Tuesday 4 February 2014

Creating new pieces and Special Offers for Valentine's Day!

**FROM NOW UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY I HAVE A SPECIAL OFFER ON ALL HEART NECKLACES AND EARRINGS. Don't miss the chance to grab a bargain for your loved ones!**

So after the Christmas madness it's been quite nice to develop new ideas and get on with making new pieces. I started creating a new flower vase, which is the biggest piece I've made to date, it is about 50cm tall! I've been working on making the plaster mold for abou two weeks now, waiting for the plaster to dry takes a while too in this awful weather! 

This is the Master- copy of the new piece:

  

It takes 6 parts to make the whole shape in plaster, I will then cast it in slip (a mixture of clay and water.) I didn't quite contemplate how heavy the mold would be at such a big size, but I have cast it for the first time last night, and will wait until tonight to open the mold.
I have also made a video of me chiselling part of the mold in order to make the spare (the extra part that protects the shape of the piece when fettling.) The plaster in the mold must all be at the same level when I make the spare, and due to the fact that the shape of the ceramic pieces are quite unusual, the level needs to be reduced to completely flat before working with it.
  

Some other news about my practise, I have collected work from Aberystwyth Arts Centre from the Christmas Fair and also Milton Keynes Arts Centre, from the Wonderland exhibition which were both great opportunities.

I have had news about hopefully being a part of Cywrain, which is a series of exhibitions by established and emerging applied artists and craft makers from the Celtic Nations. Hopefully my work will be on show in Y Galeri, Caernarfon at the end of this year. 

I've also had some exciting news about a possible new outlet which is Nantgarw Chinaworks Museum. I will hopefully be selling some of my jewellery and a selection of ceramics there. It is such a privilege to sell some pieces here as the Nantgarw collection has been an insiration to my work during University through to the present day. 

I have also taken part in an online blog interview with Drowning Dogs, http://drowningdogs.com/ They send letters to you then scan the images in as an artists interview. I will upload details as soon as it has been uploaded. 

This week and for this whole series my pieces are on the S4C programme 'Cegin Bryn' (Bryn's Kitchen.) This is a cookery programme with Bryn Williams through the medium of Welsh. Bryn Williams has had success on the Great British Menu on the BBC and now owns and runs Odete's in Primrose Hill, London.