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Some Examples of My Work
I create unique one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces by hand, without the use of moulds or premade shapes.
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Wolverine Oil Diffuser |
| A bit of an experiment, but I was pleased with the results. It serves as a decorative pot, oil diffuser, or inkwell, and belongs to my brother. |
Stages of Making Ceramics
I first select a clay to best suit the intended glazes and purpose.
This clay is then kneaded similarly to dough, but the purpose is to eliminate air instead of add it, as well as ensure an even consistency (this process in known as wedging).
I form the clay by hand, and once fully sculpted, the items will be left to air dry.
Hand-Sculpted Pieces
One of my main methods is to sculpt items using my hands and a few simple hand-held tools.
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Pumpkin Lantern |
| The organic form of pumpkins and gourds suits my methods and style, so expect to see a few more in the future. |
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Chawan |
| A set of four Japanese-style tea bowls. I again wanted to retain an unrefined look, quite typical of traditional tea bowls. |
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Fire Cat |
| This handsculpted cat face was partially inspired by (though not directly based on) masks from Bali. This piece feels personal, so I will most likely keep it. But I'm likely to make other wall-mounted masks in future. |
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Jigglypuff |
This is something of a one-off made as a gift. I am unlikely to produce much fan-art.
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Jippgypuff is/are property of the Pokemon company (Game Freak, Creatures, and Nintendo). |
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Feathered Pot |
| Technically I did begin this piece on the wheel, but it was finished by hand, and the feather is hand-sculpted. It was my first time making a feather, and I am encouraged by the result. I will likely use "feathers" again. |
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Carbury The Whale |
| A humpback whale sculpted by hand. The interirior is stuffed with newspaper, which should be burned off during firing. There is a small vent hole to let warm air and steam escape that can build pressuring during firing. |
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Nudibranch |
| A hand-sculpted sea slug, called a nudibranch (essentially pronounced nudibranck). This name refers to the exposed gills on its back. This is not a specific type, and is just based upon dorid nudibranchs in general. |
Wheel Thrown Pieces
This is a specific method of sculpting, which utilises a pottery wheel for improved symmetry and speed.
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Little Pot |
| My first use of the wheel, on New Years Eve 2021. |
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Another Little Pot |
| Small pots seem to be one my favourite things to make. |
Bisque Fired Pieces
Once air-dry, the pieces are known as greenware. Greenware is generally too brittle and absorbant for practical use on its own. The greenware is heated to a high temperature inside a kiln, further reducing the moisture content, turning delicate greenware into sturdy pieces (known as earthenware or stoneware, depending on the clay type and temperature).
An example of a fired but unglazed piece would be a terracotta pot.
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Pumpkin Lantern |
| The pumpkin after its bisque firing, ready to be glazed. |
Detailing & Glazing
Layers of glaze are then applied. Glazes contain pigments and glass, which fuse with the clay during the next kiln firing, adding both to aesthetics and strength. I use pre-made glazes, which are labelled as non-toxic and lead-free, making the items food safe.
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Chawan |
Here I am sketching specific symbols onto the bowls by hand before applying glazes.
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"Heaven", "Earth", "Dragon", and "Comrade", are being directly referenced (by eye) from the "chawan sign" from the computer game, Shemue II (by Yu Suzuki). |
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Badger Coaster |
| The original badger image was something I drew many years ago, and it seemed like a good fit for a coaster that I had made. I went over the design with a pin to etch it onto the clay. Here am applying linework with black underglaze, using my smallest brush (000), before adding more layers of underglaze and glaze. |
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Pumpkin Lantern |
Applying layers of glaze with a brush.
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The green is a wax, used to repel glaze where it is not required. The wax burns off buring firing. |
Finished Pieces
After a second firing to complete the glaze, the result is ceramics. The majority of my pieces are glazed stoneware, chosen for properties of high durability and food safety.
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First Load |
| There was some nervousness opening the kiln upon completion of my first batch, but overall, I was content the results. I hadn't expected the glazes to be so dark (the items intended to be green came out a shiny, dark colour, somewhat reminiscent of haemotite and green obsidian). This as likely due to the glazes having a level of transparecy, allowing the clay to shine through the glaze. I had used a fairly natural/beige coloured clay, and have since switched to a brighter white colour to avoid muddying of desired glaze colours. |
Additional Processes
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Faux Kintsugi |
Kintsugi is a method of repairing broken pottery, which emphasises the damage by filling it with gold.
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The four chawan bowls seemed an ideal pairing due to the Japanese theme of the bowls, and their rustic appearance.
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The bowls were deliberately smashed, and as you can probably see, I have used a mixture of epoxy resin and gold mica powder to repair/fuse the broken pieces (just to note, that the specific method I chose would not be considered food-safe).
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Though a lovely idea and effect, I didn't particularly enjoy the process and will probably not use it much in my work. |
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