Never to late to learn something new
For all sorts of reasons I havn't been to Jewellery classes for a while and I havn't managed to make enough work to fill my kiln and fire it so I've been feeling like I have nothing to say here on my blog page. Also my potters wheel has died so I was feeling quite despondant, but then I got all enthused after watching a pottery demo online , so I signed up to a course with Domestika run by Sarah Pike, a potter from Canada I had seen online before. Sarah makes domestic ware without a wheel and as I have mostly been a handbuilder I thought I'd have a go once more
Link to her website https://www.sarahpikepottery.com/about
Sarah's work is stamped, then handbuilt and after bisque firing glazed with a single coloured glaze. The stamped surface breaks through the glaze to reveal intricate patterns or pictures and looks just wonderful.
So I started with looking at repeat patterns and got myself a new sketchbook just for that task. It was hard to start with but soon became fun and above are some results.
My first attempts are in the kiln at the moment, but first I had to make the clay stamps based on my drawings. Its a bit like lino cutting and the clay I was using, a red earthenware for handbuilding cut away nicely, although I'd forgotten how red clay stains everything so its pretty messy. I fired the stamps but was impatient to try making an actual vessel so I had used rubber stamps on the 2 vessels in the first picture just so I could try constructing something. Clay can be so slow if you are impatient.
So I just wanted to let you know I havn't completly stopped making, and I'm hoping to get the next stage pics on the blog before end of May.