THE STUDIO OF NICOLE MERKENS

Linda Swanson's Bugs  I have just returned from a very informative workshop in Hays, Kansas at Fort Hays State University with Linda Swanson on Installations. Linda's Bio from her website, www.LindaSwansonStudio.com explains little bit about her approach to raw clay and installations: "Linda Swanson is an artist whose interests are grounded in the metamorphic nature of ceramic materials and processes. Her work engages the enigmatic properties of matter at an elemental level and the capacity of wonder to question how and what we know. Her raw and kiln fired ceramic works have been exhibited around the United States, Canada and in France. " Her work blew me away and I don't think I will ever be the same after this workshop. Linda had us begin with clay powders and explore the results of water  making contact with it. It was our choice of how this experiment would work. I dripped water from all heights and watched as the powders puffed o...

Here is my personal series #2 " Into the Mystic" "Mother Earth" "Blue Haired Teenager" "Mother Nature" "Ghost Whisperer" "Ghost Whisperer" (detail) "Eagle Mother" "Eagle Mother" (detail) "The Light Keeper" "The Light Keeper" (detail) "Stargazer" "Stargazer" (detail)

Well it is midterms and I have completed my first two "Personal Series" Groups of works. This is my Personal Series 1 "Shape Shifting" "Foxy Lady" "Foxy Lady" (Backside) "She Loved Magic" "Bird Girl" "Life Stages of a Witch" "Life Stages of a Witch" Detail

Here are some examples of how the Olmec influenced my work this past month. These pieces have coated with terra sigillata and then fired to cone 04 and then pit fired. Here is a recipe for Terra Sigillata from Clay Arts Utah:  http://clayarts.websitetoolbox.com/post/easy-terra-sigillata-recipe-1507600  Recipe for Terra Sigillata - 10 lbs. dry powdered ball clay (although you can use any dry clay). - approximately 14 quarts water. Ideally use distilled or filtered water but water out of the tap is fine. - 1/2 oz. soda ash and 1/2 oz. sodium silicate. Both of these ingredients are very inexpensive but you can substitute 1 oz. Calgon. Sodium silicate comes as a liquid but you weigh the liquid the same as you would a powder. Use a 10 gallon bucket for mixing. Dissolve the deflocculants (soda ash and sodium silicate) in one cup on hot water. Once dissolved, mix into 14 quarts water and then mix in the clay. Mix using your hand or some type of mixer. If you h...