Archive | 2016

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Autumn is upon us.

29th September 2016

Today was a fabulous autumnal day and the garden was full of visitors which kept me occupied nicely whilst I wait for the kiln to cool down. Hopefully I can open it tomorrow. Liberation Through by Claire Lee.

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Thinking about something new.

28th September 2016

Whilst I’m waiting for the kiln to cool down I have to keep busy to stop me from wondering what I will find when I open the door! This is a piece that I made for this years exhibition and it can be seen in the garden until the end of October. I am interested […]

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Its getting hot in here.

27th September 2016

The kiln is now at 1200 degrees centigrade and still climbing, white hot! I fire so high that the clay starts to melt (vitrify) and this is what makes it so durable when outside in all seasons. It is also completely terrifying! It will soon be too hot in the workshop for the newly made […]

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The kiln is on.

26th September 2016

I put the kiln on this morning, I like to get it on early so that I can watch it all day in case their is a problem and their was!The controller flashed a warning light telling me that it was running too slow so I took out a few dodgy looking elements and wired […]

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Loading the kiln.

25th September 2016

When I’m loading the kiln i carefully walk the piece in. Lifting and twisting from side to side, being careful not to scrape the sides which almost touch. It is a lot easier with the lifting table out of the way. Checking to see if it is as far in as it can be. One […]

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Finishing Touches.

24th September 2016

Today I finished  sketching the detail through the surface of the piece. This  piece will be darker with a red/brown circle and two pale blue/green lines Then I dragged it onto the second lifting table, it is very heavy! It is now ready to go into the kiln tomorrow morning.

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In true Blue Peter fashion…

23rd September 2016

Here’s one I made earlier! This is the second piece of the group of three and I made it a few of months ago. it has been sitting, behind he camera, drying until now. I thought it would be good to carry this story to its conclusion and this piece is now ready to have […]

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Finished…for now.

22nd September 2016

Yesterday I tried three times to turn this piece over and failed three times. Each time I try I risk it cracking or becoming miss-shaped and so,much to my annoyance I had to find someone to help, thanks lots Dave. That will teach me to use an extra bag of clay! It is important to […]

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Last bit before I turn it over.

21st September 2016

Today was absolutely beautiful. I worked on the base of the piece, drawing the linear detail. The clay is very soft for this job and every mark shows and can not be undone. I am trying to make the lines have the sketchy quality of my drawings! Relaxed fluid lines, -hard when I am aware […]

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Finishing touches.

20th September 2016

Today I have removed the excess clay and sharpened the line with the steel kidney. I have sponged coloured slip onto the base, being careful here to create the texture s and thicknesses that will result in a surface that feels delicate and fragile. Removing excess clay from the linear detail. I stamp my work […]