Well, its been awhile between blog updates .. I suppose it's ONLY been a year, but it seems like its been longer.  In any event, I originally set this blog up to post studio updates, new developments with my work, upcoming shows, etc.  Around the same time I set this up, I also set up my Facebook studio page and I quickly noticed that I found myself posting my updates there instead of here.  In those cases, I appreciated how Facebook was connected to the people that might be interested in my work, so updating there seemed more direct.  So, now I find myself wondering how I could synthesize all of these channels of communication into one area, a conglomeration of web portals for my work and my professional life all linked together so as not to be so haphazard.  And, obviously, I am still searching for a way to tackle that problem. Anyway, I've been working feverishly through spring break in preparation for my upcoming show at LOT Louisville.  Things are moving, still a long way to go …

  and ..

Thanks for checking out my work!  

Brian Harper  

Just found this studio pic from the summer …

I now have Facebook studio page … become a fan if you want to stay up to date on what's happening in my studio world!  www.facebook.com/brianharperstudio

Spread the word if you know of anyone that might be interested ….

Brian

Hello all. 

This week I've been making working at the Logan Clay Products factory in Logan, OH with a group of 11 other artists.  This factory makes a clay sewer pipe and flue liners in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.  The factory (built in 1890) is really an incredible place to work ….

one of the drying rooms ….

the workers are making more pipes right next to where we are working ….

 

right now they are only firing the beehive kilns outside, but there is a beautiful old tunnel kiln inside one of the buildings…..

and here I am working on some work.  in this photo, I'm sanding the inside of this piece with sandpaper duct taped to the end of a stick.  these are ultimately going to be horizontal pieces and after the firing I will continue to work on the surface with stains, sanding, cutting, etc.

stay tuned for more updates….

brian

I've been busy in the studio making some new work. So far this work is very different from my previous work, so it's exciting and challenging at the same time. No finished images yet, just a few in progress shots and some video.  Here's a couple images of the ceramic tubes I'm working on…

And here's a video of the inside of one of the ceramic tubes while I'm working on it.  While this one is much further along than the narrow tube below, it is still a long way from being finished.

 

And another video of me working on one of the narrow tubes.  In this video, I had just started the drawing on the inside of the tube so most of the surface is still white.

 

Thanks for stopping by to check things out!

Brian

Here’s a short video of me fixing some footprints (someone walked on the work during the exhibition). Before the footprints, I had originally sifted the material over the whole surface to create the texture for the work. In this video, you’ll also see me use a brush to feather out the edges of the footprints and cover them with additional material.

enjoy.
brian

One of the graphic design students here, Kaitlin White designed this great poster for my show.

Well, the solo exhibition I had here at Indiana University came down a couple of weeks ago.  I was an exciting time for me because I've been working on this new work and expounding on some of my ideas, but up until now, I had not shown the work.  The turnout at the opening was really great and it was fun talking about and explaining some of the new work and new research I've been doing.  Anyway, the pictures of the finished installation are on my website, but here are some pictures while we were installing the show.  I was fortunate to have a couple of really great students helping me with all of the work – Rob Wooley and Kristy Leverock.  Without them, I may still be installing …
 

It was great working with some students on this project and at times it seemed like a collaboration. During the installation we were bouncing ideas off of one another and having a great time …

Check back soon for more updates.

Brian