A FEW FINISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Ladies and gentlemen should be said in your head with a Franky Howard voice.

If Monty Python made brooches they would look like this...I hope!

PREPARATION

Cheltenham Open Studios starts 8 June, yes that does seem a long time in the future, but time goes by so quickly these days I thought I should make a bit of a start.

Here is a batch of my Ladies waiting for faces. The Fairies are waiting for gold and silver crowns and slippers.
 

GET FRESH

Yesterday I whizzed down to Bovey Tracy, Devon to see the Get Fresh exhibition at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen.

It is on until the 24th February.

The gallery is light and spacious and full of interesting emerging artists.

It is an interesting mix of contemporary craft

Jo Taylor ceramics.

Paul Stopler glass.

Rebekah Lockley ceramics.

Joshua Kerley mixed media.

Jennifer Rose Norris textiles.

 

And many more, there is also a cafe that does great cake.

STILL EXPERIMENTING

I am still playing with the enamel, still treating the making of these pieces like sketch book pages.

Layers of ivory coloured enamel over sgraffito through grey grip coat.

Stoning back through the layers to reveal the drawing.

Then adding the Victorian transfers and screen printed detail.

Thanks to my friend Brian who let me have these unnamed relatives and the post card messages.

 

I have now used up my Victorian photos, so perhaps my work will move in a different direction?

IF YOU CAN...

In between mucking about with enamel I am continuing to make collagraph prints.

A new Andalusian Bantam, feisty, yet with a chintzy edge.

An edition to my tropical bird collection, carborundum and polyfilla inked up in Blue Black ink.

Pass the Guinness!

MORE LOST RELATIVES

The snow was beautiful last week, but I had to cancel workshops all over the place, but this left me with space in my head to experiment with enamel.

These compositions are about 15cms x 9cms,

I have used ceramic steel as a substrate,

stoned back enamel

and transfers.

This has a pocket watch and raku fired section attached to it.

 

I am still treating these like sketch book pages, over laying, adding and scraping back. I find it fascinating making what feels like a substantial piece, but using sketch book processes.

SNOW WEEKEND

The snow stopped play this weekend as I was due to run a sketch book workshop at Hampen. Rather than risk everyone travelling I have postponed it to March.

So I have spent the weekend experimenting in my icicle edged shed.

These experiments in enamel are still like sketch book pages,

not quite resolved,

a bit rough around the edges. But I am pleased with the iridescence I am achieving with the raku fired copper and the success rate with firing on the digital transfers.

I have decided to experiment with backgrounds for the Ladies and Gentlemen,

then popped into a frame, adds an extra dimension.