Before Autunm

I have been working lately with a mix of red clays, including London clay, and stoneware clays, some with grog. The pieces were table ware and sculptural. For the sculptural pieces the clays were not mixed but applied to each other, so to achieve different surfaces. The effect on the sculptural pieces was not that visible, it did not bring a stark difference to the surface. Considering I was glazing it, is not a surprise. My conclusion is that at this point and for the style of work I am producing, is not necessary. With respect to the tableware I feel different. I always liked the feel and warmth of red earthenware, but I am not that keen on shiny glazing, in order to make them non porous. I used some engobes I developed in the past, if taken to the right temperature they seal the surface and leave a smooth texture touch. Some part of the pot can be left unglazed showing the dark sienna from the clay. I love those colors. As I am taking the clay higher than earthenware temperature the clay starts to vitrify and seals.

The blue tea pot is part of my display at the Cabinet of things at BLKN http://www.bl-nk.org/ . The Cabinet of things is an initiative to promote the work from Hackney makers. Going back to the figurative pieces I have been working on lately, there are a couple of new community shells, skeletons? I am still not sure what they are. They are houses,castles, buildings and/or forests, including the terrain. They are cut out ecosystems, but they are fossils, leftover vitrified. The series keeps going on, at the moment I am finishing the modeling of two more. I am trying to make them not bigger than 20 cm diameter. I do want to make small things by now.