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Showing posts with label broken vessels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broken vessels. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2012
February 21 - Empty bowls and broken vessels
Tuesday I made more empty bowls, glazed some, and sutured my broken vessels.
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
February 17 - More broken vessels
I am working on two of these sutured pots that have been dubbed "broken vessels". I like the name.
These pots take a long time to make since I have to throw the neck separately from the body and wait for them to set up for a while before joining them. Next I have to cut them into quarters and carefully suture them back together. After that they have to be bisque-fired, then glazed and re-fired.
During the cutting and reassembly stage I have to tie a piece of plastic around them to hold them together while suturing. Each one of those "sutures" is a piece of nickel-chromium wire that I have to cut and form into a staple before inserting it into the clay. When the pot is fired the clay shrinks around the wire and holds it firmly in place.
I have recently been challenged to make larger versions of them. The first problem with that is that I will have to use larger gauge wire. That creates the problem that the clay will probably crack around the larger diameter of the wire. To remedy that I would have to wedge more grog into the clay to make larger particles to help with shrinkage around the larger wire. One change can cause multiple changes in the process. We'll see if I pursue it.
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These pots take a long time to make since I have to throw the neck separately from the body and wait for them to set up for a while before joining them. Next I have to cut them into quarters and carefully suture them back together. After that they have to be bisque-fired, then glazed and re-fired.
During the cutting and reassembly stage I have to tie a piece of plastic around them to hold them together while suturing. Each one of those "sutures" is a piece of nickel-chromium wire that I have to cut and form into a staple before inserting it into the clay. When the pot is fired the clay shrinks around the wire and holds it firmly in place.
I have recently been challenged to make larger versions of them. The first problem with that is that I will have to use larger gauge wire. That creates the problem that the clay will probably crack around the larger diameter of the wire. To remedy that I would have to wedge more grog into the clay to make larger particles to help with shrinkage around the larger wire. One change can cause multiple changes in the process. We'll see if I pursue it.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday - More Japan pots
I am still working through my feelings about the disaster in Japan and trying to express those feelings on pots. This is the latest "broken vessel" piece I've been working on. I painted it with underglaze and will spray it with rutile and some clear. It's the first piece that I've painted that's meant to lay on it's side, but I feel that it speaks on several levels. I have more ideas and more to say. Stay tuned.
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Monday, April 4, 2011
Wednesday - Thinking about Japan
I was wracking my brain trying to come up with a way to work through what has been happening in Japan in my art. Greg and I were discussing it just as I had placed one of my broken vessels on the banding wheel to glaze. He pointed out the tension in the piece and how that fit the struggle that was happening. Then we talked about symbols and he gave me some great ideas to use to decorate it. This pot (front and back) is the result of that conversation. Thanks Greg!
Once he pushed me through the wall I was facing my mind started racing and watch this space for some of the other ideas I have for these pots. I think it will be a compelling series.
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Once he pushed me through the wall I was facing my mind started racing and watch this space for some of the other ideas I have for these pots. I think it will be a compelling series.
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Saturday, February 12, 2011
Another Tall Pot
In October 2010 I made a tall pot using phoenix and sliced it into quarters (top to bottom). I then pieced it back together and put some nickel-chromium sutures in it. I sprayed it with some oxides and rutile, then sprayed a few light passes with clear glaze. It came out great with a warm, almost wood-fired look to it. I really liked it though several friends were not comfortable with it.
I sold it in November at the Concentrix terra4m sale and felt validated: someone else liked it too. After selling it I decided I was going to make some similar pieces in the future.
On February 5, 2011 I was working on another one and before I could slice it into quarters, a friend offered to purchase it if I didn't slice it. I was still determined to make more "broken vessels" so I resigned myself to start another one as soon as I could.
The next day I received an email from the person who purchased the original piece asking if it was one-of-a-kind or if I might have similar pieces. He wants to buy a piece for a friend.
Apparently this is a popular (and somewhat classic) form. I see more of these in my future.
Even in the midst of all this commerce there exists a conundrum in my own mind. The first one I made (on the left) has a nice shape, but doesn't really adhere to the rule of thirds. The neck is too short to be a third of the overall pot. On the next one I really paid attention to the height of the neck and even though it is closer to a third of the pot, I like the first one better. I guess some of the "rules" are more like "guidelines" when the clay hits the bat.
I was also struck by the (accidental) almost identical height of the two pieces. It's funny how the mind works on a subconscious level when making similar forms.
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I sold it in November at the Concentrix terra4m sale and felt validated: someone else liked it too. After selling it I decided I was going to make some similar pieces in the future.
On February 5, 2011 I was working on another one and before I could slice it into quarters, a friend offered to purchase it if I didn't slice it. I was still determined to make more "broken vessels" so I resigned myself to start another one as soon as I could.
The next day I received an email from the person who purchased the original piece asking if it was one-of-a-kind or if I might have similar pieces. He wants to buy a piece for a friend.
Apparently this is a popular (and somewhat classic) form. I see more of these in my future.
Even in the midst of all this commerce there exists a conundrum in my own mind. The first one I made (on the left) has a nice shape, but doesn't really adhere to the rule of thirds. The neck is too short to be a third of the overall pot. On the next one I really paid attention to the height of the neck and even though it is closer to a third of the pot, I like the first one better. I guess some of the "rules" are more like "guidelines" when the clay hits the bat.
I was also struck by the (accidental) almost identical height of the two pieces. It's funny how the mind works on a subconscious level when making similar forms.
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