Studio Practice Research Project

Module 3 of our Visual Language paper provides a range of options that allows us to investigate an area of interest in this complex world of ceramic arts that we have found ourselves drawn to. From the options, I have decided to share my studio construction project, from initial concept drawings to what is now a mostly functioning space. This project began in September 2018, having enrolled to begin the Ceramics diploma at the start of 2019, and continues with electrical and landscaping still to be completed. The brief? Draw up plan drawings as well as a written project plan, for your ideal but realistic personal ceramic studio. Is this studio going to be at home or elsewhere? If building a shed especially for the studio, include research into getting a building consent, costs, etc. If in existing building does it need consent? Do you need professional help to make changes to an existing building, such as from a plumber? Include all costs of your project, though these can be estimations. Can you find other artists’ studios to visit, to help with conceiving your studio, if so talk to the artist about their studio and take photos of their studio.

The first consideration for me was WHERE to locate a studio, as I decided that I would prefer an on-site studio, but do live on the ridge of a hill, allowing little in the way of a level site. Although building on a slope is possible, this comes with additional complications with regard to foundations and retaining etc. Fortunately, there is a level concrete area at the top of the driveway which provided a potential solution. Images below show preparation of the site.

First job to dismantle and relocate small garden shed to allow new studio to take its place. Easier said than done, as this first step required preparation on its new site, which involved excavation and retaining.

With this step taken, next was another time consuming job that involved removing and re-establishing the existing retaining wall which was starting to fail as the original size of the timber used has proven insufficient for a wall of this size. Break out the 200mm round H4 retaining poles. Not wanting to spend much of my as yet unknown budget on site works, I decided to dig each hole by hand. This did prove to be more of a challenge due to the hardness of the ground. Like busting concrete, and with each hole a minimum of 1m depth, I only managed one hole per day (weather permitting). 13 poles took a month to complete, and involved a small land slip on the day the final hole was poured, due to very heavy rain overnight. Stressful, but problem solving is just part of the journey. Deep breaths.

With the site preparation completed, the studio itself, including design, size and council consents were next on the list. Points to consider at this stage were to try and avoid the need for a building consent, ensure the studio did not exceed the 2.4m x 7.0m site boundaries, and that the height did not exceed the height to boundary council regulations. After spending some time surfing the net for examples of sheds, studios etc, I found an Auckland company who supplied studio kit sets or if preferred, could come and build a small studio, including on Waiheke Island were I live. Cabins and Beaches NZ Ltd http://www.cabinsandbaches.co.nz offered a range of designs, and after some discussion, would also consider combining elements of a couple of their designs to achieve the studio I had conjured up in my mind. What I was hoping to do was to find a design that would fit in with the character of the house. My initial sketch and proposed design are below.

After a bit of backwards and forwardsing, the following design and dimensions were agreed to. At this stage, although I do enjoy my DIY, I thought perhaps it best to pay to have the studio built to lock-up stage by more experienced others. I could save a little money by taking on the plastering, painting and eventual landscaping myself. The final design specs and costing was agreed to and signed off. An important note if you are considering employing a company to build a studio for you, is to check, check and check again, every part of the design, including materials list. Walk yourself virtually through the space if you can to ensure you have given it as much thought as possible. Once you sign, it can be complicated to make changes. I did in fact ask for a change to the loft flooring dimensions (reducing them in size) after the external structure had been completed, as I was worried that the original larger floor plan may indeed reduce the light to the main floor studio space. Luckily, this was not a problem. Unfortunately, you don’t know what you don’t know, so knowing what questions to ask, can also introduce an element of unanticipated surprise to the project (not all surprises are enjoyable).

Budget considerations again found me contemplating doing the electrical work that I was legally able to do myself. You can instal your own cables and fittings, but you must not connect anything to the mains supply. This must be completed by a registered electrician, who will provide a certificate of compliance once this is done. I had to have a carefully worked out plan in place, as I would need to install the power and lighting wiring within the studio framing after this was constructed, and prior to the fixing of the internal insulation and gib lining. Number of power points, lights etc? Entry point to studio?

From plans to reality.

With studio shell on-site, I was now confronted with the reality of all of the interior work that I was so happy to take on at the start of the project. I was already knee deep in clay, having started the diploma, so it did take some time before I could get on to this.Having understood the need to wet wash studio surfaces and seeing the types of floor surfacing in other studio spaces, I decided to install a cement board floor lining over the plywood (I opted for plywood, rather than particle board during the design stage due to the potential problems water presents to particle board). This would then be painted with a water-based epoxy resin, providing me with a long life, hard-wearing surface. The Hardiflex cement board offcuts have provided us all with a great surface for wedging and faster drying of clay slabs.

Establishing what needed doing, and in what order, pushed me back towards the pencil and paper. With the ceiling and walls plastered and painted, and the floor completed, the next consideration was to do away with the very steep loft ladder and to add the always much needed shelving space. To achieve this, my plan was to replace the ladder with a wide staircase that could double as shelving space (I have always liked this design concept). I settled for a width of 600mm to allow me to feel safe and comfortable when climbing this (especially as I get older) when I may have both hands full. I had thought that the loft would be a great place for drying work.

With my staircase/shelving unit constructed and installed, time to add benches. I again opted for plywood due to its ability to cope with the drips and spills of a ceramic studio. Fairly easy to wipe down with a damp cloth also. Repurposing a shelving unit I had made for my son at one time (no longer needed of course) provided another set of wall-mounted shelves for the ever growing array of materials that are found in ceramic studios everywhere. The inside of my studio as it currently stands below.

Just when I thought the journey was over, along came the issue of kiln and water location. Fortunately when initially considering the site for the studio, I had allowed space for the car to park at the top of the driveway beside the new studio. This space has now become the possible site for a small shed in which to house my electric kiln and perhaps another set of shelves, and maybe even a sink? Back to the drawing board.

Determined to re-assert my DIY credentials, I decided that this was a job I was happy to tackle myself, so hooked up the trailer and headed to our local Placemakers store, lengthy shopping list in hand (so much for the constraints of an ever expanding budget – will just have to make more pots to sell). A solid weeks work and the kiln shed was born.

As we are on tank supply on Waiheke Island (and having just been through a summer when it did not rain for 4 months), thought it best if I could collect the water from both studio and shed roofs. This did prove complex due to the only possible site for a small 2000 ltr holding tank that I found on TradeMe. Final solution was to collect studio as a main water supply, and a small barrel for the shed runoff. Plan and eventual installation below. An old laundry style sink will be set up just outside the kiln shed. I am in the process of digging a drainage channel to the road, and will include a filtering collection mechanism (under research) below the sink, to catch as much of the clay/glaze materials as I can, to avoid them entering the water table or from reaching the sea.

As I have now been using the studio since the beginning of March this year, I am already discovering what does and what does not work well. A couple of the issues I have, due to the small footprint of the studio, is that firstly my wheel always seems to be in the way, and provides a lovely trip hazard when I am moving work from one bench to the other. The second issue is that I have set my benches all at standing height, and sometimes I want to sit down when I work. I have been reading The Potter’s Studio, Clay and Glaze Handbook, by Jeff Zamek. One of his first chapters, talks about ‘following the clay’ when designing a studio space. I am happy to report that apart from my wheel, this is mostly the case. My solution? Remove a wheel sized section of bench (that essentially is the starting point for my clay) to provide a dedicated space for the wheel. My only concern with this is that I am going to loose this amount of bench in what is already a very compact arrangement. To solve this and my bench height dilemma, I am planning to construct a removable bench top that will sit just above the wheel when not in use, providing the same amount of bench top, with two different height options. Images to follow.

Combined Forms

Very excited to be working with Brendan Adams again this year to build on what I learned from the plaster mould making module last year. This year we were asked what it was that we would like to concentrate on during our time with Brendan. My first thoughts were to focus on functional ware and decoration (still eating off Kmart cheapies), as Brendan has an amazing skill at adding small quirky details to his work (either drawn or embossed) that elevates the piece from ‘cup’ to ‘cup with small quirky details’. Brendan’s sense of humour often finds its way into his work, which is something that very much appeals to me also. However, after some discussion, my focus over the next module will be on bringing thrown forms and moulded forms together. Still holding on to the desire to eat from my own noodle bowl, I did think about how I might combine the two in an interesting way, while maintaining function, including stacking etc. Didn’t take too long to head back towards thoughts of sculptural forms, and so the journey begins. The images below are from Day 1, where I am attempting to make cylinders of the same diameter, which can then be stacked to form taller vertical structures, to which I might attach moulded forms.

I was hoping that in spending time with Brendan again, I might witness his creative process from start to finish. I could then apply it in a way that might help to smooth out some of the stop start backwards and forwardsings of my current approach. However, this was not to be. APPARENTLY these things don’t often follow a straight line? Sometimes the idea drives the process with an outcome that may have been decided before even reaching for the clay. Most often, the process of making and experimenting with form, is combined with a scattering of ideas, with the two coming together at some point to give direction and intention to the resulting work. Sometimes, having too much focus on the concept or idea, can limit the experimentation and the possibilities that come from a more open-ended approach to the making. With this in mind, my cylinder stack with wings was born. So where to from here? Having had a sneak peak at my work so far this year, Brendan suggested I take a look at the work of Viola Frey, as she allowed the connections between the stacked pieces of her constructions to show. This is some of her incredible work below.

What was Brendan thinking by showing me work of such scale, technical complexity and colour? The incredible accomplishments of experienced ceramic artists do indeed inspire, but equally result in my quailing in the corner at the realisation of what it must have taken to reach the level at which these artists operate. Pulling myself back together, and armed with both inspiration, a good dollop of pragmatism, and a pencil and paper, my research continued. The images below came from thinking about the basic cylinder stack and how I might use this. The most obvious reference for me came from my life in Titirangi, surrounded by Kauri and Nikau. Images of Colin McCahon’s and Dean Buchanan’s painterly responses to the same environment have come to settle in my thoughts, as has Ian Scott’s treatment of the Kauri in his Nine Happy Kauri Trees, April, 1773, 1968.

Brendan suggested that I should put some pencil to paper and see what comes from this, avoiding where possible the urge to settle on a specific idea too soon. What has come from this at this stage is the building of a kauri tree, using thrown cylinders for the trunk, and a drop or press mould to form stylised versions of the frangipani flower from my tattoo to serve as foliage (perhaps another self-portrait on its way). A couple of drawings below.

Caught up with Penny Ericson with workbook in tow (Penny is a fantastic sounding board when I am struggling to bring an idea together and she has a sixth sense when it comes to knowing the potential difficulties likely to be encountered by certain concepts and builds and the questions I should be asking myself). Having thought thru some obvious challenges, Penny suggested (as she often does) that the construction of a maquette might help to reveal design opportunities, together with some of the challenges that do not present themselves until you are well into construction (often with your hands full and help just beyond your reach). Marquette I below has given me a sense of proportion and a general idea about how the structure might look as I proceed with the project.

Time to scale up. Dimensions have doubled. The images that follow show the construction of parts yet to be connected. There is some potential for the weight of the larger foliage pieces to prove too heavy for the thin branches I have made. When considering Marquette II, I decided to create seperate trunk rings (as will be the case with the final construction that will include thrown cylinders stacked to form a taller work) although I have used slabs this time. It has been interesting to experience how your mind wanders when you are building some of the more repetitive pieces, giving flight to potential further development ideas that may enhance the original concept of the work (coming from my initial research into artists responding to the Kauri). In my case, the Kauri idea has found its way back to Titirangi with more certainty, and now I intend to reference the artists and landmarks of that place, including aspects of my connection with Titirangi, the place of my birth.

Foliage referencing my frangipani tattoo symbolism

Spent most of the morning holding my breath as I attempted to attach the delicate foliage pieces to the top section of the Kauri tree. Not too bad. Have taken another step towards whatever comes next for this endeavour. Not sure whether I like the rounded form at the top yet or prefer the more brutalist look (not sure if that is the best way to describe it). I have learned that it is best to live with a work for a time before making any rash choices. Maquette I and II below.

Back to the Front Room Gallery and studio of Brendan Adams this week, with Penny Ericson joining us on our mould making odyssey. While fellow student Terry continued on with the construction of a large kete press mould, and Penny constructing a slip caste mould of her pet rock (well maybe not so much of the pet), I convinced Brendan to let me loose with his jigsaw. My plan today was to construct and test whether a drop mould would work for taking my Kauri foliage up scale even further. I am now at 100mm diameter for each foliage component.

With the kete mould now completed and sufficiently dry, the two halves need to be separated from the original kete (which unfortunately needed to be sacrificed for the greater good – it will live on now for as long as the mould remains intact). Not sure if you have noticed the rather dangerous looking claw hammer on the table next to the mould. Some ‘persuasion’ was required together with a little elbow grease. What I didn’t get a shot of was the mould texture but Im sure Terry will be posting some pics on her blog if you want to take a look.

Penny Ericson (top) Brendan Adams (left) Terry Bell (right)

Day 3 and I found myself back in front of the band saw at Brendan’s, cutting out another outline for a drop mould. A little bit of forwarding planning for another future exploration.

The first experimental outcome from the drop moulds below. Still have not yet settled on how I might utilise this form, other than to create simple landscape and profile forms. I really like the ‘pillow’ look and feel of the moulded shapes and can certainly see that this method will come in handy at some stage in the future.

Back to the project at hand. With the stacking and decorating of cylinders as a key component of the work I am planning to advance, Brendan agreed to give me a throwing demonstration and an example of how he adds detail to his cylindrical forms as part of the throwing process. Brendan also showed us some of his nifty home-made tools that he uses when throwing larger pieces of clay, to help him manage muscle fatigue and keep an eye on his physical wellbeing, something we all would do well to keep in mind.

A bit of a disappointing set back today as my larger kauri maquette came crashing down when I was attempting to separate the cylindrical sections of the trunk. As this build presented a number of complexities, I did stop to reconsider this project. I spoke with Brendan about my idea after showing him a photo of the maquette. One thing he did remind me of, was that clay, like any other medium, has its limitations and its unique advantages. When considering design possibilities, it is good to remind yourself of clay’s properties, and make use of these to build in a way that makes the most of them to bring not only form, but strength to the work. With this evolving exploration of process and concept, the Kauri tree is not only standing in for my identity as a first generation New Zealander, with connections to Maori as Tangata Whenua by virtue of my wider whanau and friendships only, but also signals my own sense of belonging, my Turangawaewae (place of standing). Although my ancestry goes back via the people and places of my genetic heritage, MY ‘roots’ are firmly planted in the physical and spiritual land of my birth, Aotearoa, New Zealand. With this in mind, I have decided to continue on this path. The images below show the next few steps, from thrown cylinders that fit together, to a plaster press mould to help with foliage construction, and slab forms with more connection points to add support and overall strength. Well, that is the thinking at this point.

Sometimes continuing on a certain path seems like a good idea at that time, but as you get further in to a build, you do start to wonder if that was such a good idea. I am now confronted by the difficulties posed by the ‘medium versus concept’ dichotomy. Just what are the natural limitations of clay? How far can they be pushed before clay simply won’t serve as a suitable medium for the construction of a form that exists as an imagined or drawn object? Not wanting to give up yet, I have managed to bring thrown/slab/moulded components together (with only a small number of breakages and cracks), resulting in the Kauri forms below.

With the basic construction completed, I need to give some attention to a bit of a clean up of the surfaces and joins. With some degree of fragility, this might be a slow process, but I do think this is important. Penny Ericson shared a word of caution this week, that I need to remember when I am planning to start on another complex project. In essence, Penny reminded me that work has a long journey to get to the finish line, starting from the build, to concerns surrounding the ongoing strength of the finished piece, transportation to and from multiple firings, the complexities of glazing application etc etc. What is needed now is to simplify the design elements, improve the structural integrity while maintaining the narrative.

With an ongoing thought that I might go on to construct a stronger, more simplified Kauri tree form on a larger scale, I decided to refine the original 100mm drop mould form, as I found this did not reflect the more frangipani like floral form that is incorporated into the design of my tatau. This one element is intended to bring the ‘who’ and the ‘where’ of my life experience to the piece. The audience may simply see a floral form, but it is not necessary for them to view it as I do. The first iteration of this amended mould form shows more promise, but will still need further refinement to give me the desired outcome. The images below show some experimentation, including the texturing of the pillowed petal surface with the use of sodium silicate.

With the kiln booked for today, I very carefully loaded each of my Kauri tree sections into the car one section at a time (with Karanne doing her best to apply a steadying hand) as we made each of the three trips up to the Waiheke Community Gallery. With two mostly successful trips, the third time was not quite a charm. Bugger!!! The top section of Turangawaewae succumbed to a section of the ever present road works between my house and the kiln shed. Once again I am reminded of the importance of designing for strength as well as aesthetic considerations due to the nature of the medium we work with. Must also prioritise the gas connection to my own kiln for work that may again be too fragile, in its greenware state, for the car ride.

Watercolour and Acrylic

Clive Humphreys is running a 6 day workshop again this year on Waiheke Island. The focus this time is on the use of watercolour, acrylic and a range of media. In preparation for this workshop, 10 A3 B&W images were chosen, without any known criteria. Day 1 focussed on the selection of an image that provided a degree of tonal variation, allowing us to firstly draw in the negative spaces only. The intention here was to help us to ‘read’ the information in the image without needing to draw a subject. The second of these two drawings required us to look more closely at tonal difference in the same image. Working from the lightest (whitest) sections of the image, we used charcoal to draw the white as black, then progressively lighter in tone on our drawing as the image tones darkened (confusing for the brain to say the least). Hopefully the images below will give some indication of this first exercise.

With the first 3 days focussed on the use of watercolour, Day 1 also involved learning how to prepare the ground (300gm paper) for our experimentations. Stretching the paper by sponging it with water, and then securing the edges to a drawing board, allows the paper to shrink tight again as it dries, avoiding that all annoying undulation that can plague a watercolour work. As we would be applying numerous layers of wash across the paper, then drying each layer between coats, this was a key step in the preparation.

With some understanding of how to read a photo and identify the variations of tone that make up the image, we applied a liquid masking fluid to our paper to ‘block out’ or protect the whiteness of the paper in the areas of our image that were the lightest in tone. The masking fluid was then dried (with a hairdryer to speed up this process) and a watercolour wash of lightest grey brushed over the entire surface of the paper. This layer was then dried and this process repeated for every tone that we could identify between white and black. Almost the entire paper had been coated with the fluid by the time the final wash of black was applied. Once the work was completely dried, a firm scrubbing with fingertips removed the dried fluid, revealing the result of the layering (most of which was impossible to see clearly as the process was followed).

With my second image selected for its clarity of tonal variation (a section of Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon 1907), I set about creating my own ‘masterpiece’. As the fluid dries clear and is very difficult to see once dry, the building of each layer produces a much more ‘fluid’ outcome, with some control being relinquished to the process. Very good for someone like myself, who likes to ‘control’ as much of a process as possible, and possibly lessen the degree of discovery that can come from unfettered experimentation.

Day 3 and with another B&W image chosen, out came the liquid masking fluid and the black water colour paint (not forgetting the trusty hair dryer) and the day was spent repeating the process.

Day 4 and Clive introduced us to colour theory and the colour wheel. The emphasis for this next half of the 6 day workshop is on the use of only the primary colours of red, blue and yellow, plus black and white, and employing a gloss medium to bring the quality of oil painting to the surface of a work in acrylic. The plan is to attempt to apply multiple layers of ‘glazing’ to our work, progressively building up the tones and colours of the work. One example is to apply a yellow medium over the top of a blue layer, hopefully producing a depth of colour moving towards a green. In an attempt to use as much colour as possible, I have chosen Picasso’s Harlequins image as a provocation for my work.

The last two days focussed on the continuation of using acrylic glazing to build layers of colour across the painting as a whole, rather than attempting to complete one section at a time. I decided to overpaint my coloured sections with white and start again, as I began to understand more about the way this particular technique is applied. I did remember before getting too far in to the process, to take photos as the work progressed, which was very revealing of the process, and how change does indeed occur without sometimes realising just how much the image is changing with each layer. The gloss medium certainly adds a depth and shine to the work.

The finished piece below

The Thinking Potter – Containment

Working with Anne Hudson, and supported by Penny Ericson, we have returned to the concept of Containment and how this could influence our work with the vessel. With my head constantly swirling with a thousand and one ideas that I want to pursue in clay, having a concept to both expand the scope of a project and then provide a means to narrow down my focus, I find very helpful. Having never quite finished any of the projects I started last year, I have decided to continue to advance the plans I made when working with Brendan Adams. Experimenting with additions to clay bodies, to be used in the making of ‘bodies’ (or vessels as I like to call them) in clay, is the direction I intend to take over the course of this module. The images below give some indication of the starting point.

A major component of this module involves research into how additions to clay affect its strength when building and firing, and also how these additions affect the surface of the work when fired. Brendan Adams has produced work that has incorporated the addition of perlite to give the surface of his pieces a unique texture created by the voids produced when the silica-rich perlite melts in the firing process. Here is an example of his work that demonstrates this.

My research will begin with creating recipes with the last of my ‘mystery’ paper clay, to which I will add progressively greater percentages of materials, such as perlite, grog and ball clay. These will then be press moulded into the same form, and at a thickness most likely to be representative of my ‘vessel’, to test which recipe performs best under the same firing conditions. The images below show the making of the press mould I will use.

The next step in this project is to refer back to my glaze technology from last year as this may help to piece together a set of grids formats. This should provide me with a way to systematically formulate how each of the three materials (ball clay, perlite, grog) can be combined, allowing for a range of percentages, which, when fired, might give me some indication of which combination of additions results in a form with both the strength and texture I am aiming to achieve with the body of my sculptural piece (well, that’s the theory anyway). Below is what I have come up with that should give me the extremes of least and most across the three additives, limiting the number of test pieces to 21. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything critical.

After making the first of the test pieces, I decided to reduce the paper clay volume from 600g to 450g as this was sufficient to fill the plaster mould after additions were added. I also decided to adjust the maximum weights for Ball Clay and Grog, as the clay component in test piece number 5 felt like it was becoming overwhelmed by the quantity of additions, with the ball clay threatening to reduce the plasticity beyond a workable consistency. The image below are the first 5 test pieces, set aside to dry. Not too hard to work out by observation which of these has the least and which has the greatest weight of added materials, although I have still numbered them just in case.

With the limited availability of the materials that I am adding to the mystery paper clay, I only managed to construct 14 test pieces. I chose a selection from my originally planned 21 to give me as wide a range of ratios as possible. In the kiln this morning for a bisque firing to 900*C. Terracotta Warriors for future archeologists? I feel another tourist mecca coming on.

The outcome from the clay additions tests unfortunately did not produce the pitting that I was anticipating from the additions of perlite. The most heavily grogged clay did show most promise after the application of three oxides, which were fired to glaze temperature.

Oxide tests with water/engobe/clear glaze

Before this weeks regular Wednesday morning Zoom meeting with Anne Hudson, Penny Ericson, Terry Bell, Christine Hayes, myself, and guest potter (last week Marilyn Wheeler was kind enough to join us and talk a little about her work), Anne shared the following task to help provide another potential starting point for us. The link below should open up a YouTube video, providing a look at The International Contemporary Ceramics Event Ceramic Art London 2019, presenting the work of 92 international makers. After viewing the work, you might like to try the following task yourselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxLf6Ny9c0&feature=youtu.be

1. Choose one or two pieces. See if you can do a screen shot of it or draw a simple diagram of it.

2. Describe its features: colour, pattern, shape, scale, glaze quality, handles, feet, form .

3. What clay do you think it was made of? Was it handbuilt, slip cast, thrown, other?

4.Is it sculptural or functional?

5. What quality or feeling does the piece communicate to you: political, decorative, humorous, ritualistic, conceptual, theological, figurative??

6. Why did you choose this piece? What attracted it to you? Is this the type or aesthetic you aim for in your own work?

7. Draw for make a piece inspired by this piece if you feel like it.

The images above are works by Rowena Brown, the artist I chose from those exhibiting at the London ceramics event last year. From the 92 artists at this show, I narrowed done my choice to a selection of 12. From those 12, I selected Rowena’s work. Interestingly, when I asked my wife which of the 12 she thought I would choose, she also singled out Rowena’s work as my most likely choice. So, how do I see Rowena’s work? Firstly, earth tones seperate the hand-built, geological plinth-like slab forms, from the more formal architectural pieces atop these structures, with their pale matt finishes. My reading of these sculptural works would include the relationship that exists between natural and built environments, a suggestion of our vulnerability when subject to the forces of nature, and perhaps a commentary about isolation within a community setting. Interestingly, when I look at my own work to date, there a few commonalities with those above. I think what I find most compelling in a work, is perhaps how potent a simple form, gesture, texture, colour can be, in providing both the maker and viewer with all that is requisite in the sharing of an idea.

The throwing of a simple vessel is as much about containment as are the other more abstract or conceptual approaches that can be taken when exploring this idea. Bringing a universally understood form into existence from a lump of inert clay is always satisfying. The marks of the maker are evidence of the energy that has given rise to this transformation and remain with the vessel throughout its lifetime. This transformation from a lump of solid clay to an open vessel, brings into being not only the body of the vessel itself and the form it takes, but in constructing this ‘container’ we are able to realise an ‘inner’ space, the existence of which is entirely dependant upon that of the clay body. When we are drawn to an open three-dimensional form, there is often a very strong impulse to reach out, pick up, and look inside the work. This view of the work provides us with a level of intimacy, allowing the viewer to experience the form as a whole, bringing an emphasis to it’s potential to ‘contain’.

My journey to construct a figure that is contained or restrained by both psychological and environmental factors, has slowed again due to my frustrating habit of wanting to build works that only just fit within the confines of our electric kiln (after shrinkage of course). With not enough mystery paper clay left over from my Lombok potters, I have added to what was left and again turned everything into another large bucket of slop. To this I have added some crushed pots that did not travel well (after spending almost an hour bashing them inside a strong canvas bag with a hammer). With zero chance of getting this clay ready for the following class, I have begun removing as much water, in the shortest possible time, by using my plaster forms and experimenting with a method Penny Ericson shared with me, hanging the wet material in a pillow slip to drain off the excess water. Still taking days to get anywhere, but ‘all got things…’.

After successfully drying my paper clay to a workable consistency, and adding the same volume of dry perlite to this recipe, the plan for today was to construct my ‘clay ribbon and rebar’ man within the confines of the timber box that is to become a component of this particular work. While today’s attempt was unsuccessful due to the slumping properties of my paper clay that was still too wet to maintain an upright form, I did gain some understanding of the challenges posed by this piece. How best to move each of the two rather heavy clay ribbons into position? On what surface would it be best to work, that would allow me to manipulate the ribbons once they support there own weight? How dry should the rebar joining components be to allow them to help support the ribbons while remaining ‘joinable’? An as yet unanswered question is how the arms/hands will need to be formed to allow the caged head to be added to the ribbon man after he has been bisque fired? Will he be transportable up to the kiln shed, and as with another of my works, will he fit in (oh will I ever learn)? The images below give an indication of today’s trial run.

A ‘self-portrait’ of a potter with psychological and environmental ‘containment’ concerns as a result of the attempted construction of a ‘clay ribbon and rebar’ man. Thankfully Gracie came to offer her support (after gobbling down two sausage rolls left over from morning tea of course).

Back to ‘The Barn’ today (our home base for when we get together once or twice per week to work alongside a tutor and each other) to have another crack at the ‘clay ribbon and rebar’ man. With an overnight dry of both the ribbons and rebar, construction went a little more smoothly today. After a solid 4 hours, and with Penny Ericson once again coming to offer her support, we have a form that needs to be left alone to dry (no more titivating). Todays iterations below.

The work below is the final cut.

A second firing of the re-bar head cage, and two further firings for the clay ribbon man, together with the first of two additional re-sizings of the outer wooden box that stands in for our ‘outer’ world, and the work is very nearly completed.

Pursuing a Personal Form

Working with Anne Hudson again this year on the first of our 5 week modules, we have been set the task of pursuing a personal form. We have been asked to demonstrate ritual, metaphor and/or document. The plan is to create a group of vessels made either by hand or wheel or both, demonstrating a coherent idea or concept. I have decided to base my exploration around the lives of the potters of Lombok, celebrated in a book by Jean McKinnon, entitled Vessels of Life.

Rather than exclusively referencing the vessels created by the Sasak women potters of the Indonesian island of Lombok, I have chosen to reference the women and men themselves. We are, of course, vessels ourselves. Of the many wonderful images presented in this book, I have chosen three, that for me, encompass ritual, metaphor and document.

This piece began with the construction of a paddle-formed biki water pot. I chose a terracotta clay for this component. The woman in the image is Inaq Rabi’ah, considered to be a master potter. She makes three biki a day, and supports her family solely from the sale of her pots. The grogged Whitestone clay was used in her construction. Unfortunately, I neglected to ensure that I adhered to one of the fundamental considerations when bringing clay forms together. Drying of all connected parts should occur at the same time to allow the entire work to dry at the same rate. As I formed Inaq Rabi’ah from wet clay, around an already bone dry biki pot, the inevitable shrinkage resulted in considerable cracking, to the point where her right leg broke in two. Once again, the molochite/whitestone clay slip came to the rescue and after a number of attempts, a bisque fired piece has been produced. Glazing to follow.

The second in my three ‘vessels’ was inspired by the following image. Rather than embodying any specific person, this piece speaks about place by referencing the physical features of the woman potter. My choice to use a terracotta clay for the water jar, and oversized hands of the potter, speaks of the fact that both water vessel and human vessel share a fundamental connection, in that we are both primarily ‘of the earth’. Each vessel has both an inner and outer dimension, with water being an essential shared element in both there creation and existence (I’ll stop writing now as I can feel the ‘art speak’ beginning to effervesce).

The medium I chose to use for this work is a paper clay blend that I will not be able to replicate again. I call it my ‘mystery clay’, as it was made from every clay used last year, and includes some from my home on Waiheke that showed itself when I started digging a drainage channel to serve the theoretical studio at that time. I must say it is bloody awful to work with as I had forgotten to add some Dettol to my mix at first. When I checked on it some weeks later, the paper had already begun to decompose. Dettol added but still very smelly. The first few images show the process from ‘squelchy’ bucket to workable plasticity.

Constructing each component began with the water pot itself. This time I remembered to need to keep all parts drying at the same rate, and ensuring that connection points remained sufficiently wet to adhere when joined with slip. A plaster mould allowed for a nice concave form, to which I added the foot and lip. The pot is only a slice to give more weight to the potter, allowing them to remain the focus of attention.

As always, it takes time and experimentation, when working with an as yet unknown material, before any mastery can be had over the clay. Once workable, the coiling technique worked best for the construction of the torso and legs. I have attempted to keep the form as hollow as possible, so paper armatures have been used with arms and legs. The head was constructed using two pinched forms as a supporting structure for the additions of facial features, hair etc. All coils were joined with ‘scratching and slipping’ using the same paper clay blend.

As with most of my hand-builds, it is the need for supporting structures (that only become apparent through the actual building), that bring another element of tension to the process (especially when one hand is attempting to keep a part from total failure, while the other scrambles around wildly for something to stuff into one space or another). I wonder how the psychiatrists might explain my ‘personification’ of clay, as I did feel some level of unexplained discomfort when I needed to ‘suffocate’ ‘her’ in an attempt to support and keep the head component dry. Invisible arms also bring another level of menace to the reading of this work at that stage in its production.

Loving the hands and feet. I only wish I had toes as cute as those. And what about those funky jandals eh?

Construction continues a pace now, with most of the detailed features completed. The next steps will be to tidy up joins and surfaces as I allow the work to dry very slowly. Getting it to the kiln will certainly present another series of challenges to hopefully overcome. I did make the decision early on to actually construct this piece on a kiln shelf, so that I could drop the whole thing into the kiln, and not attempt to lift bone dry clay that is comprised of many thicknesses and potential weak points. Watch this space.

Days of slow drying have now allowed me to (very cautiously) move the work onto a timber foundation, as the kiln shelf idea proved challenge when attempting to manage the total weight. I had visions of having to use a small crane to place this piece inside a top loading kiln. Considerations concerning transportation from home base to kiln site are next on the list. The following images show that we now have her in a portable condition, with next hurdle getting her into the kiln in one piece. Will keep you posted.

One small step… one giant leap.. In kiln for bisque firing.

Bisque fired. Ready for clean up and glazing.

Having successfully bisque-fired my Lombok potter with water jar, considerations as to finished colour need to be finalised. Taking into account both the attire of Inaq Rum and the colour/texture of my copper oxide test tile, I made my choices. Firstly, to accentuate the terracotta (earthy) of the water jar ‘vessel’, I applied a yellow ochre wash to this component and removed any excess with a rag. Secondly, I applied a liberal wash of copper oxide to the figure ‘vessel’ and again removed the excesses of this. Finally, I again consulted my recent glaze test tiles from the glazing of my large bowl forms, and chose to apply four colours to the woman’s blouse. Using a small brush, I attempted to ‘randomly’ apply sections of yellow ochre, strontium green and yellow matte. When completed, Penny Ericson loaned me her slip trailer to try, as I wanted to surround all of the colour shapes with a thin black line. Worked wonders. Not too difficult to control the flow with a bit of practice, and using a black slip, the blouse decoration is complete. The images show a little of this process and the work back in the kiln for a final time. With a silent prayer to the kiln gods, her fate if now in their hands until firing has completed. Oooh the suspense!!!

Certainly not quite what I expected to find when I opened the kiln this week, after firing my Lombok potter to 1160C. The water pot she is touching has slumped and thankfully the she has held on and only suffered minor cracking. The glaze successfully tested to this temperature previously has burnt during this firing. Of course, the testing was not completed using my ‘mystery’ clay so this may have altered the anticipated result. The terracotta pot held up well to 900C during the bisque firing, but has undergone a degree of melt during this final step in the process. My initial disappointment is lessening each day as I learn to appreciate, rather than criticise the ‘failings’ that are an inevitable part of our ceramic lives. She is certainly now ‘at one’ with the pot and ‘of the earth’. Maybe chocolate brown isn’t so bad after all?

The third work in this Lombok series brings to light the communal approach taken by the Sasak people, who all contribute in some respect to the making of their ‘Vessels of Life’. The male figure, central to this piece, is systematically treading sand into the clay with his feet to a good workable consistency. No modern machinery required. With this final work, I am once again experimenting with the clay body, adding perlite, grog and ball clay to my mystery paper clay. My intention is to bring an additional component of ‘melt’ to the appearance of the fired piece, with the high level of silica in the perlite providing for this. This aesthetic ‘of earth’ might be achievable with a pock-marked stone-like surface, and is intended to speak to the evolutionary belief that we have originated from earth elements. The clay body may of course melt in an extreme way, so quite excited to see what happens, if I can indeed, get this to kiln. The image I am working from is this one…

As with my first two works, I intend to use more of a red clay to provide a distinction between the earth and ourselves, while continuing to suggest a fundamental connection between ourselves and the earth. I am hoping to use a stoneware sculptural clay with brick grog as a base from which he will emerge. Some images of construction in progress follow…

With larger hand-builds, there is definitely a high degree of problem-solving required in the drying process. Some sections need to firm up to provide a level of strength and support, while others need to be maintained at an ‘elastic’ state to allow for joining and manipulation as the piece progresses. Bring on the cling film. One of the next challenges will be firming up the neck to provide support to the head, to then allow for an attempt to stand the piece and join the body to the terracotta base. Will most likely need to consider another level of support to achieve this milestone.

I think today was one of those ‘now or never’ moments when you just have to take a leap of faith. The A-frame scaffolding ladders that my dad made many years ago are once again proving very useful. Some sections have firmed up well with just a little more give but enough strength to provide support. The neck and arms are my potential weak points and I’ll need to support them as they continue to firm up. He has certainly become a bit more ‘squat’ with standing him up, but this may be a good thing as he needed to reduce in height to fit in the kiln. Hoping shrinkage will take care of the rest. This afternoon (after I have eaten my BBQd venison sausages and sauce) I will make and join a sarong that should hopefully add more support through the mid section and also visually reduce the length of the torso when compared with his legs right now. Hopefully his head hasn’t dropped off by the time I return to him. Images to follow.

While the head remained attached, I decided that I would remove it and replace it with one a little more in proportion to the rest of his body. Adapting the existing shape seemed more problematic than replacing it. Kinda weird cutting off your creations head though, I have to say. As the body is firming up, it is becoming easier to work on the last parts of this construction, although I am being very careful not to allow much movement to occur, as yesterday this resulted in cracked ankles on a number of occasions. I think I am going to enjoy his peculiarities, especially his oversized feet. Anticipating that he will always be prone to toppling over, I have inserted two holes in the base (while it is still drying), to provide for some fixing when situating this piece when completed. Hopefully we get him to the kiln on time.

Supports removed very tentatively this morning, and we have an upright work that stands on his own two feet. Hooray!! He definitely looks like he is unbalanced (and perhaps very much in need of a pee) but the base and centre line appear to be doing the trick at this stage. A little tidy up today with a wet sponge and brush then a slow dry over the next two weeks I think. I measured his height today and he is still a few cm too tall for the kiln, so praying for shrinkage (not often something I say to be honest).

First coat of a light blue cobalt engobe applied to the sarong as a base colour. Once dry I will remove from the scored lines and apply darker components of cobalt and copper along these textured channels.

My Lombok potter continues to dry and fortunately also continues to shrink. When wet, his height measured around 63cm. While not yet bone dry, his height is now around 59cm. Headed back to the kiln this morning and looks like we might be in business, with actual height from base to underside of lid approximately 67cm. Heaps to spare. He might need a further week of drying before attempting to transport him from home for a bisque firing.

With only a couple of centimetres to spare (and a very anxious trip from home to the kiln shed) my Lombok man not only made it in, but also fired well. I can now pick him up without too much concern about whether the weight of the base might be too much for his ankles to hold. A small crack in one of them seems to have stayed small and will hopefully hang in there during the following glaze firing. I was anticipating that his sarong would show more evidence of the cobalt and copper that I added to the engobe I used to coat it with. No sign of colour at all?

After speaking with Penny Ericson, the lack of colour is the result of not yet firing to a glaze temperature. A test tile has indeed confirmed this for me. Now that my Lombok man is bisqued, I applied the same copper oxide wash to him, as I had done for my Lombok woman, hoping to keep a number of connections between the three pieces in this particular series. A bronze slip (used by Brendan Adams) was applied to his hair and then wiped back to accentuate and highlight this feature. I allowed the copper oxide wash to add a further layer of colour to the copper and cobalt engobe already bisque-fired on his sarong. A yellow ochre was applied to the terracotta (earthy) clay beneath his feet, which again links all three potters to each other, and to the earth upon which they depend. The image below shows the work ready for a glaze firing to 1160C.

On a completely different tack, I have been itching to use the plaster mould that I created when working with Brendan Adams last year. With the vessel in mind, I thought I would experiment with how the mould could help with the layering of narrow clay strips to produce a ‘weatherboard’ type textured surface on the exterior surface of the waka. With the plaster so efficient at pulling water from the clay, it became necessary to lie the mould on its side and construct one wall of the vessel at a time, as the wet clay would not adhere to the surface for long. The pressure applied to the interior surface does of course impact on the extent to which the outer surface retains its texture and shape. I must also remember that the mould I created measures 600mm from end to end, which was intended to allow the completed vessels to fit diagonally into the kiln, being 600mm in length. My addition of a flat edge has lengthened the waka beyond the 600mm but I am hoping that shrinkage may solve this issue.

The second waka has drawn on inspiration from Peter Collis waka forms, the Collis inspired waka that I constructed last year, and the Pasifika inspired tatau I designed and had applied for my 40th birthday (a number of years ago now). I am again using the plaster mould that I constructed with Brendan Adams. The clay for this work is a buff stoneware to which I added perlite, brick grog and ball clay.

The plan for finishing this waka form is to apply a simple wash of black copper oxide to accentuate the form. With much of the exterior surface comprised of three-dimensional decoration, a monotone oxide wash should work to avoid this piece becoming too complicated to read.

The images above show the result of the effect that has come from the use of a perlite infused paper clay and an application of a copper oxide wash. This was then fired to a temperature of 1160C. My intention for supporting this waka form, was originally to use timber (either natural or machined) to construct plinths that would raise the work to allow a better view of the external form. Pressed for time, I have opted to construct ceramic plinths, impressed with the texture of old Waiheke Wharf timbers, and have adopted the ‘people’ symbolism of my tattoo as the form. In making these choices, the entire piece becomes harmonious, remaining true to my intention that the work speaks about identity, and how, for me, this comes from the people and places I identify with. The finished work below.

While continuing to work with Anne Hudson via the now all too familiar Zoom platform, Anne shared a number of Youtube videos of international potters working in their studios. One of the artists was a woman by the name of Katharina Klug, based in Cambridge. She grew up in Austria where her mother has a pottery. Her chosen material is the very white porcelain clay, as this clay lets the glazes shine and gives a great contrast when she works with her pastels. I became very interested in her use of ceramic crayons/pastels which she made herself from ceramic materials, oils and waxes. Katharina speaks about topic of lines, where the narrative can be nature; architecture; cables; anything that is made up from lines that can be drawn and influence her work. After some research, I did find a recipe for making ceramic crayons that used the liquid wax resist as a binding agent for the ceramic materials. From this I have made my own black copper oxide crayons that I plan to use to apply simple line decoration onto the thrown forms I have been making during this ‘vessel’ module. The images below show progress to date.

With bowls coated in a basic engobe and bisque fired, black copper oxide crayon lines have been applied simply to the outside surface. Time to think about colour and glazing. With no specific idea in mind, I selected a yellow matte as a neutral base and a couple of green and blue mid-range (1160C) glaze recipes from the only glaze book I own The Complete Guide To Mid-Range Glazes John Britt. Glaze application is another skill that I find challenging, with each form and glaze type requiring a different approach as to how it is applied to achieve the desired result. Not wanting to make too much of an untested glaze does present a difficulty when pouring/dipping larger forms. The weight of larger pieces also dictates how they can be held when applying glazes. I think I understand that the more confidence you bring to the pouring of a glaze, the more even the coat is and therefore the quality of the resulting finished piece. Easier said than done. A matter of ongoing practice I believe. While the outcome of a poorly executed application technique does show and may render the work less successful, sometimes it is the happy accidents of glaze application that turn out to be the most interesting aspect of a work. The images below show this set of three small and three larger bowl forms after glaze application and then as completed pieces.

As an extension to the larger thrown vessels, I decided to repeat this form, reducing it in overall size by approximately 20%, but adding a cylindrical base to add height to the piece. During this process, I also looked at the work of Jane Burn. Jane lives on Waiheke Island and completed her diploma in 2018. She graciously agreed to be our mentor during our first year, and continues to offer ongoing support and friendship to our small ceramic community (as well as making the best latte from her Island Coffee roastary). Jane is focussed on the use of local clay in her work now, and was selected to show at last years Portage Ceramic awards. Jane carves into her forms to produce a lovely textural surface. My bisque fired pots with an Engobe slip and outer glaze coat.

The outcomes, after what was yet another only partially successful application of glaze. Exterior was poured first, then wiped back from rim and any interior surface. The interior, food-safe glaze, was poured lastly to ensure it covers the rim. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to stop it dripping across the exterior surface, and had the choice to either let it be, or remove all glazing and repeat. I chose to see what happened. The outcomes below.

CRITIQUE

Brief met for this module.

The ‘vessel’ has been explored from a range of perspectives, build techniques, clay types and glaze applications. Hand formed sculptural works (using grogged and mystery paper clay), combined thrown forms and slab-built waka all reference the ‘vessel’.

Working with a ‘mystery’ clay presents a number of challenges. The properties of each clay type in the blend, such as strength; compatibility; drying time and the variety of maturation/melt temperature ranges, present a series of challenges.

Peter Collis waka forms inspired the construction of a plaster press mould to support the construction of a personalised waka ‘vessel’. A concave form allows for clay shrinkage. Well joined and connected component parts were required to ensure sufficient support across the length of the structure.

Inaq Rum reveals the interplay between a level of control of the process and the inevitable release of control to the idiosyncrasies inherent in working with clay, water and heat.

Glazing experimentation has increased during the course of this module. Coloured slips over oxide washes. Glaze crayons provide colour and wax resist, oxide slips highlighting textured surfaces under poured strontium glaze.

The Journey Continues Level 6 2020

The summer break has kept me very busy attempting and thankfully mostly succeeding with the construction of a small studio and kiln space. I was desperate to avoid a repeat of 2019, which found me most often crouched down on the lounge floor (too old for that @$#* now) and doing my best to cover its entirety. I did say ‘mostly’ because I did not quite make it before the 2020 making began. A couple of sneaky shots of how the year began (OK yes they were staged)

One of the major tasks that needed accomplishing before the New Year was to transport my gas-fired kiln from Titirangi in West Auckland to its new home on Waiheke Island. Family certainly come in handy when some of the not so pleasant jobs need doing. I can tell you that getting it on and off a trailer presents some challenges, as does reversing it onto the car ferry from the City to Waiheke. Patience and slow, deep breaths worked miracles.

The construction of the studio itself was begun earlier in 2019 but took a back-seat during the year as workload tended to dictate clay before studio (and everything else at times). With a concerted effort, and some enforced isolation at home, a studio space has been born.

Drawing 2

The plan for the first half of the year will be dedicated firstly, to the analysis of a chosen work of art, and secondly, an elaboration on the work. Choosing one work of art presented quite a challenge to begin with, but was perhaps made a little easier by my bias towards the colourful and painterly works of the late 19th century impressionists. The work of art that will form the basis of this exploration is shown below.

Paul Gauguin. *Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ*, 1889-1890.

In consultation with tutor Kiri Mitchell, the following plan will hopefully guide me through the next few months. I will begin with gleaning as much info about the work via the library and the internet, such as what were Gauguin’s intentions for how the work was to be read and perhaps find a contemporary critique of the work and/or examples of contemporary artists responding to or copying the work in their practice? From there, I will attempt to unpack the work, considering composition, colour, scale, medium. Kiri suggested that it can help to ‘sit with the work’ for a while, and then consider how I might begin to insert myself in the work, and that each time I engage with the image I will gain a insight into the strategies and compositional decisions that have been made by the artist. Questions such as…How does colour effect the reading of the work? can be demonstrated by collage or coloured pencil. What happens if you turn the image into a cubist drawing, or replace each figure with a political figure…? The key will be to produce multiple versions.

My ‘copy’ of an early photo of artist Paul Gauguin

Research begins. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) my choice of artist has opened up an avalanche of reading material and YouTube clips that reference Gauguin and his works of art. Much of course, is directed towards his time in Tahiti, and much of this commentary seems very much skewed towards the controversy surrounding his sexual relationship with a 13 year old girl. But of course, this period of his life now impacts on how we might read his earlier works, Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ being one of them. Do we seperate the man from the artist? How are we to view his masterpieces when we are looking at the work of a pedophile (with our 21st century Western perspective)? Much of the information available to us today comes from other researchers and art critics who make the best attempts at providing us with an informed assessment/opinion about Gauguin’s life and work. Establishing his intentions for how the work was to be read, has become mostly calculated guess-work 130 years later. There is however, one text, his Tahitian journal Noa Noa, that I am hoping might give some direct insight into how I might go about answering this question.

With a focus on my chosen work from his time living in the village of Pont-Aven, North-West France, I have established that it is believed that the subject for his Yellow Christ is based upon an actual depiction of Christ on the cross, on display now, and at that time, in the Chapel of Trémalo. My attempts to understand and make a ‘copy’ of his work, begins with a closer look at his Christ image.

My next focus was directed at the image of Gauguin himself, as he painted it. Much of the research I have read suggests that Gauguin’s self-portraits presented a carefully constructed persona to the art world, and that he as in fact highly adept at promoting himself. As is the case with Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ Gauguin often represented himself via a series of personae and alter-egos. In this work, it is not difficult to see some resemblance to Christ in his self-portrait. The images following are firstly a drawing from close observation of Gauguin himself, and how I might begin to translate this image with a Picasso’ish, cubist influence (which does remind me a little of Max Headroom, if anyone remembers this animated music presenter character from the 80’s).

I began the next drawings by focussing on the entire work and simply drawing again, from close observation. When I spend more and more time looking closely at Gauguin’s work, paying close attention to the brush work, considering its application and how the layering of colour brings life to the image, I do feel a growing appreciation of why Gauguin is considered to be one of the great impressionist painters. In an account in his journal Noa Noa, Gauguin writes that one of his Tahitian neighbours Totefa described Gauguin as being useful to others because he could do things that other men were incapable of doing. This description not only gives voice to Gauguin’s artistic talent but in recording this interaction, reveals something of Gauguin’s lifelong struggle to feel truely understood as an artist of repute.

The second drawing is my first attempt to create a self-portrait that incorporates a number of the key elements that are present in Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ. I am there of course as the central figure. Behind me to my right, a simple white thrown bowl is displayed, while to my left, I have placed a larger, more organic hand-built form. I have used these two works to represent my need to, on the one side, ‘control’ the outcome of the work, and the other side of me which longs to throw caution to the wind and allow the clay to speak for itself.

At Kiri’s suggestion, the day began with a number of the drawing techniques introduced to me last year by Clive Humphreys, during a 6 day drawing workshop. The intention of these exercises being to free ourselves from as much of our long-held, pre-existing self-critic as possible. I started with some time restricted drawings from my self-portrait, one with my right hand, and one with the left (from Max Headroom to Homer Simpson Doh).

With time limits of 3, 2 and 1 minute (including A5 and A4 sizes), another set of fast sketches have brought forward drawings that reveal what it is that I have chosen to include and, perhaps more revealing, what I have left out. Is this simply a time issue or does my subconscious show itself? In the 1 minute sketch, why have I not drawn the thrown vessel when a single arc might have referenced it? Does the fact that I have made a dominant feature of my eyes and focussed on the direction of my gaze, reveal any underlying aspect of my psyche?

Thinking about the simplicity of the 1 minute drawing above, together with the idea of applying a cubist approach to the work, I took a number of shots of my portrait from a range of views and rearranged them to ‘disrupt’ how I see myself. Perhaps another starting point for some 1 minute sketches that may feed in to a tentative plan I have for constructing a self-portrait in clay, presenting the ‘control’ and ‘release’ of my personality.

From the images above I attempted to draw a more complete head while incorporating the facial features as arranged in the photos. I placed the altered image that I thought might show my two-sides into my copy of Gauguin’s painting. While I am yet to be inspired by this approach, my next step will be to add colour to see if this brings forward any further iterations that might work for me.

After some research into the portraits painted by Pablo Picasso, I have attempted to further simplify the image above down to fewer bold lines. The image on the left maintains the two sides of my creative approach, with the organic ‘Brickell bottle’ form remaining as a rounded object. The image on the right adopts more of a ‘Picasso’ style. In this drawing I have provided some overlap between the two ‘faces’ or sides and squared up the bottle form. In the third image below, I have combined two hand-built forms that I constructed last year, which also reflect a merging of my ‘control’ and ‘release’ approaches to making. Might have to live with the images for a day or two and choose one to take forward. Next steps will be to add colour.

In the image below I have used charcoal to draw more attention to the two sides of my personality and to give more emphasis to the three-dimensionality of the objects in this composition.

The image below accentuates the two halves with the use of colour. I have referred back to the colours used by Gauguin in his Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ, while maintaining a white-walled ‘gallery’ perspective for the ‘control’ half. The colour of the ‘Eye-ball Pot’ I constructed last year (and have yet to glaze) is based my glazing intentions, once I have tested my choices and hopefully found a couple of glazes that might work for me.

With the idea that drawing is a tool that can be used to inform our ceramic work, thought I would ‘draw’ my self-portrait copy using clay. I found it quite challenging to use pencil and paper to explore how different planes might connect and intersect, and to consider how the work might look when viewed from different points. The image below shows a preliminary step intended to explore both the concern with planes and intersects, as well as the ‘control’ and ‘release’ approach to clay construction.

The first of the two images is the outcome of a controlled build on the left side of the face, with the right side formed with a 5 minute time restriction. The second image of the right is the same piece with some minor ‘adjustments’ to the ‘release’ side, simply because I could not restrain myself.

Have spent some time going over my research and attempting to bring all the pieces together, ‘inserting myself’ into Gauguin’s Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ, 1889-1890. If I am to be the subject of a 3D self-portrait, what would this look like? Incorporating the assumed juxtapositions of ‘civilised and savage’ with my own struggle between ‘control and release’ may be best achieved through imposing control over the construction method and releasing to the aesthetic finishing of the work through a more spontaneous process such as raku. My introduction to the 19th century impressionists by way of Picasso and cubism is reflective of who I am now and the visual art that I have been particularly attracted to, and perhaps influenced by. This could be referenced in my work and bring not only an emphasis to the ‘direct gaze’ of myself as the artist, but also apply an abstraction to it that refers to my search for balance between the confidence and uncertainty I bring to my practice at this stage of my ceramics journey. Colour choices for the work should also ideally refer back to Gauguin’s self-portrait and attempt to bring both a bold confidence and a degree of chance to how the finished piece might be read as a self-portrait of myself. The following gallery of images begins with a drawing that brings all the parts together, followed by the construction process to finished greenware. I have added a colour palette of raku glazes that I think might work for this piece.

Bisque firing went well. Next step is to glaze black sections with 3 thin coats of milky Toms Black engobe (a recipe obtained from Penny) and fire to 1120C. Dunedin block course only 1 week away, so better get this done asap. Image below is the vessel with an application of Toms Black engobe before heading off to the kiln.

Together with its provocation — Ready for Raku

With work carefully bubble wrapped, boxed and firmly held, headed for the airport for my afternoon flight to Dunedin and this years block course. After getting back to the hotel on Tuesday night (after a very enjoyable beer with my fellow ceramicists at Emerson’s), only to be confronted by the ‘very loud’ Covid alert, the pressure was on to get this glazed and raku’d before an earlier than anticipated return to Auckland. Fortunately OP was back in action on Thursday, and so with an early start I managed to ‘release’ my Gauguin/Picasso inspired self-portrait to the raku kiln gods. The process itself was very exciting (if not also a little frightening), very hands-on. While some cracking has resulted from what I suspect may have been a too rapid climb in temperature during the heating-up process, I believe the overall result from this process has elevated the work, and indeed, resolved any remaining reservations I still held. Definitely keen to repeat this firing method again when the opportunity arises.

Semester 2

Having researched the work of William Kentridge, I decided that I would like to explore the concept of narrative. I have chosen my studio as the setting (given that I can control this environment) and plan to tell a simple story by using clay and my interest in figurative work to construct the participants in my narrative. I will use chalk and blackboard to draw as many changes to the scene as possible (taking a photo of each seperate drawing) and then adding each photo, in sequence, to iMovie in the hope that this produces a small fluid video. The narrative I wish to tell centres around the joy of sharing one lifetime (this does assume we only get one), the impermanence of all things, and the notion of rebirth/renewal. Adopting the classic children’s book narrative of the real ‘observed’ and the imagined fantasy ‘unobserved’ world that may indeed surround us (what really happens when we close our eyes or the lights go out?), I hope to use clay modelling, chalk and blackboard, still and moving images to bring life to this narrative. Blackboard preparation below, now completed.

To establish the starting point of the narrative, my wife Karanne captured the primary image of me at the potters wheel, referencing an art studio as the setting of the story. This image was then progressively cropped until the wheel becomes the location of the narrative itself. From that point, I should be able to begin the physical construction process and draw this from the actual work, rather than from a photo. It will take approximately 13-14 different drawn images to get to this starting point. With what might be a considerable amount of drawing involved, I am planning a minimal detail/maximum number of drawings approach, to help complete a small fluid movie file. The images below show the studio setting and ‘zoom’ to the point at which the real narrative begins.

The first photo to chalk drawing below. The challenge will now be to attempt to draw the next images in the same style to hopefully keep the movement appearing to relate to the same setting.

After attempting to draw the second image in this first series of ‘zooming in’ shots, I found that it was really difficult to essentially re-size all of the components in the frame. To help with this, I have edited the first image to achieve this initial phase. Hopefully the next images should not present the same degree of complexity? Well soon find out. The edited series of images below. The final close-up will become the site for the main narrative.

After creating each of the ‘zoomed in’ images above, my lovely wife Karanne (who has more experience with iMovie) suggested I use the Ken Burns effect tool to create a smoother transition from the far away shot, to the close up. So much easier and FAR less time consuming. Once I had settled on the close up, I needed to re-draw the wheel-head image and include a block of clay from which my first character would emerge. frame by frame. The images below show the first few drawings to date.

Another session of clay modelling today, using my developing figure as a model for the next couple of drawings in the series that I am intending to add to my iMovie project. Two more drawings today.

After a few days away from Waiheke, and what must have been a poor job of wrapping my model in plastic, looks like I will no longer be able to manipulate the figure sufficiently to set the position I am after that would allow me to make an observational drawing. A few minutes of surgery has thankfully repaired the breakages, and a little rehydration to use the last vestiges of plasticity, and my figure has assumed what I intend to be the final position for this player in my narrative. I will need to reform another figure as a stand-in to allow me to make a few more drawings to bring my idea to a satisfying conclusion.

Continuing on with another clay model to aid in my next set of drawings, I called in my photographer (Karanne) to capture a pose that my model was unable to maintain. Drawing from a photographic image will hopefully not result in too much of a difference between the two observations.

Photo taken very quickly — Wire armitage not working well

Another set of drawings completed over the last few days. In the absence of clay models for this stage of the project, I am drawing with only minor references to previous drawings, to help maintain some level of continuity. At some point, I am anticipating Karanne and I will become the models for the final set of drawings, with camera timer set to auto capture the positions we adopt when becoming rotating dancers.

Another couple of drawings now completed to bring this series of images to a conclusion and to complete the narrative. The clay models have been placed in their final positions, with a park bench yet to be constructed on which they will be seated. I have managed yet another first for me and completed an iMovie project to bring all the individual drawings together. In yet another first (really showing my age now) I have created a Youtube channel and uploaded this video file to it with the link to this video below.

The players in my narrative below.

Assessment End-Of-Year 2019

A selection of the works produced by Kirsten, Terry and myself this year have been arranged and presented ready for our assessment today. The help and support given by Penny Ericson, Jane Burn and Anne Hudson was very much appreciated. As a newbie to Waiheke Island, with a desire to work with clay, I enrolled in the Otago Diploma this year as one way to meet people, establish relationships, and to build a community of practice. Good decision. I have been very fortunate indeed to be welcomed by such a wonderful, passionate, generous group of ceramic artists who stop at nothing to give their support, understanding and encouragement to each other (and as for the morning teas and shared lunches – yum). While I am expressing my gratitude, we are also very fortunate to receive the support of Linda Chalmers and Maureen Trebilcock from the Waiheke Community Art Gallery who look after us brilliantly.

Below are the works that I have chosen to present at this end-of-year assessment. They demonstrate the outcomes of my technical explorations. A number of the works were responses to artists I have either worked with this year or researched, and again deal with the aspects of construction and surface treatment. If I apply any criteria or measurement to the chosen works, it is primarily with respect to the problem-solving involved in getting the piece completed and the level of skill development that has resulted from the making.

10am. Better go and have a shower and get ready for my scheduled time at 11am. Really looking forward to lunch. 2:00pm. Lunch was delicious!!

Drawing and Colour

As Diploma students, we have been offered an opportunity to work with Clive Humphreys on 3 two-day workshops, focussing on the process of drawing and attending to considerations of colour. This is intended to support us in the use of ‘drawing’ as a way of making our thoughts and ideas more concrete. This will then hopefully feed into the choices we make when designing and constructing our works in clay.

On old rotary lawn mower that has seen better days is the subject of my first 2 day workshop. Clive introduced the main intention of the workshop, which was to develop an awareness of how drawing is a process, and to allow ourselves to engage in the process, rather than attempting to reproduce our subject. The process began by limiting the size of our ‘mark making’ to three A5 size drawings of our chosen object(s). Size was then increased, and time to complete the drawing decreased. Starting with one of our A5 drawings, we were given a few minutes to draw an A4 response to our chosen drawing (not the actual object). Once time was up, our second drawing became the subject of our third, completing this in less time. Another two drawings were completed, each responding to the last drawn image, with only 1 minute to complete the final piece. This was a great way to suspend any self-consciousness that we might hold about whether we consider ourselves able to draw or not, and simply apply a set of parameters to a series of mark-making exercises. Very liberating.

Series of timed drawings with ‘1 minute’ at the bottom

The second day employed the strategy of enlargement and the use of alternative drawing materials, such as hard and soft charcoals. The drawings I chose were enlarged by either using a photocopier and increasing the size to A2, and by obtaining a transparency of an A4 image which was then projected onto a large piece of brown paper. Positive and negative spaces were considered and charcoal applied (in my case I chose to darken the positive spaces.

Enlarged drawings with lawn-mower as the source of the work. They are beginning to take on a life of their own, with each successive drawing moving outward in whatever direction it takes. The need to ‘reproduce’ the lawnmower has gone.

The first day of week two focussed on the editing, embellishing and/or distorting of three chosen A4 black and white images. With the use of a white-out pen, black markers and paper, the images were edited to explore how this process impacts on our reading of an image, and what this might mean to a drawing from these altered works. As I was not very successful in my attempts at this process, Ineke Blakey has given me permission to use her examples above, as I think they give a very clear example.

The images I chose to work with came from a trip to Paris (yes, very lucky I know) and a day spent in the grounds of the Louvre Palace and the incredible museum of art inside. The first shot was taken in the gallery that houses what is arguably the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. So much smaller than its reputation, and due to crowd numbers, it has become yet another less experienced and more photographed fascination of our times. I the anonymous woman is, I believe, a local Parisian, who is quite happy to soak up the sun while the tourist hordes race around frantically attempting to ‘soak up’ as much of one of the world’s ‘must see’ attractions as they can (including me of course).

I started this next process by drawing free-hand from observations of the two images, attempting to simplify them into more manageable shapes. Blocking out of areas, such as the floor, allowed me to come to some decisions about what tones might work best in terms of composition. I progressed on to a merging of the two, whereby the Mona Lisa has been replaced by the Parisian local. Perhaps a commentary on how rare and precious a commodity ‘time out’ has become and how we engage with art in the 21st century.

Some preparatory exercises were completed on a larger scale, using black, white and grey tones to ‘colour’ to work. Two works of the same subject were completed simultaneously to increase the time spent observing from a distance, with versions of tone used to gain insight into how this impacts upon the overall feel of a drawing. The intention behind this was to gain an insight into how scale and colour might influence the reading of the work.

The last two-day workshop focussed our attention on the use of colour. Theory was considered with regard to primary and secondary colours, the opposites of complementary colours and the aspect of both warm and cool sides of the colour wheel. The tonal value of colour plays a vital role in how we ‘read’ a work and in my work above, I have used grey tones to attempt to emulate the tonal value of the colours used in the drawing on the left. The introduction of an acrylic gloss medium to our paint colour did provide the opportunity for us to add more translucent layers of colour to our work. Although the works are still ‘in progress’, I have continued to explore the way two identical drawings, side by side, can be experienced in different ways by the way colour is used, and perhaps the way it has been applied. Continuing to build up layers of colour and, in doing so, influencing the tonal value of each of the subjects in my work, will hopefully allow me to build up a greater understanding and appreciation of how this might impact upon the way in which an audience experiences the work. I’ll let you know when I find myself a captive audience.

Throwing

Week 1. Anne Hudson joins Terry and I for this last module of the year, which finds us returning to the wheel. Really happy to get back on the wheel which has definitely taken a back seat while we focus on one module at a time (while trying to get at least one work completed from earlier modules, with only partial success I might add). In this second throwing module we begin by returning to the cylinder, being the root of much throwing work. Our project over the next few weeks is to create a still life, creating ceramic versions in clay, of a group of objects or shapes.

First day was all about getting back on the wheel and hoping that the old ‘just like riding a bike’ saying was in fact true about throwing a cylinder. Not too bad. One of the approaches Anne takes when creating a vessel is to disrupt it in some way to give it a unique quality that does not exist in the mass produced ceramics designed entirely for their functionality. Once she had formed the cylinder, a spiral was introduced from the inside. Anne then pressed her thumb into the outer wall of the vessel to give it another unique element, making a very obvious feature of the ‘marks of the maker’. I have now added this to my cylinders to see if this works for me. Quite like the look I think.

Week 2. As requested, Anne demonstrated the throwing of both a larger bowl and the platter you see above. Starting with a wide base (that can be trimmed later to reduce its width) helps to provide sufficient support for the flaring out of the side walls, avoiding the all too common collapse as we try to extend the diameter of the platter beyond its capacity to hold itself up. A fair amount of clay is left in the base for trimming when sufficiently dry. Compression of the clay platelets when making a wide base for a platter is very important to limit the potential for an ‘S’ crack to form, especially when subjected to the heat of the kiln. The sides of the platter can be pulled out, but care must be taken to ensure that there is a good balance between the weight of clay in the wall and the angle applied to it. I have yet to achieve success in this regard. After using her one-of-a-kind tool, Anne smooths and contours the platter, applying a manganese slip with a gestural brushstroke, before cutting the platter from the batt and setting aside to dry.

A quick sketch of an older-style corrugated iron water tank gives some inspiration for my planned still-life. Utilising the cylinder, and focussing on the surface treatment, I am aiming to construct a set of three corrugated water tanks for this module. The weeks are speeding by though, and if there is any chance I am going to be able to complete this project in time, I will need to get these cylinders made and bisque-fired before class next Wednesday. I am thinking about applying a white stoneware slip to the surface of the buff stoneware clay body before it dries, to hopefully give a better ground for revealing the colours of the glazes I might choose to use.

Using a home-made tool, corrugations were turned into the firming outer walls of the thrown cylinders. Some dents and scratches have been introduced to take up some of the planned oxides, hopefully given the clay an aged-iron effect. One of the three cylinders in the still life has collapsed due to its age, and will be set apart from the other two as a commentary about isolation in old age. The other two operational cylinders are to be set on simple wooden platforms to reference the gravity-fed nature of older style water tanks. Hopefully this will not detract from the ceramic nature of the still-life.

My set of three ‘water tank’ cylinders have now been coloured with a red iron oxide and overplayed with a greyish glaze that might hopefully reference the corrugated iron used in the construction of pre-plastic tanks. I think I might have slightly overdone the red iron oxide on the tank above. In the kiln now and being fired to 1160 so more pics to come if they have remained in one piece.

Perhaps staying with a simple oxide might have been better! Not the outcome I was aiming for but I sure I can put what I now know to good use when adding colour and texture to future works. The application of the initial oxide layer appeared effective, but the following layers of a base white glaze with an overload of alumina in the form of china clay (produced a greyish tone on a test tile) didn’t collect a sufficient amount of oxide to bring the two together. The green layer was simply overdone and much too glossy and uniform. There is a small exposed bare patch that would have looked effective with just a hint of green with a more matt glaze. The crumpled old water was again the victim of an over zealous pourer. Less is more.