Ceramic Sculpture, Inspired by a childhood photograph.

Can be removed easily from stand -- need to make sure has full freedom. The top part does rotate.

Pug clay, no glaze.  Inspired by a photograph of my parents and me when I was a kid...the life given with two cultures blended, freedom to explore thought and the world. 

Prototype below:

 

Ceramic Sculpture..entity open to exploring the world

 

      I changed it some from this, but know it is still "test tile" for engineering. The top part can move             around....not automatically, but by hand. Hmmm, maybe I can add an engine. Talk about                         engineering improvements.

Ceramics -- assignment, elements

 Not quite a perfect background removal -- maybe it is more distracting as is! Assignment, so, not my true move for expression.  I then interpreted the assignment again, to the one below, where it is a simple form, and I can remove/add the extra elements as I choose. 

The components of the incorporated elements:

Vase - ceramics

 

Kept it un-glazed because I wanted simple and natural to work with the shape of the piece. 

Rod's Bod clay. All thrown on the wheel. 

Ceramic Sculpture - Soda Fire

Soda Fire...Saint John's black. Inspired by a Robert Motherwell painting at recent de Young visit. 

Up close color takes on more dimensions than this photograph. 

 

Person in person ..ceramics

 

In the series of figures I have made lately, here are two made to go together. Haven't decided on glaze yet, so, they are hanging out bisqued fired for now. I won't explain their meaning to me, but was part of my thought throughout. Details added for a reason..and in relation to their precursors.  Openness, placement, etc. Ceramics. Not trying for cute, but know big eyes and roundness can do that. Image just below if view inside top of head. :)

Ceramic Figure

 

Will be one of a series of five. The story of 5 will not all be in clay, but, the materials will play into the story.  The next one here is a little tricky for me to figure out, as it involves taking two figures and merging them in a more complicated way then a seam merge. Ceramics. There are 4 vertical cuts on this one.

Ice Cream Aficionado— Ceramics

 

Fixed? Platter finds support

 

Found a solution for the Mishima platter that lost its sides in the kiln.  Had planned for the tray to be  outside, so, needed to find a way to fix it that could withstand variety of outdoor elements. Voila (after some searching)...a cement tray that looks like a tree.  I will glue and grout (the platter itself fits in about perfectly ..less than 1/4" ..still needs grout, but shouldn't look too out of place.  It is a bit heavy, but nicely made. Ideally, will turn it into table..but that will take further figuring for the base ;). 

BooHoo...it broke...Mishima large platter

    

17" tray -- high fire was too much for it.  I must have not had the sides on firmly enough, though not apparent to the eye in the prior stages.  Made it through the first fire, but couldn't take the pressure of the high fire.  I will take it as a lesson learned for better results the next time. 

Boars after ice cream

 

Good thing they are fired clay, and can't close their mouths...and that she has her smile firmly in place no matter what.  Just messing around -- her overly sweetness was done on purpose...and boars mouths seemed to lend themself to mock nibbles. The boars came out too skinny...no wonder hungry....not that it excuses them in play for ice cream. 

Boars to get their speckles at cone 5. Ice cream gal will have her ice cream in hand after her glaze fire. 

Boar-ing...Ceramics

 

I made this one free-standing -- not a "creature that hangs."   He still isn't as fat as I wanted, but maybe the distress look is because a bit hungry.  Next time will make separate columns for the legs...I had started it out as a hanging, but then shifted when found it stable enough....might end up with rod from below into a base to make more secure. When fired at higher temperature, body should have little flecks show up on brown/tan. 

Boar -- Clay

Trying a clay that is new to me. The bottle is there for support, not to eat. 

Another creature to hang. 

 

In work: Two more clay pieces that hang

 

Will be holding a spear. Subconsciously inspired by Trilogy of Terror -- the "warrior doll" that came alive and used a knife to slash under the kitchen door ...among other scary pranks.  Karen Black...who tried to incinerate the doll in the oven as I recall, eventually got further entwined with the doll, but it was the "under the door" knife yielding that scared me quite a lot ..in a kind of funny, kind of not...when I saw it years ago.   Just looked it up, and this guy doesn't look like the one from the film, but the knife/spear thing was the thing that stuck in mind...all these years! Uga.

Ok...a silly saccharine one here below..  Both in drying phase, with a bit more clean up to come. 

Both take off from prior experimenting  -- the guy with spear was done as a flat by me prior,

and the ice cream fan was done as a small sculpture in clay.  This series of hanging pieces is to give some 3D play to walls. 

Second creature that hangs

About 12" tall. Bisque stage.  I don't want it to get shiny, so contemplating glaze step. 

 

Large Tray- Medallion - - Mishima - initial phase

Took a photograph of a section of a rug that was recently given to me -- to make tray as a "thank you." 

Traced photograph on sheer-ish paper, then used needle tool to transfer pattern to clay. Next will be opening up crevices a bit more, then put englobe (glaze) into those crevices. 

Wasn't trying to make it exact "and "symmetrical," as is hand done rug, and wanted the tray to feel a bit that way -- has a pattern, but by hand (and wool pile!). 

   

       Used pencil to open up grooves more. Clay was not perfect consistency (s/b leather hard), but my schedule had me doing it a earlier than ideal -- more clay flecks to clean up.

 Have found applicator helps direct englobe better to groves. Still clean up to do after it dries, but better. 

 

Creatures that Hang

 

Holes in the back...hanging less clutter than flat surface? :)  Made with an opening at top for ability to insert various items. Oops...clutter issue again? Maybe considered feather organization. 

Below is another variation in work of "creatures that hang." 

Scary, but could be nice guy -- Ceramic Figure 3D ish

Had some dry-ish clay, decided to make a pillow here because I wouldn't have to wait too long to try to put it together -- it was already at the "stay bent" stage in terms of clay moisture (lack thereof). 

Face pieces were made, and someone said "no, don't make him a bad guy." But, just because you look a certain way, doesn't mean you act a certain way. I put the heart there, but my plan is to have it perhaps be a tattoo, that doesn't necessarily correlate with him having such a big heart. No force, just be. 

I think his ears may fall off -- was actually a bit dry to add them....we will see. At least he won't have to hear what anyone is saying about him.  :) 

 

Glazed -- Clay Car

 

Shinier than I wanted, but it is what it is now. Will pretend that it is raining.  

Still need to fix the axles to right length, and affix the wheel spikes..but out of the kiln. Soon ready to spin around fast!  

Someone helped me find the origins -- started with a sponge-- shaped with tape into car body. 

Mishima Platter -- Brief Process Recap

Mishima Platter. Completed! Lines not as fine as my first attempt (hot weather, timing..clay a bit too dry), but final product better overall.  Third time the charm?

a. Etch design in leather hard clay. 

b. Clean up the clay crumbs

c. Apply engobe (glaze) into the etched lines. Let it seep in, and then reapply to make sure you are getting the crevices filled. After my first attempt at Mishima,  I used a decorator tip (on bottle of glaze) to focus the glaze more directly into the etched lines. I found the decorator tip left less glaze spill-over mess to clean up.

d. When the engobe is dry, carefully clean up the excess  on the surfaces (above the etched lines).  I used a scraper and very lightly damp sponge. Watch that the sponge -- you don't want to allow glaze dust to stick to the flat clay surfaces -- it is hard to see, but it is there! Careful.  (You can sand it out post first fire, but easier to have it clean as comes from kiln. 

e. Fire.

f. Glaze as you want for second fire -- the design you made stays there, and the plane is relatively smooth on surface as emerges from second fire.