More Monochromatic Work

As I continue working with my new bone china body and the monochromatic surface treatment I am really excited about the results I am getting. Just out of the kiln is this piece, whiter and more translucent than ever. I am so excited with these pieces and cannot wait for the next firings.

A New Clay Body

It has been quite some time since my last blog post. One of the main things that have occupied my time is developing a new clay body. I have been working with Bone china for some time now and the kaolin that I used in the body was no longer available and as a result I have been busy with numerous tests trying to recreate the body I had. I opened a firing today and I am really thrilled with the result. If anything, I think it is better than the previous body I had. The translucency is exceptional as is the whiteness. To say I am happy is an understatement!

A detail of a piece from the last firing showing the translucency

Something Different

Looking to broaden my palette, a piece using cobalt and barium chloride giving strong blue and a wonderful dark blackish brown.

Decorated and Ready for the Kiln

Spent most of the afternoon decorating work with wax resist and soluble salts. This is one of the decorated pieces before being placed in the kiln and fired to 1260^oC. Always a tense time as so much can happen during the firing. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

New Explorations

I have been experimenting with mixing small amounts of oxide into my soluble salt solutions, producing results that I find to be very exciting. Below are 2 examples from a recent firing that I am particularly pleased with.

 

Testing Testing Testing

I love coming up with new ideas and testing and developing them into my work. I have been carrying out a number of new tests recently using the soluble salts in new combinations and I find this particular one quite exciting and it opens many new opportunities for development.

The Watercolor look

I am posting these images of what I call the watercolor look. I have had  positive feedback on my new work and yet there is something about the ethereal quality in these that I find really successful.

A Time of Transition

I cannot believe that it is over 3 months since my last post. Although I may not have been blogging  I have been doing what I enjoy the most, and that is experimenting. Still using the soluble salts I have come up with a new method of applying them in combination with wax resist. I think the results are quite different to my previous work, and I really like them. I have included 3 images and I would really appreciate your opinion.

Continuing the Casting Process

Trimming the cast after it has stood for about 10 minutes

The day after casting the piece is dry and can be removed from the mould. the cast has released completely from the mould.

Inverting the mould and releasing it onto my hand

Free of the mould

The cast is flipped

And ready for bisque firing

Bisque fired pieces ready for sanding

Wet sanding the bisque fired work. The sanded pieces are dried overnight before decorating.

My Casting Process

Here I am showing the casting process I use to make my Bone China vessels which are later decorated with soluble salts before being fired to vitrification. Thanks to Eugene Hon for the images.

All my moulds are one piece drain moulds made from a paperplaster mix. Instead of the conventional Plaster of Paris spare I use a wide adhesive tape which I place around each mould before casting

Before each session of casting the slip is well stirred and then passed through a small sieve to remove any lumps and to ensure thorough mixing

The slip is then poured, again through the small sieve into the moulds, where it is left to cast for 60 - 90 seconds

 Once the cast has sat for the required time the mould is emptied

And the adhesive tape removed. After draining inverted for about 10 minutes the mould is set upright and the top is trimmed after a further 10 minutes. The pieces are left in the mould overnight and removed the following day.

The Journey is Everything

I often find myself focusing on the 'destination' in so many areas of my life, and particularly in relation to my work. How things are going to be, or should be, or more often than not, how I want them to be. So often I have to remind myself that the 'destination' is an illusion. The journey is everything, and everything is the journey.

Back in my Studio

Today was my first day back in the studio after my overseas trip. As is usual for me I started off by carrying out a number of tests. New shapes, new materials and different combinations of the materials I have been working with over the past few years. The tests are firing tonight and I will post any that come up trumps for all to see in the near future. It's good to be back.

A New Addition

This piece has been resisted with wax and then painted with various soluble salt solutions. After firing the salts, gold lustre has been applied in areas the work re-fired. This new work can be seen at the Ceramics Southern Africa Regional Exhibition opening at Museum Africa in Newtown Johannesburg on Sunday 11th September at 11.30 am.

Paperplaster Workshop Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of Marina Muhlberg 

I will be presenting my workshop Paperplaster; the mold making revolution tomorrow at The Pottery Studio in Bryanston. I had always dreaded making molds until I came across this unbelievable way of working with plaster that not only cuts down mold making time but also uses about 75% less plaster than usual. The revolutionary paperplaster method has completely changed my approach to mold making. Introduced to me by Sandra Black as taught by Trudy Golley, this is an excellent introduction to basic mold making as well as a great new method for those more experienced in this area. 

A Peek at My New Body

I am often in a quandary when I am working on something new. Do I show it before it is fully developed or do I wait until everything is finalized? Well, I am showing this before the final tests have even taken place. I am so excited with the results. Here is a peek at the new body I am working on. More info to follow soon.

And so it Begins

With the festivities behind us it is time to face 2010. So begins a new period in my life; I will be lecturing only on a part-time basis at the university. I am busy re-designing my website to include the courses that I am putting together to present this year, as well as more information on my work and where it can be seen. I am also currently developing a new clay body , but more on that when it is done.

The year ahead is rich with promise and I look forward to its unfolding.

May it be filled with the realisation of many dreams and exciting new realities for all.

I try to include an image in all my posts, but as I have not produced any new work yet this year as I am still looking for studio space, I therefor include an image from my last firing of 2009.

Staff Show, University of Johannesburg

Once again we have the staff exhibition at the University of Johannesburg. This year the focus is on practice-based research. The title of my installation showing my process is 'The development of Soluble Salt surface treatments on Bone China'

3 Steps to Better Slipcasting

1. Always check the s.g. of your casting slip. keep it at 1.70 at least. That means 100ml of slip should weigh at least 170g

2. Once the s.g. is correct adjust the fluidity with a deflocculant such as Dispex. Even if using sodium silicate for deflocculation I find a few drops of Dispex markedly increase the fluidity giving better casting results

3. If you are using molds that have not been used for some time a fine misting of water on the casting surface will help prevent air bubbles in the cast

Wax Resist on Bone China

When using wax resist on my work I find it easier to see the design if I add a one or two coloured candles to the mix. The mix I use is 2 parts candles to 1 part paraffin (kerosene), The mixture is heated to a liquid and brushed on to the work. Take care not to overheat the mixture as it is highly flammable.

Once the wax is applied the piece is washed with a solution of Cobalt Chloride and fired to 1260^oC giving the result seen here.

Latex Resist Technique

This is the first of a series of 'how-I-work'  posts.
Here I use rubber latex as a resist method that I apply with a squeeze bottle(see insert in image). After applying the designs rinse out the nozzle with water.

The image shows a few bone china pieces with trailed resist decoration. Once the latex is dry I apply a soluble salt solution, in this case a 10% solution of cobalt chloride and fire to 1260^oC

The fired piece showing the fine line created by latex resist