Animal House Pottery has cooked up something for us to enjoy...

If you know anything about my work, then you know, I love combining mediums. Sure, wood is my first love. 

But I've been working with clay since the early 90s, when I experimented with tile making, to incorporate it into the furnuiture that I build.  I still have a ceramic studio, and one of my current projects us making tile for the backsplash in my kitchen. (Add that to my list!)

So when I found out that Animal House Pottery was going to be exhibiting some of the students ceramic work, I headed down to City Hall to see the show.

There's no doubt City Hall is impressive. It’s easy to park, there’s a deck right across the street. 

As you walk up to the building, you see larger than life sculptures of Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, our former mayors. Say what you want about them, but I think they accomplished a lot during their reign.

Security in the lobby is pretty tight, but as you walk in the doors, you can see the show displayed in the lobby. Once I told the security guard I was attending the show, she gave me a voucher for free parking, and I stepped through the metal detector to see the work.

I know… a metal detector! It's hard to believe we've gotten to this point, but considering not too long ago, we had a mass murder here, where 100 people died... it (sadly) makes sense.

The ceramic show wasn't extremely big – by my count - there were only 14 pieces. But there were quite a few that I absolutely adored. 

Hopefully, I am attributing the artwork to the correct artist - my iPhone was acting up, after a new update, so many of the photos that I took were out of sequence. (Thanks, Apple!)

A piece that I absolutely loved was made by Nicholas Denson, a figurative abstract sculpture that had me staring at it for quite a while. 

I took several photos, but really couldn't capture the essence of this piece. But it was stunning.

Owner of the pottery – Anthony – had (I think) one of the most impressive pieces. It was a large vessel, much larger than anything else in the show. 

If you've ever thrown clay on the wheel, you know how difficult it is to accomplish something this big. That in itself was very impressive. But Anthony's piece was lovely in its own right –the shape, the markings, the texture - everything about it was gorgeous.

I very much enjoyed the details in Marianna Romero Martinez' piece - Resilient Nature. 

She combined a wooden plaque with a ceramic sculpture of a heart - embellished with flowers and color. I later learned she's been working on a whole series of similar pieces - imagine how interesting it would be to see an exhibition of all of them togeher!

JuliaEstelle’s “Margiela” was another one of those that had me thinking about it as I drove home. A single large scale tentacle of (I'm assuming) an octopus was rich in detail, and deep in surface decoration and color. 

Again – hard to take photos of pieces like these, but her work was great.

Another piece I very much enjoyed was Robert Hoier’s constant pots – a saggar fired plant vessel. 

To be honest, when I first looked at it, it didn't seem like anything special. But I found myself returning to the pedestal where it was displayed, viewing it from all angles. 

The color and texture of it was magnificent.

My favorite? Cathy Calabio’s Jupiter Vessel(s) were the ones that I'm most enjoyed. 

They were sculptural in ways that challenged you to look at them from every angle possible. The glaze on these are right up my alley, and they were simply (technically) outstanding. 

 I spent a good long time examining them from near and far. 

Bravo Cathy! 

There were several whimsical pieces, including this one by Mariana Romero Martinez, and this trio of ducks by Ashley Hughes. They were clever and fun and I enjoyed their playfulness.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to appreciate whimsy in artwork. With practice, anyone can make technically good pieces. But combine that with some thought and incorporate it into the work, and it takes to piece to a whole new level. 

 Finally - I really liked the texture and luster of this vessel, and I'm guessing that it was raku-fired. 

You don't see that spectrum of color on reduction or oxidation fired pieces. But honestly - raku is a crap shoot.  Sometimes you'll get amazing colors, but often, you'll get sooty, damaged work. Raku is a whole different ballgame, so this piece is a victory.

Again - if I mis-labeled any of these photos, attributing the work to the wrong artist - I apologize. Apple really needs to get their act together with its phone updates.

The show ends in late July, and I highly recommend stopping and seeing this interesting collection! (Don't forget to ask for a voucher for parking!)

 

This year's Antique Arms Show round-up

 It takes a lot to drag me to the Las Vegas strip, but this year's Antique Arms show at the Westgate Hotel did it. It's a once a year exhibition/sale of weapons – knives, swords, guns, rifles -all with a slant toward historical interest.

The Westgate Hotel was where Elvis Presley used to perform, so when you walk in – you are greeted by this.

Head down the hallway to the right and you'll pass the giant cup of Boba,

 and then you'll see the ticket office for purchasing day passes for the show. When you enter – you're only in the first room. 

It has a variety of exhibitions, with a ton of emphasis to Native American art. 

The crowds were sparse, but there were a lot of people checking out the Native American artwork.

But the second room seemed like the one where most of the action was happening. 

Sure, there are tons of weapons – rifles and guns, and especially knives. That's what I went there to see. The Las Vegas Knife Maker group had a huge section of tables – more about that later. But someone directed me to these engraved knives, and I was happy to be pointed in that direction. 

These knives aren't just special, they are simply works of art. The engraving on these knives is beyond phenomenal, and the presenter at this booth pulled one of the knives out and showed me the details. I believe that Knife second from the left was priced at around 80 K. 

I'm sure there's a word for it, but there is a little secret compartment in that handle, that displays more engraving. I didn't get a picture of it, but the fellow said the purpose of it was to give them more surface area to engrave!

I was interested in the handles that people use on knives – these are called scales. 

You can see from these pictures that this is a very specialized market – considering most of this material this material is pricey and incredible. 

These petrified wood pieces – book matched and dyed run around $500 a set.

Travel through the rows of tables, the exhibitors share huge amounts of information about their weapons. From the detail of the inscriptions on these knives to the historical aspect of them- these are not only works of art, but have amazing historical value. 

This booth featured Civil War weapons. This five shot revolver was like nothing. I've never seen – circa 1840. It included everything you need, but I forget if this was actually a working pistol or not.

If you're a history buff, these displays will captivate you. 

This pistol holds 10 rounds, and was made around 1840.

This weapon blew my mind – it was not only a pistol,

but a huge sword. Two weapons in one!

This German military rifle, circa 1650, had engraved details that are hard to fathom, considering the time period. 

And this bayonet/rifle was at once awesome and scary. 

That bayonet folds backwards to allow the rifle to be shot, but snaps forward for hand to hand combat. 

It's not that the rifles and weapons don't interest me, but I really enjoy the display cases that some of these weapons have. 

This booth displayed several rifles on some slabs of hardwood that had gone through a fire. 

You can see the interior surfaces of this wood is blackened with soot and char, but the outsides are polished. It was pretty incredible.

As I made my way toward the Las Vegas Knife Maker group – I ran into my buddy Len. 

He's been working with Damascus steel, and making knives with acrylic handles. His Company – Black Dog Forge – makes a variety of weapons, jewelry, and he's even started making his own leather cases, 

which are outstanding!

The close-up of his Damascus knife blades are amazing. 

Some of the other knife makers are shown here. This is Vince who seems to specialize in Tomahawk/Peace pipes, and swords. 

He has a ton of smaller knives as well. Vince and his wife have jumped into the knife making field with both feet.

I particularly liked this young man’s knives – in fact, I bought one for my kitchen! 

Connor has passion for this, and his skill belies his age. I expect amazing work from him in the future. (And I love the kitchen knife that I purchased from him!)

But here's the headmaster – my buddy Tony Immordino. (I totally spaced out and forgot to get a photo of Tony, so this is from last year's show!  Duh!)

He has a forge on his property, and I believe is the founder of the Las Vegas Knife Maker group. He has hosted the Hammer-in event at his shop, featuring guest speakers who are well-respected in this field. This two day event will teach you more about Knife making than one would imagine.

You can take a class, making a knife in a day or two. Or - or just visit Tony's forge and check out the work that's going on. Obviously knives with more detail take longer, but if you are interested in learning this amazing skill – I urge you to contact him. 

Here are some of the other local knife makers - each with special styles and skills.

Honestly, this is a very talented group!  

I can't wait to find some time and make a knife with Tony. If you're looking to learn a new skill, and leave with a quality knife that you'll have forever - this is your place.  If you're interested in taking a class with Tony, or just finding out more about the Las Vegas Knife Makers, here's a link to read more or join their Facebook group.

Every year that I attend this antique arm show I learned something new. This year was no different, and my main takeaway was that engraving is a specialty field of which I can't describe. These custom engravers are simply at the top of their game, and everyone within their community has their little niche in the market. 

I can't wait for next year's show!