Ceative Musings Part 1

Hello! 

It's been 10 years since I last posted on this blog so i thought I'd do a little 'creative retrospective' of sorts, and collate together some of my work/experimentations/doodlings from the last decade.

 

I love trying out different techniques and finding ways to stretch my creative legs (or fingers). If I haven't done anything creative for a while, I start to get a feeling a bit like I'm stagnating on the inside and something needs to burst out of me - like the creature from that guy's stomach in Alien.

I spend a lot of hours working digitally when I'm illustrating for commissions, so it makes me feel good to bring some balance by creating with actual art materials, and having something tangible at the end. 

In 2017, probably soon after watching the first series of The Great Pottery Throw Down, like millions of other people around the UK, I joined a ceramics evening class. It was something I'd wanted to try for a while and trying out a new technique really appealed to me. 

I worked in Foyles at this time and I found this beautiful book all about contemporary ceramic artists. I love it so much! Check it out here: https://amzn.eu/d/bNUeUAg

After a few sessions and a couple of goes on the wheel. I realised what I really wanted to make were silly animals and little pinch pots. The feeling of pulling and stretching the clay and finding an animal appearing out of it was very satisfying to me!

These are probably my favourite creations from the class. I was pregnant at the time as these little creatures were made for my unborn child (Who would one day go on to snap the tail off the fox and try to fix it with masking tape, hoping I wouldn't notice!)

This was probably my most successful attempt at using the wheel. I found I could only make very tiny things before it all went splat! This cactus very quickly outgrew the pot. My mum still has it and it's now about a foot high!

I made this little set thinking I could use it for olives, dips and bread (It's currently wrapped up somewhere in my attic, yet to be used!) I love how the glazing turned out, the contrast of the lovely bright yellow and the grey/blue works really well against the white. I remember spending a long time on this, it's a really mindful process and very relaxing!

I love this design, the big handles and the glaze turned out perfectly. I use this little pot for the smallest flower stems and I think it's one of my most successful pieces. 

 
I loved the ceramics course, using my hands to create something, choosing the colours and design for the glaze, then waiting for the pieces to be fired to see how they turned out. Such a joy!

In 2022, when I was pregnant for a second time, I had an urge to make something so I bought some air drying clay and made this mobile for my daughters room. I painted the pieces with acrylic paint, then varnished them. It was fun to make but fiddly to tie the tiny bits together! 

I am hoping to try another ceramics course in due time and maybe another go on the wheel!