Chicago Potter » Friends http://chicagopotter.net Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:27:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 the Chaney Holiday Show http://chicagopotter.net/2010/11/19/the-chaney-holiday-show/ http://chicagopotter.net/2010/11/19/the-chaney-holiday-show/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:01:49 +0000 Chris C. http://chicagopotter.net/?p=417 postcard_side01_0

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the Chaney Holiday Show:
Pottery, Drawings, and Re-purposed rings by Chris and Mary Chaney

Show Info:
Just in time for the holidays we are presenting fresh works from the Chaney household.  From the kiln, I will be offering Asian influenced soda fired ceramic works that are sure to be the perfect handmade gift.  Mary will be presenting delicate skeletal line drawings inspired by osteological reproductions.  For the unique jewelry lover, Mary will also be offering rings made from vintage and re-purposed buttons.

Mary and I met at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL where we both studied Art.  Since graduation in 2001, we have practiced our individual disciplines in various professional capacities around the Chicagoland area.  Currently, I teach ceramics at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, while Mary teaches our 2 year old daughter the finer points of crayon use.

Opening Reception:
Saturday, December 11th
6pm to 10pm
(During the Second Saturday event!)

Show Hours:
Friday, December, 10th 5pm to 9pm
Saturday, December 11th, 10am to 10pm
Sunday, December 12th, 12pm to 4pm

]]> http://chicagopotter.net/2010/11/19/the-chaney-holiday-show/feed/ 1 My Lucky Day http://chicagopotter.net/2009/03/04/my-lucky-day/ http://chicagopotter.net/2009/03/04/my-lucky-day/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:40:05 +0000 Chris C. http://pinmonkeypress.net/chicagopotter/?p=264 How motherfucking awesome is this?  During a break in the action between the Cubs and Sox preseason game in Vegas, they played the Smoking Popes “My Lucky Day” in the stadium during the fan cam.  God bless you WGN.

That settles it
This is my lucky day
That’s what they always say
This is what they mean

I’m looking up
Into a cloudless blue
Ever since I met you
It’s been my lucky day

And I still don’t know what it’s all about
But without a doubt today I just don’t care
I’m telling you
It’s never been this way
And all that I can say is this is my lucky day

And I still don’t know what it’s all about
But without a doubt today I just don’t care
I’m looking up into a cloudless blue
Ever since I met you
It’s been my lucky day
And all that I can say is this is my lucky day

Apparently today is MY lucky day

Here is a different song off a different album.  Still hot none the less…This one goes out to Steven Colby and his music of my mind…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjzlUA0El4Y

]]> http://chicagopotter.net/2009/03/04/my-lucky-day/feed/ 0 Mr. Aaron Levy, playwright: part 2 http://chicagopotter.net/2009/01/10/mr-aaron-levy-playwright-part-2/ http://chicagopotter.net/2009/01/10/mr-aaron-levy-playwright-part-2/#comments Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:24:33 +0000 Chris C. http://pinmonkeypress.net/chicagopotter/?p=241 You may remember a post about my friend Aaron — he writes plays.  Well, he’s back in town this weekend for a reading of one of his most recent works, Mona Lisa McComb, which is being preformed on Sunday January 11th at the Artistic Home Theater ($10 at the door).  So, dear three readers, if you would like to support a talented young playwright please come out tomorrow!

]]> http://chicagopotter.net/2009/01/10/mr-aaron-levy-playwright-part-2/feed/ 0 Common Ground part 2 — Yih-Wen Kuo http://chicagopotter.net/2008/10/31/common-ground-part-2-yih-wen-kuo/ http://chicagopotter.net/2008/10/31/common-ground-part-2-yih-wen-kuo/#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:15:00 +0000 Chris C. http://pinmonkeypress.net/chicagopotter/?p=192 One of the highlights to our trip to De Kalb was that Mary and I were able to see one of our professors, Yih-Wen Kuo.  I studied under Yih-Wen in the ceramics department for two years and Mary had him for a class or two while pursuing her Art Ed degree.  As an instructor he was tough, but in a good way — pushing his students to create intelligent and well constructed pieces.  Yih-Wen was exactly the type of professor I needed at that point in my life.  Since our graduation, he has continued to be in invaluable resource and and inspiration as an artist and friend.

Normally his pieces are pretty large in scale.  The amazing thing about the sculpture below is that it is no bigger that 3 inches tall.  While it is a common shape for him, the scale completely changes the feeling — it’s much more intimate.  I was completely blown away by it because it reminded me of blind box toys, where you never know what you are going to get in the package.  This excites me because it opens up the door for more people to bring affordable ceramic sculpture into their lives.

Untitled

Untitled

Here are 3 examples of his sculpture on a larger scale.  One of the amazing things about this work is how the glaze is manipulated.  It is layered and multi-fired in such a way that encourages it to run in a controlled manner.

Eternal Home front

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2975067920_e42c799d34_b.jpg

Eternal Home back

Eternal Home back detail

These last two pieces are a recent departure from his normal body of work.  While the shapes are nothing new, and have appeared in various incarnations, it is the surface treatment that makes these unique.  Gone are the Barium matte glazes; in their place is a glassy surface in contrasting celadon and brown/green.  This is a direct result of NIUs move to firing mid-range oxidation instead of high fire reduction.  I feel like the change in atmosphere opens the door for his work to go in many new and exciting directions.

Three

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/2975064686_30b9213bc5_b.jpg

Three

]]> http://chicagopotter.net/2008/10/31/common-ground-part-2-yih-wen-kuo/feed/ 2 Common Ground part 1 http://chicagopotter.net/2008/10/28/common-ground-part-1/ http://chicagopotter.net/2008/10/28/common-ground-part-1/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:28:52 +0000 Chris C. http://pinmonkeypress.net/chicagopotter/?p=188 The trip to De Kalb to see the Common Ground show was great!  I’ll write a bit more about it later.  In the mean time, here are pics of some of the pieces:

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