Cherise Ward is now at Falmouth University, England

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014Leave a comment

In May 2014, Cherise Ward undertook a residency at Fresh Milk for a month developing her illustrations and puppet making. We are pleased to share the good news that Cherise has just begun a postgraduate program at Falmouth University in England where she will spend the next year in their MA Illustration program. Read more below from Cherise:

I made the decision to study MA Illustration: Authorial Practice at Falmouth University because I wanted a different experience than that of studying in New York City, which was where I got my undergraduate degree at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Falmouth university is located in Cornwall, England and I am attracted to the diverse, one year, Illustration programme. This is my first time in England, and I’m looking forward to doing a lot of exploring and experimenting, expanding on ideas I developed during my residency at Fresh Milk, as well as new ideas inspired by this new environment. So far, I have experienced orientation trips to Eden Project as well as St.Ives, explored the beautiful little shops in Falmouth town and seen the beach on both a clear day and a heavily foggy day. I’m excited to get started and for what this coming year will bring.

One of the places that Cherise Ward visited during orientation

Cherise Ward ‘My Time’ Residency – Puppet Building Workshop

May 26, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

For my community outreach for the residency, I decided to do a 3 hour Puppet Building Workshop with students from Workmans Primary. The students were from both Class 3 and Class 4.

As part of my preparation, I made a test puppet. I wanted it to be a simple hand puppet that I thought the students would be able to make themselves. I used fabric, felt and construction paper.

On the day of the workshop, I had the assistance of Fresh Milk volunteers Versia and Ronald, and they were a great help.

I started by teaching the students about 3 different types of puppets, and doing a brief demonstration of how they worked using puppets I have made. They took notes, and were interested in trying to operate the puppets themselves. Then we got started making their hand puppets.

Puppets made by Cherise, demonstrating different techniques.

Annalee Davis introducing Cherise to the Workmans Primary students.

Cherise demonstrating one of her puppets.

Cherise showing one of her completed puppets.

Cherise assisting with the puppet construction.

The students cut out their templates for the glove part of the puppet, and traced them onto the fabric, and we helped them cut and glue the fabric. They drew the designs for their puppets, and then cut the shapes for the heads and hands, and decorated them using felt, paper, and crayons.

The workshop was really well received. The students were enthusiastic, and excited about the puppets, and we had a great time. Thanks to Versia and Ronald for their help as well as Annalee and the teachers at Workmans Primary.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for updates on her residency & practice.

Cherise Ward’s Residency – Week 4 Report

May 13, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Final Week

Week 4, the final week of the residency, was spent experimenting with mold making and casting, and working on the puppet.

While making the molds, I was anxious to see how they would turn out. I poured the molds, and let them stay overnight. The next day they were turned from liquid to rubber, and I was happy with how they came out.

I was excited to pour the first cast. This did not turn out as well as I would have liked, so I tried again. I was able to make 3 casts of the girl and rooster, plus one made with the very last of the liquid plastic. These are to be wall hangings, and I’m looking forward to painting them.

I also made 5 bunny casts. The shape for the bunny was a simple design, keeping in mind that I wanted to make a simple mold. These can be painted in any way, and I gave one to Annalee, and one to Katherine, to see what ideas they come up with.

I painted one using acrylic paint, and started a second one.

I enjoyed the time spent at Fresh Milk during the 4 weeks of the residency. I would like to thank Annalee and Katherine for their support during these 4 weeks. The residency allowed me to work on ideas that I had not had time to explore in the past. It gave me the opportunity to try new things, and watch initial ideas develop into concepts I had not considered before. Through the residency I was able to meet Juliana, and through her feedback, I have new ideas that I’m looking forward to exploring. I’m happy I made the decision to do a local residency, and I’m pleased with what I have taken away from my experience at Fresh Milk.

I will be doing a Puppet Building Workshop on May 20th as the community outreach portion of the residency. I will be teaching primary school students about puppets, and puppet building, so I will update the blog with images from the workshop.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for more updates on her residency & practice.

Cherise Ward’s Residency – Week 3 Report

May 5, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Puppet Beginnings

The first day of Week 3 of the residency was spent completing the clay sculpture I started last week.

On Tuesday, I began building a rod puppet, using air-drying clay. I cut wooden dowel sticks for the arms, and next week I will work to complete it.

On Wednesday, Juliana Inniss came to visit the studio. It was great to meet her in person. She was able to see the sculptures I made, and gave helpful feedback, as well as tips for future projects.

The mold making and casting kit I ordered arrived last week. This week I started developing ideas for what I will create with this, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with it.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for more updates on her residency & practice.

Reading material given by Juliana Inniss.

Cherise Ward’s Residency – Week 2 Report

April 28, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Experiments with Clay

Week 2 of the residency was the beginning of my sculptural explorations. I wanted to explore the idea of building functional sculptures inspired by my illustration concepts, so I spent this week experimenting with clay. Growing up, I was always making things with my hands, and clay was something my mother would buy for me to sculpt with. The last time I sculpted anything with clay was about 3 or 4 years ago and I was very excited to use this time to work with it again, and learn more about ceramics.

During the first week, Annalee introduced me to Juliana Innis, a local Artist. Juliana gave me many tips, sharing information about her own work and firing technique, as well as information about mixing glazes.

Over the weekend I bought some local clay. I spent the first day brainstorming, sketching ideas, and doing research. In The Colleen Lewis Reading Room, I found two very interesting books on ceramics. One called Japanese Ceramics Today, which had a lot of interesting information and images; and the second book, Handbuilt Ceramics, included techniques such as pinching and coiling.

When I started sculpting, I had an idea of what I wanted to make based on my sketches. I worked through the initial uncertainty, and enjoyed the process and the exploration. As I continued working, the initial idea evolved.

The first finished piece is a vase.

I’ve started a second piece, and I’m excited to see what the finished product will look like.

On Saturday, I went on a family excursion to Chalky Mount, St. Andrew, where we had the opportunity to meet the potter John Springer. John spoke about our local clay, and demonstrated the use of the potter’s wheel. He also showed us his kiln, and explained how it functioned.

Follow Cherise on Tumblr for more updates on her residency & practice.