2020: Enter wheel thrown and altered forms!

July 18, 2020July 19, 2020 | hbinder

The first two images are of the same cup, two angles to show the side and the top. I am paying close attention to the behavior of the rim, hoping to land on a solution that is still useful as a drinking vessel. Bending the porcelain is something I have done in the past but I am definitely having more success now. I am looking for waves, or more accurately, ripples.

This one is the same idea.

Here I am playing with darts. A cut out is created (I did this on opposite) thenrejoined to create an indent. It is very comfortable to hold but not my favorite aesthetically.

This one has finger ripples on one side and a dent on the other with one side of the cup darted. This one can be held comfortably with either hand, the darted side allowing for right hand to wrap around to the ripples.

Small,shot glass sized with wrinkly ripples. Allowed me to see how “sharp” I could make the ripples.

Finger holds for both hands at once…like an offering. I like the aesthetic as it looks like a rib cage and breath is so important to my yoga practice.

The feet. I like the bottoms. Yunomi cups have such a wonderfully simple foot.

The cups were carved today. I needed to sort out where the underglaze should go to accent the shape/form of each individual, unique cup. Then the design needed to also do the same. I think most came out really interesting and I did find my scallops worked to resemble peacock feathers! I need to do a bunch more like this.

#4 my brain addressing math anxiety

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 | hbinder

Speed tests. I was always last. Could never go fast enough. The stop sign at the end was always looming and dreaded. I never got there before the “pencils down!” call.

The cups are coming along. This is the first time I have done wheel thrown altered forms. I’ve been wanting to do this but could not find a purpose. I’m also now wondering what if I put thrown cups or other forms, in the rain, and let nature alter the form.

Summer Rain Moon Crater Cup!

Well, that was fun!

Let The Games Begin! BLR-MFA Year 1 Summer

July 8, 2020July 8, 2020 | hbinder

As of today, I have a couple of things going on. First, I am learning to take constructive criticism again. It’s not about developing “thick skin” as much as it is allowing someone else to talk about the work and hearing what they have to say. Hear, listen, reflect, review, resolve, repeat.

I am having a difficult time narrowing down 3 concepts for the first assignment. Movement, love of nature, math and pattern in nature, aging (also movement), are some of the idea floating around beyond what I am already working on.
So what am I working on?
I have started a series (of studies?) I am titling My Brain. I have 3 pieces so far. I am trying to put down onto clay tablets, what is happening in my brain during my down time. So far, this is what I have:
The first image is ~ 4 x 4. This is an example of how I see a pattern in my mind. I work with it, visualizing each linear addition. It’s step by step, moving through the pattern like a wave. This particular tablet also shows value and what happens as I add/subtract detail.

The second is a stream of consciousness sort of image. I think I draw this in my sleep. It was created during our first class meeting and as we went deeper into discussion, I found myself putting “light” around the edge of the design. I knew this pattern was going on this tile of that size (4 x 2 ish) but I did not foresee the background until I was creating it.

The third piece is more in-depth of my thoughts. I am creating a system of symbols which represent…I’m not sure what yet. But still it all gets taken over by scallops. And the scallop shape is evolving, spilling, pouring, from the rest. This shape has been used for centuries in art including my Italian ancestors. I do love scallops. I could eat them every day. I love the versatility of the shape and how it can be a solid form (with lines) or can create a lace effect (without lines). The positive and negative space creates something I cannot get enough of. And now I have this other linear pattern. Two little lines can create so much movement or stagnation depending on how I use them. My brain…

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Last week I made a bowl to carve. I had a visual in my mind of how I wanted it to look before I threw it. I have not carved the inside of anything over 4 inches across but I set my intention and had at it. Before the review on Friday, I had this:

I thought it was finished. I let it sit for a couple of hours then looked again.
I decided it wasn’t there yet and added a little more to create this which I showed at my review.

During my review it was stated that in some of my work there were areas of color that was fighting with the carved areas. I didn’t see it. My initial reaction was to push back. Then I started reviewing my images more. I started to hear. I listened. I reflected, reviewed, resolved. This was my resolution:

Selected Works – 2019 through June 2020

Image | June 19, 2020June 23, 2020 | hbinder

2019 was a turning point for my ceramic work. I began paying more attention to form and surface treatments as one instead of two separate elements. I began exploring techniques at a rapid rate, in chunks to really explore and mentally record my response. I tried conventional brush glazing, dipping, pouring, splashing, applications. I did a series of mason stain colored agate-ware, and a 12 piece dish set using mishima. 2019 was a wonderful, playful exploration.

Playing with Mason Stains — Agateware serving bowl

The blue and white bowl is one of the last pieces I created with mason stains, exploring the use of colored clays. I found the minimalist approach was most satisfying for me, using a dominant color (this one is the white of the porcelain) with splashes of a contrasting selection.

Still on a quest for that one way of working that I cannot get enough of, I started to use some underglazes to combine my drawing and painting background with ceramics. I had loads of fun with these but…this was not “it” for me.

Following the handpainting work, I moved into Mishima. This is an interesting technique creating an inlay of underglaze. I was coming closer to “ringing the bell” with this and created a 12 unique dinner plates using Mishima. Carving was definitely my biggest take-away from this creative experience. I started down a path that prompted me to purchase professional carving tools which have become very important to me.

The next series of works are all using the technique of sgraffito. I lay down underglaze while the clay is unfired then carefully carve it to reveal the color of the clay. For me, that is the white of porcelain. I started carving trees, flowers, fish and other designs, all free-hand. Then I found scallops. The transition will be evident in the images. I have also recently found a second pattern of two perpendicular lines. This pattern appears in the most recent works. This is not the entire body of work but a representation. The last two cups are my most recent pieces and are now in the home of a dear friend.