Clay Journey Part 2 by Andrea Zimon

My ceramic class continues. Bisque and glaze firing has begun. There are pluses and minuses to working bigger. It takes longer to create and complete which isn’t shocking but I usually don’t work big so I didn’t really account for time management but as of yet I am still on time with my projects. 

Project #1 is an autobiographical assignment and still in the works. It is an abstract piece that really doesn't quite have any visual value, yet.  

Project #2 is slab container inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.  This piece broke 5 times and now looks less like Fallingwater and more like a hacienda which isn’t a bad visual but not what was desired. Its only separate piece is the cover. 

It started out big like this. 

Then it broke and the size got reduced. 

Project #3 is making a tea set inspired by a 20^th century painter. My tea set is inspired by Mondrian’s Composition No. 10 Pier and Ocean.  I initially started to dislike the project which became very heavy and over detailed but then I changed the spout and handle. It is currently awaiting its escape from the kiln.

The beginning

View of double walled teapot and the mugs.

The spout is larger than the body. 

The final result at the bone dry. 

Project #4 is a room assignment, an aquarium room.  Currently drying, this is probably my least serious assignment.  It also deviated from the original plan.

Make fish. 

Make sardine shaped container with seaweed patterned by lace.

Project #5 is a coil vessel with neck.  This piece has been fired, glazed, and is in the kiln to set the glaze. I used black underglaze and then sponged off the excess to bring out the coils. I didn’t fully glaze it but gave it a partial transparent glaze. This piece ended up being 13” high.

                                                                         

Project #6 is creating a shell from a pinch pot. This is complete. An extension did break buy I sort of glued it with glaze. I played with underglaze and glaze which is why it has the random orange spot. I did a lot of playing and experimenting with this one. None of which I wrote down because I thought I would remember.  Safe to say, I remembered little.

Project #7 is four bowls that focus specifically on the body, rim, feet, and handle. A constant theme in these bowls is the leaf shape which is my current shape obssession.

The body bowl has been fired and glazed. Odd colors were chosen because I named it Creepy bowl.

                                                            

 Footed bowl again deviated from the original plan and became much larger and obnoxiously detailed. I say ‘obnoxiously’ because of the time involved. 

                                                                  

Rim bowl became quite unusual as the rim is also the body. Mike Sherrill does these incredible leafy porcelain works which I could not get out my head. Those works inspired this rim focused bowl.

                                                                 

Bowl with the handle as the focus. 

Project#8 is a positive/negative cylinder and with a much negative as positive space. This project needed to be restarted because of excessive breakage.  I totally deviated from my notes. It is about 12” high and seems to have a visual lean. I used slabs that were cut about 1.5” x 4.5. I twisted them for effect. 

Project # 9 is a shoe project.  I am doing a stylized version of the gita (geisha shoes). This is currently in the leather hard stage but complete for the most part. Totally stylized and unwearable.

Project #10  Wedding Cake Project. All three cakes started and currently in the wet stage. So much more to do.

This was done last year and not on my project list and I wasn't going to glaze it but I changed my mind because I wanted to experiment with some things.