Tuesday 26 February 2013

Water Jet Bowl

When I say it's a bowl, what I'm really saying is that it can hold air and not a lot else. I like the idea of one solitary orange balancing in the middle of the piece like a citrus crystal ball. There are a few things that I would have liked to have changed, but I'm really pleased I managed to get it to this state without it snapping or warping. 

Sunday 17 February 2013

Paper burn outs that survived the kiln

They live!! These ceramic samples need further refinement and experimentation with glazes but I feel a sense of achievement that they haven't disintegrated in the kiln. My next batch will have pigment mixed into the slip in which I will dip my laser cut shapes. I don't know if such pieces will have a place in my degree show, especially as I only decided to look into ceramics in my last term of uni, but when my tutor justifies it as a "visual enquiry" its difficult to give up on something that sounds so posh. 




Tuesday 5 February 2013

Valentines Cards

It's that time of year again at uni where my fellow students and I are starting to raise funds in the run up to Valentines day, but this time it's not a random exhibition, but a big scary degree show. My laser cut heart pendants were popular last year so will be stocking up on those, but I fancied having a go at cards too. I might go as far as buying some sickly pink card to laser cut onto next.

Sunday 3 February 2013

Laser Cutting in Polypropylene

I've been back on the laser cutter, playing with card and plastics, while waiting for my ceramic pieces to be fired.This is definitely my favourite model so far, I think it looks like a space ship that would leave Captain Kirk quaking at the knees. However I need to redesign the construction tabs and other things so that there's no need for glue. My next step is to find some contrasting materials to be suspended in the or intertwined within the piece, and work out better colours. It turns out that Polypropylene cannot be sprayed or dyed, so I've been faffing around with different plastic suppliers to find a colourful alternative.  I also want to play around with arranging multiples and stacking. I prepared a file ready for it to cut in mild steel on the water jet cutter, to see what it looks like on a larger scale.