In-Depth 8

It’s hard to believe that In-Depth is actually coming to an end. Because that means my first year in TALONS is also coming to an end. Which means it’s going to be the summer soon. And following the summer comes the next year in TALONS in which I will be a grade 10…

Basically, it’s a bit of a scary thought.

But that aside, In-Depth isn’t yet finished and there are still plenty of loose ends to be tied up and projects to be completed. For me specifically, I’m hoping to get one more batch of ceramics through before the end of the month. That would be ideal, at least, for some of my most recent pieces are my favourites! Unfortunately I have no pictures to offer for they have already left my home to spend time in the kiln at my mentors, but I discovered a new technique by accident which has proven to be not only fun but give a very interesting look to my sculptures! Essentially it involves cutting pieces of clay out of a slab to form holes which can be made into any pattern (as long as it’s not too intricate as I found out -.-) I made a butterfly and a candle holder using this method and they look really cool if I do say so myself. (:

Other then these final pieces, I also got to play around with different types of glazes over the weekend. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, up until this point underglaze has been my main glaze. Essentially, this glaze goes on like paint and can be very easy to work with and make intricate designs out of. It’s perfect for small, detailed things. Where it becomes not so ideal is when you have something large, like a bowl, and with no real detail, like a bowl. In these cases, spending hours with small brushes to paint the bowl all one colour which still will probably come out looking vaguely streaking just because of the nature of the underglaze, does not seem appealing. It is in these cases I realized there must be a better way.

Most pottery is glazed in the way I’m about to explain, Mainly because it is easier, but also because big pieces tend to look better in a couple of colours or maybe only one, then twenty. You see, I only used underglaze because a) I could take it home with me, and b) I was only painting small spaces which required precision. When this is not required, normal glaze is ideal.

Glaze comes in many colours, millions of colours I imagine, and is generally applied by dipping the ceramic piece which has been bisque fired (fired only once) into the bucket of glaze. You can dip as much as you want, or as little, and as many times as you want. In fact, layering glaze can make some really cool effects and can change the colours drastically. Painting glaze on, or even sponging it on, will get rid of the nice smooth finish, but sometimes this is used specifically for certain looks. There really is a never ending variety of appearances to choose from; from the colour itself to the way you apply it and the way you layer it…

Conveniently enough for me, my mentor already had small test chips of clay which had been fired with the glazes in different combinations to see what in fact did look good, and didn’t just produce a muddy mess. Looking at these, I could quickly determine what I wanted to put on my own bowls. I believe I chose some rich browns for a few, a bit of royal blue for one, and some licorice for another.

Now one thing I will say about glaze is that it is very deceiving. When my mentor first opened the glaze which would eventually be black, I was startled to see red. I’m not kidding here. The clear glaze as well was confusing as it is a milky white before being fired. The blue was green, the brown was red… In all of these cases you really have to trust the labels. Also, test chips are beneficial just to make sure you really know what you’re putting on your pieces.

It took only an hour to dip and finish off all my pieces, which is much faster then underglazing would have taken. In this sense, I appreciate glaze entirely.

All of the bowls which I glazed yesterday will be fired once more before they are completed, and waiting for them is agony! I’m so excited to see how they turn out, and with the colour differences I mentioned earlier, you really don’t know what it is going to look like until you actually see it.

This brings me to my next point. For the end of In-Depth there is an “In-Depth Night” at which we can display our learning in our specific area. With all my finished pieces I want to show, I was quick to start thinking about how I really want to accomplish this.

Setting them on a table would have been functional, but I really wanted to do something a bit nicer just to be able really showcase them.

Thinking along this vein, I came across the idea of an art gallery sort of feel. So far I’m planning to have a single table with a few boxes on it, and then drape it in black fabric. The boxes will create different levels which I will be able to put my ceramics on for easy viewing. I was also hoping for a light to shine on my pieces. I think that not only would this look really cool, it would make it easy for people to see all that I’ve made, and all that I want to show.

Anyways, that’s my most recent update about In-Depth, and quite possibly even my last, which is going to get me every time, I’m sure.

This has been an amazing experience, in which I have learned an incredible amount and have been able to accomplish so much with all the wonderful support in my life.

I can’t wait for in-Depth Night to have the chance to show off some of the things I’ve done! (: