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Last Friday's artwalk in Richmond was a good turn out, and Cub Creek resident
artist Tom Alward received an honorable mention for his artwork at Gallery5's "Sleight of Hand" National Juried Contemporary Craft Exhibition.
In addition, all of you are welcome to visit Tom Alward's new website. At www.tomalward.com you can find more images, info about the artist, and links to related sites. More updates to the website will be added soon.

First Friday Artwalk

December 5th will be a lively first Friday artwalk in Richmond, Virginia. Two of Cub Creek’s residents, Tom Alward and Erik Wilhelmsen, were both accepted in a juried show at Gallery 5 in downtown Richmond, entitled “Sleight of Hand.” The show has an opening reception and award ceremony Friday night (artwalk typically goes from 6-10pm), and the show will run until January 15. For more info, go to:
Gallery 5
200 W. Marshall St.
Richmond, Virginia 23220
Phone: 804 644 0005
gallery5@gallery5arts.org
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday - Saturday 11AM - 6PM

If you find yourself nearby or with nothing else going on, the artwalk is a fun event and Richmond has some great galleries to check out. Support your local artists!

December Already???

Hard to believe that time is flying by so fast, and this year’s residents have been at Cub Creek for just over 3 months. Our goal is to remain determined, keep our energy and enthusiasm high, investigate new concepts and directions with our work, and do whatever we can to reach out to our community.
We thank those of you who came out to our open house and pottery sale in November. We will build on this sale every year to make it better and better, while improving our online mailing list and advertisements. Please check back with us from time to time, and mark your calendars for another open house in early May just before Mother’s Day.
Happy holidays from Cub Creek!

Back to Back Wood Firings

Greetings!
November has been a busy month for us at the Cub Creek foundation, and most notably has been the success of two wood firings completed back to back. It was a big push and took tremendous effort… The trees were cut and hauled, split and stacked, and the pots were pumped through bisque firing, glazing, loading and round-the-clock firings. Each burn consumed approximately 2.5 chords of wood and 3 days of constant attention. We have been utilizing exclusively the first chamber of our naborigama kiln, to achieve more controlled and consistent wood-fired effects. The results have proved to be beautiful, subtle and expressive ceramic surfaces, while showing promising information for our next firing in January. We look forward to many more opportunities of working together, telling stories, exploring new techniques, and investigating this endless process.

We are ALL FIRED UP!!!!

We began our firing on Tuesday the 4th of November 2008. I woke up around 8 am. well rested and excited for the firing and also the fact that it was election day. I didn't have a shift until 10 pm. so I headed up to the Red House Community Center and cast my vote! All day I was pumped up to hear the results, my Dad was also heading into town to visit as well. Boy did it turn out to be a great day. The firing had started smoothly, my Dad made it to town, and to top it off OBAMA was announced the next president of the united states at 11 pm.

The following morning after my 10 pm to 6 am shift I squeezed in a couple restless hours of sleep. I couldn't help this overwhelming feeling of absolute joy! For the past 8 years I have felt beat down and bruised by the poor decision making and lack of trust I had in our government. I can truly say that the hope and change that Barack Obama has inspired in our nation, has instilled in me a sense of confidence in our future that had been lacking for quite some time.

Today we had reached Cone 11 in the tube and will be ending the firing around 2 am friday. What a treat these last few days have been!

First Fall Firing

I just got back the creek and all is well. The first wood firing of the fall season began yesterday at as I type Erik Wilhelmsen stokes the flames. Shifts will run through late Thursday and more images will post as the process continues.

Happy Halloween; Residents in Rare Form

What would we do without humor @ the creek!

Judith Duff: Sharing the Shino Experience

Judith Duff is a ceramic artist from Brevard North Carolina. For the past several years she has been traveling to Japan to continue research related to Japanese pottery and Traditional Shino Glazes. She recently visited Cub Creek to conduct a workshop where she shared her experiences with a group of nearly thirty participants.



Coming from as far away as Boston Massachusetts, artists interested in her work and research began coalescing here at Cub Creek on Friday night. The atmosphere was relaxed as those in attendance migrated to the house of Cub Creek Director John Jessiman to meet Judith and her husband Royal while sharing stories over a glass of wine.

Judith began her workshop on Saturday morning and the resident's studio quickly filled with inquisitive smiles punctuated by moments of intrigue. During this time Judith shared with the participants the past few years of her experiences while showing slides from her travels to Japan and studio in Brevard. Judith is preparing now for her fifth trip to Japan where she will continue her research in shino glazes. Her studio in North Carolina is home to a kiln constructed specifically for attaining the results she desires as well as for the ongoing experiments with her growing collection of traditional shinos.





Later in the day, just after lunch, Judith began demonstrating some of her favorite techniques while telling vivid tales of the Japanese landscape and culture. Her delicate but energized methods provided participants with a valuable source of inspiration and questions regarding the history, techniques and culture of Japanese potters were answered from a position of clarity and first hand experience.

The evening was filled with discussion and laughter as all who attended took part in a feast at the Jessiman's home. The energy remained high throughout the night as most slowly moved towards the bonfire that carried on into the wee hours of the night.

The following day. Judith continued here demonstrations, completing the works that needed time to dry. These works now sit atop the tables of the studio awaiting their turn to be bisqued. Participants all shared their gratitude as they slowly left the facility and began their journey back home. The residents remained sharing in the last few smiles and moments of laughter while shaking a Royal hand and giving a thankful hug. Judith and her husband carefully packed the last of their things and made their way back home to the western mountains of Carolina.

Today, rested and refreshed, our residents have gotten back to their studios. We are all grateful for Judith's presence and the experience she has passed on. The Creek is quiet again and we work diligently in preparation for our next firing while thinking of the insight that we have just experienced.

Reverence & Reconfiguring the Landscape

I arrived knowing that much was changing here at Cub Creek and that I had to hit the ground running. So this is one of the first blog entries, on the first blog, of this place. We are growing and have a lot going on; new kiln plans, new resident housing, a new house for the director and I have a new exhibit. I am currently off site in Newport News staying with family and still "running". I have just completed the installation for a new exhibition at Mayer Fine Art Gallery in Norfolk

I began my time here at Cub Creek rapidly setting up my studio and surveying the landscape for the inspiration and materials necessary to begin the physical side of the work for the new exhibition. It only took a few days to cover the majority of the landscape and begin to find the sources that I needed. I had been thinking of the exhibit for some time and its title is one that I found not only intreaguing but close to heart. "The Smallest Footprint; Ecologically Responsible Art". This is quite the place to begin this project and my prior hesitation proved a valuable response. My decision to begin the physical work only when settled into this new landscape allowed me to investigate this concept through a fresh methodology. And so I sat, quietly in the fields that sustained the cultures of my materials; the Johnson grasses.

These grasses are the natural and primary response to the discontinuation of these fields as agricultural entities. They are annuals, a highly sustainable resources in that is generally considered a weed by most farmers, and the are perfect for my work. They represent new life for these fields and a first step towards returing to a forested landscape. So I have chosen to selectively harvest them and create and object out of the reverence i feel for this landscape.

I had to begin by harvesting, then move on to dissecting the individual segments, and finally taking those segments and tying them together all the while considering the value of this landscape; a reverent meditation.

Once completed I photographed the work for details and shortly there after packed and left for Richmond Va. and then on to Norfolf to handle the install.

So the work is now out of my hands and open for public viewing. To see this work please visit the gallery.



This work can be seen September 26th through October 26nd with a Opening Reception on October 4th @ Mayer Fine Art Gallery in Norfolk Va. on Waterside Drive.

The Smallest Footprint (ecologically responsible art)
Mayer Fine Art Gallery
Suite 252 Waterside Festival Hall
333 Waterside Dr.
Norfolk Va. 23510

Gallery Hours:
Friday: 4pm - 8pm
Saturday: 12pm - 6pm
or by appointment
757.803.4749

http://www.mayerfineartgallery.com/

Rebirth at the Creek

A new breath passes through the lungs of Cub Creek. It begins with the near completion of several new facilities and and the addition of a new community of resident artists. The past two years at the creek have been marked by a devastating fire that left the community with little more than a studio and several kilns. This meant hard times and sleepless nights as residents were bound for a lifestyle of camping and construction as the program regained its stability. Today, thanks to the hard work and determination of past residents and director John Jessiman, Cub Creek is on a fast-track to vitality. The new facilities are fully functional with little more than a few minor trim needs and the occasional plumbing tweak as the new well flushes its sediment. This has provided the space a spirit of renewal and combined with the recent influx of residents the odd jobs are being marked off daily while the work of the our artists is taking shape. 

Resident Studio
John's Home
Resident Housing
Naborigama Kiln

With all going so well we have begun to think of the future and residents have pulled together to being planning out or development. This Bolg is one of the first new steps. Soon the website (that has been the subject of much neglect as our efforts turned to rebuilding after the fire) will be fresh, up to date and ready for launch.