Embedded Files
2022
Amelia Griffin "Friendly Frog"
6.5’’x 6.5’’x 1’’ Stoneware & Glass 2022
My idea for this project was to do something that I love. I love frogs and toads a lot. When I was younger we had a pet toad named “Digger” and he was our pet during the winter because he would have died if we didn’t take him. I had also done a project in the past that was a frog. I loved it so much that I decided to make a ceramic version of it. I wanted something that would hold jewelry, so I made a frog jewelry box.
I started with a slab of clay. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make yet, but I had some inspiration from past experiences. So I was going to make a frog. I made a long, slim slab that was going to be the sides of my dish. I wanted it to be cute, so I made some eyes to go on top. I also added a smile, nostrils, and blush to the inside of the dish. After it was fired, I decided to make a green frog. I also wanted to make it still look friendly, so I made it a rich green color, with highlights in the eyes. I also made a pink blush on the inside. I used a rolling pin, a needle tool, plastic modeling tools, and a sponge.
I want the audience to think about where I got this idea from. What made me want to make this? Was it from an experience? Or was it just random? I wanted to make the audience think about why I made this. To me, there is a symbolic representation of my childhood pet toad, although we only had him for a couple of months, he influenced my love for animals and my care for conservation.
The most difficult part of this for me was making all of the parts of the eyes. I was quite new to ceramics. I had to overcome learning how to make things stick together, be non-lumpy, and figure out how to make them keep their shape. If I were to start over, I would make the bowl a little smaller, it is quite large and a little bulky. The style I made this in is Abstract. I made it this way because I always draw things cartoon-like so I made it to the best of my ability, in the field that I am good at.
Amelia Griffin "Pitcher"
3.5’’x 5’’x 9’’ Stoneware & Glass, 2022
I made this pitcher for guided practice. I wanted to make something pretty that could sit in my room and be used as decor. My mom also likes pitchers, so I thought she would like it too.
I started by getting a demonstration from our art teacher. Then I found a template I would like to use. I then used a slab roller to press out my clay, so I was able to make it into the template. I added a second handle, and I used a needle tool to make the end of the pitcher droop. I also made a handle for my pitcher. Once it was fired I used a plum-colored glaze. The tools I used were a sponge, clay, needle tool, slab roller, rolling pin, and a plastic placemat as a pattern template.
This artwork doesn’t represent or have any significant meaning. It was simply a class practice. Getting my pitcher not to have a crease was the hardest thing. It was a struggle to cover up the seam and ensure it didn’t fall apart. I let my picture sit out for a little while to make it a little harder and easier to mold. If I were to start over I would make my handle a little more interesting. This was an abstract-style pitcher. There was no real style I was going for. I think it is unique because I never have made something like this before, it was something I enjoyed and opened my eyes to a new style of art. I love the pattern, size, and color.
Amelia Griffin "Chip & Dip Bowls"
Small Bowl: 3.5’’x 3.5’’x 0.5’’ Stoneware & Glass 2022
Large Bowl: 7’’x 6.5’’x 1’’ Stoneware & Glass 2022
This was a guided practice we did in class. We had freedom of what sizes we wanted to do. I decided to make a large bowl and a small bowl. The large bowl had no inspiration, the small bowl was inspired by a past experience. It was inspired by a giraffe.
I used a foam ring, sponge, clay, pattern roller, slab roller, a placemat for another pattern, a blue glaze, and a brownish-tan glaze. I started with some slabs of clay, and I pressed my patterns into the slabs. Then I used a foam ring, to shape the clay into a bowl. After that, I fired them. After I sanded them, I glazed them. The large bowl is a blue color, and the small one is brownish-tan. The artwork doesn’t have a specific meaning, it is a utilitarian project.
The most difficult thing was making sure the slabs of clay were wide and long enough to make my bowls even. I had to shape them a lot. This is an abstract project. I made them both with no specific style and just did whatever I thought was best, or what came to mind.
Amelia Griffin "Spooky Mugs"
Stone and Glassware, 2022
Spider Mug: 5” x 5” x 5”
Snake Mug: 4” x 5” x 3”
Cauldron Mug: 3” x 3” x 3”
I got my idea, from Halloween. I made these around Halloween time, and I thought they would be cute for decor in the future. I started by making a mug and using the coil press to make a snake body. I then made another mug, and then I sculpted a spider body separately and attached the spider to the front of the mug. For my last one, I started with a ball of clay and hollowed out the middle, then I made a loop and put that on top, and lastly, I made two little handles and some drips on the sides. I used a sponge, clay, glaze, and a needle tool. I used the slab roller, and the coil press too. The artwork doesn’t have any meaning, I just wanted to make a set of mugs for Halloween. There is not anything that the audience would need to think about.
The most difficult part was making the cauldron mug and the spider. The spider’s legs kept falling off and it was a struggle, to make it stay on long enough to dry for a bit. The cauldron I also dropped at some point while the clay was still wet, and this caused it to have a huge dent, and I had to reshape the whole thing. I didn’t let those minor things get in the way, and I just kept going. If I could start over I wouldn’t make the cauldron, I would choose something else. This style of art was abstract. It was not meant to be realistic or anything else. I love it because it is different from anything I’ve ever done before. And this is unique to my style.
Amelia Griffin "Silent Siamese"
8 x 3 x 3, Stoneware & glass, 2022
My idea was to make a small cat figure that would look nice. I got the idea because my life has a lot of cats involved in it. I have two cats at my house, and it would have been hard to make one look exactly like them because they have very intricate fur patterns, so I stuck with a classic Siamese.
I started with an inspirational picture to help me see what a Siamese looks like. Then I started sculpting the body, head, and tail separately so that I could just put them together when I finished them all. I used clay, a needle tool, a sponge, and a glaze.
The artwork resembles how cat figures have been involved in my life for a long time. I have two cats at home, and they mean a lot to me. But there have also been many cat tragedies, in my life too. We have had neighbors' cats get hit by cars, and die. Some of which we had thought was our own. Death of old aged cats, and getting rid of cats we couldn’t handle. So I decided to make a cat. It looks like one of the cats we have at home but is also very different. She is not a Siamese. I want the audience to think about why I made this project, if it resembled something from the past, or reminds them of something that happened in their life.
The most difficult part was making the face. I had a very hard time, and I had to restart the face a few times. It was hard because I wanted it to look similar to a cat’s facial features, while also remaining, in my style. If I could restart I would have made the brown glaze darker. I originally wanted the darker features to stand out like how a Siamese’s features would, but the clear glaze from underneath took over and made it into a light tan. So I came up with the name Silent Siamese for my artwork. It represents the muted-colored cat that I created. This art was meant to be a mix between abstract and realistic. I wanted something that was in between those two categories. I love the muted colors even though it wasn’t meant to turn out like that. It definitely reflects my own artwork, because I love drawing animals and sculpting them. And this was just another practice, to help me get better in the future.
Amelia Griffin “Wheel Evidence”
Stoneware & Glass, 2022
I got these ideas from class because we had to do a project where we made things on a clay wheel. I wanted to make some abstract pots. I made some with classy shapes and some with random shapes. I started with a soft-ball size of clay and I centered it. Then I built up the walls and I made it into whatever shape I wanted. Once I felt it was good enough, I took it off, to dry, and eventually got fired. Once they were fired I glazed them. I picked basic colors, and just let them do their own thing. I struggled a little at first because I would keep overworking the clay. I also couldn’t get it to stay centered. But eventually, I got them all done. This artwork doesn’t have any symbolism or meaning, it was just meant to be for class.
Pictures are listed below:
Claymation Amelia Griffin .mp4Amelia Griffin "Claymation"
Modeling Clay, Filming Device, 2023
I got the idea from when I used to always want to draw alligators, it was an obsession of mine from Middle School. I thought why not do something like that but in 3D? I drew Arnold the Alligator on a separate piece of paper.
The process started with my partner and me creating the set. Then I built our characters, and I recorded it all. Then finally we both edited it, and we completed the assignment.
The materials I used were modeling clay, tools, digital photos, and iMovie. For the background I used, cardboard, construction paper, and glue. My partner was Payton Kaczinski.
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