Sit’s nicely in the palm this one. Love the markings produced by smoke permeating the layers of clay resist.
Tag: interactive
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Snails rocking out
A family of ceramic snails rocking out across the studio floor.
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These garden sculptures were exhibited at the amazing Sculpture at Kingham Lodge 1-9 May 2021.
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Blue shell
Taking time to appreciate the subtle effects of layering and wiping away slip decoration….
At the moment, these snail sculptures are at the leather hard stage (my favorite!) and still have to dry for a couple of weeks before going in the kiln.
Once they’ve been fired, the snails are to be exhibited at several garden sculpture exhibitions later this year.
As with a lot of my work, these pieces have an interactive element. Visitors will be able to gently rock the snails back and forth to create rhythmic sounds.
I have a collection of bee and bug shakers for sale at Contemporary Ceramics in London
The gallery is the shop window for the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain (CPA) and exhibits the greatest collectible names in British ceramics alongside the most up and coming artists of today.
I’ve been a professional member of the CPA ever since the start of my career as a maker, but this is the first time I have exhibited in their bi-monthly Rotation programme.
Although the gallery is currently closed during Lockdown, they have developed an amazing and comprehensive online shop featuring the work of 80 makers for sale at any one time.
Amazing photos by beyondthebeatenpath
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Smoke fired bee
I recently made a selection of high fired bee and bug shakers for a gallery in London. The high temperature makes for a satisfying ‘ring’ when the rattle is shaken.
As I was lowering the last beastie into the kiln, I decided on a whim to save it from the firing and give it a lower temperature bisque instead. My intention, to incorporate it into my smoke firing experiments as up until that point all the test pieces had been vessels.
So glad I did!
I’m really pleased with the colours. Deep blacks, a hint of terracotta and the odd flash of white – perfect!…and although the rattle sounds slightly different its still an interesting sonic.
Unfortunately, this discovery came too late for the critters heading to London, but if I could have my time with them again….
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Sensational Clay
Throwback Thursday: Sensational Clay
A Bilston Craft Gallery Touring Exhibition 2011 – 2015
Sensational Clay was my solo show and a culmination of many months of work, exploring ideas of invention, interaction and participation with clay.
All the works in the exhibition were inspired by the five senses: touch, taste, sound, smell and sight. Every item encouraged visitors to interact and explore, inviting them to experience the objects in a very different way than in a typical gallery setting.
A short film accompanied the exhibition which gave further insight into my practice and the processes used:
Included in the exhibition were:
Giant bowls of sand that visitors can delve into to discover hidden treasures
Tables filled with food inspired ceramics, such as giant teacups and biscuits
Interactive musical pots and rattle pots
Scented ceramic forms, reminiscent of pineapples, coconuts and bananas
Textured ‘clay doodle’ plates
The exhibition toured a further four UK art galleries and was experienced by approximately 12000 visitors. The other venues were:
New Brewery Arts – Cirencester
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery
Worcester Museum and Art Gallery
Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum
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Learning to fly
I have a collection of bee and bug shakers making their way to Contemporary Ceramics Centre in London.
The Gallery is the shop window for The Craft Potter’s Association of Great Britain and is ideally situated in the heart of the capital, opposite The British Museum in Bloomsbury.
I’ve been a professional member of the CPA ever since the start of my career as a maker, but this is the first time I have exhibited in their bi-monthly ‘Rotation’ programme.
I’ve been developing more rattles and shakers, this time in the shape of bugs and bees. Each little beastie is made entirely from sections created on the potter’s wheel. The separate elements are joined together and smoothed to give the appearance of being whole. (Each bee has been made from x4 separate wheel throw sections.)
The freshly assembled insects above have just been coated in a layer of thick, luscious white slip and I think you’ll agree, they look pretty tasty at this stage.
They do change quite a bit when they emerge from the kiln:
To give you a sense of scale – each bee or bug can sit happily in the palm of one hand. Tiny little ceramics!
Tree Pringles!
The latest incarnation of x30 or so wheel thrown disks.
They made their debut at Fresh Air Sculpture Exhibition a few years back as a purely sculptural piece, stacked one on top of another to form two floor standing totems.
Since then, I’ve been experimenting with the work as an interactive resource in all sorts of settings and environments.
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They make excellent rocking pots too!
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They’ll have their next outing at the rescheduled Hellens Garden Festival 22 & 23 August 2020.