I made a few changes to my website today -- got some stuff up from my two weeks at Anderson Ranch. It was a fabulous trip, I only wish I could have stayed out there longer. I got a lightbox up and running, a background and a tripod, so I'm taking my own images. It's great to have the ability to shoot right at home, now I just need to get the camera dialed in...

So my website is finally up and available online. Pretty exiting. Check it out at www.kipokrongly.com. It was a lot of work to get it going, but I think it will be pretty easy to update now that the framework is in place. The next step is to get a place I can easily take my own digital images, then I'd be all set to update regularly...

I'm working to learn more about the kiln at PCA and how to best reduce for carbon trapping. I always thought that starting reduction at 08 was the way to go, but I've come across a number of recommendations for reducton beginning at 012. I found a particularly interesting firing schedule at David Buemee's blog. Definitely worth a try...

Group slides/statement

I strive to capture moments of expression and an eagerness to be used in my utilitarian ceramic work. I envision each piece moments from waking, frozen just before stirring to life and carrying out its intended function. Teapots and mugs tilt in anticipation of pouring or receiving and pitchers reach to deliver their contents, pursuing a sense of generosity and openness. It is the range of interactions a functional pot has, from a precious display to a daily necessity that draws me into my studio. I continually search for ways to merge unique form with practical function, creating work that is a pleasure to touch, see and to use.

My influences often come from things that play a role in my own daily rituals. The defined edges of the radiator in my living room, a sleek band of sliver running through my cell phone, the yellow rusting bridges of my Pittsburgh home and the expressive faucet on my bathroom sink all inspire my work in clay. I blend aspects of everyday routine with human expression to produce objects that we not only use, but also can interact with and visually enjoy.

It is primarily through form that I articulate my interest in animated pots. I employ added coils to emphasize joints, attachments and edges, defining and highlighting those areas that appeal to me. I use these details, along with symmetrical altering, to heighten the human gesture of each piece as well as indicate and inform decorative space. Glaze serves to emphasize detail, accentuate underlying structural decisions and aid in creating a sense of soft touchability.

This is my first post with a link!
Here's a link to aaron's blog.
While I'm at it, check out where I work.

I finally started a blog! This will serve as a place to jot down ideas as I go figure out where I want to go with my clay. The first thing that came to mind was graduate school and here are some I'm interested in researching:

-UAF
Instructors
-James Brashear (MFA Louisiana State 1990)
Length of program: 3 years

-SMU
Instructors
-James W. Sullivan (MFA California State)
-Peter Beasecker (MFA Alfred)
Length of program: 2 years

-WVU
Instructors
-Bob Anderson (MFA Alfred)
-Joe Zeller
Length of program: 3 years

-Kent State
Instructors
-Kirk Mangus

-Nebraska-Lincoln
Instructors
-Eddie Dominguez
-Gail Kendall
-Peter Pinnell
Length of program: 3 years

-Penn State
Instructors
-Chris Staley
-Liz Quackenbush
Length of program:

-University Of Colorado, Boulder
Instructors
-Scott Chamberlin (MFA Alfred)
-Kim Dickey (MFA Alfred)
-Jeanne Quinn (MFA Washington University)
Length of Program:

-RISD
Instructors-Laurence Bush (MFA, Alfred)
- (MFA, Alfred)
-Linda Sormin (MFA, Alfred)
Length of Program:

Carbondale
-LSU
-Edwardsville
-Edinboro
Ohio University
Ohio State University
University of Minnesota
Utah State
University of Nebraska
Alfred
Kent State



Back burner
Louisiana State University
Indiana University, Bloomington
Southen Illinois University, Carbondale and Edwardsville
SUNY, New Paltz
University of Florida Gainesville
West Virginia U
Southern Methodist U
Fort Collins
University of Colorado, Boulder
RISD
Cranbrook
RIT
MSU
University of Montana, Missoula
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Syracuse University
Bowling Green
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
San Diego State
University of Washington
U Mass Dartmouth
VCU
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design