AA2A 'Plus' - Earthenware Chargers

I'm producing a few white earthenware chargers in the studios at college. They are pressmoulded over a hump mould (Ah the joys of a slab roller! Yes please Santa) I'm bisque firing them without any decoration as I intend to paint majolica style directly on top of a tin white glaze, the first chargers will be painted with velvet underglazes instead of oxides, this will create a vibrant contemporary style which should compliment my ideas of portraying modern scenes taking direct influence from the historical chargers in the collection of York Museums Trust.  

AA2A 'Plus' - New Materials

I've just come across a new material which I've never used before...Terracotta cast with iron is a modelling material akin to plaster. It sets in an hour or so and resembles a bisque fired terracotta, the iron content giving it a speckled like finish. I cast my 'sculptors digits' in the material as a test, apparently the iron content will go rusty with regular watering... I'm watering one of the digits to see what the results look like... 

Testing, Testing... Terracotta cast with iron.

Karen Thompson - Sculptors Digits.

AA2A Workshops - BA Fashion Students

I ran two workshops with the second year BA fashion students in February at York College, the first workshop was focusing on the initial making whilst the second was looking at glazing. This was the fashion students first introduction to ceramics, as it was a small group I wanted to work with them to help realise their individual thoughts and ideas, this meant that they were all working with different methods and we covered a rather broad base, this ranged from slip casting to working with slabs to modelling. I don't have many photographs of these workshops as I was mainly focused on delivering them... I managed to grab a couple of afterthought shots though...
The work has all now been fired and the fashion students are busy integrating the ceramics with fabrics to create new fashion designs. I'll post some pics of their progress soon.