Details: Pinch Pots construction; Terracotta clay body; Cone 04 electric firing; Average height/width - 5 to 10 cms. Inquiries & comments on technique and/or availability welcome here. More to come...
Incongruous Abstractions
The project challenge was to make abstract forms, defines as not resembling anything. The secondary challenges were that they must be hung on a wall, possibly incorporate other materials, potential tally be made with a variety of techniques (coils, slabs, pinch-pots, etc..) and finished with different glazes, engines, and terra sigillata. While, I've had the … Continue reading Incongruous Abstractions
An Isamu Tower – Spontaneous Intentionality
For years now, I've been stopped in my tracks by the many works of designer-artists, Isamu Noguchi. His play with lines, textures, and shapes capture my imagination like sitting in a Zen garden. I find myself staring endlessly in a blissful state of calm. There's a whole canon of his work that seems to be … Continue reading An Isamu Tower – Spontaneous Intentionality
The Textured Wonder Vase
Part of the accretion project, I used torn and end scraps of thin slabs. Each piece was textured with a textured-roller, then assembled wet, using only a little slip and scoring. When leather hard, I used a carving tool to take away excess slip at the seams and emphasize the layers. I gave a few … Continue reading The Textured Wonder Vase
The Prisoner of the Accretion Castle
During the accretion project, we had a few smaller creative exercises that stimulated some ideas. This one came from following the teacher prompt to make and use a thick slab, which I normally don't do. I couldn't quite feel what to do with it and put it aside to start on other ideas. The slab … Continue reading The Prisoner of the Accretion Castle
Emerald Vessel – The Accretion Bowl
After planing, cutting, and assembling larger slab-build pieces, I am often left with cut-offs of slabs. In past pieces, I would build abstract shapes from the ground up and allow whatever shape to develop. In this case, I was working with a teacher-directed prompt of making accretion pieces, combined with the desire to make a … Continue reading Emerald Vessel – The Accretion Bowl
Secret Memory Box #7 – Memories Intertwined
As you can read in the mentor's prompt, one of the directives was to use coils; not my favourite method. I had to make it different somehow, as all I could think of was a coil pot. Even if I closed it on both sides, to me it remained only a cylinder; how could I … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #7 – Memories Intertwined
Secret Memory Box #6 – Segmented Brains
I had more fun than I thought I would making pinch-pot spheres. it has been years since I made pinch-pots and I don't remember enjoying it. my mentor showed me a new way of doing it and explained how zen it was. Maybe it's because I'm older now, but I finally got it. Moreover, I … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #6 – Segmented Brains
Secret Memory Box #4 – Exposed & Hidden
This one has two components: the pinch-pot lid and the slab-built vase; the lid was made by with two pinch-pots fuzed into a sphere and cut when leather hard into the shape os a small basket; the vase is from a very thin slab, attached only with a little water and tapped gently at the … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #4 – Exposed & Hidden
Secret Memory Box #3 – Memories to Put Away
Slab built; starting with very wet and thin slabs, that slump into organic shapes; often done with leftover scraps of slabs from larger works, attached with a little slip; left to dry to leather-hard then the whole surface was rubbed with a damp sponge to smooth out seams and lift some of the grog to … Continue reading Secret Memory Box #3 – Memories to Put Away