Past work
PROCESS: ceramic profiles
I work closely with clients to get the right photo of the child/children. Once I feel we have the best image I do a paper cut to be sure everyone’s happy. This is an important stage.
1
Once we’ve agreed on the paper cut, I move to clay. I roll slabs which are left to partially air dry, just so much that they hold their shape when cut. My first cut is loose, and then I wait again until the clay is ‘leather hard’, just right for carving detail. I try to capture the child’s idiosyncrasies - long lashes that protrude or a tight ringlet at the neck. This part of the process can’t be rushed.
2
Once I’m happy with the profile, I leave it to fully dry out in my studio slowly, to avoid warping and cracks. It’s now the clay is we call ‘greenware’, and incredibly fragile. I gently clean up the details, the edges and curls meticulously, ensuring as much definition and accuracy as possible before loading it into the kiln for the bisque firing at 998oC
3
Next I glaze the piece in white, re-fire to approx 1180oC, mount in on a 20×20cm canvas artist’s board then frame in the customer’s choice of frame.
