Flame throwing Bottle

Animated Greek Vases

Handmade pottery in Mali

here

Reflections: Luminated

So this is another piece that I enjoy quite a bit (most of them I don't really like and there's only a handful that I'm actually happy about). And if you can't tell by now, I like throwing bottles; I find them fun to throw and the form is aesthetically pleasing i.e. I think it's sexy.

In terms of timeline, it's also relatively recent (somewhere between 2008 and 2010). As you can see, I'm still very much into the handcarving. I've also been playing with the idea of giving the piece an old and tattered look. Like it's gone through a lot of wear and tear - something that showed endurance. I think the idea here, with the holes, was to make it look like a tin can that's been shot at. And the bullets have ripped through its being and yet it stands with character and beauty intact. I was also playing around with a lot of staining. The body of the piece is painted with red iron oxide and then wiped off, which complements the carving and gives it that texture and leathery look. There are other types of glazes that would bring out the texture and accentuate the breaks but I was doing a lot of staining at the time for two reasons: 1) I hate glazing - I find it the most difficult part and yet it is what can make or break the aesthetic of a piece. Sometimes the fire gods are good and sometimes they're not so kind. I found that staining was reliable and I didn't have to worry about the little variables from glazing; did I mix the glaze enough? is it on evenly? did I wipe the bottom properly? is there enough wax? blah. It becomes a hassle. So staining, although your hands get a nice coat of red iron oxide and have to wash them like crazy - even then you'll still have a spotty hand. But I don't mind this. And 2) I like the effect of stains.

When I made this piece, there was another person playing around with lamps. So I figured hey, why not? I decided to make some kind of luminary. The holes were supposed to help with the effect of the light - kind of make it look like something is bursting from the inside out. 

 In order to put a light bulb in I had to make an opening. I didn't want to make a conventional lamp, which wouldn't require any opening just making sure that the wire went to the top of the bottle. At the same time, I wanted the opening to bring out the form of the bottom... but what do you know, I made a vagina. It gave an entirely different twist to the piece with the light bulb in the middle, which I will simply leave to your imagination. I also splashed some red iron oxide on the inside. But, I regret doing this and it was too late to wash it off. I think it would have looked better without the staining on the inside. I also had the idea of lacing the middle together with some hemp rope - like shoe laces. I thought it would have a pretty cool effect and give a sense of binding something together, which would add to the theme of suffering. Never got around to trying it though. Maybe when I go back to my parents house one day I'll do it and see what it looks like. 

I glazed the tip of the bottle cherry red, which gave it a nice purplish magenta color. No particular meaning at the time other than wanting something reddish to complement the staining. But, like I just said, there is an interpretation to be had in a symbolic sense.

In retrospect, I wish the fire gods had graced me with a bit more running (the drip effect) from the glaze but I'll take it. I'm a bit divided on the glaze. Part of me wishes that I hadn't done it and part of me kind of likes it. I'm not sure.

So it was time to try it out. What did it look like with the red light bulb? From the back:

 

And in the dark, from the front:

To the side:

And again the front

 

It wasn't quite the magnificent effect that I had envisioned. I guess I thought the holes and produce a greater refraction of light - perhaps I needed a brighter light bulb. I tried it again with a white light but I didn't like it. So I played with the camera effects a bit and:

 

SuperSaiyan!! lol.

So I really enjoyed making this piece and there are a few things that I would definitely do differently now if I were to make something similar again. This definitely served as a "draft" or a kind of prototype for something in the future (whenever I get a chance to jump back into a studio that is). At any rate, I like the ambiguity and there's enough symbolism to give space for various interpretations (i.e. room for meaning). 

Sculpting demo

http://musingaboutmud.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/technical-tuesday-sculpting-demo-by.html

Reflections: Carved Celadon Bottle

photo: dj gilder

Thought I'ld recirculate some of my stuff, I have a lot more work from the past but no pictures - so until I get my hands on some clay and a wheel or get back to my parents' home and take a few more pictures I figured I'ld just repost and give a little background to each piece.

So this is one of my favorite, if not the most cherished, pieces from the stuff I've done. It's a small piece, about 6 inches in height, glazed in celadon. During the summer of 2005 I had the opportunity to go to Japan and as I now tend to do where ever I go is to seek out a pottery studio (Durham proved to be a bit difficult). After enlisting the help of a member from the lab I was working in, he found a studio with an english speaking owner who could help me in the little ways that prove to be invaluable.

This was my first encounter with a non-western wheel and style of throwing. Of course, my hands were trained in the U.S. In Japan, like Korea, the wheel turns clockwise whereas the wheel goes counter-clockwise in much of the "west" (there were other nuances when I worked with a wheel in Prague). Fortunately, the wheels had a  switch to change direction.

So I threw this little bottle and a couple days later when it was time to trim the piece, I got lazy - I didn't want to center it and the process of centering a bottle takes a minute. So I decided to hand trim the bottle - this was the first time I took the care to hand trim the body in a faceted manner. It would soon become an aesthetic and style I would enjoy and repeat. What struck me while I was doing this was the process of taking something symmetrical towards something asymmetrical. Of course, the empty space that gives the bottle its shape is symmetrical but the carving provided subtle imperfections and a sense asymmetry.

In other words, hand-carving/trimming the piece took the intention of striving for perfection away from the aim of throwing (we usually begin by learning to throw a symmetrical, even, cylinder) and the aesthetic of a "perfect form." Instead, the carving provided asymmetry, imperfections, depth, and texture that would break the glaze such that the color would accentuate the carvings. It pronounced the beauty of subtle imperfections and the dynamics of being multifaceted.

    

Phenomenal

Phenomenal from R&A Collaborations on Vimeo.

"Jin Eui Kim is a ceramic artist, originally from South Korea. He graduated from Cardiff School of Art & Design with a MA and PhD in Ceramics, during which time he studied the illusory effects of application of black through to white to three-dimensional surfaces.

Jin Eui explores in depth tonal effects and spatial illusions, creating works that are both visually and intellectually challenging. He makes both none-functional sculpture works of horizontal and vertical cylinder forms and functional ware, applies the principles of creation of illusory spatial phenomena such as gradient in tone and size of bands. He also tries to understand more, the quality of clay and how it can be combined with subtle variations of tone to create the illusory spatial phenomena.
jineuikim.com"

via musing about mud

Future Challenge #3: Tree Ent Mask

http://www.wimp.com/foundtree/

A Thousand Year Journey (documentary to be featured at Sundance)

"A documentary on the craft of Korean ceramics will be competing in the documentary portion of the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, reports the Korea Times.

A Thousand Year Journey, directed by Michael Oblowitz, explores the history of the craft in Korea, from the Goryeo Porcelains to the Joseon White Porcelain. It will feature five Korean master ceramicists and their processes in creating their pieces.

[...]

The traditional craft of Korean ceramics has experienced a recent resurgence in Icheon, Korea, but it has yet to enjoy the same widespread global popularity of Chinese and Japanese ceramics, according to Edward Ahn, president of the Cultural Foundation of America. The documentary, he hopes, will increase knowledge of the art."

source

Whiskey cup and bottle

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/wheel-throwing-techniques/how-to-throw-an-optimally-designed-whiskey-cup/

Pottery Traditions of India

source

Pottery Master in Croatia

source

Potters of Japan

Glazing a mug using multiple glazes

via musing about mud

Future Challenge #2: Bacon

The Innocent Glaze - Anagama kiln

The Clay Craft in India

Making a Porcelain Teapot

via Musing about Mud

Icheon Master Hand: Lee Hyang-Gu

I had the chance to hangout with the Master for a day - I made a bottle 

Altered Pottery

via Ceramics Daily

Tibetan Pottery Villages

Harlan House on the wheel

via Musing about Mud

Candle plate

Passion for Porcelain

Dance on the Circle

Cobalt Stained Bottle

Made in Prague 2011
Cobalt stain

Slipware Potter - Doug Fitch

via Sawdust & Dirt

Egyptian Faience demo by Amy Waller

via Clay Club

Sky Blue in Cream

Made in Prague 2011
Still love the creamy glaze. The colors came out really well, despite my unsteady hand...
(Glazing is still my least favorite part of the whole process though)

Takeshi Yasuda: 'Made in China'

A film about British Potter Takeshi Yasuda



source

Henry Pope - Pitcher demo

source

Edmund de Waal: What do artists do all day?

source

How to Enhance Texture with One Versatile Glaze and Some Colourants

Source

Teapot: Yellow

Smile  =)

Cushing Yellow glaze

Bowl 4

photo: dj gilder

Pottery Demo in Korea

This is just ridiculously fast.

Icheon (이천), Korea

Headless Bottle

Kumagae Yasuo

Val Cushing

Steven Hill Pottery

via Musings about Mud

Teapot: Black

with matching teacups
sometime between 2009-2011
Matt Black glaze

Whichford Pottery (England)

Sierra Ceramics

Bowl

photo: dj gilder

Can't remember when I made this one... 2000? 2001?

Closed Form: Dr. Seuss Apple

Made in Prague 2011

Poetry in Clay: Exploring Korean Buncheong Ceramics

Mend

 

Stacked piece

Made in 2001 or so

Cranes and Clouds: Evolution of the Inlay Technique in Korean Ceramics

Wall Piece

 

Western Iran

Head

Indian potter preps for the Festival of Lights

"An Indian potter paints earthen lamps ahead of Diwali, or the Hindu festival of lights, in Amritsar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Hindus light lamps, wear new clothes, exchange sweets and gifts and pray to goddess Lakshmi during the festival which will be celebrated on Nov. 3. (Prabhjot Gill/AP)"
source

Bowl: Blue on Green

Plant Buddy

Mug: Textured Stain on Creme

Made in Prague, 2011