Saturday, January 7, 2023

Recent Works at the Beatrice Woods Center for the Art

 

As a budding ceramic artist in college, meeting Beatrice Wood was such a great honor and inspiration. Not only her whimsical designs and contributions to the ceramic art movement, but her perspective on life and the world.  

Nearly thirty years later, my own "whimsy works" would be showcased along side hers, in her home gallery that is now the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.

Here are my pieces that were accepted into the show.

Mystical Maiden Sculpture


Flaming Heart Milagro Sculpture

 

You can read about my time with Beatrice Wood in my book:  "Touched" on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/Touched-V-P-Andersen/dp/1981147837

 And if you'd like to Listen to my Podcast about Beatrice Wood as my mentor:

https://www.leapintoyourstory.com/victoria-andersen-meeting-mentors-that-change-your-life/

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

My Ceramic History

After a long hiatus, I have returned to updating my blog. Not with any new ceramic works but with some history of how I got started in ceramics. 

During my absence, I was able to finally publish my first book!

"Touched" is the first in my memoir series. In it I share my ceramic journey of how, who, and what sparked an internal desire to create from a wet, lumpy, ball of dirt to a unique piece of art and function.

You can check it out at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/Touched-V-P-Andersen/dp/1981147837

 


 

~~~ Book Excerpt from "Touched", Chapter 24 "The Art Council"

 
"When one opportunity leaves, another one arrives. On the same day I received the bad news from Rachael, I went to Coco’s Restaurant on Reseda Boulevard for lunch. As I was heading back to my truck, I saw a new gift store that displayed a large GRAND OPENING banner. I went to check it out.
Inside were rows of ceramic beads in all shapes and sizes. Beaded jewelry hung on the walls.
When I made my way toward the back of the store, a short dark-haired Peruvian woman behind the counter approached me.
“Your necklace, it is very interesting,” she said with a thick accent. “Where you get it?”
“I made it from clay.”
“You have earrings to match?”
“Not at the moment. But I do have more beads. I can make some. Why?”
“I like very much. I put here in store. You match earrings, put together, I sell.”
“I can do that. How many sets do you want?”
“Three. I do ninety-day. I call you when it sells. You decide if you want bring more stuff.”
“Great. I do have more things. I have a new line of candle-stick and incense holders, too.”
“Good. Bring what you have. I look at all of it.” 
 
 
 
 



Friday, December 29, 2017

Fragments of Eve-Series II-The Next Regeneration














This new body of works reflects the multi-layers of rebirth, following brokenness, and the discovery of self through the journey.  Each piece has a different aspect at every angle to allow the viewer to explore, finding hidden story in various parts of the sculpture.
Minimal color and glaze are used. Edges are rough and slight imperfections are left to convey a "work in progress" feeling.

Fragments of Eve-"Rebirth"- 9"high.

If you're interested in purchasing this sculpture, please visit to my Etsy Store:

 http://vyktoryas.etsy.com/



  

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Milagros in Wonderland Series- "Flaming Rose Vine" Ex Voto Flaming Heart Sculpture


Another sculpture from the Wonderland Series, "Milagros in Wonderland" with this featured abstract Ex Voto Flaming Heart.

Titled "Flaming Rose Vine", 6" high.

The Rose represents Mary with the vine being ultimate sacrifice for love. The flames are the continuous, burning passion.

NOTE: This item is SOLD.




 


This piece can be purchased at my Etsy Store:


http://vyktoryas.etsy.com/

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Wonderland Series: An Exploration in Minimalism & Symbology




The Wonderland Series is an exploration in minimalism and symbology. Bare clay is used with subtle colored glazing.

There are two sub-series within it. The first is the “Wonderland Eve” female torsos.  The other is the “Milagros in Wonderland” which reflects the mystical aspects of Catholic ideology.

“Milagros in Wonderland”, a collection of an abstract version of  “The Flaming Heart Ex Voto”. 

This pieced is titled, “Flaming Rose". The Rose at the center represents Mary. The flames are the continuous, burning passion of eternal love.
 
Inspired by the rich religious traditions and folklore of Mexico and the Southwest.

“Flaming Rose” (Limited Edition), 5 ¾” H. $45.00

Available for purchase at: 

Vyktoryas.etsy.com




Thursday, August 3, 2017

Wonderland Eve Teapot at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts-2017 ACS-DC President's Show



 Vyktroya Andersen - Wonderland Eve Teapot



In every artist's career comes a time when the artist needs to experiment and deviate from their successful body of work. It's a risk worth taking. Although it tends to turn the heads of followers and patrons at times, it stimulating for the artist's inner self.

My ceramics professor in college, during one of my class critiques, asked me, "Are you going to ever leave beginner stage?"

He was an arrogant type. His question was not to inspire me to progress my work. It was intended to be a put-down.  I didn't want to feed his quest. I paused and looked around at my peers who were all waiting for my answer too. They had sympathetic looks on their faces and glad they were not in my situation.

"Never! In the beginner stage, everything is new. I don't want to loose the "newness" that fuels my creativity."

My defiant reply caused a gasp from around the room and silence from my professor. He moved on to the next student's work, without saying a word to me.

Not too long after that encounter, I noticed some unusual activity coming from the kiln area. To my surprise, my professor had set up a secret throwing area, complete with a wheel and wedging table, hidden behind thousands of pounds of clay. On his wheel,  was a bigger version of my vase he had critiqued. This beginner had struck a nerve of truth within him.  He had taught ceramics for nearly 30 years, but had stopped creating any body of works of his own in the last 10 years of his career.

The Wonderland Eve series is about experimenting with parts of other successful series and merging all them all together to see what the synergy is. With it, an incorporation of the Eve sculpture, the spirals of the Harmony Vases, and colored slips and Mason Stains of the Prehistoric series, all arranged in a traditional teapot form.

This piece is currently on display for sale at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, CA until August 19th 2017.

Low fired ceramic with mason stain
7" h x 8.5" w x 5" d
$275.


http://www.beatricewood.com/acs_2017/andersen.html

http://www.beatricewood.com/acs_2017.html


















Friday, January 1, 2016

Re-New Years Resolution




Today is the start of the New Year for 2016. Many will make "New Years Resolutions", myself included.  However, nothing "new" will be on my list. It will be more like "renew".  I plan to reclaim all the things that excite me and put them back into my foreground instead of the background. 

In addition to reclaiming things that excite me, I'm also ridding things that don't give enough return on my self-investment that produce too much aggravation that outweigh benefit of it of keeping it. One of those things is my "Corporate America" job with a "steady paycheck".  After living with "feast or famine" finances as a self-employed person, it was nice to have a steady cash flow for awhile so I didn't have to live on a "money roller coaster" every month. 

But the world has changed so much in the last few years, I don't even recognize it anymore. There's such pressure to be "homogenized" with no regards or respect for being authentic and unique.  Opinions and people's perspectives are the "new norms" regardless if they are fact or truth based, without checking what the motives might be for expressing them or bashing someone, unjustly. Corporate America is one of the major places that forces you into an "unnatural conformity" that goes against anything individual. 

I feel like I need to "hold the line" as there are so few who can sustain from being crushed by a culture that says they want "heros", and cheer for them in the movies, but really don't. Because with real life heros, they force people to evaluate themselves to change to help support the "hero's cause". But when they realize it's a lot of work, they'll try to force the hero into "conformity" since it's easier to convince someone else to a status quo, then change themselves. As one person quoted, "I'm fat, happy, and content".  That clearly is the "mantra of the masses" these days.

This year, I'm reclaiming all that I had to sacrifice for steady money: individualism, creative thinking, doing things on my own timeline, self-respect, unrelenting boldness to speak without fear. Whether people realize it or not- we now live in a society of fear and it has nothing to do with terrorism.  That fear is "other people's opinion". 

My mother had always stressed to take "people's opinions with a grain of salt". In the sea of vast wastelands of feedback, they still hold true for me forty years later.

As a beginning artist in college, there was always a level of insecurity around those where more experienced in the medium. But thankfully, my mother's words were echoing as I got a taste of my first experience that made them ring "loud and clear".  During one winter break, I was experimenting with free-form shapes and glazing in a ceramics class through the Student Union. I called these free-form candlesticks, "Clogs". I was thrilled with my results and couldn't wait to do another batch when normal classes resumed through the university again. I made them at home and when they were dried I brought them into to be fired. My enthusiasm was met with resistance from the lab assistant, who was also a student that taught for her master's degree and ran the lab. According to her, "they're not even worthy of wasting gas."  Needless to say, she wouldn't fire them. So I brought them back to the Student Union that fired the original ones with no problem. 

Her opinion was considered "gospel" to most in the ceramics class. But not me. Her nasty comments  hinted an "undercurrent" that I couldn't prove. Had I listened to her and BELIEVED her feedback which everyone else did- I would have missed the opportunity to make lots of money. These "Clogs" were a hot seller not only at the university sales at the Student Union, home sales, but also in upscale retail boutiques that had my work on consignment.

One day in the ceramics class, one of the other students approached me to inquire about my Clogs she saw drying on a rack in one of the interior rooms. It was a surprise to me since I hadn't been allowed to fire them in the class kilns. Even though I told her my story and why they couldn't be mine,  she insisted on showing them to me. When I pulled back the drying plastic to look at them, it revealed the name of the maker of my "imitation clogs".  It was the lab assistant's! She had produced similar ones even though she bashed mine. 

My "Clog Candlestick Holders" are a great reminder to have faith in yourself, even though the world tells you something different.

I hope my story has inspired you to take more risks in your creative journey...and listen to people less. 

You can purchase these Clogs at my Etsy Store:   vyktoryas - Etsy