Ceramic Art London

Friday was a good day!

I went to Ceramic Art London to have a look at the beautiful things and to help on Claire's stand.

There was SO much to see, I don't think i managed to take it all in but i had a nice chat with some people i'd read about - so that was exciting!

Here are some of the highlights.

This is work by Lara Scobie. I had a little chat to her and She was talking about the clay she uses for her pots. It's a clay called parian (I had never heard of it) and apparently it is self waterproofing so there is no need for glaze. I thought the patterns on her pots were lovely too.

These are Claire's lovely little (and not so little) heads. I particularly like the big bald one in the top image - He looks really grumpy.

Helping out on the stand was really interesting, people's reactions to the heads was fascinating, some people openly laughed at the pieces and EVERYONE smiled... even at the grumpy ones.
I was quite taken by these 'Sweater Birds' by Katy S. Jennings. They were actually part of the 'Work in Progress' student show downstairs. I'm a bit jealous of their jumpers!

This is work by Fenella Elms, She won the Ceramic Review prize in the show. Her work is beautiful, it's made up of individually contstructed tiny pieces of porcelain which are set in formation. They are really impressive.
These are Louisa Taylor's 'Tutone' condiment pots. I had a little chat to her. She works in thrown porcelain and hand paints on her decoration.

I had a nice chat to Claudia Lis too. She explained how she drops wire wool into her glaze before firing and it acts as an oxide adding interesting varients in the glaze. She was really lovely!

Human Condition Exhibition

We went to a lovely little exhibition 'Human Condition' at Milsom Place on Monday night.

It contained mixed media textiles work from Fashion and Textiles at BSAD.

I particularly liked Sarah's work, I think it was the faces on the latex that appealed to me. My ceramics project this year has been making me look closer at faces and the wrinkles and interest in them.

Model Made

Today was quite productive if a little stressful. I forced myself into the casting workshop even though it terrifies me almost as much as the Glaze room! (Almost there, my mask made it up the hill today!)

But I feel so much better now i've done it. I've made a model that I can make a mould from, just a bit of tidying to be done first. It weighs an absolute ton!

I had a bit of a play with my embroideries, I can see how it will work now and I'm feeling like I might actually be able to make 14 big pots with faces on! - all I need to do is draw almost everyone and embroider them ALL again. That sounds like a reading week job!

..... A bit of me wants to go and cast more things now!! (unnecessary moulds?)

Crafts Council - Fifty:Fifty partner announced

I've just found this exciting little article:

The Crafts Council and Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery will work together to deliver a major contemporary craft exhibition in autumn 2011. The exhibition called Lost in Lace will take place at the Gas Hall at BMAG from the 29 October 2011 to 19 February 2012.

Can't wait for this in the Autumn!

Needlepunch

Today I had a bit of a play with the needle-punch machine. Very exciting!

I layered down some pretty fabrics and neutral lace quite freely and needle punched it once on the front and once on the back. It does really lovely things to the fabrics, it really enhances the delicacy of the fabric by shredding and fusing the fibres together to make one fabric out of fragments of others.

I think I'll layer my embroideries on top. I'll do another one next week - this might be the perfect thing for the Trowbridge Festival.

Hessian and faces

Well I've had a big ceramics week this week.

When I went to see Sarah Purvey I got loads of ideas and this week I've done lots of experiments and I think I've almost come to a conclusion.

I really really liked the imprint of the hessian on the clay, it made the faces stand out really nicely and really made the most of the texture by complimenting the texture of the stitch.

I think the coiling idea has run it's course as well, though i'll have to talk that one over. I like the idea of making big slab pots in a mould, as that would allow me to got at deeper impression of the stitch and hessian.

Anyway here they are....

I, Me, Mine Exhibition

" I, Me, Mine Exhibition Are we really what we own? I, Me, Mine explores collections and collecting; it exposes some of that priceless personal “junk” that can say so much about us "

Just a few photos from the I, Me, Mine exhibition private view on friday night.

There was lots of lovely work based on collections and possessions! I particularly liked the little 'Keepsake' pots with human hair by Mel Kew and the train tickets by Lauren Hudson.

Irrational Purchases

I got up early yesterday morning and went to Hills Furniture house clearance. I didn't know it existed - it only opens between 10am-12pm on Saturdays.

It wasn't the best house clearance i've ever been to, not a patch on PJ House Clearance at The Radleys, Birmingham, but none the less had some amazing things! I bought a set of 4 mustard dining room chairs C1960, 2 Mason Cash bowls, a Melba jug and a doily.

All in all, a fruitful morning!

Corsham

Today I went on a one woman day out to Corsham. The main aim was to go and see Sarah Purvey and her lovely studio in Corsham Court. The meeting was really constructive and I got lots of ideas!

Corsham Court is beautiful, it's a pity today was so grey. Also, there are loads of peacocks just mooching around the grounds. Lovely.

While in Corsham I decided to have a little wander in the rain and found lots and lots of charity shops and the most amazing house clearance shop called Granny's Attic. (possibly a bit too literally house clearance for my liking). It was full of wonderful smelly old things and I bought lots and lots of doilies and lace, a nice old plate, a couple of colourful silk hankies and some broken jewellery as a little gift for 'Talia.

I spent a relative fortune, but I've re-stocked my collection!

Cathy Miles

I'm in love with Cathy Miles' work at the moment. These supersize wire drawn tea pots are amazing!

She's a Midlands based metal smith and currently works from the Jewellery Quarter. Her work mainly focuses on common birdlife depicted through the medium of three dimensional wire drawings.

The Prescription

Charity Shopping

Today has been a fruitful charity shopping day, i managed to find this Beautiful handbag and 3 bone china teacups in British Heart Foundation Solihull. Two of the cups are made by Paragon and the other is Royal Stafford. They're missing their saucers but they were quite cheap so it doesn't matter!