Journal

appearing in two additional books!

Susan DeMay — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:31:55 +0000

You will find my works in two new books, one of which just came out. This book, Ceramics for Beginners: Surface, Glazes and Firing is a text about different ways to embellish the surface of clay. you will find my platters on page 16 and 108.

The other book, 500 Vases , will be coming out soon. Two of my oval slab vases with the leaf motif will be show in that book.

Summer 2010

Susan DeMay — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:18:22 +0000

I have not posted anything over the summer because I traveled a lot. I would like to say it was for professional development, but instead I have to admit it was all for fun! Atlanta, Washington DC, New York (Upstate) and Florida. I had a blast in each place.

I did do one workshop at Midsouth Ceramic Supply. If you check their website you will see some of the pieces that I glazed for the workshop. I think it was one of the best glazing workshops that I have done. I was very relaxed and was still able to get most of my ideas and techniques covered.

This fall I have many acitivities and events coming up. I have a faculty exhibit in October/November. the show will be in the Cohen Memorial Hall where I used to teach. In November, I am part of a three person show at the Metro Nashville Arts Commission. I am showing my new sculptures in that show. I have also organized a clay exhibit at the E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center. I am borrowing large scale clay works from the Tennesse State Museum and bringing them to our gallery where I teach. I will also be part of the Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour again this year, and in addtion to that I will be part of the Art Prowl in Cookeville, Tennessee. lst night I wa spart of the Watertown Art Crawl which raises money for the New Leash on Life animal group.

raku workshop at Pope John High School and exhibit

Susan DeMay — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:53:53 +0000

This week, March 11th and 12th I will be setting up an exhibit at Pope John Paul II High School, north of Nashville. The exhibit will be in the school cafeteria and is in conjunction with a raku workshop that I am doing with the art classes. The art teacher, Colleen McCormick, is tying the theme of the workshop into the other exhibit at the school, "Blood and Ink," which explores the development of print and manuscripts through the ages. The raku lessons focus on the calligraphy of Eastern cultures. The students will replicate some Chinese or Japanese characters in wax on their works and glaze around that. In the raku firing the wax will burn off and leave their characters in black raw clay.

Tennessee Crossroads

Susan DeMay — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:33:51 +0000

I have really enjoyed the reactions to this article! I have heard from former students, former professors, old friends, family, and complete strangers who all have found the segment to be so fantastic! I have checked in on it a few times and last time I looked, the video had over 250 hits. At school a couple deans and other upper administration complemented me on the show, as well. the whole experience has been very fun.

Tennessee Crossroads Spolights Susan DeMay

Susan DeMay — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:48:00 +0000

Tressa Bush meets a lady in Smithville whose summer job as a teenager sent her down the path to a career filled with creativity and clay.

Eckerd College Event at the Frist

Susan DeMay — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:38:30 +0000

The Eckerd College alumni living in the Nashville area meet at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts for "An Evening of Art, Conversation, and Cocktails." The main exhibit featured at the Frist is "Georgia O'Keefe and Friends." The evening began with a visit to the museum store/gift shop to hear a talk given by Susan DeMay about her recent trip to Sante Fe to visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. After her trip there, she developed a series of pieces inspired by a number of her works. Her leaf series, a line of work already underway, was further expanded by looking at O'Keeffe's leaf works, but the work that was really influenced by this incredible painter was the flowere series. These larger than life works led to a series of Susan's handbuilt,slab-constructed bowls in various color schemes employed by O'Keeffe. Though the glazes that Susan uses don't match up exactly to the paint colors used by O'Keeffe, the same richness of color does. Using specific color plates from cards and books at the museum store and samples of Susan's pieces being sold in the museum, along with test tiles that the Susan brought with her, the Eckerd group was shown some of the process of how a flower of Georgia O'Keeffe translated into a flower in glaze by Susan DeMay who has been woking with floral mtifs for a couple decades now.

Afterwards the group went into the main exhibit to view the show and to listen to headrecorders to learn more about the artist and the other artists of her time. The group then met next door at Union Station for hors d'ouvres and drinks where they shared their insights and got cought up on what each other is doing.

TENNESSEE CROSSROADS EPISODE TO AIR!

Susan DeMay — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:34:21 +0000

Susan DeMay will appear on Nashville Public Radio (NPR) regularly televised show "Tennessee Crossroads" on January 7th and January 10th. Here are the times: January 7 at 7:00 pm and January 10 at 10:00am.

The article will include interview, shots of works, and a number of process shots.

Where has the time gone!?

Susan DeMay — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:12:56 +0000

Ehibitions at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee since early summer have included Susan in all of them. The first one was "Summer Faculty" and included a new sculptural piece (which sold!) Susan was teaching a glazing workshop, her most popular topic. The next exhibit was a group show of the Highland Rim chapter of the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists. Susan tries to be active in this organization whose goal is to promote craft artisis in the region and promote this group around the area through a yearly group exhibition. Every year the group puts together this show in a new venue.

The next show at the Craft Center was the Tenth Anniversary Exhibit of the Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour Artists. This successful event has grown over the years, and the group wished to celebrate its popularity with a show of their best works. And finally, the holiday season exhibit at the Craft Center is a show of Craft Center alumni who have set up their own studios in the region after finishing at the school.

The Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour which happens every year during the last full weekend of October was Susan's second year! Hundreds of folks go on the tour and come from all over the state. Huge numbers are repeat visitors, and came to scoop up many pieces of pottery from Susan and her guest artist, TJ Edwards.

Susan spent a lot of time this summer putting together slides for an upcoming book by Angelica Pozo. The book, Ceramics for Beginners: Surface, Glazes and Firing, is in fhe process of being edited . Susan will have one of her platters, a nightscape with a road, pictured in the book.

In October, a local public television station, Nashville Public Television, came to Susan's studio to interview her and to film her studio and a number of parts of the process. The interview and filming took four hours and will result in a five to ten minute article on "Tennessee Crossroads." Sveral of her finished works were also included in the fiming and will cover a wide variety of works from pottery in the production line, large unique wall platters, and some of her new sculptures. An important them of the show will be cover the relationship of Susan's early work experience as a teenager and her career as an adult in athe arts and in teaching.

New Deliveries

Susan DeMay — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:21:13 +0000

This week Susan made deliveries to two galleries in East Tennessee. While both galleries have new locations, Susan has sjhown with them for nearly two decades. James-Ben Gallery in Greeneville used to be near Nashville in Franklin. James-Ben likes his new location on Main Street of Greeneville and appatently ahs developed quite a clientele there. Susan added anumber of one-of-a kind items to his selection which mostly consisted of her production line. Ont he same trip, Susan delivered to Boone's Creek Potters' Gallery. The new location is closer to town and more visible from the highway. This two-story older house has also been transformed inot a beautiful gallery space with room after room of pottery, glass, jewelry, wood, and other crafts. Susan took a variety of functional wares there, and added to a recent shipment. The gallery is preparing for the large crowds of folks coming to town to be part of the story tellers gathering that spills over from nearby quaint Jonesboro.

Weekend Fundraiser

Susan DeMay — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:47:04 +0000

This weekend Susan is participating in "The Best is Yet to Come," a small, intimate event of about twenty artists working in a number of mediums. The art sale takes place in the beautiful home of the Williams family, a local businessman whoso business is an electrical supply and who are members of the Putnam County Humane Society. The art show and sale raises money for the local Humane Society to fund educational commercials about spaying and neutering on the local public television station, Channel 22.

This weekend is also the also weekend for the Channel 22 fundraiser and this two week event raises money to help with the operating costs of the tv station. The Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour group, of which Susan is a part, sponsors a whole board and gets contributions from its members for this cause. Susan donated a large floral bowl and a tray-with-cups set.