Long time no blog...

This is not because I haven't been using my wonderful new kiln; just not had time to write about recent work due to visiting relatives, Christmas and flu. Time to get things up to date.

Before Christmas, as well as being busy making some more birds and little pots to sell at a lucrative Thrive Christmas Coffee morning, I was also making test tiles to check out all my glazes, etc in the kiln, AND (more interesting) trying out a few new ideas.

Pots with yew and paua handles

My little pots are travelling far and wide; one has now gone to New Zealand (very appropriate as this is where the original idea stemmed from, as did the little bits of paua) and I think that another has gone to Israel.

One of the new ideas was to make a triple bowl combination with a koru handle to use for dips. Here is the first attempt at realising my design.

The bowls were a little too small and the green slip too pale.
I then made a template to use to ensure consistent shape and size of the 3 bowls and had another go.

Better size and shape, but the brush-on green glaze has not given good coverage (not sure whether this is me or the glaze?)

The bowls were still a little small, so third time lucky?

Okay, so now I am happy with the size of the bowls, but used a new marble green glaze which I knew would run if applied too thickly. Unfortunately I was too conservative in my application of the glaze. So this idea is still work in progress, but one that I think I will persue.

Here is another new idea which I plan to try to improve upon.

The night light just fits in, and looks good when it is burning. Next time I plan to make a larger bowl and will try to get a more even twist on the upright coils.

I then played around with some circular thin slabs of clay...

Like the shape, but the black slip with sgrafitto not so good.

Shape worked well, as did the brown slip with sgrafitto.



Still lots of other work to show and talk about, but will save this for some more posts...

Flint

My sketchbooks contain many ideas which have yet to see the 'light of clay'; so when I sit down with a lump of clay I am never thinking 'What shall I make?'.

One idea has been in my sketchbook for several months waiting for the right trigger to be implemented in clay. This 'trigger' came when I was given an interesting off-cut of yew which I felt would make a beautiful base to compliment the form of the ceramic piece.

My original plan had been to leave the clay in it's natural state (as I have done with many of my sculptures). However, after walking along the beach at Hengistbury Head in early September, where I was enjoying picking up and admiring the flints, I decided to try to create this effect.

I started by covering the finished sculpture in 3 coats of black slip, over this I loosely brushed on 2-3 coats of white slip, leaving areas of black exposed on the edges. I burnished the protruding areas of black slip before firing the piece to bisque then stoneware.

The piece of yew needed a lot of work to refine the shape (unfortunately I forgot to photograph it before starting to work on it). Meir Weiss kindly helped with the initial shaping with some of his power tools, I then took over and refined the shape with hand tools and finally 3 grades of sandpaper. Initially I waxed the wood, but my beeswax is slightly coloured and this spoilt the natural colour of the yew. Back to yet more sanding to remove the wax, and then a small amount of olive oil and I was happy.

Twisted Flint Form - Ceramic on yew base (h-31cm, w-45cm)

I have also created another piece based on my observations of flints.

This time I also used some yellow slip, as well as the white; but I was not very happy with the result, so have since 'smoked' the piece.

Not really convinced that this improves the piece. It may be that it is destined for a secluded spot in the garden!

Sprouting

Autumn is the time of year when lots of wonderful fungi are sprouting in the woods and fields.
I also have them sprouting out of more pieces of spalted beech.
My original Fungi have been so popular that I have started making more ready to sell...

Quad Fungi - Ceramic and Beech (30x30cm)

Triple Fungi - Ceramic and Beech (30x30cm)

Once again, the ceramic fungi and the spalted beech are mounted on MDF and plywood, primed with Gesso.

My wood from Meir Weiss has also included pieces which he gave to Ken to burn on our new log burning stove. Fortunately before the wood was added to the wood pile I had a rummage and found more pieces of spalted beech, which I have squirelled away into the garage for future use.

By cutting up one log, removing bark, refining the shape, lots of sanding and finally polishing with beeswax; I produced the following beautiful piece of wood.

Some may feel that the wood is of sufficient beauty and interest to display on its own. However, I wanted to use the wood as the foundation for some ceramic work. Looking through a recently acquired book on Lichens, I came across an image of the Lichen, Cladonia chlorophea, similar to the image below.

Several sketches later plus lots of work with clay, oxides and glazes and final work with a drill has resulted in the following sculpture.

Lichen - Ceramic and Beech (h-20cm, w-23cm)

I am sure that everyone will have a different opinion as to whether this adds or detracts to the beauty of the original piece of wood; life would be very dull if we all liked the same things! Personally I am pleased with the result and enjoying having the work displayed in my home (Ken has yet to express an opinion, perhaps he is being diplomatic?)

Success!!

It was with some trepidation that I loaded my kiln for its first stoneware glaze firing; would I have mixed my glazes correctly so that they did not run and fuse my work to the kiln shelves?
I needn't have worried (something I do very well after a great many years of practice); when I opened the kiln this morning all my work was sitting happily on the shelves with not a dribble of glaze in sight.
It was with great excitement that I unloaded and examined each piece; all small pieces that had not taken too much time to make, in case things went wrong. Really I should have started with lots of test tiles to check out glazes and oxides, but find these pretty tedious to make; I am in the process of making lots at the moment so that I can start experimenting.
I was so pleased with my little blue-grey pots that I immediately got the drill out so that I could put on their handles, made from small pieces of hand carved yew and paua shell, and take them in to work to show to colleagues. Judging by the reception, think I will need to get busy making more to satisfy the demand.

Here are some of the other small pieces which came out of the kiln this morning.

The fig leaves were made from one of my leaves from the garden and are designed to be used as spoon rests. The green is from copper oxide in the veins and then a brush on glaze over this. In two or the heart bowls I was experimenting using an underglaze pencil to draw over the white slip, finished with a clear glaze; lines are very faint, so obviously did not get enough underglaze from the pencil.
My firing also included lots of fungi and lichen which I am busy assembling with some of the beautiful spalted beech that I have been given; watch this space....

My own kiln!

At last, thanks to a generous loan from my parents, I have my own kiln!

I have been thinking about investing in one for some time. After a lot of research, I decided to invest in a new Rohde Ecotop 43L; which is a small, economical top loading kiln which has the advantage of plugging in to a 13A socket. The kiln will allow me to fire up to stoneware temperatures, which was an important criteria in my choice.

The kiln arrived just over a week ago and was soon going through the 'burn-in' process. Having re-tightened the belts around the kiln after this, I loaded the kiln for my first bisque firing.

The garage became very warm and cosy during the firing, may need to invest in a clothes airer with pulley to attach to the roof so that I don't waste all this heat!
Everything fired well, so now busy with oxides and glazes on these pieces ready for the stoneware firing.

Summer Holidays

Having yet to invest in my own kiln, I rely upon the kiln at Bracknell college for the firing of all my work.
In past years this has led to a lack of finished ceramics work during the months of the summer holidays.
This year I decided to buy some of my own clay plus oxides/glazes and to have my work fired at Bluematchbox.
This has enabled me to complete more work ready for my sale at the Thrive Open Day on Saturday 15th September.
My house leek planters have proved very popular at previous Thrive events, so I have made a few more, here they are planted ready for the big day.

Koru planter with sea glass (diameter ~ 13cm)

Koru planter (diameter ~ 14cm)

Wavy edge planter (diameter ~ 13cm)

 

I have also made several new bowls...

 Koru bowl with sea glass (~11cm diameter)

 Stepped edge bowl with sea glass (~10cm diameter)

 

 Offset bowls with sea glass (~10-13.5cm diameter)

Beachcomber

Whenever I spend any time on a beach, I always have my head down, seeing what treasures I can find. During our summer two week holiday in Pembrokeshire on one of our long walks along the fantastic coastline, we paused for lunch at Mill Bay on St. Anne's Head. Mill Bay is best known for the landing of Henry Tudor on 7th August 1485, having sailed from France with an army of 2,000 men. From Mill Bay they marched through Wales to defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. More recently the Bay became the resting place for the wreck of HMS Barking. However it is not a beach known for a large collection of driftwood, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a potentialy interesting piece. Our dog was also interested in the wood, she could not understand why I was carrying the wood for the remaining few miles of the walk and not giving it to her to chew!
After coming home when the wood had dried out, I was able to set to work with my penknife and sandpaper, with this result....