3 Definitions, Meanings, or Connotations
- Vessel ~ a body in which a spirit possesses for some purpose
- Mug ~ a person’s face.
- Cup ~ cup or cupping is a therapy that involves creating a suction force to pull blood into the skin to relieve pain.
The Idea and Inspirations
The definition I am going to be continuing with is a mixture of the definitions chosen for mug and vessel. I will be creating the literal image of faces onto my mugs and possibly my bowls and attempt for the faces to look enclosed in the ware. This concept will mostly be incorporated into the mug whereas I want to attempt some of this idea into carving on the side of the bowl.
Sketch
The Process
Week 1:
This week I finished my first post and idea with a sketch. For next week the new goal is to start practicing on the wheel and get back into the rhythm of the wheel before I start getting to the “good copy” of my project.
Week 2:
This week I started practicing on the wheel and tried working with different types of clay to see what I would rather my project look like. Not being on the wheel for a long time has become a challenge and I have not made too much progress this week on the final draft but I am working out the quirks of what I want to achieve. Next week my goal is to at least have a draft bowl or cut that I can attempt to carve as a practice mug or bowl. Though, if the draft turns into something I can see as continuing with then I will stick with it.
Week 3:
This week I finished two pieces on the wheel; one bowl, and one mug. I am quite pleased with how they came out but then after leaving it to slow dry for a day and attempting to carve it, the bowl’s bottom what too thin, and whilst trying to carve the bottom it broke through. My cup however did not break and I am happy with how it turned out. I realize that my original idea will not work entirely as it is harder to add more clay onto the wheelwork without damaging or distorting it. My original idea was the create 3D face features on the bowl and mug but I have decided it will be equally as pretty and what I want if I continue with a sgraffito technique, coating with underglaze and then scratching the features and design on after. My goal for next week is to re-make my bowl and have it carved, along with waiting to have them both bisque fired so I can start working on the design.
This is my cup so far.
Week 4:
This week I mostly was working on my PowerPoint presentation so I did not get as much work done on the wheel work project but I did accomplish to finished my bowl to where I can now wait for it to be bisque fired alongside my cup. It is carved and where I want it for now and hopefully everything goes well in the kiln. I was going to sand my two pieces down as they are slightly ridged but I decided to keep the main texture there as I like the look of the wheel-made appearance and they will also become smoother when I add the glazes on. My goal for next week is to hopefully have bisque fired so I can glaze them and scratch through the designs.
This is my bowl. It is much smaller than I would have liked but I am hoping to make it into a little sauce or fruit bowl which I find quite cute.
Week 5:
This week I worked on painting my cup and waiting for my bowl to be bisque fired. I decided not to scratch the design because if I messed up or did not like it in the end I would have to start from square one and I do not have time for that. So, I am only going to paint it and draw. I accomplished this by painting the cup. For next week, my goal is to finish painting the face on my cup and hopefully have my bowl bisque fired to start painting.
Week 6:
This week my bowl was bisque fired but I came across a challenge. I realized I hated how my cup looked and the connection between my bowl and cup was not going to look very accurate. I had to change my entire idea and had to attempt of taking off the underglaze I had originally put on. I decided on the new color, which I will be putting on both, and redrew a new design on the bowl the cup, and the bowl. Their connection still does not make total sense but I am working on that. For next week I hope to have them both painted and overglazed to then wait to be glaze fired.
Week 7:
This week I realized I hated how my pieces looked and the color and drawings that were chosen. I have revisited the entire idea and I have decided to stick with the idea of making these as a definition of the spirit in a way of being trapped, but instead of going the literal route, I did some research on coloring. The color to represent a spirit or an aspect of the spiritual area is blue. This worked perfectly for me because I wanted my cup and bowl to look simplistic but interesting and some of the glazes that I am able to use bring that effect into play. I would love to make them a simple overglaze but have that detail that it will hopefully create. The bowl will be a deep blue and the cup a lighter, keeping that idea of a spirit but instead of being “trapped” in general, it is trapped to be the pieces. So, I took off all the paint and started playing with some of the glazes that I think might match my idea. Next week I hope to have both overglazed and waiting to be glaze fired, hopefully finishing this project so I can work on an artist statement.
Week 8:
This week I finished my goal of overglazing the two projects and now they are waiting to be fired. I also started looking into making my portfolio for the project and the writing I will add. Next week I want to have the portfolio writing done and hopefully, a glaze fire will finish up the project so I can photo document.
Week 9:
This week I finished my bowl and cup and photo-documented them. They are finally finished and I love how they turned out. The goal is to finish making an artist statement for my portfolio and the project will be all finished.
