Water Eddies Series, 2010

This remains a favourite image of one of my thrown pieces made this year. The Water Eddies series is inspired by swirls, or mini whirpools in water. The gentle sound that these eddies make as they move downstream or dance around the banks of rivers, the softness with which they spring into existence and then unwind themselves and disappear, is somewhat analogous to what happens to the porcelain as it is thrown. Capturing that effect has become somewhat of an obsession. It disappears when the porcelain is fired, because it is no longer soft, but what remains is an echo of it, a suggestion of the softness and motion.

I love working with porcelain. This particular one is called “Glacier” Porcelain and it comes from Ireland. I’ve found it a good substitute for Southern Ice, which I used to use in Australia. After working with stoneware or earthenware, the porcelain feels like a buttery chalk, so smooth, delicate and fine. It is so responsive on the wheel, it is a pleasure to work with. Because it is so pure and the particles so closely packed, I do tend to lose quite a few pieces to cracking and warping, no matter how attentive I am to its technical requirements. I do find it’s a bit hit and miss, compression being key, and slow drying.

I find the colour of Glacier Porcelain appeals to me the best out of all the other UK porcelains I’ve tried. Although  I’ve not tried them all, and then there are the mainland porcelains, like Limoges, which I have yet to trial. Mind you, I enjoy working with materials that are as local as possible. This supports the local economy in some small way, and I feel it really important that artistic practice does that.

The Water Eddies series was sold out through the Blue Door Gallery in Pittenween, each of these bowls selling for £30. Since then, I’ve been making some with coloured slips on the inside surface, which are reminiscent of the rock, sky or flora which the river reflects. I’ve sold a few straight from the studio on our Open Day and recent sales, but I hope to find a gallery for them soon. I haven’t got any new images of those just yet. At the moment they’re being fired to 1260ºC because of limitations with the kilns in the studio. However, new gas kilns have been put in, and they’re being tested and adjusted at the moment, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to fire to 1300ºC again soon, which should increase the translucency of these pieces again.

Frances Stark “But what of Frances Stark, standing by itself, a naked name, bare as a ghost to whom one would like to lend a sheet?”

Well, hello! It’s been a long time. I’ve been very shy of the computer keyboard since I injured my right arm because I wasn’t mindful enough of how to use a keyboard properly. Now I’m beginning to return to computer use, a little at a time, even though I continue to struggle with RSI. It’s amazing how much something like that can affect your life.

On Thursday night (that was the 12th Feb) I went to a private view at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Sauchiehall Street. The exhibition was of work in paper collage and drawing by Frances Stark, an artist from the USA.

I had a really marvelous time. The CCA is a great venue – a very welcoming, open and accessible space. They served us G&T’s instead of the usual wine – which would win anyone over, just by novelty value, I’m sure. Frances Stark is very clever and has a great sense of humour – not to mention a lot of patience, judging by the nature of the collages, which in many cases were INLAID. I think she’s a closet ceramicist really. I’ve been wondering what to make of the piles of paper, documents and receipts building up in my own life as well. Anyway, the show is well worth a look.

As far as my website is concerned, I’ve made a few changes. Since I’m no longer a student, the albums showing all the experimentation, processes and techniques I used towards my MPhil have been relegated to a less prominent position. They are, however, still available, should you wish to look at photographic documentation of the glaze testing techniques I used, screen printing ceramic transfers , mould making and slip casting, making pvc moulds, fixing a gas kiln, etc etc.

I have put more emphasis on my portfolio and finished work, and will be from now on working towards starting a ceramics business as an artist. Wish me luck!

Just wanted to add an acknowledgement, that since my last post Frank Lloyd Gallery responed to my query about Cindy Kolodziejski’s work and were very helpful. So, many thanks to the staff there!

Hold Vessel 1

I’ve been mesmerized by the work of Lynette Wallworth. A solo show of hers opens today at the Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum. I would love to be able to attend.

Lynette’s work is about the complexities of human interconnection with our environment. She produces interactive installations. In this one, pictured above, the viewer activates space by capturing an image “inside” a glass bowl. (Bowls made by Emma Varga, Australia).

Why is this so fascinating to me? It’s a combination of the virtual and the haptic experience. A crossing over between the two dimensional and three dimensional worlds that includes allusions to containment and space.

Follow this link to the Forma website to see what it’s all about.

Here is Hold: Vessel 2 on YouTube.

Here is Lynette Wallford talking about her work, on the. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, NY, USA Website

Susie O’Byrne is a studio holder at the Glasgow Ceramics Studio in WASPS, where I also have my space. The piece you can see below is roughly life size, or about 50cm tall. It is painstakingly built up out of small patches of individually printed paper porcelain sheets. The work is hung in the kiln during firing to retain it’s incredible grace of form. It is an anthropomorphic piece, inspired by dreams and images which populate the subconscious, and informed by nature study in Africa.

Susan O’Byrne, Cheetah, 2008

This amazing sculpture is on exhibition at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, in Aberdeen, Scotland until the 31st of May, as part of the Aberdeen Artists’ Society seventy-fourth exhibition of Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Photography, Architecture, Video, DVD, Design and Craft. If you would like to see it for yourself, information on gallery address and opening hours is here.

The Students and Staff of the Ceramics Department at the Glasgow School of Art invite you to the opening night of their exhibition, presenting works of protest against the closure of Scotland’s last ceramics department.

The exhibition will be held at the Owl and Lion Gallery, 15 The Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HS. Runs from Friday 29th February until Sunday 2nd March (one weekend only). Opening hours 10 till 6pm.

Join the artists for the opening night at 5pm on Friday 29th February.

Click on the link below for the flyer:

Exhibition at Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Helen Morken, Mobius I and Mobius V, 2007

Mobius III, Helen’s lovely and clever work, inspired by the drawings of M.C. Escher, is pictured in the Review Gallery pages of the recently released November/December issue of Ceramic Review magazine. Helen is a 3rd year student in the Distance Part Time BA Ceramic Design course at the GSA.

Catherine Bell, Graduate in Residence at the GSA with work in progress.

Thanks to everyone who came to check out our studios at Wasps Glasgow Ceramics Studio during our open studios weekend earlier this month. It was so lovely to have you! If you would like a virtual tour, here’s some photos from my albums.

We’re having a Christmas sale on the weekend of the 8th and 9th of December, so here’s a second chance to visit us! Lots of other artists at Wasps will have their best art wares out for sale that day too. Click here to get the address and phone number for The Glasgow Ceramics Studio at Wasps.

Furthermore, quite a few of the Wasps studio holders and also ceramic artists from the Glasgow School of Art, including Wendy Kershaw and Rachel Fox, will be taking part in the Collins’ Christmas Market, at the Collins Gallery, Glasgow, from 30th November to 3rd December.

The Glasgow School of Art Ceramics Department will also be holding it’s own Christmas Sale, late November or early December. Dates and venue to be announced. Some of the proceeds from this sale are donated to support student educational activities in the Ceramics Workshop.

Three of our lovely and very talented GSA Ceramics Graduates in Residence – Cara Broadley, Lindsay Saunders and Catherine Bell are all exhibiting brand new work in the annual Graduate Exhibition “Fresh” at The White Gallery in Dundee. The show opens on Saturday 3rd November 2007.

Regarding the development of this blog, I’ve done quite a bit of work on my Links page, recently adding a new Research page which provides links to books, magazines and online resources I’m finding useful for my glazing as well as theoretical research. I’ll keep adding resources to this page as I use them. Also check out my glaze results in the week 13 photos.

And, last but not least, we still have a three phase kiln at the Glasgow Ceramics Studio that is FREE to a good home – but you need to pick it up.

L to R: Mary MacKenzie, Anni Gell, Wendy Kershaw, Mide Quinlan Reddin, Juliet Sargent, Anne Murray, Barbara Attard Pettett, David King, Helen Morken, Angela, Homa Vafaie-Farley, Miranda Forrest, Ester Svensson.

This week I joined the 3rd year part-time Distance BA Design (Ceramics) students in a decal making workshop with Bill Brown. We learned how to screen print our own decals and how to make monoprinted transfers. Click here to see the photos. (This album is password protected).

I also sat in on two research methodologies lectures presented by H&C, one on “Object as text and writing on film” by Frances Robertson and one on “Art as/and philosophy” by Dr Ken Neil. (We discussed Heidegger and our feeling of angst). I’m very grateful to all of them for letting me sit in on the lectures.

The other exciting thing that happened is that I saw Tony Franks, who is the former head of the Edinburgh College of Art and of the Ceramics Department there. He suggested that I look up Francis Priest, an Edinburgh based ceramic artist and former graduate of his. Indeed, I’ve admired her work previously at The Scottish Gallery.