New work

OK so after last weeks disaster I managed to rustle up this pot relatively quickly, which made me feel a bit better about blowing up my last pot. The shape is a nod to the shapes used in ancient Greek pottery. The design was drawn free hand and carved afterwards to make the impression deeper and was based on some patterns and designs that reoccur quite often in my sketch books.

Inevitably because of the Christmas holidays I have not been in the studio over the past few days, I plan to go in tomorrow and start to re-make to pot that was tragically lost before the holidays. I will report back tomorrow with my progress....

Disaster!

After working on the pot for my friend Julia for several weeks, I returned to the studio yesterday to view the results of the firing I put on the night before....firstly there were several smaller items in a nasty blue colour which were supposed to be 'rusty crystal' they were more like melted plastic navy blue...yuk. However beyond those at the back of the kiln was Julia's pot looking immaculate, I unloaded the kiln and lifted up Julia's pot...Disaster the guts of the pot fell out of the bottom. Destroyed and utterly un-salvageable.

Anyway this is the life of ceramics, when it goes in the kiln you give it up to the fire. I personally think it was mainly my fault. I didn't let the pot dry out properly in my haste to get it finished in time for Christmas in order for Julia to give it to her husband on the big day. So I have to start this pot again today....I have aslo started a couple of other peices and bought some rather exciting new glazes, the results of which will be posted here in good time. (hopefully not too long)

Work in progress

So this is the piece I am working on. It is for my friend Julia to give to her husband for Christmas. Hopefully I will finish it on time...
Julia came round about four weeks ago and I took a caste of her nipple which will be adhered to the pot and glazed pink with gold detail, in the back ground you can see the sketches of how I hope it will look. A decadent and tactile piece that will remind her husband of her youthful breasts for the rest of his life..
I document the progress of my work, logging the dates and times spent on the piece and any thoughts related to the ideas behind the work and how I hope it will work, it is now ready for the kiln, it's first firing. I really hope this one works well, Julia is an old friend and I would like to do a good job for her and I want her to think my work is shit hot, but I guess everyone wants that!

Open Studio

Last night was the open studio at Archway Ceramics where I and several other ceramicists while away the hours making ceramic art work in various forms. It was a successful evening and I sold a couple of pieces. I also gave away two small pieces to two students of mine who came up to see the show. I think they deserved it for supporting the cause and its not like they have loads of money to throw around. Hopefully it will put some passion for ceramics into them and extend the bleak looking future of studio ceramics!

I didn't have masses of new stuff to show this year. I have been busy with the teaching. This coming year is going to be a big one in the development of my work and promoting the studio. I am on a one woman mission to do what ever I can to raise the profile of ceramics. Above is some of my work spanning the past three years. I began exploring natural forms and themes surrounding growth and expansion. Now my work is moving towards exploring the body, exploring the relationship between the vessel and the body. Both have a foot and a neck, I like to think about the relationship between a vessel and a woman, how we are both containers, vessels. I often think about the tactile nature of clay, how it invites touch. This lead me to adding unexpected elements to my work. A discreetly placed nipple that you may not notice at first, but as you run your hand over the work you chance apon. I would like to know what people think of my work, how I could improve it. What message does it send. I hope in keeping a blog and documenting the development of my work people may comment and help me grow my work and give it meaning.