ceramics

So far we have made coil pots, then smoothed out the surface ready to do naked raku finish. My  first piece I wanted to have some clay coils showing, I felt the shapes were interesting, then I did a pinch pot by hollowing out the inside of a clay ball and shapeing the clay into a jug-like vessel.

 Throwing was very challenging but enjoyable, this will be finished with colour and a shiny type glaze.

Ceramic Project Week One

Have started our two week experiments in ceramics. We are doing naked Raku, I seem to have turned near dyslexic on the word Raku as it comes out Ragu, more Jamie Oliver the naked chef than clay vessels.

 I ventured out at dusk to take some photos for possible starting points,  our brief is urban or natural environments, straight, angular and wavy, I took photos on a building site and some in the countryside. After mark making experiments, I progresed  on to working with clay. my first task was to produce a coil vessel, then smooth the surface for firing with the naked Raku finish

Old Flagstones look like water reflections

taken lying on a floor, look like abstract water reflections,

Happy New Year to all blog readers, went to an exhibition by Daithi O'Hualliachain in Kikenny Castle, he does some interesting portraits woth a look if you are in Kilkenny, there are a couple of other galleries there too, but not all open during the Christmas break.