Sgraffito

I thought some of my sketches might transfer well to this technique.

I have scratched through a thin layer of white slip to the terracotta clay beneath.

When fired the brown will be a lovely brick red and I think I'll use a honey glaze to make the white slip a soft yellow.

I'm trying out a number of techniques for decorating my tiles. The drying, firing and glazing all take time.

I need the patience of a potter.



Some Sketching

 I've started drawing animals in my search for ideas for my garden tiles.

In the process I found out quite a lot about the wild boar in the UK.

 David Slater has taken some fabulous photographs.

 

 

 They were all looking cute, but static.

So I searched for animals with movement. 

 I also tried to do quicker sketches concentrating on shape with a minimum of detail.

I found it very difficult to work in just outline and avoid building tone and too much detail.

 

 

Next I think I should work out some patterns for the backgrounds maybe?



Alberto Giacometti

 I enjoy Giacometti's paintings and drawings
perhaps even more than his sculptures.

 Loose, energetic lines. Limited colour.
 

 Layers building to reveal form.  

Area of focus becoming clear, peripheral left incomplete.

This image always reminded me of my Dad. Tall and lean, pointed knees and long legs.

Happy Fathers Day!



Poetry Tiles

Poetry Tiles designed and made by Iris Milward . The text is often difficult to read because composition and flow of the design are her priority.

 "One joy dispels a hundred cares" - keep generating and sharing joys! Follow the link above to see more of her tiles. 

Her greetings cards make the most of the glaze crazing and the blue is quite indigo.
Iris balances pattern, line and solid colour beautifully. I took an awfully long time trying to decide which tile to buy myself, at Art in Action a couple of years ago. Some of my favourite pearls of wisdom:
"To see takes time"
"I'm not lazy, I have individual working methods"
"Punctuality is the virtue of the bored"
There are medieval and Japanese influences and Iris's animals are reminiscent of one of my long time favourites - William De Morgan.

Photo from British Museum

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery also have a large collection of his work.

My first job was in the ceramic industry - designing, testing, making - but after 25 years of travelling other paths I seem to have forgotten most of what I once knew and used on a daily basis. I have started playing with ceramics again though, with cobalt blue particularly. Maybe I'll have something I could show here one day.