Today I continued the lines around the base of this piece, drawing with a sharp knife and then inlaying coloured slip. Painting in the slip. The bottom wont show but I seem to need to do something with the end of the lines. I would have liked them to miraculously meet!
Today I turned the piece over and worked on the base. Almost done. Compressing and smoothing with a steel kidney. Shaping the base by hitting it with the narrow end of my bat.
Today I have been using a knife to draw off the excess coloured slip, resulting in sharp lines of inlaid clay. I remove all that is not flush with the surface. Then i pull a steel kidney over the rough surface which results in a sharp clear line. it also compresses the clays together. I […]
Today i have been mixing coloured slips for the detail on the surface of this piece. I combine natural oxides, found in rocks and the earth, with slip (watered down clay) to make very specific colours. Mixing the slip, being very careful to stick to the recipe. Each of these has a number which […]
It was such a treat to wake up to a beautiful misty morning today which hi-lighted the magnificence if this piece by Claire Lee. It is such a pleasure to live with these works and watch them appear so different in varying lights, seasons and weather conditions. There is always something new to see and […]
Whilst the clay is drying, I am clarifying the detail that I want to put on the surface of this Piece. This piece is the third of a group commission for a private garden. The pieces are inspired by a tiny toadstool that was struggling to grow through the roots of a tree. One side […]
It has been a glorious day today in the sculpture garden. I think that hot sun in September always seems so precious as we inch into autumn. Today i have been working on the shape of this piece. I want it to be oval from above and have exaggerated this by hitting the sides to […]
Today i have worked round and round with a steel kidney, compressing the clay and pollishing the surface.As it dries the surface undulations become apparent, so I use the kidney to take off the high points and fill in the low ones. Its a bit like plastering a wall. It is a very satisfying process. […]
Today I have smoothed the surface with a steel kidney, which is a kidney shaped tool that I drag across the surface, compressing the clay, taking out the high points and filling the low points. I gradually work my way round the surface, compressing the clay so that it is strong and smooth. Done.
I am working my way round, methodically taking out the finger marks. Always supporting the piece with my other hand. A wobble now could cause a fatal crack! Done………………… for today.