Week 7

Reflections

Started learning a new skill, which while daunting is always rewarding. I made a stamp of my initials to stamp the bottom of my mugs with, in 3D print with George. At first, we were faffing about trying to draw the letters with lines, but then we ended up using the text tool, because it's very hard to get the letters exactly right in the grid. Nonetheless, it was good practice learning the programme.

Glaze recipes I've found recently that I like the look of :

Glazed work

Mixed feelings about these new pieces out of the kiln. I'm unhappy at how the red glaze came out. for some reason, it has fully dripped off the mug and it looks clear on the inside which is disappointing. I don't understand why this happened as it behaved fine in the test I did. Similarly, the indigo colour looks nice on the inside but for some reason, it 'exploded' off the outer walls onto the kiln. However, oddly enough the turquoise which looked like it was too drippy in my test was perfect on the mug, and I love how the different colours are broken up in the glaze, it makes it look really interesting.

Laura Carlin

Laura Carlin graduated from The Royal College of Art in 2004 and has lived and worked in London ever since. She's a very celebrated illustrator having won the Bratislava children’s book illustration awards and the Quentin Blake Illustration Prize two years in a row whilst studying for her master’s. Alongside Illustration, Laura also works as a ceramicist. She works with earthenware clay hand-building and coiling. In her ceramic work, she uses hand-painted illustrations which are then transferred onto ceramic tiles and tableware, using hand made stamps for the tableware and digital transfers for the tiles. Also working with underglazes, using methods like washes and sgraffito. She creates large story-telling pieces comprised of many tiles, as well as smaller groups depicting animals and other characters. I like the whimsical, water-colour effect of her work.

Zara Huntley

Huntley's project 'Soft/Light' is about the relationship between a cup and a lamp and was a direct response to living in the pandemic. An emotive project, exploring our relationship with mundane objects and the important people in our lives. The relation of a cup to a lamp became prominent to Huntley during extended time spent at home during the pandemic. The forms are made by slip casting porcelain which is transparent and delicate clay perfect for using with light to create a lamp. The lamp form shape was made from a balled-up quilt from the year prior which was vacuum formed then plastered, sanded, then a slip-cast mould was made. The cup is an exact replica of a glass cup but using a silicone mould to pour plaster in.

Huntley's style shows a softness and minimalism with clean lines, soft and restricted colour-palettes.