I just couldn't resist...

...one more picture! Taken with my new camera this is a preview of the current direction of the work for degree show

I'm really pleased :) 

The colours make me happy :) 

The textures sing and the forms speak :) 

It's all starting to come together - yay!

It's all about the Making...

After treating myself to the wonderful book Making and Drawing I feel inspired to update on some of my recent making.

Making for me in very much a part of the drawing process, in fact, it could be seen as an exploration of line and mark itself. 

Surface, texture, form and conversations.

Let's have a look at what's been going on...

Exploring the relationship between size, weight, line and clay body 

these two objects have an interesting dialogue:

I have taken a cast of the inside and reverse of the same mould here 

and the surface quality is again interesting..

The way it picks up the stitch is magical:

And the depth of the line draws you in further still:

I then stopped to think about what has been happening during the whole process of the making....

> During slip-casting you are always left with waste slip. 

> Reusing the flexible moulds pushes them to their limits. 

They begin to disintegrate and become unusable, but surely this is not the end of their use?

I started to consider how I could utilise all of this....

and through a process of composing with the waste cloth:

...using the excess slip to take a cast or in this case 'print':

I have been presented with some interesting results:

Taking this further into the positioning of stitch, line and altered surface - 

 you are offered a whole new line of enquiry still!

I'm quite excited by this process and see lots of potential in its capabilities longer term.... 

I wonder how this might work in to my current degree show set up however, 

could this become part of / a canopy in itself?

and what about these forms:

They are starting to take shape a bit more too...

It's not that long away now, when this work will be up on show

I can't wait to see it!!!

But for now, it's on with the making...

Day Five: Sugar Factory/Rum Distillery - a window to its soul

The old sugar factory/rum distillery...this informed some of my work last year and it is a very special place to be and draw. The life that this location use to have, lost to time and ruin. By sitting and looking, thinking and watching, scribing this place to a page, it's a very magical experience. 

I spent a while walking around the grounds before finding my spot to sit and draw. I chose this specific view as it seemed to hold everything I had been exploring on this trip so far: colour, surface, texture, windows, layers, framing and moment. By taking what was into what is I have given energy back to this static standing mass of brick and bone. I like that this image looks magestic, cathedral like in its stance. The colour too is so vidid and alive.

Exploring further patterns that can be found in the makeup of the building I kept coming back to all of its many windows... Could this be something to explore in my work this coming year...?

The setting of the factory is quite fantastic, how its architectural mass sits against the undulating hills, the composition was just crying to be interpreted in my sketchbook...

During the tutorial we talked about the reinterpretation of drawings through collage and other media. 

Drawing is an act of transformation, so transform it again through additional drawing!  

Day Three: Caleta & Squid Ink

We visited the market at Caleta today and took a trip to the harbour. It was the same location that I got overwhelmed by last visit and there was a bit of it again this time too. Starting off in the bar though I started plucking out patterns from the surrounding buildings and people:

Then at the harbour it was time for texture abstraction:

I took a lot of photos to draw inspiration from later, there is a theme of: 

netting, strapping, line, texture, decay and layering

There were some fisherman around as we were drawing and one of them caught an octopus! 

As it hit the floor, squid ink left its tenticles, I took some on my finger and drew with it...

now that is location drawing!!!

I finished off the day with the rich colour of the drying nets

and here is me in situ!

Stiching with nails and the results of a High Firing

So, you remember that nice piece of porcelain with the nails?

Well after its bisque fire it went back in the kiln for a high fire (1260'c)

and looooooook! 

that is some nice bubbling!

I'm experimenting with some more.....

check back for results next week!

Fusions in Metal and Movements in Clay

Continuing with the technique of drawing > wire > roller, I stumbled across an interesting fusion. Using scraps of metal from the off cut bin, and specifically with aluminium, there is an interesting affect that occurs:

It fuses, almost like an inlay in wood. I think it's very special.

The surface texture is quite delicious, what an exciting secondary act !

And further here with textured aluminium - the possibilities with this are so exciting!

Earlier this week we had a workshop with the clay bully. The extrusions from this are adaptable according to plates. Here are my extrusion experiments, I love the way they have movement! Once fired I will look to glaze these and introduce them to the wire drawings.