Module 1 & 2 Ceramic Experiments
This course offered the opportunity to explore creating freehand constructions of ceramic forms. We did not use a wheel, or spinning in this course, rather constructing all pieces by hand. The objects were push pots, bowls, cups, jugs and a jug with a disrupted form. As I engaged with the material I found that a couple of visual themes emerged. Both are representational of organic forms, however they diverge into;
- Naturalistic forms and colours. These pieces display fungi taking over the pieces, present offcuts of logs, or infer a plant form with brown and green tones. This series links together through the use of brown, green and lavender for it’s colour palette.
- Aberrant “flesh” forms. These pieces imitate the texture and colour of flesh, muscle, bone and bodily tissue. They rely on pinks, reds and purples for their colour palette, and highly dependant on overglaze to create the “wet” look of exposed living tissue.
Greenware: Unfired
After creating forms out of raw clay, once they are bone dry they are considered greenware as they have not yet gone into a kiln. It pays to be mindful that they are very fragile, even bone dry. Keep the clay damp by storing in a damp bag or in a cool, humid room if wanting to continue to manipulate the clay. If allowed to dry, it will be too late to add any additional features that would require slip.
