Navy Veteran, art student wins logo contest

Michael C. Buckman’s graphic depiction of a blue and green vessel is the winner of the logo contest for Vessels: All the Eyes Can Hold.

Buckman, 33, is a native of rural Milford. He attended Clermont Northeastern High School and Live Oaks where he studied Computer Assisted Drafting. He served in the U.S. Navy for five years aboard the U.S.S. Princeton. Michael served in Operation Desert Fox and Operation Enduring Freedom.

“Our ship was the Air Warfare Commander, overseeing all the ships gathered in the Arabian Sea, that ended up launching this objective against the Taliban,” he says. “Secretary Donald Rumsfield visited our ship on two occasions, and I can say I was able to shake his hand and talk to him. That was a delight.”

An Operation Specialist Second Class Petty Officer who worked in the Combat Information Center, Buckman is considered a Double Dragon Shellback because he crossed the equator two times out of Singapore. His service career has taken him to many distant ports, including ones in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Perth, Australia, Tasmania and Thailand.

Returning to Cincinnati after leaving the service, he received an Associates of Applied Science in  Graphic Design in Business and Marketing in 2010 from the AIC College of Design.

He is now working toward a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at the College of Mount St. Joseph. He has minors in web design and photography.

Buckman lives in Batavia with his wife Bridgett. He has two sons, Sebastian and Christopher. He likes technology, being outdoors, traveling and photography.

We are pleased and proud to use Michael's design. He will surely be very successful in his chosen field.

---Lynn, Carole, Nancy, Deb

Face Jugs

Face jugs or Jugheads were probably first made in the early 1800's in the Carolinas. Using a potter's wheel the jugs were turned and then adorned with grotesque faces. The faces might have bits of porcelain or rocks as eyes and teeth.

The purpose of the original face jugs is not known. However, potter Jim McDowell (www.blackpotter.com) has a facinating theory based on his family history.Jim's forth great Aunt Evangeline was a village slave potter in Jamaica. She made face jugs. The story handed down from her explains that since slaves were not allowed to have tombstones pottery or face jugs served as a grave marker. The ugly faces came from a belief system which included ancestor worship, voodoo and Christianity. The face had to be ugly to scare away the devil so the departed could go to heaven. Another theory was that adults kept their moonshine in ugly face jugs. The scary face was meant to keep children away from the contents.

Face jugs are still being produced today. I suggest you google,face jugs, and go to images to see the remarkable variety of face jugs. Don't take it too hard if one happens to look like you.



This piece, above, is made of stoneware, attributed to Bath, (Aiken County), South Carolina, second half of the 19th century. On March 5, 2012 it was auctioned for $56,287.50.




Tranny Jug and Hobo Jug by Alex Irvine



---Lynn Conaway

Vessels: All the Eyes Can Hold -- Call to Artists

Vessels: All the Eyes Can Hold is a juried art show about all the meanings of the word vessel. A vessel is a container; however there are many things which can be considered a container. A vessel can be a vase or a ship. There are vessels in our bodies and vessels in nature. Many people believe in spiritual vessels. Work can encompass any medium but must represent some meaning of the word vessel.

Submissions:

There is a non-refundable fee of $25.00 to submit a maximum of four pieces. Members of the Kennedy Heights Arts Center Guild may submit a maximum of four pieces with a $10.00 fee. Fees can be paid online via Paypal at www.kennedyarts.org or by check payable to the Kennedy Heights Arts Center.

Online submissions will be accepted until May 1, 2013. Artists should email jpeg images to vesselsshow@gmail.com or mail a CD to Kennedy Heights Arts Center. All digital images must use a maximum resolution of 300dpi. Label images with last name, number and title of work. Submissions must be accompanied by a completed entry form available at Kennedyarts.org and jury fee as applicable.

Artists will be notified of acceptance by July 1, 2013. After notification of acceptance artists will be asked to submit a brief bio along with important forms, which will be available on line.

Shipping and delivery:

Artists are responsible for the delivery and removal of their work. Accepted work may be shipped or dropped off at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center. Artists are responsible for all shipping costs. All accepted work must be professionally framed/presented and ready to install.

The Kennedy Heights Arts Center retains a 30% commission and adds the required 6.5% sales tax for all gallery sales. Prices may not be changed during the coordination or the run of the exhibition.

Important Dates:

Entry deadline - May 1, 2013

Notice of Acceptance - July 1, 2013

Delivery of work- August 6, 2013 - August 10, 2013

Opening Reception - August 17, 2013 6-9pm

Exhibition dates - Aug.17, 2013 - September 28, 2013

Pick up work - September 28, 2013 - October 5 2013 during business hours

All artists who are accepted into the show are invited to sell smaller, gift type items in the Micro Gallery Boutique which will accompany the show.  The boutique will be open only during the run of Vessels; All the Eyes Can Hold.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center
6546 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45213
513-631-4278

Eggs as Vessels? Incredible!

Artist Adam Chau made a

porcelain egg crate complete

with an egg shell. Go to

www.adamchau.com to see

more of his work.

When most people think of eggs, they think of chicken eggs and breakfast. But people who study oology, which is a branch of ornithology (birds) that deals with the anatomy and physiology of eggs, will say that eggs are not only edible but they really are incredible.

Nearly all animals produce eggs. Mammal embryos develop completely inside the mother’s body. Birds produce a hard-shelled egg designed to develop outside of the mother’s body. A bird egg has four basic structures. The yolk supplies nutrition for the embryo. A tiny white dot on the yolk is the germinal disc which contains the DNA nucleus. Then there is the albumen which is the white or clear part which surrounds the yolk. It has several layers which basically keep the yolk from getting scrambled. The hard outer surface of a bird egg is the shell. The shell also has several layers which act as a protective container or vessel for the embryo.

Throughout history, the egg shape has represented natural harmony, life, birth, creation, and potential. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians used egg shaped containers to store grain and seed. The Greeks in particular stored wine and olive oil in elongated egg shaped vessels called amphorae. 

Archeologists have discovered that 60 to 90,000 years ago, humans used ostrich eggs as water flasks. An ostrich egg holds about one liter of water and, since the shell is breathable, the water stays cool. Using these shells as water flasks allowed humans to live in harsh dry areas of sub-Saharan Africa. After the shells inevitably got broken, the fragments were made into beads. These beads were used not only to decorate clothes or jewelry but also as a form of currency. Sometimes the eggs were engraved and decorated. These decorated shells may be some of the earliest art. To this day Kalahari Bushmen use ostrich eggs as vessels. To see a picture of a real ostrich egg vessel go to www.britishmuseum.org look under South Africa Landscape.

So, eggs as vessels? Incredibly yes!

--Lynn Conaway