The work creates the work is my mantra.
Well not really a mantra as I don’t fervently mutter it under my breath as I slave away in the studio smearing the sweat of hard won creations all over my brow.
It is just a knowing, a simple rule, a fact of my life.
The work creates its own energy and thus more work is created.
Recently, while having drinks together in Melbourne, Mrs Woog asked me to make a ceramic egg for her husbands birthday gift. Apparently we had already discussed this commission via email but for the life of me I couldn’t remember the emails. That line was the cue for any of you reading who I have promised work, to send me a reminder email as well. Sorry in advance for the delay.
Knowing that the egg had to be shipped to Sydney I didn’t want to make one of my handbuilt Dragon eggs as it would be akin to posting half a brick. If you have ever tried to post a brick to anyone, you will know that it is very,very expensive.
*image by Robin Roberts
In my studio practice, I handbuild, I use the wheel and I slip cast. I decided that the egg for Mrs Woog needed to be slipcast so as to be easily (and cheaply) shipped to Sydney.I had an egg mould here that I had made when I was still in the early planning stage for my sculpture display at ChauncyVale. I had only used this mould once or twice as I soon discovered that slipcast eggs were far too delicate to be left outside in the bush. In hindsight I now know that nearly all my eggs were too delicate to have been left in the bush.
So I made the ceramic egg to Mrs Woogs specifications and shipped it off to Sydney.
I have an exhibition coming up at the Off Centre Micro Gallery at the end of January. Eve Howard and I are working together with the theme of our exhibition to be The Albatross. We haven’t sorted out all the details yet, except for the dates. The joint exhibition runs for four weeks with the opening either on the 26th or 27th of January 2012.
The commission for Mrs Woog gave me a clear idea of the work that I need to make for my show with Eve Howard and these are the pieces I am working on.
*images taken with my HTC phone.
The work creates the work.
Thanks to Mrs Woog for the inspiration.
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I love the eggs Kim, they are beautiful 🙂 The ones you’re working on look lovely too. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
Thanks Barb, I will send you an invite to the opening of the show and you can see them in person.
Well, it’s a great work. sometimes I think to use eggs that have been broken and taken inside. It may be interesting
It may be. 🙂
The first and the second one I seriously lust after. And my fingers yearn to touch their texture. The third not as much. Not certain whether it is the colours or the violence inherent in those slashes. A personal taste issue only (as I am confident you are aware) not a criticism.
I welcome any comment on my work EC, complimentary, critical or otherwise, but I knew what you meant 🙂 The first egg has been decorated with slip with 2% copper. I am hoping that it will have a verdigris type of effect. But copper causes glazes to run and is a bit unpredictable sometimes so the egg could turn black, the glaze could run everywhere and destroy the egg, or it could be wonderful. I used a piping bag and to add the extra clay and then I pressed the edges of a lace tablecloth in to parts to give the texture.
The second egg has cobalt slip, red vitreous slip and raw clay slip added to it for the colour and texture. The raw clay is the bright orange and that will either go a deeper orange in the firing or it will turn an icky brown. So we will have a combination of red blue and orange or red blue and icky brown. Again it will either be lovely or it will be a bit ordinary.
The third egg has sky blue body stain as slip, red vitreous slip and black underglaze. I was thinking of the beauty of the earth as seen from space and the damage that we are doing to our planet as I was decorating that egg, hence the black.
From experience (I’ve made ceramics in the past and hubs is a dedicated ceramics hobbyist) I know that it it incredibly exciting to see how these things come out of the oven. Good luck! Will be interesting to see how these objects turn out, once baked.