UNCC

A Sign of Relief in Ceramics

By Curtis  |  2007/04/05 23:17 Posted in Ceramics, UNCC  |  Comments Off

Tweedy has done something that she has never been known to do in the recent history of the studio, she moved a deadline. Being a few projects away from being done, I am glad that I now have closer to 20 days to get finished instead of the 7 previously.

Task Old Deadline New Deadline
Ceramic Paper April 4 April 4
Make Clay April 12 April 23
Throw/Trim April 12 April 26
Fire Bisque April 19 April 29
Fire Glaze April 29 May 3
Final Exam May 8 @ 2 May 8 @ 2

So much pressure was relieved today when the new schedule was disseminated. The emotions of the studio were much lighter than they have been in weeks. No one was really rushing today, and as a result, it seemed like there were much better pieces coming off the wheel. Even Tweedy seemed to be more calm today (this is her time of the semester to mellow out and watch us work until the last day usually).
Things to Do:

  • Finish lidded things (need 5 seated in lid)
  • Finish sculptures (3.17 of 6 completed)
  • Create an original and challenging project of ware (10 pieces)
  • Glaze about 115 pieces

For Tweedy Students – Re: Paper

By Curtis  |  2007/04/02 19:15 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

If you are a student of Tweedy, have not yet completed your paper and have lost the assignment sheet, I have scanned it and made it available temporarily at: http://curtis.kularski.net/public/TweedyPaper.htm
The Mint Museum of CD is open 10a – 5pm, and admission is free on Tuesdays.
The Mint Museum of A is open from 10a – 10p, admission is free on Tuesdays from 5-10p.
The Mint Museums are closed on Mondays.
All of you lost souls may repay me in fresh medium-firm pugged stoneware.

Ceramics: The Final Frontier

By Curtis  |  2007/03/21 03:22 Posted in Ceramics, UNCC  |  Comments (1)


Today I embarked on one of my last truly “new” objectives in ceramics, sculpture. Part of the ceramics curriculum for this semester is wheel thrown sculptural forms. I have never done anything for the sake of sculpture, I have always done functional forms. The assignment is a series of 6 serial sculptures, of at least 12 inches in height, showing a progression or consistent changing theme. I have chosen to do a series of sculptural pieces that reflect my resistance to sculpture, as well as my transition to accepting it. The first and middle (i think) pieces were finished today. The forms are fairly refined for the first piece, appearing as a pile of wheel thrown forms, with very little manipulation. The middle piece (the only other one i did today) is similar in its keeping to good form, but is a little more loose with some wheel modifications (dragging to create warping, etc).
The form is roughly specified now as (bottom to top):
Large Bowl
Large Cylinder
Small Bowl (inverted)
Medium Bowl
Small Cylinder
Medium Sphere
Small Sphere

New Semester Going Well

By Curtis  |  2007/01/21 00:10 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

The Spring 2007 semester is now about 3 weeks old, and things seem to be going well. I am ahead of schedule in all of my classes and I’ve had a lot less absences than previous semesters. I am feeling very energetic and productive so far. I have a goal for this semester, to have a 4.0 semester GPA, that means I have to be the very best in all of my classes and get an A. I did it in my first semester at UNCC, so I should still be able to. I am planning to be extremely focused on academics this semester, and doing assignments with the most precision possible.

An Engineering Course for Non-Majors

By Curtis  |  2006/12/19 01:40 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

Welll… after some digging, I did find a course in the engineering field that will allow non-majors to enroll, unfortunately, it isn’t that practicle. The course is “Design of Intelligent Spacecraft” (ECGR3090, section W01 for those who want to register), it is technically “special topics”, so the provost doesn’t have a course description for it, but according to a website I found that contained a course description written by the instructor, it is:
“An inter-disciplinary course is proposed which integrates concepts from mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science to educate students on the design of intelligent spacecraft. Course instruction takes a new tact best summarized by the expression: All science was new at some point. This approach augments class topics with historic context and, in some cases, facsimiles of original works such as Galileo’s theory on planetary motion. Course topics include mathematical models of planetary motion and heat transfer and how these models are used in designing intelligent spacecraft, i.e., robotic systems which can autonomously perform complex space-mission tasks.”
Once again, I can’t register for fluid mechanics, but this shit is wide open to me.

Why can I not take Thermodynamics?

By Curtis  |  2006/12/19 00:44 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

I was just glancing through the availible courses for the Spring semester at UNCC, trying to perhaps round out my schedule with something substancial, but all of the fun courses are closed to non-majors or require weird types of pre-requisits. I want to take Intro to Mechanical Enginerring, Thermodynamics I, Fluid Mechanics or something along those lines. I want to expand my horizons, and dive into something exciting, even if I do it under audit status. The question I have to ask myself is, do I want to do something like this bad enough to beg an instructor to issue me a permit to register for the course and then let me take it as an audit course? I guess I just want to take courses that will actually be practicle for me in my life. I dont think a lot of computer sci courses will help me in the real world. Philosophy will help me personally, ceramics will give me a backup career, but what about things that will really help me? I think that some basic engineering will help me in general, I just wish it were an easier field to take courses in.

4 Shelves, Now 1 Table

By Curtis  |  2006/12/12 16:35 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

I have now condensed my work from being 4 shelves in the glaze room to now being 1 table in the glaze room. How am I ever going to get all of this stuff home?
[pic coming soon]

Worry for Nothing

By Curtis  |  2006/12/12 16:13 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

After many tense moments of waiting, configuring my pieces on the table carefully, then going to the glaze room to wait for my chance to defend my pieces, I was confronted with a single question before the critique: “Curt, where do you see yourself in the future?”. I was unsure of how to answer the question, then Tweedy clairfied herself, “ceramicly”. I told her my goals based on my feelings at the moment she asked and after taking a second to look at my pieces I told her “I want to go bigger, but make my pieces lighter”. She pondered the table a little, looked to my cyllinders, said “your little guys get an A”, she looked at my tall cyllinders, “these are very interesting, I like them, well done”, then ok, your bowls Curt, hmmm…. not a perfect half globe in the bunch (a project-based peev of hers) “well, they are overall good, B”, then in a matter of seconds… “spheres and bottles, A, free project, was it 5 bowls?” No Tweedy, it was 5 bowls and 7 bottles, “oh, I made you work hard didn’t I”, no, it was fun, I enjoyed making the bottles, “hmm… ok, A”… “Curt, it gives me great pleasure to assign you this grade…” she holds out the review sheet in front of me…

A

I am really excited, so much so that I am now almost jumpy, and looking for people to tell :-)
I did it, I got an A in ceramics.

Twenty-five Clay Pots

By Curtis  |  2006/12/12 00:59 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

In a few hours I will be getting up to go to my ceramics “exam”. My final grade will rest on my 25 self-selected pieces. I have over 140 pieces completed, and I haven’t been able to convince myself that I have selected the best 25 pieces. I spent a lot of time looking over them, but im still uncertain. How do I know what someone else will like of my work? I can’t count on the work that I like myself, because Tweedy’s opinion is totally different, she is a strange creature. I have been worrying about every possible aspect of things: the forms (and their compliance with the projects), glazes (their application, their appropriateness for each piece), the compliment between pieces, and a variety of other things that the artistic types like to pick about. I don’t know when the last time was that I was this nervous about something.
One spot of bright news (or maybe just something to further complicate things), there are 3 kilns currently loaded with my work that will be unloaded tomorrow, providing me with even more options for pieces to select for my projects.

Realizing I’m The Hotest Person On Campus

By Curtis  |  2006/10/17 17:14 Posted in UNCC  |  Comments Off

This morning it was about 60 degrees, and lightly raining when I left home. I opted to wear a tshirt and jeans, no jacket, heavy coat or scarf. Apparently I am the only person who feels that dressing the way I did was warm enough for the day’s weather. Everyone I saw entering campus today had on a coat, or at the very least, a sweater. Am I just totally hot or is everyone cold paranoid? I don’t like feeling like an outcast because I don’t freeze my balls off at 60 degrees.