Reflection week has been spent doing last minute work on my self initiated project. Glazing work with an iron oxide to coordinate with the iron rich shale material was also completed. Placement of sculptures on the plinths was calculated and holes drilled. Although plinths need to be solid and stable they do not necessarily need to be constructed using solid clay therefore this is something I need to consider for future pieces. The weight of the wet clay is a serious consideration particularly when wedging.
Previously I have made bowls and vases. Although nice to look at, they have felt empty and meaningless. I feel this has been the starting point of my main project as it’s something personal to me which I’m excited about and a whole new direction of travel into outdoor sculptures.
The project has given me the opportunity to try a small selection of carving techniques and also to start considering form, which I have purposely kept in the background for the time being. My main testing has come in the shape of exploring the raw materials to see how they react to heat which has been a great learning outcome so far. How the finish on the clay changes with temperature and affected by the inclusion of the grog will influence my making methods. I definitely prefer the colouring of the clay at high fire temperatures.
Exploring how practical my new direction will be, from start to finish has also been valuable. Some of the pieces made will be exhibited in an outdoor sculpture trail this summer testing my ability to present my work and the challenges this may occur. Making larger pieces is challenging, wedging for example as you are shifting bigger amounts of clay. Using a solid block of clay to carve into is hard and therefore its important to explore other methods of making (eg slab, coiling) and/or construction (eg modular, bricks), which don’t rely on wedging large amounts of clay in one go.
The flat forms have limited my use of glaze so if I wanted to have that finish, I would need to rethink my designs. I have been able to melt some raw materials (eg slate) but need to explore how I can make that into a useable glaze for application. At this stage I prefer mechanical forms of carving and organic shapes. Going forward I think the use of sketchbooks is going to be very important so that I can develop my design ideas fully.
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