#sticks and stones

It's finished, bar threading some Twitter print outs through the nest. I don't think it will look as nice, although maybe it will give it a bit more meaning.

I'm liking the sticks and stones, which really set the bird off.

It's not what I intended, but has a real presence and vibrancy which is fun.

ps: tried putting black nails on his claws but they didn't look organic, and therefore rather silly.

All in a Day's Work

And I must say, I'm pretty happy with today.

Two down (bar some black talons) and a lazered leather newspaper to go. And a clock. And to glaze my bowls. And do my sketchbook. And put together my Art History folder. But it's suddenly all looking much more achievable.

My cup is covered in machine-embroidered newspaper, with a lazer cut plastic top (to represent a computer screen) expressing the difference between the tactile, inter-active old style newspaper and the more remote cyber-based news of tomorrow. (Ooh, and there's an LED light in it. Thanks Annie!)

Oh Dear

So, I'm meant to be making a malevolent Twitter bird: an indictment of a gossip fuelled society where people's lives can be destroyed by a 140 character tweet.

I wanted my bird to have the evil presence of this brilliant one by Ann Wood:

But, instead, I've ended up with this...

Evil? I fear not. Still I'm quite chuffed that I made it from scratch (including the pattern) and, regardless of how it's failed as an art work, I do still rather like it.

I met my friend in the street when I was carrying him and her reaction was: 'Oh, it's so sweet, can I have it for my bedroom'.

I've yet to paint the feet and put sticks and stones in the nest, which will no doubt result in more cuts on my hands like I got today from moulding the chicken wire. Never mind, perhaps a bit of fresh blood will begin to build that desired sense of cruelty.

How to Spray Clay

A productive day today. Yesterday I finally finished the basic Twitter bird...

Now I just have to change it from an ill-proportioned blue lump into a menacing bird like below!

Despite all the torrential rain, we have a beautiful blossoming tree at college which I've been noticing (and wondering why it's flowering now).

Last night, when I was doing some ceramics research, I remembered the tree 

so decided to paint some blossom on one of my bowls. (A bit like the ones below.)

 I was really pleased when I saw my first (biscuit) fired bowls. 

Not bad for things modelled in press moulds.

So, with the blossom in mind, I velvet underglazed the first with pale blue glaze, applying it using a wet sponge.  I tried to do it reasonably unevenly to give it a bit of texture when fired.

The second bowl I then glazed with tin (basically white) achieved by dipping the bowl in the tin and then getting rid of the excess. It was really satisfying, rubbing it gently with your finger to get rid of any 'double' bits (really therapeutic!)

 Next, to get the first outside glaze, I had the great excitement of using the spray booth. That was really cool. (I could get into this ceramics thing).

 Then I hand dipped the bowl into matt blue turquoise - and Denise was quite impressed with my evenness of dipping (although the other side's not so good!) Instead of firing this as stoneware, she's going to fire it as earthenware (as we think that's what we did with my sample tile).