On Monday I continued to work on my handle, I managed to break it again! I was now an expert handle crafter and didn’t mind sitting for a while and sanding it down. I also had a kiln induction with Andy, this showed me again how little I actually know about ceramics. I had no idea that lustres and enamels needed their own kiln. I didn’t know that there could be such a range in Kilns, it blew my mind! This induction motivated me to want to create work to be fired. I wanted to turn on a Kiln and be in charge of the whole process of making from beginning to end. That afternoon I created my mould for my espresso mug and finished off my handle!
On Tuesday we had a slip decoration with Rich. This demo showed us four techniques for decorating tiles using different coloured slips. I enjoyed watching it but was desperate to try it out for myself. Annoyingly I didn’t have any leather hard tiles to try out this technique on, only bone dry ones. This was another reminder that ceramics is about time management and catching pieces at the right time. That afternoon we had a demo on using the extruder, this showed us how to make test tiles which we will later use in our workshops with Anna Barlow.
Wednesday morning was another intense one. We sat and watched Duncan and Andy throw to face to face on the wheels. This reminded me of the throw down and they definitely were able to demonstrate throwing in an enjoyable way. Since I can throw I watched and didnt make notes but instead thought about how I would have done it differently. Duncan was very neat with his practice, there was little slip around and he had everything fairly organized. I related more with andy who ended up with slip down his apron! They also demonstrated pulling, which is a technique used to create handles. I thought what Ian said here about creating work that fits comfortably with the user was really important. I wanted to take this statement further when we are given more freedom with our practice. They also spoke about creating extruding and slabbing handles for mugs. That afternoon i wanted to finish with my handle, I created the mould ontop of the handle model. This was a relief for me – the end of sanding handles!
Thursday morning I went back into the studio and cast the second half of the handle mould. I made a huge mess doing this – oops! I then had to run to make sure I was at the theatre in time to watch Hilary Mantels the light and the mirror play!