Josh DeWeese is a ceramic artist and educator. He is an Assistant Professor of Art teaching ceramics at Montana State University in Bozeman, where he and his wife Rosalie Wynkoop have recently built a home and studio. DeWeese served as Resident Director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana from 1992-2006. He holds an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. DeWeese has exhibited and taught workshops internationally and his work is included in numerous public and private collections.
I had the opportunity to sculpt a tree on one of Josh DeWeese’s beautiful pots in an artistic collaboration at MISSA this year. What a great experience to work on such an amazing work from this accomplished and experienced artist. I was absolutely humbled by the beauty and magnificent work of Josh DeWeese. Here is a picture of us with the ‘MISSA’ dubbed pot that became a symbol of a collaborative effort between the potters and the sculptors.
MISSA Metchosin International Summer School of Art – collaborative artwork with Josh DeWeese
Most artists are very protective of their work and would die before allowing another artist to touch it. Fortunately for me, Josh was very receptive to allowing me to add some relief to his pot. I gained a lot of respect for him as he supported my artistic vision. His patience and kindness will forever be remembered and I am very honored that our collaborative pot will be auctioned in the coming year as a fundraiser for MISSA. How exciting to be apart of this collaborative artistic experience with Josh DeWeese, the MISSA Staff, Dave Skillings, Meira Mathison, Sculptors -Linda Matterson, Joanne Parker Robertson, Alice McLean, Jeff Whiting, Karen Prager, Karin Albert, Barbara Mills, Ati Ahkami, & Jeanette Wright, Matilde Cameiro, Amazing Artist Suzanne Northcotte and the many students that came to support our project. I want to thank the students of Josh’s pottery class for allowing me into their fold -taking up their space and for staying up late with me to discuss clay, pots and sculpture!
Josh DeWeese Gallery
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Photos courtesy of LINDA MATTERSON, JEFF WHITTING AND JOSH DEWEESE
Sharing artistic processes on the internet is an excellent way for artists to discover Style, color, techniques, themes and media. Today more than any other generation an artist at the click of a button can have the solution, an artistic formula or method to any problem that they are experiencing in their art. AND the internet is full of images and inspiration that will fast forward the creative juices to infinity. In no other time have artists been so gifted with knowledge, experience and teaching from others— around the globe. The internet is also an amazing source for marketing locally, nationally and internationally – need I say more? A plethora of competitions, galleries and collectors waiting with open arms to welcome artists of every genre, medium and style.
I love social media YOUTUBE, WORDPRESS ,FACEBOOK,EBAY, ETSY the list goes on and on and on – it is a digital simulated visual source of art and inspiration. An alliance of artists, computer science and the public. They need us and we need them. Embrace the computer. Embrace the artistic freedom. Embrace the vision.
Here is a link to a site that gives art critiques, process and inspiration http://www.awesomehorsestudios.com/. You can learn via livestreaming with 4 talented illustration artists. Drawing is the backbone of all art and from here or other notable art sharing sites you can find many more such as :
I particularly enjoyed the video discussion on copyrights and artistic style by awesome horse studio- my personal view on copyrights is that artists should take inspiration from any means and anywhere. Nature, photographs, buildings, architecture, people, literature & yes other artists [that’s right I said it] Learn to share people— You learned from an artist – pass it on. And really…. anyone who ‘ knows’ an artist KNOWS You can take 2 artists and give them the exact same medium, visual resource and tools and you will get wthout a doubt a minimum of 5 different interpretions.
There is some truth to this quote
“Good artists copy -great artists steal” Pablo Picasso.
I prefer to see the term ‘steal’ as taking something and infusing it with your own vision and style. As an artist it is paramount that we are not paralyzed by our own misguided knowledge of the laws interpretations of copyrights. In Europe they understand artists and give them free license to create. In North America artists are hogtied by the legal system on a never ending spiral of trying to create something ‘ new’. Well I have searched –there is nothing ‘new’ under the sun. Just be you. Use your talent as creatively as you possibley can. I have learned that one day your hard work will pay off and you will begin to find that voice and it will get louder and louder and more creative with every passing day.
Once your techniques are refined and your medium is known to you like the pages in a well worn book you will no longer copy – NOW you will omit and add to find your own style.
Since the beginning of the year I have had an obsession with creating tile – artistic, creative, elegant, colorful and distinctly different from anything currently available. From my research I have noticed 3 major areas are lacking in today’s tile – { figurative, large Accent tiles& expressive}. Accent tiles used to be decorative centre pieces in bathrooms and kitchens, with relief ,texture and figures. Sculptural Artwork has been replaced with basic patterns, shapes and colors.
Pistrucci Artworks main goal is to produce a wide variety of bas relief accent tiles from contemporary to figurative offering distinctive flair with color and texture. Jeremy Hileman took the concept Pikaso Kichen and created an expressive colorful line of tile for the contemporary kitchen. Here is the results of our next tile line titled ‘ Pikaso Kichen’.
I just recently completed my Alto Relief sculpture ‘ Moonlight Sonata’ 30″x 20″ and have decided to mold it for a cold cast bronze. Here is the steps, pictures and reference information I used for this process. I researched on the smooth- on website for similar sculptures to determine from the wide range of products they sell and decided on the best product for my Alto relief. I am going to use brush on 40 as I do not have a vacuum pump and many of the products they sell require one during the process. The molding products you decide to use is determined by the size, material of your original (is it clay, concret wood etc) and what medium your final copy will be cast ( casting resin, concrete, metal, cold cast bronze?).
Reference: http://www.smooth-on.com Has technical information – excellent videos and step by step processes. Also a tech line available to answer questions. I found the advice and support EXCELLENT!
smooth- on technical support phone # (800)762-0744 or at (610)252-5800 or contact them directly on their website and use a digital form for questions. http://www.smooth-on.com/p100/Product-Technical-Information/pages.html
Brushes (disposable one use)
containers (graduated for easy measurement)
papertowels (cleanup)
Spray on shellac or super seal from smooth-on
Universal mold release
Smooth-on Brush on 40
Box of disposable rubber gloves
disposable stir sticks ( I used paint sticks but advised to use metal)
Thickener Cab-o-sil (mix with brush on 40 for undercuts 3rd layer)
So strong pigment ( color pigment every other layer to determine proper coverage of layers)
Safety Mask:
Step one:
Complete a final review of your sculpture for any necessary changes – once you start you cannot stop until the process is completed. According to the technical product information once the layers have cured completely you cannot add further layers as adhesion will be difficult. You will be adding layers onto ‘tacky’ rubber layers with a 45 minute interval between each layer.
Prepare the Model:
Ensure it is secure onto the surface (glue with a glue gun)
(my model was leather hard clay stuck to a plastic sheet)
Spray the model with spray shellac
Let this coating of sealant (used to cover any porous areas) dry thoroughly and ensure you have covered all the undercuts and small spaces.
Once the model is dry to the touch (about 30minutes +) Spray on a light mist of universal mold release. Lightly cover the entire sculpture with a brush to ensure the mold release has covered the entire sculpture. Otherwise you run the risk of the rubber not lifting clean off of the model once the mold has been finished.
Let this dry for about 5 minutes and then mist another layer of the universal mold release over the entire model.
Let this completely dry for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2:
Mix thoroughly equal parts A and Part B of the brush on 40 to cover your mold. I was surprised that the amount I actually required was much less than I expected. Consequently I mixed and used more than I needed -I put on a heavy layer and had excessive air bubbles. I had to remove this layer and then do a thinner layer repeating the process. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO A THIN LAYER FOR THE FIRST LAYER OF RUBBER.
[ IF you notice in the above picture there is a TIMER – IMPORTANT remember you only have a working time of 20minutes to apply the layers – thin is better than thick – apply and mix in smaller batches if necessary or more than one person applying the layers helps as well. My husband and I worked on this together to get the first layer applied within the time frame. ]
LET THE FIRST LAYER SET UP (GEL ) for 45 minutes PRIOR to next application of the brush on rubber. Test the rubber by touching lightly with rubber gloves the mold should be tacky and release from your finger – if not it is NOT ready for another application.
Third step:
Apply another layer of brush on 40 (mixing equal parts A and B) add pigment [this will assist you in ensuring complete coverage of layers)
add the pigment every other layer.LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES – MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER
IF you are doing a relief you will want to add ‘Keys ‘ to the mold by spraying a ice cube tray with the mold release and filling with the brush on 40 mixture and letting it set up. Release from the tray and place after the third layer around the mold.
Step four: Undercuts and adding keys –
Mix equal parts A & B and add cab- O- sill till the mixture is like a bread dough
Apply to undercuts and under the mold keys from the ice cube trays.
LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES – MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER
After first layer:
After keys have been added and undercut thickener:
Picture below –After last 2 layers of Brush on 40 (NO thickener added to last 2 layers)BETWEEN LAYERS LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES – MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER .
LET THIS CURE (SET /DRY) FULLY FOR 16HRS BEFORE MAKING THE MOTHER MOLD. The rubber mold should be approximately 3/8″ thick.
Making the rigid support or ‘mother mold’:
I have completed to this point and my model is in the curing stage the following is excerpted from the smooth- on website temporarily and will be replaced with my own personal pictures when I complete the following steps:
Using a sharp razor knife, cut excess silicone from the outer edge of the mold. Create straight edges and square off all corners.
Spray the rubber mold and surrounding surface with Ease Release® 200 to separate the support shell from the mold. In some cases, Smooth-On’s Sonite® Wax may be necessary to release surrounding surfaces from the support shell.
Creating the rigid support shell: Smooth-On’s Plasti-Paste® is a trowelable urethane resin designed to be used for support shells. It is mixed 1 Part A (liquid) to 2 Parts B (paste).
Combine 1A:2B and mix thoroughly.
Apply Plasti-Paste® over cured Mold Max® Stroke®.
Cover the entire mold with Plasti-Paste®. Important: Plasti-Paste® has a working time of 8-10 minutes. Do not mix more material than can be applied in this amount of time.
Mix and apply more Plasti-Paste® as needed. Be sure to apply material beyond the edge of the silicone mold.
Apply at least 3/8” (1 cm) thickness, making sure rubber mold is thoroughly covered. Large molds may require added thickness for support shell stability.
Wooden blocks are attached to the support shell with additional Plasti-Paste®. These blocks will help level the mold during casting and allow for easier handling.
Once all Plasti-Paste® has fully cured (approximately 90 minutes), carefully remove the support shell from wall.
Edges of the support shell can be sharp. Sand Plasti-Paste® to make handling safer and easier.
Seat the rubber mold into the support shell. The mold keys added in the previous step will make aligning the mold with the shell very easy.
Here is my recent work & my attempt at Alto Relief – Sonata 30″ x 20″ sculpted with a porcelain clay – still in progress. Current photos and more updates to come. I will be cold cast bronzing this piece so will show the process for cold cast bronzing. Most people do not realize that Alto Relief is a rare form of sculpture and one of the most difficult art forms to master and to my knowledge it is not taught in any of the fine art schools. Low relief is also more difficult followed by 3d , painting and drawing as you do not have to alter the axis for any of the elements. I believe Low relief is taught in the last year of most fine art schools after students have learned painting, drawing, and 3d. I advise every artist I know to work in all of the art forms from low relief – high relief – painting – drawing and 3d. Each builds on the strengths of the others. It is a synergistic relationship. Artists that work in all the mediums in the past became great and I believe it is because they did all of the art forms rather than just focusing in one area – Take Michealangelo for example he sculpted and painted throughout his life and I am thoroughly convinced that this was the key to his success. So I plod on ….. My Alto Relief…
A few years ago I experimented with different types of paperclay (air dry and fired clay) on canvas, drywall – almost anything I could get my hands on. I have used paperclay (firing in a kiln) to repair scupture and relief with success. I felt it was a subject that needed revisiting as paperclay is being used today for large sculptural works for thinness translucency and strength. I need to distinguish the 2 main types of paperclay – air dry ( no firing required) and fired paperclay in a kiln. I have used both. Non firing paperclay is excellent for sculpting models for a mold, whereas I use fired paperclay to repair greenware and bisque sculpture and releif.
Here is some examples of Air dry paperclay on Canvas and drywall:
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The recipe for Air dry paperclay is as follows:
Paperclay: In a bowl combine
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. salt
warm water – mix with hands and knead until consistency of clay.
Paperclay recipe #2
1 pkg creative paperclay
2-3 tbsp wallpaper paste
2-3 tbsp water
cut paperclay into chunks add water and paste. Mix and knead with hands until consistency of toothpaste let dry overnight. seal in ziploc bags
Paperclay Recipe for kiln firing methods:
You can use a variety of different papers and clays to get the effect you want such as stoneware or porcelains. It is by experiment and your favourite clays. The recommended paper to use is newsprint but any paper (with the exception of gloss papers) will do. Thus ancient paper mixture allows the clay body to open up, lighten the weight and add strength. The recipe for this process is simple and easy – start by shredding the paper ( in a shredder works best and is faster than by hand) Soak overnight at least 24 hours. Next with a blender or drill with a mixing bit attachment mix the soaked paper until a thick paste consistency. Add your clay in powdered form — 60 parts powdered clay to 40 parts paperclay.
For repairs on bisque or greenware: Add 1part magic water, 2parts clay mix until a slip consistency. next add 1 part toilet paper or tissue paper and mix until a smooth paste. glue the broken pieces together or with a small paintbrush paint the cracks with the mixture. let dry and sand with fine sandpaper **carefully***.
Magic Water : used by sculptors and potters to adhere wet clay together after scoring the pieces.
3 tbsp sodium silicate
1-5 tsp soda ash
1 gallon water
Spooze: (use: as above)
1/3 slip
1/3 Karo syrup
1/3 vinegar
Paperclay technique allows ceramists to create large thin forms to achieve translucency or luminous sculpture such as in porcelain. Reference: & for more information See The Art & Craft of Ceramics Techniques, Projects, Inspiration by Maria Dolors Ros i Frigoloa
A video with a great recipe :
Air dry paperclay:
1 roll of toilet paper
3/4 cup of white glue (Elmer’s glue-All)
1 cup of joint compound
1/2 cup white flour
2 tablespoons linseed oil
Well my Mom needed a birthday gift for my dad and as his birthday loomed she had no idea what to get him.
Anything feminine like a romantic getaway would of made him the laughing stock at work – did I mention he is a redneck heavy duty mechanic from northern BC? For instance he would never admit during work hours that he likes hawaiin pizza or correction should I say ‘girlie pizza’ but orders ‘MEATLOVERS’ instead —satisfying the over abundant male testosterone that he works with everyday. Mom on the other hand is a hopeless romantic. When it comes to his birthday she thinks of dinner parties with discussions of art, wine, the scent of fresh flowers filling the air– I digress. Well he is also a health fanatic and has been spending hours watching ‘ How to make sauerkraut’ on youtube of late.
Fantastic !!
Besides the fact that after watching about 26 video’s on the subject – I think we have it pretty much figured out… So we decided to make him a handbuilt sauerkraut crock. Because sauerkraut apparently is an almost perfect food, it’s raw, it harmonizes the digestive system with much needed probiotics –I have been informed.
In Progress start of relief
The pot is in progress with the relief started and is 12″ high and approximately 9 1/2″ wide. Still need to make the lid. I think I better get him a card too and yeah maybe add a jackhammer.
Grapevine relief
And just for your added viewing pleasure here is his favourite sauerkraut youtube video: How to make homestead sauerkraut in Alaska….
I have been working on art tile relief sculpture. Now that my sketchbook has been sent and all of my other pending projects have been either completed or back benched I can now put my energy into my relief tile. I completed a fairy clay sketch – which is faster than drawing it out. I will be posting some of my techniques over the next couple of months. Here is a ‘rough clay sketch’ of a fairy. From here I will let the clay dry and will bisque fire it and once it is fired I can (if needed) add more detail by carving and sanding. Once I am happy with the results I will stain and clear glaze the piece to bring out the relief and high fire to cone either 4 or 6. My clay is a porcelain with grog and will come out a very nice ivory color when fired.
The fairy tile is currently in progress and here are several other tiles where the sculpting work is completed.
Josh DeWeese:
Pistrucci Bottega 