A view into the studio: Jan 2015

Working big, working small and working hard. Gearing up for a little show for the Alberta arts district monthly "Last Thursday" art walk!

So close!

Some inspiration

My lovely lovely kitten whom I miss dearly

Call for Entry: Thirty Under 30

We welcome you to submit your work to our Thirty under 30 show! Accepting all mediums and scale! For those recent grads, take advantage of this! No commission and it is free to participate! Now go make something! 

Email entries to kristenacrouch@gmail.com

• JPGS 72 dpi, 1000 pixels on the shortest side

• Limit is 3 works

• Save files as lastname_firstname_entrynumber.jpg

• Include an image list as a PDF with your full name, email, age, current city. In regards to the work include title, medium, edition, price, date and size. 

• All media and sizes will be considered

Entry DEADLINE: FEB 20, 2015

Notification: MAR 6, 2015

Exhibition: MAR 27- APRIL 17

Location: ACME Art Studios, Wilmington, NC

A View From Above

Show announcement:

A View From Above
Recent Works

Aerial Landscapes by Sami Lee Woolhiser

Zuzu Gallery and Salon
1627 Northeast Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211

Opening Reception: Last Thursday, January 29th, 6-9pm
The exhibition runs from January 29th - February 23rd, 2015. 

http://samileestudio.com/ 
Limited edition prints will be available end of January!

You can support my work and check out my Patreon campaign at:http://www.patreon.com/samilee

New Year, New toys, New work!

Hey everyone! I have a good feeling about 2015, the past 6 months or so have been a huge transition from graduation, into a new city, adjusting to a new  schedule and way of life beyond school. Here are some exciting new things happening!

A generous gift from a neighbor, a craftman table saw. This is so great! I can finally build my own stretchers at home!

A new investment: The shapeoko 3, a cnc mill. 

Now just look at this beautiful machine, if cnc is your thing then this may be the tool for you! I preordered mine! 

New work!

I have some paintings in progress, sculptures are still in sketch and planning phases. Finally I have taken the step up to push the scale of my work. I think it is working out well. 50x70 inches

Clayhaus

Hey everyone!

A few weeks ago I started working at an artisan ceramic tile studio in Portland called Clayhaus, all of the tile is made by hand through every step in production. While working in production is not ideal, this position really has allowed me to continue to learn and to add to my tool set. They are a great team and wonderful people, I am very happy to be working with them.

I am kind of the float studio assistant, helping out wherever I'm needed. This rocks because I am learning new things all the time. Mostly I am working the 30 ton ram press to make tiles, the images below demonstrate the process of making a dye for the press to create tiles.

Okay so the way the dye on a press works is this: It is basically a two part plaster mold. Inside the mold is a wire mesh with a hollow chord winding through it, this will be the tunnel for air to travel through. The mold is hooked up to an air compressor, when you press the pedal air is pushed through the tube inside the mold and then out through microscopic air paths created when the mold is curing. The air and water forced out through these paths allows the clay to release from the mold.

This is the machine the dye goes on.

Inserting the wire mesh with attached hollow chord for air flow.

Sealing the bottom of the dye with plasticine so the plaster won't leak out.

Freshly poured plaster, 55 lb bag! 

Scraping off the extra plaster to create a smooth surface, (this is a bottom dye so it is completely flat)

Air is purging the water out of the plaster creating the pathways for air to travel through when in use. 

Air and stem coming out, this much plaster took a while to kick but you can see the heat! 

Anyways: Here is a little more of the studio, loading and unloading kilns.

Tool Libraries

I have made an incredible discovery recently, upon my move to Portland I found myself without a woodshop. For the past few years I have been spoiled with the luxurious facilities of my university with a full blown wood, metal and materials shop and a digital lab with plotters, 3Dprinters, laser cutters and cnc mills. I could go and get a membership to a maker space such as Portland's ADX or Techshop which has locations popping up everywhere! However those memberships range from $50-$200 per month plus class fees.

Here is a cheap (& often free) alternative! Do a google search to find a tool library in your neighborhood! Mine, North East Portland Tool Library (NEPTL), is completely volunteer run and donation based! Tool libraries make sense economically and environmentally plus it can bring a community together! I myself have taken to volunteering my time, plus I know a little about tools so that helps!

Want to find one near you?

Check this Wiki list to see if there is one near you!  

What is a Tool Library?

Tool libraries are just like traditional libraries, but with tools instead of books.  They are great for people who can’t/don’t want to buy/rent tools they are only going to use once in a while.

Head in the clouds

Hey all! It's been lovely getting used to Portland, not sure when I'll feel like an official Portlander, Portlandier? Starting a lovely teaching job this week! I get to work with kids a few hours a week. Another favorite activity of mine recently is volunteering at the tool library, look to see if you can find one in your area. It is awesome- tool sharing is free, economically smart and planet friendly!

Analog: In the Studio
If you are interested in purchasing a work please email me for prices. You can see available works here. They are going like hot cakes!

Digital: In the Cloud
This weekend I spent some time learning about making patterns. Here is a brush I made, you are welcome to download and use it!