It's all about Testing
Currently, I am researching and refining surface designs for functional and sculptural pieces, drawing inspiration from domestic interiors, textiles, and graffiti, while exploring the possibilities of drawing, glazes, and ceramic transfers. My artistic process is inherently narrative-driven, characterised by extensive research that informs the development of new bodies of work. This inquiry generates both aesthetic and technical questions. Technical research is an integral aspect of my creative process, as I continuously explore the relationship between concept and materiality. My approach—"Here’s the idea, how do I do it? What clay body do I need? What glazes?"​So...I begin with a clay body...I'll be investigating new works with porcelain. Here, I've fired 4 different glaze bases with the same amount of glaze stain in each You can see how each of the glaze colours react differently to each base.Base 4 is the most successful in terms of colour, initial application and finished surface. so.. we begin the process of designing my new colour palette.
So...I begin with a clay body...I'll be investigating new works with porcelain. Here, I've fired 4 different glaze bases with the same amount of glaze stain in each. You can see how each of the glaze colours react differently to each base. Base 4 is the most successful in terms of colour, initial application and finished surface.
So.. we begin the process of designing my new colour palette.
Using line blends to initially find a range of pinks and greys
Testing Greys and pinks with possitive results
Playing with colour combinations
Very happy so far, but need a larger range of colours.. the next step, use the same base glaze no. 4 and test many stains using 5% to start. This is a great percentage to begin with as you can develop lighter and darker shades by using more or less stain.
here are the results...as you can see, the unfired glaze looks very different from the fired glaze. Ceramicist pretty much work blindly when they're applying the raw glaze to their work. Having a large palette of fired colours to reference, makes it so much easier.
Here's the next set of glaze tests... these are just random colours with 5% stain added to base 4
Un-fired test tiles in kiln with of course a cone pack
Fired test tiles in kiln with of course a cone pack, giving perfect results
Colour palette is coming along but the colours are still limited...
