Back to work
Enough of the holidays!
You may have been wonering what I have been up to lately. Truth is, nothing much. I allowed myself a little break. I was feeling a little drained and I thought I deserved a bit of time for myself.
In the meantime, I went to visit an Irish language primary schood Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra/Galway again. I was there last year for some clay fun and this time it was equally enjoyable. The workshops consisted of a brief introduction into the history and practice of ceramics, a presentation of basic handbuilding techniques and some explorations of the material, the results of which you can see in the picture. Naturally, it's only a selection, all of the work would not fit in the image! The kids were tremendously inventive and enthusiastic about the whole experience. I have a feeling I might be heading there again...
Other than that, I have been testing some hand-modelling materials to see what suited me best when working out prototypes. I tried the following: polymer clay, air drying sculpting paste, paper mache and a nylon reinforced ceramic material. All of them were causing me more problems than helping with the progress of the work.
While I can appreciate the qualities of polymer clay, I just cannot bring myself to working with it. I don't like the fact you have to stick it in the oven (which may sound odd coming from a person who loves kiln-fired stuff, but maybe it's precisely that - kind of feels like cheating) and the way it behaves in my hands, its texture. I know people who reckon it's the best thing ever, but it's not for me. Price is another factor to consider.
All of the other materials are somehow easier to handle, but I returned to my favourite mixture of earthenware and paper pulp. It may not be suitable for everyone, but I'm so used to working with it I just feel most comfortable building from it.
Now that I started experimenting again, I turned my kitchen into this crazy little lab of mine. It's not exactly the best place for preparing meals right now, but let's face it - I'm not much of a cook anyway. And I need to work somewhere before a proper studio is finally available, which should be soon enough. So until then it's takaway and sandwiches ;)