Crown...of Thorns

Ok, another crown in the series. Hoping it dries slow enough to make it through to firing. Made a little tent to help slow it down some...the thorns don't have wax resist on them, so poked around and found some hair styling oil to put on them....hmmmm...messing something up, or solving it?!  Gad, I am leaving it for a few days, so won't be around to keep an eye on it... have to build up a surround so when the balloon starts losing air, the crown doesn't crash down. 

St Wencelas Crown -- In Ceramics with glass

Vaclav IV  (Charles IV) crown on display for his 700th birthday at a palace I visited recently...a palace open to the public, but, nonetheless, a palace!

Anyhow, the crowns there inspired me to make a series of crowns...this is the 4th in the series.  His coronation crown, which he had made to honor Saint Wenceslas (St Vaclav). Totally tricked out in real life too...gems and pearls basically in this array, though the real crown used sapphires, a ruby, spinels (like a ruby), emeralds and pearls.

My version here is in clay -- fired  -- but not solid gold as the real one is rendered!  Yes, it fits the head, but a bit heavy.



The original below right...

 

                                                                                                                                                          Here below is how it looked as the clay was drying.

Self Composed

Visit to SFMOMA....which is "committed" to photography as an art form..interactive, and in this case, rightly "obscurable!"

Crowns...a study in ceramic crowns

Crowning around with more ceramic crowns.  A friend suggested to try to make ten of them  -- investigate the study / technique in more depth than one or two would provide.   Spray paint for one to achieve the gold more in line with the project than using gold luster glaze (which w/b prettier, but will wait until perfect execution of the base/stones)

Have some less traditional, and one very traditional (!) in mind.

Bowl

Simple, not quite symmetrical.

Snowman and Snowy

I was looking for Knut among some old pictures from Berlin, and came across this -- one of the staff had created during a break (a smoking one perhaps?)..outside front door of business of my friend in Prague. I hadn't remembered the skis and  poles..but I had remembered Snowy. So nice to take a small moment for some fun....and bring joy to those who came upon him..limited viewership, as it was behind gate set far back from road. 

Infinity -- in porcelain

Found that porcelain allowed me to hold shape differently than other clay I have used. More to explore.