Leaves from the Palmiet

 We haven't been in the Palmiet nature reserve for a few years now, and so we decided to go for a nice long walk. A lot of damage was done by the July floods, but it was a nice walk and I picked up some beautiful leaves for eco printing ( see below)

Red Beech and Forest Toad leaves

My web of objects

 I have just been reminded of a website I created for my PhD. It is revamped and now available. Below is a screenshot.

mywebofobjects

Automata for Xmas

I wanted to make a personalized Xmas present for my dearest, so I made little dog on a peg that has the same markings as her own dog... even the tail and the tongue looks like Langa-langa 

My studio

This what my studio looks like at the moment. It is mostly geared up for plastic work. Note all the empty milk bottles on the right.

A useful font

I need to develop a font that I can use for the embossing.It must not have bits that will fall out when I pierce them out. I quickly scribbled one here on my folder while I was waiting for something to download or open. I often do creative things while I wait for something to print or download or boil. See how some of the letters don't have closed bodies, like the bottom of the 'b' and the top of the 'd'.

Jasmyn

Looking promising...if not amazing! 

A cutout Jasmyn leaf  embossed onto a recycled cold drink can. This is a test piece to see  whether it would work and what it would look like. I wanted to see what the contrast would look like when the embossed bit is sanded clean and how much pressure is required to emboss the steel.

I quite like the remnants of the burnt ink... I think it can be used quite nicely to generate content. Maybe if I planned the way that I cut the can a bit better.

Watercolours and beads

And beads...

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 A page from my design book... Starting to test the watercolour set and trying to paint the coloured beads that I've just made. I think I made the beads colourfully so that I could paint them... what a strange way around?!

But it reminds me of my previous watercolours that I did while doing my Masters (which deserves its own post). I painted my enamels using the method that Lou O'Meara taught us... the one where you use the complimentary colours to make the shadows...

The construction lines of the drawing makes me think that that I could probably construct a hollow metal bead, where the construction method is quite blatant... (post to come... I hope)

I think that THIS is what I want to do.... make something and document the process, and the DOCUMENTATION is the beautiful object....

New beads ... cutting

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Starting a new batch... This is one of the first. I realised that it makes sense to impress the half round trim with a wire... and that it is easiest to cut the grooves with a blade, rather than score or use a ceramic wire cutter/scraper... Wonder if there is a way to make a more controlled cut? a blade with a sort-of-stopper? So one does not cut too deep...

Test pieces ... size

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 I arrive at the size of the ball (and ultimately the shape/bead) by dividing the lump in half until it is the 'right' size. Much like folding the paper for bookbinding...

Underglaze tests ... shapes

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I decided to make some nice test pieces for the underglazes and made these leaf-like shapes. I make them by rolling a sausage between my two hands (taking the curve of my palms) and then 'hammering' them flat with the side of my hand, like a karate chop. This results in this beautiful organic shape, which still has a strong connection to me (via my body form). This reminds me of  how I developed the original leaf shape when doing my Masters. A really good story that should have it's own post...

Coin 1?

Waiting to happen...

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This was the first photo of the 'coin'. I then thought I should present it more creatively...

Coin?

Waiting in a busier place...

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Inside the packet is some gold that I want to make into a coin so I can use the metal at a later stage.... I just thought that this might make a more interesting photo.... showing why it takes so long to get things done and how everything converges ... there is SOOO much in this photo and it is actually about the packet and its contents...

Extrusion

Busy grappling with how to extrude beads

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I thought it would be quicker than carving the beads by hand... it would be nice to make a long, beautiful sausage that is 'just ' chopped up to make beads... SO I bought some tubing offcuts from Wardkiss, thinking I could make an extruder.... but how to work the squeezing mechanism?... and how to hold the nozzles in front?

So I then remembered the extruding syringe that I'd bought and lent to Taryn Coleman. She did not do much with it, so I am now free to pursue it.

I then used some of the default nozzles to play with... Interesting ... could lead somewhere...

The extruder with nozzles and a few beads...

Fired

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I delayed opening the kiln ... first had my breakfast and then read emails and eventually, while I was waiting for my computer to reboot I quickly 'popped' in to look at the beads... almost like I was trying not to make too much of it...?

My first thoughts were 'Nice and shiny!' and then straightaway I noticed the patchy colours... and realised that when the instructions say 3 layers it means 3 layers, NOT 1 thick looking layer.

Blue bead

A lot went through my head when I was doing this....

I thought I should plan my days better ... have a routine... which makes space for creative practice (would this be an example of how to 'live poetically' as advocated by Leggo [2005]?)

I had done some reading (for my D and was about to go home when I realised that, having thought about my routine, I could start with it... so I decided to do something with the underglazes that I had bought last week from CPS (Cape Pottery Supplies) and which were just lying on the floor behind my chair (like the books - from long ago), but if they weren't there I would not have noticed them!?

I then became overwhelmed with all the decisions I needed to make (colours, brushes, which bead to paint...)... so I prepared the bead stand by putting grooves on with a diamond burr. I discovered that the fired nichrome wire snaps when you bend it too quickly, but a slow bend, by hand, doesn't break it!

Then I was overwhelmed by all the colours and I decide to paint just one bead in 2 colours... which ended up being just 1 colour (for today) so I can think about it. (... I did think about the colours when I bought them!... I decided to get turquoise and coral colours, after the Egyptian jewels).

I then decided to use the Silke blue... and now am not too sure about actually using two coloured underglazes. I was really taken by the contrast between the blue decorating slip and the terra cotta clay body at CPS, so I realised that I should make the bead in the correct colour clay to begin with!

Anyway I finished painting it and then scraped the excess colour off as Louise G. said she did with her glazes...

Marlene's fork

... for critique

Cores

These are the central themes that will have their offshoots in conversation with each other. They are mostly marlene's. Mine are the prints... I suppose...

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Exhibition

Group with roll printed textures

PIN

At last ... I hope

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Pin test

Sending as
an email

I'm trying to set up my new phone for blogging...