Last session this term. As you can see I am trying to learn by copying. Dan was throwing porcelain and I was working with very uncooperative and much used stoneware. What do you think? Guess which film I got the idea from?
Archive for May, 2012|Monthly archive page
Wonky Pots and Porcelain Slip
In Courses, My work on May 29, 2012 at 22:00They’re kind of cute and definitely worth saving and doing something with. Yes, the porcelain slip made the pots super soft and guess what they collapsed very slowly and with gently, sinking ship grace. Nothing ventured nothing gained! Its was the penultimate session tonight and looking back I have learnt a lot. Throwing has definitely improved and that journey into the upper highlands of aesthetic and purity of form is well underway. Lightness and a narrow foot, are my current focus. The problems I have had with the clay I’ve used to throw in the garage has continued. The pots I put through electric non reduction firing have continued, blistering and bubbling all over. They are going into the bin. I have brought four bags of B17C to keep me throwing during the summer. The few pots that came out of bisque tonight I am going to raku. Dan has no problem with me firing the pot he made in the master class, slip resist and wait and see. Happy potting.
Night Jars
In My work on May 27, 2012 at 12:55
Firing at night is such good fun. You obviously can’t see the results as the pots come out, but the visual effects of the red hot pots is spectacular. One of the pieces is slip resist, a technique that I will definitely pursue. I did not finish it to the absolutely smooth finish that gives you the best results. At the time of making the work, I planned to just glaze and fire in a conventional way. Whether the Christmas trees I reduced the work in had any effect at all, I don’t know but at least they are no longer hanging around in the hedgerow. I have one more firing to do this weekend as I could not fit in all in the kiln last night. I will add a slide show to this post when I have finished them off.
Does anyone know what Klato Borada Nikto means? I think I do……great song by the Beatles. Great fun, great days work.
A Master Potter
In Courses, Other's work on May 24, 2012 at 17:42
A master class during Advanced Throwing a Pot.
Tiny People, Porcelain and a Master-class in Throwing
In Courses, Interesting Images on May 23, 2012 at 21:31
This week has been a double session so I have achieved a lot. I had previously agreed with Dan that he would allow me to video his hands throwing porcelain, so I bought one of those three legged flexible tripods and and away we went. I am still working on it but you can see the narrow necked bottle that he made. I finished it by turning it during tonights session. I will post it as soon as its finished. His throwing is staggering, such fluidity in the clay as he works it. I love the narrow neck and slightly raised shoulder, a shape that I have tried to develop in the shapes I have thrown this evening. The white lidded pot is covered in a rough coat of porcelain ship which I dragged across the pot using my fingers, interesting finish. I glazed a lot last night using a new wood-ash, 35% ash and my own tenmoku tried and tested. This set of pots are going into the electric kiln as I used the same clay body as the one that blistered in the reduction firing. I don’t want to run the risk of another bin full of pots. The little man has stood on the hugh tile cutting machine outside the ceramics studio for two days now, I wonder who put him there?
Planning a night raku firing this weekend weather permitting, I have used slip resist on several of the piece, it will be interesting to see how they come out.
Horny Hands and the Sons of Toil- Short Version
In My work on May 20, 2012 at 19:45
I have made a full length version of this video which is available on YouTube. Listen to the soundtrack, Radio 4 and watch the hands, it must have touched that part of my brain that make connections. A very creative weekend I made my most successful video yet. Yes, like the rest of the world I went out to see the torch relay and filmed what I saw. A fantastic experience, so many happy people. Have a look on YouTube I’m ‘flippover’.
Stripes and Spots
In Courses, My work on May 18, 2012 at 15:12
Quite a lot has come out of the kiln with mixed results. The tenmoku did not work how I would have liked it to. Instead of a very deep shinny black with light brown burn out I have a matt deep purple. I don’t like it. The ‘Ben’ wood ash has worked but not as successfully as the my Emanuel Cooper 152, less running, you live and learn. I really like the stripped pot, it’s great the way the pattern comes out from the bottom and chases all the way through the pot, the flow dynamics inside every lump of clay on the wheel head must be amazing. The spots have appeared on several pieces and are from impurities that have come from the mongrel clay I’m using at the moment. Dan thinks it looks like its been wood fire. I will have to sleep on that one, I will look at the pots next week when I’ve brought more of them home. Too many to carry today. I’m going to buy a bag of porcelain! Dan has agreed to doing a masterclass next week as I’ve never even touched the unfired stuff. He’s agreed to me filming his hands at work. I think the title of this film will be ‘Dan’s Hands’, catchy…..
Out with the Flat-pack and in with the Modern Art (Table)
In Day to Day on May 16, 2012 at 20:25At last a decent table to work at. Large the right shape and absolutely rock solid. The iKea is going to be flat packed and dumped at the weekend. Looking at the table top I see images that remind me a lot of Abstract Art. Maybe Jackson Pollock, Ben Nicholson or early British Pop Artists one of whose name just escapes me, I went to a lecture with this person on my foundation, a contemporary of David Hockney. There must be someone out there in cyber space who can help me out any suggestions?
If you have read any of the Phillip Pullman Dark Matter books you will understand when I say that this table is full of ‘dust’, (not literally). It has real history of human interaction and intention, it will be interesting to feel the ‘Feng shui’ it gives off. Looking forward to more creativity. Thank you to the man and the van who transported it.
Advanced Throwing a Pot 15th May or Wild with Wood-ash
In Courses on May 16, 2012 at 20:00A great session last night as I had a large number of pots to glaze, including the two large composite forms. I used the last of the ‘Ben 2008’ vintage wood-ash, I wonder how its going to turn out? The hamburger stripped pots came out of bisque looking impressive the definition on the stripes has increased. I used Ying Ching, (what a funky name) on them, its a pale blue transparent that Dan said would work very effectively in reduction. There is a risk that the straight terracotta will blow in reduction but what the heck, nothing ventured nothing gained. In various combination I splashed straight wood-ash mixed with water onto Ben’s glaze and the Ying Ching using a very course brush. The effect looked like mint sauce on lamb in the end as the wood-ash went green and started heating, I could almost see the steam coming off the pots. Dan thought there was some chemical reaction going on, the mix is very caustic apparently. To mixed it up a bit by dipped some of the smaller pieces in tenmoku the lid on the bucket said it was a ‘Dan Special’, I dragged my figure through the wet glaze to give areas a difference in thickness, I hope to get the classic red breaking through on the thinner areas. The kiln went on today so I hope to see the results by Friday. Will post as soon as I’ve got something to share.
Damien Hurst – The tickets have arrived!
In Exhibitions and Galleries on May 14, 2012 at 17:18
This will be a very interesting one. Having taught about DH for many years to incredulous teenagers I am really looking forward to seeing some of his work for real. I read some of the reviews at the time of the opening which were mixed, I know that the gallery will be packed and that his work will shock. I am sitting on the metaphorical fence and will wait to make up my mind. If nothing else its always worth the heated discussion. There is a part of my mind that always comes back to the Emperor New Clothes argument, just because its there and some people are willing to pay fabulously large amounts of money for it, does that make it good? There is no doubting his success and that DH has moved the art world in a radical new direction but…. I wish I had seen the Anish Karpoor’s instillation in the Turbine Hall. ‘Anish Kapoor’s Marsyas is undoubtedly one of the most memorable works I have encountered. How could anyone forget it? It is not just big, it is enormous. You cannot take the whole thing in, however you approach it’.
Adrian Searle, Guardian 9th October 2002
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