Reflection

During this unit I have been working on a larger scale and have also never used press or hump moulds before. I have learnt that you can stamp and also mono print when using a hump mould and the designs will stay intact if you get the clay at the right state. I have also learnt that if you make something with a large surface area touching the bottom of the kiln your work is more liable to crack. This can be solved by adding rings on the bottom of your plate to reduce the area touching the bottom of the kiln. Also using alumina allows your work to shrink more easily when being fired. I have also been using Copydex, Shellac and wax resist. Copydex is very effective as a resist when applying slip as it peels off easily.

Shellac and wax resist didn’t work as well as they didn’t give a clean resist and didn’t burn off in the kiln.

The top two samples below were most effective as the gold lustre compliments the blue cobalt oxide which has been trapped in the recesses of the stamped clay. I also like the effect of the clay showing through on the ridges of the stamps when applying tin matt glaze on red earthenware clay.

I like the effect created by rolling wallpaper into clay and the oxide picked up in the recesses. I have learnt that you should mask off areas with wax resist that you don't want the oxide on so you can create a clean edge.

I enjoyed layering up processes in this project for example using mono printing, stamping, glazes, gold lustre and ceramic transfers on one piece.

I have collaborated on many occasions with Stephanie and through group tutorials. I have also collaborated by reading other peoples 100 word statements to check their suitability and by buying mount board together so as not to create excess waste. Furthermore Ben and I collaborated in designing a plate stand for my biggest plate (see below).

I have engaged in contextual understanding throughout this project as I have attended all lectures by guest speakers. In doing this I found practitioners who’s context I feel is relevant to my own for example Amy Jayne Hughes. I went to Ruthin Craft Centre which is venue I would like to exhibit my work at in the future. Furthermore I visited Collect and saw many practitioners who I aspire to show my work alongside in the future (see below).

Carina Ciscato

Christabel Birbeck

Marit Tingleff

Lisa Stockham

Kina Bjorklund

After making samples I discovered I didn't like the surface quality of ivory stoneware clay when fired and felt it wasn't appropriate for my plates. I started exploring painting white, grey and blue slip onto the clay’s surface at the leather hard stage. This created a more even surface and professional finish once the clay was fired.

If I were to do this project again I would experiment with porcelain as I feel it may be more appropriate for my plates due to its delicate quality. Furthermore I would have conducted more tests rather than attempting to make large plates straight away as then I feel my plates would have achieved a more professional finish. Therefore in my third year I intend to be more thorough with my testing.

My key motivations for the future are to continue my practice in ceramics focusing mainly on surface decoration and pattern. I enjoyed experimenting with plate forms in this project however in the future I want to focus on slab building to create vessels and forms as I enjoy a more sculptural quality in my work. I will further develop my skills in slip decoration, stamping, mono printing and aspire to show my work in high end contemporary ceramic galleries. 

I considered putting coloured paper under my pieces to accentuate the colours of the glazes and so my work wasn't lost on the table in the exhibition. This coloured paper below was the best as it complimented the colours of my work.

 

I considered using stands however I decided the stand for the largest plate was too unstable.

These images show my work at the exhibition.

 

Investigations/ Lines of Enquiry

In week four I started to create plates to put my patterns on. I specifically chose Victorian plate designs to suggest the era that the servants worked in.

Here is one of the plates I made a mould of.

I made a hump mould of the smaller plate.

During this process I realised I needed to create a press mould as I wanted to stamp and mono print onto the inside of the plate. Therefore I made a press mould for the biggest tray so I could work on the clay in the mould when it was still soft.

Creating this mould was difficult due to the tray’s large size and having no cottles large enough to go around the tray. This meant I had to create a Perspex cottle instead. In order to be efficient with my time whilst my original mould dried I started to test out how to make plates in a pre-existing mould.

I discovered by using small stamps that larger stamps gave a more powerful image as I felt the smaller stamps lost their impact and were easily over looked .

Our collaborative crit allowed us to present our work and to discuss how we could develop our ideas further. By discussing ideas and listening to others it enabled me to focus on what aspects of my work needed to be developed further i.e. rekindling the playfulness and eccentricity of my earlier designs now lost in my drive to create an end product.

When I last met up with Stephanie we had decided to create some collaborative drawings which you can see below.

I liked the surreal element she added to my drawing of the kitchen. This has influenced my own work regarding my design for a tree of whisks. I liked our contrasting drawing styles and her use of colour to enhance my line drawing. This made me consider moving away from my mono chrome colour palette and adding colour to my designs.

Collaborating with Stephanie has allowed me to realise the influence a differing perspective can have on my work. In the future I intend to continue with creating collaborative drawings as it provided me with some interesting ideas.

I intend to create a set of plates illustrating the importance of servants and their daily chores. These plates will be adorned with pattern and gold embellishment however when you examine the pattern closely you will realise that the flowers on the border for example are not flowers but are kitchen utensils.

Here are some of my initial designs.

Here are my final designs for my plates. 

My ceramic pieces are decorative however not functional, this relates to my previous work and area of practice. This body of work has a conceptual content as I am communicating through imagery the importance of the servant's daily chores therefore I feel this work could be found in high end galleries exhibiting contemporary ceramics.

I was inspired by Adam Buick’s work at Ruthin Craft Centre. Below are some of my drawings of his work. I liked the unpredictability and variation of his pieces, for example his use of pebble inclusions to add texture and metal in his pots. This pebble inclusion determined what the pot looked like once fired. I liked the texture, contrast in surface and interesting forms of these vessels. After seeing Buick’s work it’s made me consider the potential of exploring a more materials driven process in the future.

I admire Chris Taylor’s pieces for his use of surface decoration, vibrancy of pattern, colour and the forms he applies his patterns to.

I appreciate Barry Stedman’s pieces for their simplicity in form, colour palette and abstract shapes on the vessels surfaces and how his vessels interact together.

I like Anna Lamberts playful use of form and illustrations.

I admire Eric Hibelot’s playful and abstract forms, his bold use of colour and pattern.

In order to exhibit on time I have made a timetable for my plates' construction, glazing and firing. I have allowed sufficient time to conduct gold lustre tests before I apply it to my finished plates as it's something I’ve never used before and may provide unexpected delays and challenges.

Research

I started my research by looking at the National Trust Collections and found paintings and poems that interested me as they allowed me to gain insight into the lives of servants. These paintings and poems described the characteristics of each servant and the daily chores they undertook. The following is about housemaid Jane Ebbrell.

At Tatton Park, the kitchen and servant’s quarters interested me since I could imagine the everyday lives of the servants who used to work there. I was also interested in the contrast between the lives of the servants and the masters and the objects in the house. The servant’s kitchenware was undecorated and often made from base metals. However the master’s possessions were colourful, gold and highly decorated. This contrast of objects captured for me the mundane lives that the servants would have lived compared to the privileged existence of the masters.

Below are Amy Jayne Hughes’ works. Elements of her work are relevant to my own practice since her objects are concerned with surface decoration over function.

I intend to explore mono printing, inlay and stamping since these techniques enable me to transfer my line drawings onto the clay’s surface. I intend to create a narrative through my drawings exploring the lives of the servants and their tasks.

Initially I drew detailed pictures of servants however after experimenting with timed continuous line drawings I found that I could be more expressive when having to complete drawings under a time and technique restriction. These restrictions stopped me from being fussy and drawing unnecessary detail therefore enabling me to more effectively portray the essence of the jobs the servants undertook.

Cooks in stately homes were often alcoholics. I feel this image is too literal and overly drawn.

Housekeepers’ keys were a sign of their authority. I chose gold keys to signify this and to draw attention to them. Drawing in continuous line allowed me to be expressive and capture the essence of the house keeper’s authority.

 

I feel this drawing done in two minutes captures the essence of a house maid conducting her chore.

 

The gold ornate frames which often surrounded portraits of important figures in the National Trust properties interested me as they were highly decorative and luxurious. Such artefacts inspired me to create my own gold frame which from a distance appears to be like others I had seen but on closer inspection you realise that the frame's imagery comprises of cooking utensils. For me these utensils were significant since they represented the servants' chores and their invaluable role in the running of stately households. Unlike portraits in stately homes where you might find a noteworthy family member I felt the servants should be put within the frame and therefore elevated in status.

Through a collaborative task I met Stephanie, a fashion student who like me is interested in print. I realised we could help develop each other’s designs since our knowledge and skills complemented each other's and could help us see our designs from a different perspective. 

I liked Stephanie’s quality of line in her drawing of the Japanese Garden due to the contrast between her faint drawing in pencil and her fine liner drawing which is stronger. I felt the layering effect of the tracing paper over her initial drawing was very effective in showing contrast in line qualities.

In response to Stephanie’s work I researched images of trees in Japanese prints. I liked the stylised drawings and this image below inspired me to consider how I could incorporate my ideas of cooking utensils into the trees in Stephanie’s designs, linking our two projects together.

I liked how this drawing, which looks purely decorative, conceals whisks within the flowers of the trees. These signify one of the many tasks that the servants had to undertake which were hidden but invaluable. This drawing made me consider how I could convey my narrative through traditional plate designs which incorporate decorative trees e.g. the willow pattern.  I have started to consider displaying servants conducting their daily chores on plates and to use my ornate patterns with hidden meanings in them which convey the importance of the servant’s tasks.