Preparations for Summer Show and New Designers

We are in the process of getting the Contemporary Crafts workshops cleared out and to an exhibition standard ready for Summer Show on Friday 21st June. It will be open to public on Saturday 22nd 10am-3pm and Monday 24th- Thursday 27th 10am-6pm.
I am also getting my promotional material together and my packaging sorted. Exciting times!

Artsthread

I've decided to take the plunge and join artsthread an online portfolio for creatives and industry. To view my finished work please follow this link http://www.artsthread.com/p/rharrison/gallery Thank you.

Coloured Gradient Strip Collection

Here's my final collection for my last project. They will be on display at the Summer Show at Plymouth College of Art from 22nd -27th June 2013. 22nd 10am-3pm 24th-27th 10am-6pm

A Slight Error...

During my feedback for my first part of this final project I was advised to be more ambitious in scale so I took this on board and the largest kiln we have at college is 98cm tall. So I spent 50 hours three bags of porcelain and 1258 disks making a 93cm piece. Dan the technician placed it in the kiln as it was very heavy for me to carry. It was fired over the weekend and I came in on the Monday only to find it had fallen over in the kiln and landed in the back right corner causing some damage to the disks at the top and bottom. It has shrunk to 81cm. Naturally I was devastated that it had not worked as it can't stand up by itself. But the silver lining is that I like the curve to it and has lead to other ideas and has made me look at my work in a more architectural sense. I will make it again but fire it to a lower temperature as we think that the reason that it fell was that when porcelain is fired to high temperatures it gets unstable and wobbly. So firing it at lower temperature and having kiln shelves propped around it so if it does fall it will lean against the shelf which will lean against the kiln wall. Hopefully.... watch this space!

Red Gradient

One of my finished pieces. It has a subtle red gradient to it which is what I wanted. I've used porcelain clay and it measures 38cm tall.

Colour Tests

Experimenting with colour, slip inlay and textures. 

Experiments for Repeat Forms

Below is a green gradient piece using porcelain clay. I did test the gradient before using it and it was a very nice subtle gradation but it had somehow turned out different again so I will need to go back to the proportions and work out where I went wrong. However I do like how it was worked as it has highlighted that strip. I may experiment with adding colour to the inside of the cylinder too possibly a contrasting colour to the outside colour used.

Here I have just used plain porcelain and using two different glazes. Firstly I sprayed it transparent glaze and then a very short quick spray of a matt cobalt glaze. Again I like how it had highlighted that specific section and you can see the direction of the glaze too. However it cracked (from top to bottom in almost a perfect line) during the firing process this was probably due to where I score the lines to attach the disks I scored too deep and it caused a stress point in the firing.