6/29/13

Making something new : ceramics

I have been working in a new medium for several months now: ceramics. I was in a creative rut of sorts and had been looking to try my hand at something new,outside my comfort zone...foreign even. It has been an exploration of how underglazes work and how best to do what I do, artistically, in this new mode of art making. 


It all began with a simple vase. 
Then I tried my hand at a plate-seen above.With each object, I learned something different and refined how I did things.
Next I got ambitious and tackled a tall, thin pitcher. Working with such a 3-D surface proved challenging. 
Seeking refuge project No. 5 was  a cake plate with pedestal,seen here the  day it emerged from the kiln. 
Until now, I had been designing as I went. I shifted gears, got more professional about it all and began with my sketchbook. Having sketches proved to be a huge help. The eventual piece will rarely be 100% true to the sketch upon which it is based but it is helpful to go in with a game plan. The sushi plate was born. With this particular project I also got very involved with layering of glazes. The piece has yet to reach the kiln & I ca not wait to see what results from this experimentation.
Also based upon a tight sketch: the latest cake plate. It too involves multiple layers of different color underglazes. 
The small cup is yet another ongoing experiment ,made up of many, many overlapping layers. My work in silkscreen involves multiple layers and that mode of working totally fascinates me, especially the way in which one layer impacts the next.