Ceramics II

Ian Maxwell "Easter Island"

13x8x6

This is a piece based on the Easter Island heads. I wanted to do something small and easy. I originally started out with four blocks of clay that I coil pressed. I then used the leftovers from the coil press for the slab roller to use for the base. After that I continued coiling up and inward for the base and smoothing along the way. I used the same process for the head but didn't smooth the inside. Then came spring break where then I had to keep the clay somewhat soft. After spring break I realized I had made it too soft because it fell over. Once I started building up again I realized it would be easier to scrap the base and do the head bust alone. When I made this bust I wanted people to think of the easter island heads. I think the most difficult thing was the nose I either made it too big or too small.

Ian Maxwell "Vessel Drip"

18x5x5

This is a piece based on drip mugs that you see at small shops or stores. I wanted to try this drip style with a blue color and a large vessel. I feel like I completed that goal and it turned out really well. I originally started out with a small slab where I used a tub lid to get a perfect circle. From there I coiled up 3 or 4 times smoothing and making it wider along the way. Once finished it was set to dry and get fired in the kiln. After the firing I began painting on the lighter glaze in which I used a pour method on the inside to get every crevice and corner. I found the final layer of darker glaze to be harder as I needed a drip look. During this process I found it hard in particular to get the glaze to drip by itself as all it wanted to do was stick to the ceramic. When I made this bust I wanted an open pot with a drip design that could be used as a tall planter or decoration piece. I feel like I accomplished this and I also feel that the glaze turned out well really completing it.

Ian Maxwell "Dice Box"

4.5x4x4

This is a piece based on a piece of work my brother did when he was in high school. His piece though was a little bigger as my piece is able to fit inside of it. The process of making this piece was very hard to me. Especially when it came to squaring up the edges I found myself spending way to much time. When I went to add the top that would enclose the piece, I figured out I had made the dice taller because I was only adding to the top. After all was done it came to firing and the long awaits of its glazing. When it came time to glaze I wanted to do a white a black and make it realistic. I feel like I really completed that as the dots have a nice black flake on them and they are very visible and didnt blend with the primary white glaze.

Ian Maxwell "The Boat"

7x3x2

Although this piece is named the boat, it means nothing as this was only a test glaze piece. The base amount clay that was used came from the original bottom of my "Easter Island" head. When the head originally fell over I had no choice but to chop off the rest. The rest was used for this piece because I wasn't for sure what it was going to be or what I wanted to glaze it. I finally decided to try different glazes and combinations in hopes of choosing one for my tall vase. while sculpting this with my hands I found it hard to get smooth edges. this whole process was only challenging because after it was cut from my bust it sat for a while and hardened. In the end I think it turned out really well and could definitely be used as a table piece.

Page updated

Report abuse