Sculpture
With this collection I’m getting even a little further away from traditional Ceramics. Not a vase, not a teapot, but I am using some of the long lasting themes that have always been connected with sculptural forms. My shapes tend to be architectural or anthropomorphic or figurative, or maybe all those possibilities. Above all I want to create forms that feel non-static and very jazz like in their presence. I slant the sides so you can see them at the same time as you can see the face and the top, much like a cubist painting. This gives them more movement and allows me to juxtapose the colors more akin to a modernist painter.
I form these shapes with white earthenware clay and they are fired to about 1950°F. I start the glazing process by first masking off around the face of the piece. I then use an airbrush to apply multiple gradating colors. Four to six different colors are used to create the gradation effect. Each color requires several coats. For the solid colored areas I start by masking them off also, but then I use a regular soft haired brush and apply several coats of glaze. When all the areas are complete, I clean up the edges with a razor blade and then fire the pieces once again, this time to about 1890°F.
