Craft Fair and NEOS Promo at Alford

This Saturday Gabrielle Reith-Thompson (Small Stories) and I will be taking part in a Craft Showcase at the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford.  The Fair will run from 1pm to 5pm.   Below is a small selection of new porcelain work I will be selling at the showcase. I'm calling it: 'Doric Delft' !

'Stovies' Doric Delft 8cm x 6cm (approx)

detail, box: 10cm x 8cm

'What a Quinie' Necklace 10cm x 6cm

Corner Boxes (left) 5cm x 5cm.  Box (right) 8cm x 8cm

Selection of brooches

The vessels made from porcelain in the same way I make my figures, except they are fired to a temp of 1250C, which makes them very hard and transclucent.
The rest of this collection is currently in the kiln, heres hoping for success tomorrow morning!

Work in Progress

I did actually do some work today and got these very delicate porcelain beauties out of a bisque kiln this morning.  Having only been fired to 950C the porcelain is very brittle - like chalk and not yet translucent.

I intend to leave some uncoloured and fire up to the top temperature of 1250C.  I will also treat some pieces with coloured oxides in order to bring out the decorative writing more. 

 

In the Pipeline...

After turning up to Fraserburgh today, expecting to start back at work, I soon realised I was a week early. So, I decided not to waste the day and drove on through to Grays.
Simon Ward, the ceramics tutor at Grays has taken on a large project in order to raise money for specialist equipment for the department.
Simon has single handedly thrown 50 (soon to be 60!) plates which are to be decorated by staff and students alike and then shown in the prestigious WASPS studio gallery in Edinburgh .
40 plates are almost finished and all have been decorated by current and graduating students as well as staff from the 3DD and other departments. Here is a sneak preview of some, fresh out of the glaze kiln. Most have been decorated with coloured slips and are still to be decorated further with onglaze lustres and ceramic decals.
The exhibition is from 9th to the 20th October 2010 in Edinburgh; the 15th, 16th and 17th of October will host plate decorating sessions at the studios, so come along and show off your talent! The exhibition will be moving up to Aberdeen later in the year. (Dates TBA)

My plate, still needs onglaze lustre decoration.

Stacking them up!

Evening Class Raku

Back in freezing January this year, my short course students at Grays did some raku firing.  Neal Murray attended and took some spectacular photographs.  Thanks Neal!

Taking pieces out at about 900C - with collapsed kiln shelf, aargh!

Students adding sawdust to create reduction athmosphere.

Work cooling (and sticking together)

removing work

Placing work into sawdust bins, the sawdust immediately catches fire.

Watch the eyebrows!

The smoke is pungent, you end up smlling like a kipper, aha

Some more older work...

These photographs were taken by David Herd to promote my solo exhibition at Arbuthnot Museum in Peterhead in 2009.

There were a series of 9 figures based on the working people of Peterhead.  The Whaler and Cooper are shown but there were gutting quines, RNLI men, fishermen and a Blue Mogganer (pics to come)

Cooper

Whaler

First Post!

Welcome to my blog, I am currently working on a range of new porcelain work but thought you may be interested in some past work. 
A recurring question from people who see my work is.. 'How is it made?' and 'Does it have an armature?'

Below is a series of working photographs from a piece I made last year.  The piece was a retirement present made to represent the person and his diverse interests, you can see the processess from start to finish.  If you wish to see all the photographs, just e-mail me!

Working drawing and initial 'wedging' of the clay to remove air bubbles.

flattening

cutting feet

started!

forming shoes

rolling coils

forming and smoothing legs

coil building up to waist

forming waders

VERY smelly paperclay!

plaster bats

adding paperclay to surface

working paperclay on bat

using thin clay to form details

book detail

ice axe and camera

ski boot

checking it fits

trying scale of head

finished making!

details including: first aid kit, laptop, keys, compass and hand.

left for drying

In kiln with pyrometric cone to 1150C

after firing, a cream colour

1st layer of glaze and underglaze

finishing off - glazes will significantly change colour during firing at 1060C

details before glaze firing

Finished and with delighted owner!