The Spring Island Trust has invited me to be an artist-in-residence this coming week. I can hardly wait! Check this out - spring island sc and this spring island, sc, artist in residence
These collaborative wind chimes were created by the CCES 4th grade students, Marilyn Mullinax and ME, for the CCES Lower School Permanent Collection! In addition the 4th grade students will be assembling the parts and pieces for their own personal bell/chimes.
Thank you to the 4th grade students and especially to Marilyn Mullinax, their gifted art teacher, for a fantastic and memorable experience! Together we made harmony out of chaos!!!!
Now, it's back to my studio, a quieter but equally exciting place to be.
This is the last of 5 wind chimes. It will be completed with the addition of thumb prints in clay by each 4th grader. These clay thumb prints will hang as the centerpiece of the biggest and most inclusive of the wind chimes. Over 80 of us will have a part or piece that will make for the special harmony of the sound of this wind chime. I can't wait to hear it!!!!!!!!
A finished wind chime
Just look at these beautiful young hands and imagine the "creative potential" of our youth, especially when they can work together as a team!
4th grade teamwork
4th grade wind chime project - Take our 4th grade young artists at Christ Church Episcopal School and add creativity plus skillful hands, glass beads and an assortment of student made parts and pieces and guess what you have???? Check in tomorrow to see the results!....
A work in progress in the studio of Alice Ballard.
In the studio of Alice Ballard - glazed greenware, ready for air-brushed terra sigillata and then the first of 2 to 3 firings depending on what final touches they need
This kind of pondering keeps my creative thought process going while at the same time allowing me to have some fun! These pieces are always a reminder that my best work comes from a process of "having a conversation with the clay" rather than dominating the clay.
My wall installation, "10 Half-Pods", that made its debut recently in a solo show at the Greenville County Museum of Art, has been accepted into ARTFIELDS! From April 24th through May 2nd, artists selected from 12 Southeastern states will compete for over $100,000 in award money in this important juried exhibition.
Launched in 2013, ArtFields annually transforms the historic district of Lake City into a Southern art mecca for 9 days, allowing visitors, residents, and artist to experience a massive arts festival in the heart of one of South Carolina's most charming small towns.
"10 Half-Pods" will be installed at 104 E. Main in Lake City.
"10 Half-Pods", a wall installation by Alice Ballard, approximately 10 feet across and at a height of approximately 4.5 feet. Each Half-Pod is made of earthenware with oxides, and colored terra sigillata
Half-Pod by Alice Ballard, detail from "10 Half-Pods", a wall installation
Half-Pod by Alice Ballard, detail from the wall installation "10 Half-Pods"
This past Sunday, Roger and I attended Owen Riley's gallery talk at the Greenville County Museum of Art. His talk was personal, engaging and informative. Owen's photographs are outstanding, sometimes quiet and most certainly, they are captivating. I have to add that the work is beautifully displayed!
What I learned from Owen's gallery walk through is how he has chosen a path in photography that is challenging yet has many unknowns and is full of surprises! Owen's way of working allows the him to work with the photographic process in a way that is not unlike having a conversation with the medium. To reap the benefits of working this way, Owen has embraced the gifts that can be discovered in imperfection. It reminds me of how one's view of imperfection can be transformed when viewed through the heart and soul. What is so exciting to me about Owen's photographic process is that what might first appear as a flaw to someone else could in fact reveal the next exciting pathway for his work!
Recently Roger and I watched and listened to a favorite DVD of Leonard Cohen in concert...His songs are imperfectly rough yet they are at the same time, both elegant and poetic. I loved it when he sang about how "there is a crack in everything and that is how the light gets in...."
Way to go Owen! I love your exhibition and plan to return for another dose of inspiration.
Alice
Feb 14, 2015
New Exhibition Opens: Local Talent: Owen Riley
Greenville photographer Owen Riley focuses his lens on the familiar in a series of black-and-white portraits, landscapes, and still life images.
Mar 14, 2015
Photography Workshop
The Natural Portrait: Light, Lens, and Vision
10 am - 5 pm
$90, including lunch
Space is limited. This workshop is appropriate for young adults and older.
Join award-winning photographer Owen Riley for a hands-on workshop exploring digital portraiture. Learn techniques to create striking and meaningful portraits by using digital camera controls, manual settings, intentional exposure, different lens focal lengths, natural light, and reflectors. Consider how options in staging a portrait, such as selective focus, backlighting, and the surrounding environment can be combined to create powerful photographs in black and white as well as in color.
Students will need to bring their own digital cameras and memory cards.
Optional equipment:
- tripod
- laptop computer equipped with photo editing software
- portable hard drive, flash drive or SD card to transport images.
420 College Street, Greenville SC 29601
864.271.7570
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Nature is full of surprises!
Yes! It is Paulus Berensohn - philosopher, teacher, dancer, writer, poet, visual artist, environmentalist, and loving friend. I met Paulus years before I actually met him in the flesh. It was through his book "Finding One's Way in Clay". It was this book that became my guide as I ventured into the world of teaching. From 1971 on, this book became my constant companion and a book that to this day I still carry along to all my clay workshops. It is a constant reminder of the importance of always being "open", as a student and as a teacher. It is an old and tattered book now, shared with too many others to even imagine the actual number... Paulus has no idea how many of us have truly "found our way" through this amazing book. Add to this the effect he has had on us through his teachings, his art, his good deeds, not to mention, his very presence....
This image of Paulus will have a special spot in my studio where I can see him every day and give thanks for our friendship. Funny, but as I look at the envelope that brought the Paulus image and note, I do think Paulus does wear his heart on his hand!
I love this picture of Paulus taken by his friend, the eloquent poet Mary Oliver...
Hosta leaf plates. White earthenware with a clear matt glaze, food safe. I made the first group of plates for a plate show at the Penland Gallery. They were such fun to make, I have been making a few every year for myself and make them on commission. Each is different, approximately 11 x 10 x 2 inches, $75 plus shipping.
Detail - perfect for salads and deserts...
One of the few ceramic pieces I make that is functional and food safe...
I use mine all the time!
artist - Lily Munn, almost 6 years old!