Exploring, Experimenting & Materiality

Through a few development sketches, I then took this to the studio. I wanted to test out this ‘research’ process and see if it works for me. Therefore, rather rapidly, I began aimlessly making, exploring and experimenting whilst I had the ultimate freedom to do so!

Here are some of the results of this over a couple of sessions, I make these pieces quite quickly as I like this ‘slap-dash’ approach just to see what comes off it. Sometimes I overcomplicate my ideas and they become something I dislike. Therefore, through essentially play, these are the outcomes-

Leather-hard slab creating some strong textural detail- Naturally gravitated towards a vessel form

My favourite piece so far

Slabs inducing the properties of the clay- Cracking, ripping, digging, slicing

Test tiles with black & white slip- As I want to try a multitude of glaze options

The three vessel forms

Exploring applying very wet clay with my fingers and adding black slip with grog over the top

I really liked this piece, unfortunately it fell apart but the form & texture was something that became the catalyst for the other pieces to follow

Contrasting sharp edge at the back of the piece

Another vessel form using feckled stoneware clay with white slip and sodium silicate to enhance areas of cracking

More white slip with terracotta slip with grog- Loved using the slip, partly for immediate satisfaction but also as a way of layering texture and enhancing those details.

More textural slabs- terracotta slip on the back one

Slab built, non vessel form- I found it challenge to begin as it was formless

However- as I trusted the process it started piecing together, I did have to do a lot of joining so the integrity of the texture & slip on the slab was lost in some places