13 May 2009

Ceramics 1

A new playground! Today, the first of our three taster sessions in pottery/ceramics. After a slide show that included some fabulous images of mud brick mosques and granaries, as well as Cretan, Chinese and other treasures, the morning's task was some 10-minute drawings of the still life - with dots and dashes; tone; letters/symbols; and cross-hatching.
All with a dark brown conte-type crayon -
After lunch, introduction to types of clay - white, buff (St Thomas), crank, and terracotta -
and here's the "clay notebook" - making marks on slabs of clay. These were deep jabs that partly closed up when the clay was slammed down on the bench -What you can get with slips and glazes, fired at different temperatures - the terracotta on the right is fired at earthenware (1080 degrees) and when pinged, sounds dull - it's porous. The white clay on the left is fired at 1280 degrees, stoneware temperature, and sounds "bright" when pinged.
My "don't know what I'm doing" slab has terracotta inlaid, and has black slip painted on and red and white slip blobbed and spattered. It's an experiment! (to be continued after firing, adding glazes...) -
It's a dauntingly long way from this beautiful porcelain vessel (by Prue Seward; 3" high).

5 comments:

Béatrice de Lausanne, Suisse. said...

Hello Mane.
All that clay... That reminde me how we met, in Minorca. Long, long ago .love. Béatrice

I lost the right side pictures on my blog, when, i went to parametre.
Could'nt move the pictures anymore down on the right hand side. So i try to resolve the problème by myself. but no succes. Bisous, Béatrice.Can you still no add any message on my blog ? Shame, I am sade.

Béatrice de Lausanne, Suisse. said...

Oh ! Mane.
That part of your blog is the most interesting matter to me.That reminder me so many * souvenirs *. I have click everywhere it's possible. The porcelaine of William Plumptre are realy beautiful. I love, love , love them.
I knew porcelaine is the most dificult eath to work. Bernard use to say that.I remember having seen in the *art décoratif * in Lausanne, a rery big boal. at least 60 cm. lengt. I say to the artist * congratulation for this, porcelaine is so dificile to throw. * are you a ceramist ? *No*. Love. Béatrice.

Béatrice. said...

Hello Mane

Maby next year, I will do a window about *raku*. I know few ceramists using that thechnique.
I whent throught Bann pottery.
I rebember Bernard using asvell the colombin technique.
If you go to my blog,and click to my fidels abonnés, clisk to the blog they love, you will see ceramics aswel.
Bisous. Béatrice.

Béatrice. said...

In my blog you might have seen, the potters in tulipes. 80 ceramists in the Morges tulips festival. I have picture the one i love. Have you seen ? And the one I know. Bisous. Béatrice de Lausanne.

Béatrice. said...

In one of your click. I went through Louise Nevelson. I still remember the empress she did on me, in* arts décoratif*, many years ago. Her work gave me an idea to a Chrismass window. Pile boxes up and up.But, I color them in bright colors, blue and red. inside I have put Chrismas goods. Nice window... many years ego.That was a very little influence toward the great American artist who are still ander her *influence *. No ? I went throught, aswell, Christo, In Lausanne, big exibition. But, I did'nt tell anything on my blog, because I am on edge vivh the right. Bises. Béatrice.