Ceramics in 2013

Today I decided to gather up some of the bowls I've made this year, to chronicle my first year of mucking around with ceramics. I think I've made every possible mistake so far, but comparing the first pinch-pot bowls to some of my later experiments on the wheel; it's apparent that my skills have still progressed further than I thought they would, when I started my first night class in May, and there are now a surprising number of functional ceramic bowls in use around the house (containing cat food, or earrings, or bobby pins, or snacks).

The earlier, lumpier experiments are used for the cats, but the later, smoother vessels are now reasonable enough that I'm able to give some away to humans without too much embarrassment. Given everything that's happened this year, It'll be interesting to see what next year brings; I'm interested in doing even more tableware and illustrative experiments with sgraffito (as demonstrated in the black and white cat bowls) and mishima inlay (as demonstrated by the later white bowls with blue insides, and blue decoration inlaid on their outsides).

Ceramic Sketches #5

  

I think, given the subject, the seahorses would work best as a seafood platter. Maybe I should decorate all my dinner ware with serving suggestions?

Voting is still ongoing for my Western Ground Parrot design, please Like this Facebook post to vote for it, if you have the time.

Birds and Stoneware

I've started to play around with circular designs again, as I've started up wheelwork night classes again, this round taught by Warrick Palmateer who is awfully skilful at throwing a casserole dish. The Friends of the Western Ground Parrot (a group dedicated to protecting the critically endangered local) are running an art contest and I decided to... I shouldn't say 'kill two birds with one stone', given the subject, but given that the subject is birds, and I work with stoneware clay in my ceramics pieces... it's quite irresistible.

As the competition is being determined by voting popularity, I would appreciate it if anyone who has the time, and feels so inclined, could here for my entry, or here for another entry.

Ceramic Sketches #4

I didn't quite manage to capture that expression I see looking back at me when it's 4AM and I've woken up to find her watching me while I sleep.

Ceramic Sketches #3

A bowl for Topper, even though his preferred of eating is to gut a cat food bag and climb inside it to feast from it like a felled wildebeest.

Ceramic Sketches #2

In which Scout's fearsome visage becomes apparent.

I was somewhat worried that her glower would break my camera when I was taking reference photographs; she's such a little monster. I'm curious to see if she'll attack her cat bowl out of spite when I give it to her.

Ceramic Sketches

I've recently started throwing bowls on a wheel, and I'm enjoying decorating them with sgraffito designs. Normally when I'm in ceramics class I just scribble whimsically, but given that my bowls have begun to look less like the lumpy nests of Welcome Swallows, I thought that I might actually apply a modicum of forethought to their decoration.