I would have loved to have a go at making an object in ceramics, choosing a glaze, firing it etc etc but that is why I am running out of time on my course, I need to focus down on the actual exercise.
So, I tried to keep this simple and ordered some plain, off white ceramic plates to put an image onto.
Being unable to work with glaze, slip or texture, I decided to explore one of the oldest type of decoration in ceramics, that of pattern. In my personal work I have extensively explored the use of pattern using printing. So I used my old sketchbooks for inspiration and followed my working process. (The only difference being that in my sketchbooks I also extensively use cutting through the page and collage, neither of which were possible in this context).
The working process was as follows:
- I chose a colour (turquoise mixed with white in acrylic paint)
- Next I roller paint onto patterned surfaces and press onto sheets of paper in a random, unplanned fashion. In this situation, because of the rigid, contoured surface of the plate, I had to first transfer the pattern onto waxed paper which I then pressed onto the plate.
- I used one plate to experiment with colours and marks. I experimented with having a solid colour background which I didn’t like.
- I thought about colour. I like to work with colour triads but when I tried a magenta on the practice plate I thought it was too garish. Instead I mixed a blue grey and a green to keep a soft look, the plates having a soft yellowish colour.
- I added more patterns using the other colours.
One of the things I love about printing in this way is the unpredictability of the result.
spill---ustrate 