Today I steeled myself to open the kiln. This piece is the one that I shared every day for a month whilst I built and shaped it. I am thrilled with the quality of the surface, it has a lovely fragility, though in fact it is extremely strong! It has a real depth due to […]
I spent most of today drawing the lines through the surface of these small pieces. The kiln temperature is now slowly climbing and I will see the results in six days……. if I dare to open it!Can’t Slip at this stage! All packed and ready to go.
Today I loaded the kiln. This piece is only about 20mm smaller than the width of the kiln so I had to walk it in using tiny gradual movements so as not to scrape its surface on the kiln walls. It was also very heavy so tiny movements suited me fine!At this point I need […]
This piece has been drying for almost two months and today I drew the linear detail back through the slip surface. The scraping noise that the knife makes reassures me that the clay is now dry enough to go into the kiln. That will be tomorrows job! I scrape through the white top layer to […]
Today I have spent a great deal of time thinking, which feels a bit like I have hardly achieved anything. I design form and detail on paper before I start to build in clay, however I also like to draw directly onto the curved surface as this sometimes gives surprising results which are far more […]
It has been a beautiful, sunny autumn day today, it seems a shame that the garden is now closed for the winter. I have smoothed the clay surface with a steel kidney, taking out any depressions and raised bits. I use a wooden bat to manipulate the form, creating a shape that I am happy […]
I have finished building the forms and now I am smoothing the surfaces. I love this part as it alters the piece so much and I can begin to see the finished object that has so far existed only in my head.
I am Making work for an exhibition at the Royal Opera Arcade Gallery in London in December. The pieces will sit together and so I find it helpful to make them at the same time. I want them to reflect each other though they will not be the same. These will go with two large […]
This piece is now fired and ready to go to its new owners. It was inspired by a tiny toadstool that was struggling to grow through the roots of a tree. The result was a centre that was off centre, and a beautiful resilient little life form that survived no matter what! I love the […]
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 […]