The pot is BLUE!

I just finished putting the slip on my first composite vessel, as you can see it is blue! More to come.....

Begin.......

Large 3-part composite vessel

Two part body with neck

Three part vessel

After spending much of the last few weeks researching and drawing I finally began to work in the ceramic studio. I have created three composite vessels  to work on which are now ready for the "drawing" stage. I have formulated multiple slips that I will be using along with underglazes, lusters, mishima and image transfer to impart meaning onto the ceramic surface. Each vessel's shape represents my family dynamic at a particular point in my life that relates to the narrative on the surface of the vessel. This personal narrative will combine the iconography that I have developed from my "family stories" with the ceramic form creating my own visual language.

Paper Clay Dress Forms

Paper Clay Dress Forms

Detail showing soldier stamp

After experimenting with different porcelain paper clay recipes I have finally found one that is plastic enough to use for handbuilding vessels.  As in my shirt forms I am using a modified dress pattern to create a dress form, these vary in sizes from 5" to 24".  I impressed stamps that I carved out of clay into the surface of the clay before building the vessel. These stamps are based on my drawings of soldiers and airmen in different poses, some are saluting some are standing a parade rest and some are in battle dress uniforms. I also used stamps I made to mimic the tracks of tanks, Humvees and armored personnel carriers.  In some areas I used the flora stamps that were in my earlier work.  These images show the work unfired, since this is paper clay about 50% of what you see will burn away in the firing. I have no idea what it will look like or what will be left after I fire them.  For right now I am leaving these unglazed I like the rawness of the clay.