Last week, I posted a video of the spiral wedging method where you can wedge a large amount of clay by concentrating on a small amount at a time. Be that as it may, it still requires some sort of wrist action to accomplish the task. That is a tall task for someone with chronic wrist pain.
Today's post is another wedging method that doesn't really use the wrist. It requires cutting your piece of clay in half using a wire attached at 45 degrees to a vertical and horizontal support. After cutting the clay, you rotate the individual pieces and slam one piece of top of each other. The video is clearer than my explanation.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
#TBT -- The Art of Potter
On social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, a word or phrase (with no space between words) preceded by a hash sign (#) is used to identify messages on a specific topic. By clicking on the hashtag, you will be able to see all messages pertaining to that particular topic.
#TBT has been used to identify messages related to "Throw Back Thursday" or, simply, paying homage to our past. In the vein of the message, I submit for your consideration, a video on the potter's history. Specifically, the British potter. This video is part of a three part series on the history of potter in Britain. This is episode three, titled "The Art of the Potter".
It's quite a lengthy video and is broken into four parts. I can't embed the video here due to certain copyright protection so I will link you to the video on YouTube.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Enjoy.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Techniques -- Wedging
Whether you're a handbuilder or a wheel thrower, some techniques are universal (in my humble opinion). One such technique is wedging.
Wedging your clay well removes a lot of potential issue that you may encounter later on. Yes, I am talking about the proverbial "air bubble". The air bubble expand when it is heated in the kiln and the air will have to escape somehow. The point of escape (aka the size of the hole it creates) depends on the size of the air bubble. Wedging also aligns the clay particles so that it is more workable.
All First Time Potter students are taught the "rams head" method of wedging but as your skills improve and you start to use more and more clay, the "rams head" method becomes quite unwieldy due to the sheer volume of clay you have to manage.
For hand builders/sculptors, you are often left with quite a bit of clay as you hollow out your work. In order to reuse those clay, a good wedging would be in order.
Today's video demonstration is the "Spiral" wedging method. This method lets you wedge a large amount of clay while only concentration on a small lump at a time. The Japanese word for spiral wedging is "Kikumomi" which roughly translates to "Chrysanthemum wrinkles".
Friday, May 9, 2014
Ceramics Department -- Summer Schedule
The summer schedule is online. The summer 2014 session runs from June 16 to August 24.
You can check out the schedule here. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Here's a preview and you can actually sign up online by clicking on the link to each class:
BEGINNER/ADVANCED BEGINNER
FIRST-TIME POTTER (5 WEEKS)
FIRST-TIME HANDBUILDER (5 WEEKS)
BEG/ADV BEG WHEELTHROWING (10 WEEKS)
BEG/ADV BEG HANDBUILDING (10 WEEKS)
MULTILEVEL (ADVANCED BEGINNER TO ADVANCED)
BEST OF BOTH (10 WEEKS)
HOME AND GARDEN POTTERY (10 WEEKS)
THE ART OF FOOD (10 WEEKS)
SAGGAR FIRING (10 WEEKS)
SMALL SCULPTURES, FIGURINES, AND DOLLS (10 WEEKS)
INTERMEDIATE WHEELTHROWING (10 WEEKS)
SIMPLY SODA: BEGINNING SODA (10 WEEKS)
SCULPTURAL NARRATIVES IN CLAY (10 WEEKS)
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
RED CLAY AND COLOR (10 WEEKS)
ADVANCED WHEELTHROWING (10 WEEKS)
ADVANCED HANDBUILDING (10 WEEKS)
INTERMEDIATE HANDBUILDING: NEW FORMS (10 WEEKS)
INSPIRED BY NATURE (10 WEEKS)
ADVANCED TOPICS IN SODA FIRING: MIXED MASTERY IN SODA (10 WEEKS)
FIGURATIVE SCULPTURE (10 WEEKS)
TRADITIONAL FIGURE SCULPTURE (10 WEEKS)
ADVANCED TOPICS (10 WEEKS)
WORKSHOP
PASSION FOR PORCELAIN (1 DAY)
TREES (1 DAY)
SODA FIRED “BOX” TURTLES (1 DAY)
SELF PORTRAIT IN CLAY (1 DAY)
ICONIC FACES (1 DAY)
ANIMALS (1 DAY)
FOR EVERYONE
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH ARTWORK (4 WEEKS)
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Techniques -- Surface Decoration
For those of us who needs to be inspired, here's a collection of short clips from the masters on surface decoration (except the first one and a half minute). This video is quite rare because most of the videos I've seen tend to showcase a single artist.
These are Korean masters from the Incheo area in Seoul, Korea. Incheon is the ceramics center of Korea and is where the international airport in Seoul is located.
Clip 1 (to 1:35) -- check out how deep he has to go with opening the centered clay
Clip 2 (to 2:34) -- slip layering, incising and sgraffito.
Clip 3 (to 4:00 ) -- inlay (mishima), stamping and form alteration.
Clip 4 (to 5:10 ) -- incising (yes, still incising even though you don't cut through like in Clip 2) and form alteration.
Clip 5 -- This master showed a different/advance way of using slip application and incising. Also shown is selected application of mishima (inlay) to targeted areas of the pot. And finally a painting technique with slip.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Lillstreet Workshop -- Momoko Usami
I remember with great fondness a simple tea cup that Momoko made from porcelain. What first attracted me to the cup was the simple underglaze painting on one side. However, the little cup held a "secret". If you look through the bottom of the cup at a light source, you are presented with the image of a ballet dancer. Such is the technical abilities and the whimsical nature of Momoko's work.
You now have an opportunity to learn from Momoko. She will be at Lillstreet to conduct a workshop on Pinhold Viewers on June 6, 2014. Sign up for the class here.
If you would like to see more of her work, make sure to "Like" her potter page on Facebook.
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