Gratitude, Syncronicity and the Miracle

Towards the end of last month I came across a mention of paperplaster on a website. It sounded amazing and I contacted a number of people regarding this and will be forever grateful to Sandra Black, the renowned Australian ceramist, for responding so generously to my enquiry. I was blown away with her unbelievably detailed reply. She also forwarded my mail to Trudy Golley, who came up with the method.

Trudy Golley also replied and informed me that an article she wrote on paperplaster would appear in the next issue of 'Ceramics Technical' the ceramic journal. I have just read it and it is a complete step by step guide to her process. Talk about syncronicity!

I have made a number of moulds this week using this revolutionary process. It has completely changed my approach to mould making forever. No more cottle problems. Lightweight moulds and most exciting, moulds that can be used the day after making. Truly a miracle

Blog Of The Month

Carole Epps' great blog Musing About Mud is one of my favourites. Hats of to her for her artist of the day feature that she ran all through April. I came across some fascinating work through that and am appreciative of being one of the artists showcased. I would like to acknowledge the great contribution Carole's blog makes to serving the ceramic community, and also, her own exceptional work which you can see on her blog and at her Etsy store. 

Tomorrow is a Long Time

I think one of the things that I so love about ceramics is that time when work is in the kiln. I have not produced anything new for a while having been busy making moulds as well as a setter for each of my forms that I am hoping will maintain the radial symmetry of the work in the high firing that the bone china endures.

Well......Tonight there is work in the kiln!

And it does not seem to make any difference how long I have been doing this, I am always so excited for tomorrow when I open the door.

PS I came across the term 'Paper Plaster Moulds' today in a blog I read. Evidently the moulds are much lighter and easier to store. Sounds too good to be true! If anyone could give me any more info on this I would truly appreciate it.

That's How the Light Gets In

This image shows the translucency of the work to far greater effect. I love the subtlety of this piece. Sadly though the base is cracked, but at least I can share the image here.

Capturing Translucency

One of the difficulties I have when photographing my work is capturing its translucency. The above image although flooded with light creates a crisp look, although it shows little translucency is and therefor far from the images I am hoping to capture. Something else to add to the to-do list!

Time for Something New!

I haven't produced much work recently but have been busy with Plaster of Paris developing some new forms and moulds. The image above is one of the new forms. I am also developing a series of setters for my work. Until now I have used the subtle distortions created by the firing process as part of the uniqueness of each piece. I am now looking at a variety of setters to use in the kiln so that, if desired, I can keep the original shape during the firing. By the end of this month all the moulds should be complete and dry and the new pieces should make an appearance.

New Ceramics Magazine

There is a new ceramics publication in cyberspace. Congrats to Deon de Lange for putting together this online magazine as well as a ceramic-focused social network.

Grab a subscription by clicking here.