixed Material Collaboration, Jim Davies and Rosie
Presentation # 3 – 10 Questions To Start a Conversation, Ed Walker, Carolina Bronze

9:45am-10:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Smooth-On Product Demo, Chris Wooten, Reynolds Advanced Materials
Presentation # 2 – ACRATECH, Rigging Large Sculptures, Jerry Klinke and Neil Hayes
This session will introduce the participants to a basic understanding of rigging equipment and techniques used in the handling and lifting of sculptures and artwork. It will include the selection, inspection and usage of rigging equipment as well as case studies of the lifting of various art objects.
Presentation # 3 - Crossing Barrier, a Mixed Material Collaboration, Jim Davies and Rosie Thompson, continued

10:45am-11-30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Patina demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Presentation # 2 – Water-based clay portrait demo, Peter Rubino
Presentation # 3 – Sales Techniques For Artists, Wendy Outland – Art consultant
11:30am-1pm:

Lunch on own: Food trucks available
1pm-2pm: choose one
Presentation # 1 – The Combination and Integration of Metal With Clay, Michael Hough
Presentation # 2 – Computer Not (In) Control, From Digital to Physical, Austin Sheppard
Presentation # 3 – Moldmaking demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture and Silicones, Inc

2:15pm-3:30pm
Roundtable Discussion: Public Art:
Are public art commissions worth pursuing as part of your artistic career? Artists and an art administrator discuss best practices and share anecdotes about gaining success in the field of public art. Jeff York, Jim Galluchi, Chas Fagan, Michael Waller

1pm-8pm: – open to the public
CBS Sculpture Park – open to the public
Liberty Arts Iron Pour – open to the public, Sundown, approx. 6:30 pm
Don't miss Liberty Arts' Pour Master Tripp Jarvis as he and an amazing team of artists rev up our mobile furnace to 2800 degrees and turn iron into liquid. Create your own scratchblock designs at the afternoon workshop from 2-5 pm, $30 for one, $75 for 3. Watch as the molten metal lights the nighttime sky. It's an event you won't soon forget.
Large onsite clay sculpture firing by Daniel Johnston
Watch as Daniel and his crew fire a large clay sculpture on the grounds of the Carolina Bronze Sculpture Garden. The highlight of the evening is when the kiln is removed to reveal the sculpture in all it’s fiery glory!

6pm-7pm:
BBQ Dinner
Beer and wine supplied by Four Saints Brewery

7pm – 8pm:
Keynote Speaker – Daniel Johnston - open to the public
CBS Sculpture Park Dedication
Bingo Game winner announced

8pm – until:
Tri-State Social
PechaKucha 20x20 by members
Daniel Johnston – Large Ceramic Sculpture Firing
*15 person shuttle bus to return to conference hotel

Sunday, October 9, 2016
9:30-12noon:

Tri-State Sculptors Business Meeting at Carolina Bronze Sculpture. Open to all members
9am-3pm:
Pick up sculptures from Student Show/ CBS Sculpture Park

Studio space available at Dirty LAM Sculpture Studio

Studio 24-7 access to a studio in Uptown District of Greenville NC. Tools available for your use include: MIG welder for steel and aluminum, plasma cutter, air-tank, die-grinder, grinder, table-saw, miter saw, metal chop saw, bathroom, WIFI, rack to store metal, and table space. A place for you to work without bothering the neighbors. Tools are not to be removed from the studio for any reason. This is a work place not a party zone or a hangout spot.

 Price $150 including $150 deposit. You must have a bank account to pay rent through an online system. Available September to May 2016 with chance to re-new. Looking for a 8 month commitment, but month-to-month would be considered with a month’s advance warning. You are an artist. You work in clay, in metal, painting, metalsmith, etc. You are respectful of the studio and clean up after yourself.

You share the studio with another artist, Jordan Parah. We both will interview you about what you intend to make, how much time you will spend there, and how much space you will need. You must provide photos of your work and a reference from someone that can attest to your work ethic. You obey the law.

 About The Dirty LAM Sculpture Studio is a well-known Greenville institution since 2011. It’s been an art incubator, an artwalk venue, and conference gathering place. On 9th Street near the new 10th Street connector and across the street from where Jefferson’s Flower Shop will be moving, which will provide curious shoppers. Because it is situated between Collide Youth Church and Pitt County Sheriff’s substation giving the studio a virtual 24-7 free security.

 Me (Andy Denton) The Dirty LAM has been my studio since 2011. Because I am going to a residency, I will let 1 (and maybe 2) qualifying, trustworthy, and reliable artist(s) to rent it out until May 2017 with a chance to r
enew. Studio Tech Jordan Parah manages the space and tools. You will work with her to make sure the studio is kept clean and organized, tools and space are shared respectively and used responsibly. There is a “you break it, you pay for its repair” policy. She is not your maid. We will sign an agreement and I reserve the right to kick you out if there’s any violation of agreement.

 Contact Andy.Denton@gmail.com

You Always Live Again: Solo Exhibition in Greenville.

E-news Bulletin from Andy! View this email in your browser You Always Live Again - Sculpture and Pottery by Andy Denton. I am pleased to announce I have a Solo Show which open this June 3rd and through August 19th at Emerge Gallery in Greenville, NC. It will feature many new sculptures and pottery that I want to sell sell sell, they gotta go or I will drown in mustache cups and skull mugs. Haha! Emerge Gallery is the Pitt County Arts Council and is Greenville's artistic hub in many ways. My CV is filled with different group exhibits at Emerge from over the years, so it is very neat to gain sole access to a whole gallery for an entire summer. Instead of setting up my pottery at various outdoor markets this summer, I have decided to install it all at Emerge and let them reap the benefits of selling my pottery and sculptures. On exhibit: new! large ceramic sculpture featuring a deer on top of a lady's head. new! a wall of small relief sculptures that could double as soap dishes or spoon rests title: Series of Dreams  they are freaky and psychedelic they are being fired at Dan Finch's as I write this, fingers crossed! new! an outdoor sculpture featuring a bird and a yogi.  ...if it fits into the gallery! new! baby doll face mugs. YUMMY! a sculpture with moss never before seen in Greenville. I'm really excited about this exhibit and I think it will turn this town upside down. Riot in the streets turmoil. Watch out! ;-) Other News: My pottery is available at these locations: Poor Man's Hole in Swansboro, NC Pineapple Yoga Studio in Wilmington, NC Art Avenue in Greenville, NC Wilson Arts Council as part of a group exhibit of Dan Finch's Studio Potters.  Make sure to like my Facebook Page because I send my instagram photos there. I also updated the design on my website for your viewing pleasure. I will be going teaching/managing at Interlochen Center for the Arts this summer for the 6th year and look forward to another beautiful Northern Michigan summer. I have some more exciting news coming soon, but will announce it at the next e-news post. Thanks for following my art practice! I wish you every good thing and have a nice day today. -Andy Denton ON DISPLAY: "Transformation Revisited" now in Valparaiso, Indiana. This is part of the Midwest Sculpture Initiative that installs work all over Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. I also dropped off another sculpture that they will install for me in just a few a days. It was a long drive to install work, but I made the best of the trip and I realized that it was the closest I've ever installed art to my birthplace (a secret witch's lair in Indiana).  "Transformation Revisited" - Aluminum- 10ft tall. Installed in Valparaiso, Indiana

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Studio Visit: Mark Chatterley

Mark Chatterley in his studio with big dog work in process.

I met Mark Chatterley while we were both installing sculptures at Knoxville's Art in Public Places back in 2013. His artwork made an impression on me because it was A) figurative and B) ceramic, both of which, by themselves, is pretty rare for outdoor sculpture exhibitions and something we have in common.

 I looked him up when I got home and kept a bookmark of his website. My artistic journey has been taking me more and more into the world of ceramics and his work was always in the back of mind. 

Lots of people say you cannot exhibit free-standing ceramic sculptures in the out-of-doors because the work will absorb water, freeze, and damage the work. Somehow Mark had figured this out, because his work is made and exhibited in Michigan and can spend months below freezing. Ceramics can withstand the winter as long as the clay body is fully vitrified and doesn't have a place for water to pool. He does have his own recipe of clay, which he was willing to share with me. 

I found out I'd be spending some time within an hour's drive of his studio I was excited to visit with Mark and pick his brain and talk shop. 

Mark's studio is crammed with these tall figures, some draped in plastic, some out in the yard, some in groupings all smooshed together. He has been an active sculptor for 30 years and it was nice to meet someone doing something as similar as I am but with much more experience. He was welcoming to my visit and showed me his studio and we sat and talked about business and life.

Chatterley Studio

He built a kiln large enough to stack these full-size ceramic pieces.

The wall of the walk-in kiln.

I not a good photographer. Everywhere you look are these figures.

I really like these giant heads.

He uses this foam to attach the ceramic to things, such as for installing outside. I didn't think of gluing the pieces down.

4ft high head with little feet. Plus a puppy. 

Funky fish. 

Wall of crosses and skulls with pile of clay. Random symbolism of life, sacrifice, death, and rebirth. 

More heads.

What's up dog?

This bird was new from the kiln. 

Deer in his yard. Notice the bird feeders are little sculptures. 

If you want to know more about Mark Chatterley, visit his website here.

I'm glad I got to meet a bird of a feather and I thank him for visiting with me. I'm excited to continue working in clay and making sculptures. Thanks for reading. 

the Jaded Lovers Process Photos

I took all these process photos of the "Jaded Lovers" and thought ya'll might like to see them. This is one of the first outdoor sculptures I've made using ceramics instead of cast metal for the figurative portion. I decided to go with two busts of a couple in an effort to keep it simple while trying something new. The "hipster couple" (as I called them while in progress) were coil-built in a cone 6 groggy brown sculpture body. They were began in April of 2015 while working on several other sculptures and pottery. 

Speight Rhue was used as a model for the dude. I wanted to sculpt someone with one of those hip hair-dos where the hair is longer on top and close-cropped around the sides. Speight already had this cut and I have used him before as a model (way back in 2000).  If I don't use a model, it will end up looking like myself or my brothers. But, HEY, it doesn't look like him anyway. 

After they were bisque-fired I took a long time trying to come up with a glaze that wouldn't ruin the sculpture. 

 As you can see it doesn't look exactly like Speight, but who cares? Its not a commission for his portrait. I don't remember where I got the lady's reference photos, but I think I may have used several different ladies I found online to hobble her image together.

The hipster couple were printed out and pasted onto large sketching paper to brainstorm pedestal ideas. 

 

I recently acquired a chain-hoist and OH MY GOD I can't believe I haven't used one before in the Dirty LAM Studio. I was able to hover the tubing portion so that it could be connected to the sheet metal. I'm not sure how I would've been able to do this without the hoist. 

Flipped over correctly.

The ceramic pieces were glazed. I hated the glaze at first, but after showing it to a couple of folks, I started to believe in it again. The glaze is called Old Copper and I wanted it to look sorta like patina-ed copper.

Seeing the hipster couple on top of the base for the first time was quite a feeling. This is about the time the idea for JADED came up, because the glaze is green and the couple look less than pleased to be standing together. 

Welding my signature underneath the pedestal.

I built this trapdoor under the base to keep vandals from unscrewing the bolts that would hold the figures on the base. This trapdoor would be accessed through a pad lock. 

 

"Jaded Lovers" completed and photographed. At 7ft 5in tall, it is too large for my photo backdrop.

 This is my studio in Greenville as I was photographing. The pedestal's top and bottom are a skewed octagon. I wanted to jive with all those hipster line drawings of triangles that are all over Instagram and such these days, but as I look it here in this photo on my computer, it reminds of a lotus flower.

In the end I'm super happy with how it turned out. I'm not the best figure-modeler out there. Going into the sculpture, almost a year ago, I didn't know where it was headed. Originally, I wanted two naked folks having an intimate moment even if that would be a little cheesy. What emerged at the end is like a monument to being burned out, to reluctance, to indifference, to coldness...and that makes it a little more real to me. At least right now in my life.