Decided maybe I should post a few pictures of some of my ceramic pieces. I don't have a kiln available to me these days, but if things every change so I have access again, I'd love to get back into it again. Shown here are pieces that are representative of my general style. I love hand building with coils, and I love the wonderfully rich and varied surfaces you get when you salt fire stoneware. It's always a surprise when you open the kiln door and peak in to see if the kiln gods have favored you!
The first piece is a coil built pitcher that I never got glaze fired. One of the snakes heads functions as a spout, and another's tail provides the handle.
Recoil - Front oblique - bisqued stoneware (not glazed)
Recoil - Side - bisqued stoneware (not glazed)
This piece is made from coils that have been flattened and formed into slabs.
Slab Pitcher - salt fired stoneware
This is one of the few thrown pieces that I'm relatively happy with.
Small Thrown Pitcher - salt fired stoneware w/Druckman's speckle-tan glaze
Small Thrown Pitcher - salt fired stoneware w/Druckman's speckle-tan glaze
Next is a hand built study for what later became The Sirens. It came into being from a piece of clay that I had grabbed and worked in the dark while watching a filmstrip in ceramics class one day. I liked what I saw when I got it back into the light, so I developed The Sirens to carry that idea forward.
Study for The Sirens - green stoneware clay
Study for The Sirens - green stoneware clay
And lastly, The Sirens. This trio is hand built out of coils made from aged stoneware. The clay was aged in a 45# wedge for about 3-4 months to insure good plasticity. The tallest is approximately 14" tall.They were built on a shared base with all heads facing out and nested into each other at the rear, so that they would "reflect" each other somewhat when they were seperated. In order to get them to fire without cracking, the interiors were packed with dampened newspaper that ionized out when they were fired.
The Sirens - coil built salt fired stoneware
The Sirens - coil built salt fired stoneware
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I love throwing on the wheel, where acquired skill means more than inherent talent- of which I have none.
ReplyDeleteLove the coil as snake.
It definenently takes some practice to not let a 4 oz. ball of clay get the better of you as it's spinning around on the wheelhead! I always enjoyed throwing, but I'm much better at had building.
ReplyDeleteThanks Zhoen!
Heh, that would be hand building, lol!
ReplyDelete