Rachael McCallum's Unicorn Spew,

Rachael McCallum's UnicornSpew ~The online journal of Artness as-it-happens.


Monday 25 November 2013

Behind- underneath - the back of = the table. Ie questioning tableware

Sometimes I just don't know what I am doing.  Sometimes I have faith in instinct and let that unspeakable aspect of my psyche do what I knows. 
Oo0oo00º○•ooh
What I mean is- I what I did, I did not understand until I had done it. 
Simples...
A 'back to the table' themed exhibition is a challenge at best.  My solution is to be literal and use the table as a painting surface- a place often designed to be ignored for the items on top to take stage...

A ceramic tabletop is the goal, one day...
I almost had it, until I dropped it!

A table pushed on its side....
Another low with a ceramic top...
Ceramic used as paint,  with paint,  in a collage. 
These are the images. 

Ultimately because I want all these surfaces that if decorated are interpreted as 2d - to be acknowledged as 3d (I think. ... in hindsight.)

But what do you think?
Interpretation is welcome.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Exciting News!

Unicornspew BLog is going to get a BIG Sister!

By that I mean, a clean, fresh website is coming soon with the new domain name of ;
rachaelmccallum.com

rachaelmcallum.com will be a general overview of my art for professional referance. Don't worry, this online consciousness will remain and so will this sites informalities and 'work in progress' images.
The new site will have an Art archive and a short artist statement, as well as a upcoming events page. However it will lose the Unicorn jokes, that's something special for the blog and its musings. 

rachaelmcallum.com is coming JAN 2014

It'll be a breath of fresh art, so look forward to it!


Postrgraduate exclusive; CHemistry Scribble (large, and Bananas; RIght) BY the amazing Rachael M=cCallum





Thursday 14 November 2013

Artist statement

I'm refining my artists statement, what do you think?

'Would you like some entropy with that?"

Ceramic effects are a direct result of chemistry and the physics of the universe, and to harness them 'in a way' that displays their awe is my goal. It is 'the way' that is particularly important- through entropic means.

Ceramic is like hyper-painting. The palette is the universe of physical rules and the elements in the periodic table. The colours can be brighter (than paint, and even brighter when wet). The shapes can be organic, rectilinear, deep, shallow, heavy, light, depending on my engineering. But this freedom comes at a cost- The variables of the process (ie the weather, time, air quality, material purity) contribute so strongly to the final product that to have a intended result is absurd. That would be like on the day of your child's conception deciding their career. And so, I have decided to allow the kiln's processes to be a major contributing factor to the result of the work by not meticulously controlling the process. W

The chaos of this world screams "nothing is guaranteed", and neither are my paintings. But the ones that are exceptionally lucky in their making process and chemistry need to be shared with the world.

 The ceramics have no intended link to the tradition of ceramics, but use the materials' plasticity to re-approach painting. The tell-tale marks of gravity and stress are evident in the flow directions of the glaze, which proves nature is better at painting than I am.

Happy Accidents!


Thursday 7 November 2013

Omg play

I might be drawing.  I love the colors. 
afterall-No such thing as 2d

So I was challenged with a cabinet. ..

The head of my department was kimd enough to offer,  democratically the honors students (me included) an opportunity to display work in a cabinet whilst the graduate show was exhibited. The personal clash was the fact my pieces would suit a clean wall, not a clear box.

But its merely a challenge!
The issue to hang paintings in a glass cabinet is not a common problem. I might one day put an oil painting on a shelf or table and a ceramic on a wall, but for the moment it is clear enough as ceramic on wall.....
But with no wall- the solution was to create one. A frame,  if you prefer to think of it that way,  attached to the painting to let it hang and gravity take hold.
I couldn't let gravity be the winner in the beauty-chemistry-physics battleground that is a ceramic painting. That would make people look at the form as if it were a joke plate.... no no!
Look at the surface with this surface flat to your face!
Even flat coloured orange has depth when you see the chemical undulations making a light pattern of bubbles. ...
The frames are boxy and common industry paraphernalia which is strong in color and reputation as utility or discard. 'Milk-crate' is an esthetic I appreciate,  informal, bold, casual, utilitarian. 
They provide a great contrast of form-straight vs organic line,  a grid vs a blob. I will keep playing. ...

If you are able,  I encourage a visit to the National Art School ceramics building, cabinet area, to get a better idea of what I mean...

"If it looks good - do it"

Yes. I quote myself.
Im that kinda person. ....

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Pricing art is a crazy thing....

So pricing work has become a reality check - a time to look at the bear bones of art and find its barest production value and add a bit.  The materials, for a student,  are not probably going to be covered in the cost of the item. There sems to be a conception that student art is to be below $700 unless it is exceptionally large or laboured. What I find odd is the ideas at student level are virtually not property- yet.
As a student it is implied that the work will continue to develop throughout career -
Making the purchasing act a kind of voting as if we were on Big Brother. The entertaining ones are encouraged and supported, the less appealing are left wayside...

But back to pricing- it seems to firstly  directly relate to scale,
Second is materials/ the amount used and the disciplines expected range. 
I have found , for eg : that painting students have more confidence in their value than drawing makers. 
And that ceramic is supposed to be mass produceable and more widely affordable.... but maybe that's just about expectations and not pricing.
Im still figuring it out and fighting the artist house to stay in- big brother is watching - sign out!

Saturday 2 November 2013

Interesting ideas

I think along woth ceric paintings.... ceramic hays could be very interesting
....helmet?  
Ha
I will have to build my own kiln somehow first... very exciting