My plate a day ended up not being any of the sort, but I am persevering because it seems to work, despite not being any of the sort in terms of making plates, or adhering to one a day. No-one could say it’s a philosophy but despite some awkwardness in terms of space and time I am managing to squeeze out something every few days, and that is as satisfying as any personal philosophy could be.
Have finished my two companion pairs. They have differences that remove them from being simple mirror images of each other, having done them freehand and freestyle. I will be firing , and glazing them in transparent glaze – with the hands I shall also be adding various different coloured glazes and stains.
Beside those plans I shall forge ahead with my slow moving ‘a plate a day’, although I have yet to actually adhere to any part of what is clearly stated in the title – Oh well, willing in spirit, if not in time!
Started on a new sister plate to the one below, this morning, but through utter arse-hattedness of small proportions managed to make it crack, so will be attempting again tomorrow, and I shall hope that having done one already will mean the new attempt will be even better. Still feel like an arse-hat though….
So meant to get started on a plate a day, and that plan is underway, if ever so slightly delayed by my body pots – the thought of making a few in black clay was too exciting to not do, and the application of white slip in the right places really brings out the darkness of the clay – once it is fired – but the potential is there, and so potentially beautiful….
That new possibility of how and where to apply the white slip helped me doze off into a good sleep last night.
Have just got the studio ready for black clay – I have no idea why I thought black clay would be good in a studio normally dealing with white porcelain clay but let us not dwell on that too much. It looks quite innocuous so far, in fact it looks quite dull in colour, but should apparently become a nice matt black once fired.
I will be attempting a plate a day as I find it good fun, and allows for more freehand, and less overthinking, but I am fine with spending more time on ones which need it – no-one wants too much of a slapdash approach which the plate a day approach always walks dangerously close to doing….
The print is one of my mother’s, by the artist Duncan Hannah, whose sister she got to know while living in America in the 70’s. I have always loved it. It brings a bit of something strange and glamorous, and very American (when at its best) to any group of objects. And I do like that the frame is chipped and scruffy, as it brings out the whiteness of the porcelain on my pineapple and my pear, and the blueness of the glaze on my little pots. All of them together, not chaos, but rather a serene mix of differences.
The Monkey from a mural I did a month or so ago. Seen from a slightly different angle he is sitting, rather than floating on the branch of the mirror. I tried to give him a slightly guilty look as if caught stealing the banana – I hope I succeeded….
