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Carly Gibran Hamid | Episode 471
Carly Gibran Hamid graduated from Stetson University in 2003. She taught art in public schools for seven years, owned a small gallery, and has worked with several local art organizations. In 2015, she left teaching to become a full time studio artist. Carly works with porcelain, making functional and sculptural ceramics that are inspired by the natural world. She lives in DeLand, Florida with her husband and their two sons.
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When you are making your slabs are you putting your linoleum pieces on the slabs too so when they come out it has the impression already build into them? Or do you put them on after you have done the slab rolling?
I roll out a pile of slabs so when I am ready to build I then take the slab out and put the linoleum on top. I roll it through the slab roller one more time to get the texture from my linocut. So my linocuts are 12 by 18 inches, so all of my slab work starts with that. I am limited to 12 by 18 , which I really like that limitation because it forces me to kind of problem solve within that set dimension. And porcelain is so fussy that working with slabs bigger than that can kind of lead to warping anyway. It is a good place for me to start.
How many pieces can you get out of a 12 by 18 slab?
It depends. I can get 4 to 5 mugs depending on the size of the mug. Two flower bricks. Two vases. Four bowls. It depends on what I am making. I use every inch of that slab. I have templates set up to use every spare square.
Do you have templates for each kind of piece that you are making? Are your linoleum pieces separate?
The linoleum pieces are just rectangular. A lot of my patterns come from either natural things that I see in the world or fabrics that I like. My templates are just cut out of Tyvek. My husband had some of it. I like it because when I spill water on it it doesn’t absorb anything. It is thin enough that you can cut it with scissors. I have piles of templates out of Tyvek that I just lay on top of my slab, trace it out, and go from there. There are some things I do not use templates for. I just kind of wing it depending on what I am making. For things like mugs that I want to be the same size I do use a template.
Does the linoleum pieces fit the slabs?
Yes, I roll out the slabs ahead of time to about a quarter of a centimeter thick and I cut them to 12 by 18 and wrap them in plastic for when I am ready to put the linoleum on top. When I start going I can move pretty quick because I set up the whole studio for making. The set up might take three days but once I start “cooking” I can get a lot of pieces done in a few days.
Do you set up your studio so that you move from station to station or do you have one place that you do all your work?
No, I have stations. I have definite stations. I do all my hand building and linoleum rolling here, my pug mill and kilns are around the corner. I have a peg-board wall behind me that was at the house when I came. So I have every tool that I could want. I just reach out and grab my tools. So I basically work in this tiny space where everything is within arms distance. When I start glazing I have a separate table that I do all my glazing on.
How important is cleanliness?
Depends on what frenzy of work I am in. Sometimes this place is a wreck. I try to every other week shop vac and wet vac the floor. It is just a garage floor so it is concrete so it tends to get dusty. You know, I could probably be cleaner just for dust but I do use the mask when I am making glazes or recycling clay. When working what is more important to me is organization. If i reach for a tool, I have to be able to reach for it and it’s there. So I am very specific on where I keep every item.
How important is your husband’s support in your business?
It’s huge. My husband is fantastic. I met him when I was going to art school and we got married within 2 months of knowing each other. Sp everything was pretty quick. He is an artist also and I think that is really important to have someone who understand that when you have to be in the studio until three in the morning that that’s Okay. He comes to all the art shows and sets up my stuff and drives the trailer. I really couldn’t do ti without him.
Book
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Contact:
Instagram: @gibranstudio