Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak of a series I've been working on simply called Bonsai & Container. This series will be in my BFA exhibition next week. This piece in particular is my favorite of the series of 5. For me this bonsai with it's container symbolizes a new beginning, a breaking of boundaries & traditions, a rising above of one's predetermined expectations. It represents more than a seedling sprouting it represents life. 

Clay or Canvas?

I just received my "canvas" for project 3. 5x7 porcelain substrates. They are almost paper thin... I can't wait to get started!  

Drawing in Clay is Hot!!!

These are my second attempt at my last project. There are seven tiles total and this is what they look like glazed. Out of seven I'm hoping to have at least one turn out! 

The Raku Kiln. It is loaded & ready to be fired. Here goes! 

About 1 1/2 hours and 1855 degrees later these drawings are hot & ready  to be placed into the reduction chamber (a garbage can filled with combustible materials).   

The reduction chamber. And the results are... 

Exactly what I had hoped for! I am really happy with the final result of these pieces. I really enjoyed the whole process & now that I know how I want them fired I will be adding more to this series I am naming "Choice."

Continuing the Journey

 

These tiles have been glazed & Raku fired and are finished. However, as you can see I unfortunately lost the very essence of what I was trying to capture. All the depth, contrast, & texture has been changed into something that is flat, blends in, and glossed over. It all comes down to the unpredictability of the chemical & physical changes that can happen while glaze firing. I was extremely excited about this project & realized half way through that this would be a long term commitment. I was once told by life changing mentor that "one shouldn't  be married to their idea" but in this case I feel as though the commitment I am making to the clay is necessary to discover the most effective way of translating my concept. In other words I am on to project #3 but I am not giving up on the possibilities of this past project. Today I went into the studio and made 7 more tiles. We'll see how they turn out. 

Adv Drawing Proposal 3

            For project number Three I would like to continue exploring the relationship between 2-D drawings and 3-D surfaces or objects. I would like to reuse the clay medium but employing a different technique called slip trailing appliqué. I will draw with slip (liquid clay) and transfer the images onto a slab then transferring the appliqués onto my object. I would also like to continue using the symbols I am currently working with which are birds, hands, & feathers. The idea will be to portray the image of something survived, something accepted. Being free versus being caged. 

Underglaze Pencils, Crayons, Pens, & Trailers

This is a clay plate with a drawing done in clay underglaze pencils! I didn't realize this kind of detail was possible. This is what I had imagined all along. Just thought I'd share this awesome find with you.

Positive Outcomes

A close up of the positive of my carving block

Here is the carving block bisque fired (on right) & the positive of the carving (on left). Eventually my positives will be bisqued & glazed. One mishap was that the upper right of my carving block broke when I was pressing it into the wet clay. However, when I saw the marks left in the wet clay I became really excited of the result and am confident  in my choice to accept the mistake.