WORK IN PROGRESS - Preparing for Art Fairs

Tiger theme going on in this kiln firing. I'm decorating some of my porcelain mugs with tiger stripes for selling at some upcoming Art Fairs. I'll be at the Arts Fest at the Monument in Newcastle this Friday and Saturday. 

AA2A 'Plus' - Painting The Fiona Green Charger

In the composition of the Fiona Green Charger I am including three objects from the York Museums ceramics collection, these are a Thomas Toft tyg (YORYM:2001.8239), a Merete Rasmussen sculpture and a curious object which was sitting on a bench one day when I visited the stores of which I have no further information.  All of the images of the teasers shown here are at the pre final firing stage, the images have been painted directly onto the unfired tin white glaze and will be subject to change as the piece is fired.  

Thomas Toft Tyg. 

Merete Rasmussen.

Random

Karen in the studios of York College painting the Fiona Green charger.

Computer tower on the desk of YMT stores.

AA2A 'Plus' - Introducing The Fiona Green Charger

The first charger I'm making in response to York Art Gallery's ceramics collection is to feature Fiona Green, the collection facilitator for art. My charger will take direct reference from a delftware charger decorated with a portrait of Queen Anne. This piece is from the 1700 - 1720 period. 

Queen Anne Charger - York Art Gallery (YORYM:2000.2672).

Fiona Green, York Museums Trust, collection facilitator for art.

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.  

GOVESHY - Kiln Firing Number Two

Second batch of finished Michael Gove busts out the kiln... One more firing to go.

Introducing... GOVESHY (Coming Soon)

GOVESHY - Draft drawing. 2013

It's time to announce the work I'm creating for the Art Party Conference at Scarborough Spa on the 23rd November 2013. GOVESHY will be a performance installation piece. This piece is in keeping with the theme of the day whch is a follow on from Bob & Roberta Smith's impassioned protest artwork letter to Michael Gove MP (Secreary of State for Education), which campaigned for the inclusion of art subjects in the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc).
  
GOVESHY will be open for a 30-60 minute slot on the 23rd November. It will consist of approx 200 Michael Gove busts that punters can throw wooden balls at to smash. 
The Michael Gove busts are being made from the finest quality Wedgwood blue clay, this is made possible by a very generous 'in-kind donation' from Wedgwood towards my project, for which I am extremely grateful as this enables me to realise the full potential of the work.

So, come along on the day, lets smash up Michael Gove as he continues to smash up the very foundations of craft in this country. 

WORK IN PROGRESS - More Michael Gove Modelling

Karen Thompson - Still Modelling (Photo: Jade Montserrat).

Back on the case after a major family distraction these past couple of weeks. I've now managed to spend the past two to three days working on the Michael Gove model... I've a feeling I'll be tweaking him all week! The great thing about working on something this scale is it's pretty portable. I enjoyed working on the park bench today, yesterday's highlight was working outside of Costa Coffee on the high street and on Friday Michael's bust even managed to find it way onto the Waltzer at Scarborough Fair with myself and Jade Motserrat! Random...

Hopefully I'll have the model finished this week and be able to press on making some plaster moulds ready to start slipcasting. 

Thanks to Jade Montserrat for the photograph.

WORK IN PROGRESS - For The Art Party Conference

Work in Progress - Michael Gove Head.

Started work on the piece I am creating for the Art Party Conference at the Spa in November. I don't have a title for the work yet... I'll reveal more about the work in the forthcoming weeks.

WORK IN PROGRESS - Headline Sorting

Scarborough Evening News / Scarborough News Headlines

Sorting through with Stuart Cameron some of my collection of local headlines, I've collected these on and off since I've been in Scarborough. We're having an exhibition of them in Crescent Arts at the end of the month. There are some corkers!

WORK IN PROGRESS - A Response to a Response to a Response

I've decided to make a new piece of work which is a response to a piece of work that I created in late 2009. 'The Death of Sainsburys' (part of my Trilogy of Death series) was one of my contemporary responses to the historical Staffordshire piece 'The Death of Munrow', which in turn was a response to the V&A's acquisition of 'Tipoos Tiger'. This new creation is a response to current news stories... Can you tell what it is yet? A bit more tweaking on Monday and then I'll dissect it up and make plaster moulds of the parts.

 

WORK IN PROGRESS - Farm World

With the recent horse meat scandal amongst other things, I find my attentions recently brought back to my Farm World project. I still have to realise my drawing for 'The Human Milk Cow' in ceramic, this piece was inspired by the above news story of Chinese Scientists genetically modifying cows to produce human milk. I'm also starting work on a couple of ideas I have for a brand new piece, this time focusing on pigs.   

The Human Milk Cow, Drawing by Karen Thompson

WORK IN PROGRESS - Gordon

Today's Offering.

I've enjoyed making this chap today... it's funny seeing the changing stages within ceramics, things alter dramatically with kiln firings and each stage of the process seems to have it's own different attractive qualities and life forces. This stage, the most vulnerable and fragile always seems to hold an extra special enchantment for me.

WORK IN PROGRESS - 3 heads are better than 1

Work in Progress Heads.

I'm busy working on three heads at the moment. The middle head is a tureen incorporating a ladle which I've disguised as a curl. I'm having fun making these... it feels like a light hearted aside. 

WORK IN PROGRESS - Researching Harrogate

1923 Poster - H.G. Gawthorn.

1921 Poster.

I'm starting research on a new project. I want to respond to my time on the AA2A scheme and especially to being in a new town & environment. Harrogate is most famously known for being a Spa Town. People have flocked to the town to take the waters for generations... up until March 2012 that is, when the council responded to an EU regulation and stopped people drinking the waters and turned off the outside tap of the Pump House!

WORK IN PROGRESS - Glazing The GM Reaper

The GM Reaper covered in transparent glaze - ready for the kiln.

I have been trying not to give too much away about the work for Farm World... I liked this photo though and I thought it doesn't really resemble the way the finished piece looks... I glazed this piece out in the courtyard with a commercial transparent glaze sprayed on with a compressor (first time I've used the compressor in a year and a half... should use it more often!).

WORK IN PROGRESS - The countdown has begun

GM Reaper legs - Work in progress.

Just under two weeks until the Farm World (work in progress) exhibition now... have a couple of GM Reapers assembled and painted with underglazes (gone for the underglaze with transparent glaze option over coloured glaze with on-glaze enamels), should be able to get them in the kiln this week. I'm currently focusing my attentions on "A Poultry Life", don't want to give too much away about this piece yet... except to say that I'm currently on a slip casting spree!

WORK IN PROGRESS - A mouldy old time

The moulds that make up the GM Reaper.

At last I have all the moulds ready & dried for the various sections of the GM Reaper. I'm busy rapidly pressmoulding a few copies at the moment. I'm a bit behind to be honest and it's going to be a push to get them dried, bisqued, glazed and on-glaze enameled in time! Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong! I only need one but am making a few to choose from....

WORK IN PROGRESS - One mans junk...

Dilapidated metal shelves...

...have so much potential.

Have been on the lookout for dilapidated metal cages for a while... then a friend called me as they walked past a scrap van parked at the end of the street with these on! I dutifully raced out to have a look and could see SO much potential for the chicken project. It's difficult working to a tight budget but in some ways it adds to the creativity of the work... I originally had a slightly different vision but I like the direction these could take me.

WORK IN PROGRESS - Danger Farm Entrance

Lovely old battered 'Danger Farm' Sign.

Sorting through some photographs I've taken as research or inspiration for Farm World... I came across this beauty which I had forgotten about!! I can remember where abouts in the country I took this photo (top secret information), so I might approach the owners to ask if I can borrow it for the exhibition!

WORK IN PROGRESS - Chicken acquisition II

Ceramic chicken egg holder

I've just bought this beauty in an antiques shop for £1 - I couldn't believe the price! I'm currently scouring charity shops and ebay for different varieties of these vintage classics. I've not come across this style one before, the eggs on the base are such a bonus! Can't wait to make a cast of it and get producing and subverting my own copies for Farm World.