Enshrined: Musings on the Shrine

Survey of my sculptural ceramic shrines; old and new. 

Enshrined:
1: to enclose in or as if in a shrine
2: to preserve or cherish as sacred

Shrine:
1. a : a case, box, or receptacle; especially : one in which sacred relics (as the bones of a saint) are deposited
b : a place in which devotion is paid to a saint or deity : sanctuary
c : a niche containing a religious image
2: a receptacle (as a tomb) for the dead
3: a place or object hallowed by its associations

Sculptural ceramic shrines in progress for an upcoming firing/workshop. 

I build shrines. I want to create a special space, apart, and elevated in importance to house objects. I often enshrine natural objects, and things that have symbolic meaning to me personally or in a larger mythic/cultural context. Last week and this week I have designed and constructed more ceramic shrine forms than in the entirety of last year. (Thats a guess, but I'm 75% sure its accurate.) Why the "creative frenzy"? I have signed up to do a workshop at month's end, where I will be wood firing and salt glaze/firing 20-30 pieces. That's quite a lot for me... 

But it has had me reflecting on the shrine idea... its an idea I return to again and again in sculpture and in jewelry. This first piece was a reversible mixed media locket of sorts. It was themed around research I had done into my German heritage and the town of Stade, where my maternal ancestors originated. ( Done for Tesori Trovati's "Challenge of Travel" it is on my blog in detail.)

My heritage/history piece: copper, mica, paper, resin, map, key, micro beads, tube rivets, micro bolts. 

Since I have been working in polymer these last few years I have tried my hand using that medium in a similar fashion. I have recently been experimenting with a few new ways of fabricating shrines in polymer - Ill share those soon.

Polymer shrine pendants showcasing Italian Tarot images from the late 1800's.

There are many artists that conceptually share the "Shrine" concept that appeals to me  - from metal clay, traditional metals/fabrication to mixed media/found objects. Let me take you on a brief tour of inspiration.

Jen Crossley - "A Mark in Time" blog

I haven't had the good fortune to meet Jen in her teaching travels when she is in the States from her native Australia, but I hope to some day. I love the sense of age and mystery that comes form integrating found objects into new pieces. I also find the book form a very meaningful and potent symbol. 

Jen Crossley: Found Object Compositions.

Christi Anderson: "Elemental Adornments"

Thank you Pinterest for taking me here. I am in awe. What else is there to say?! I an fascinated with enclosures, and the revel/conceal contrast. The wearer holds the secrets, the knowledge, and can choose to share that with the viewer. Or not... 

Christi Anderson: "Garden of Good and Evil"

Michael Thee: Michael Thee Studio

A more modern industrial look, and some tongue in cheek humor. Again the reverse reveals a hidden message...

Michael Thee: "Start Something"

Dana Stenson: "Dreams in Metal" blog

From Dana's site: "...that this necklace will be included in Showcase 500 Art Necklaces, being released this summer by Lark Publishing!  I am so happy to be included in this wonderful collection.  The locket was created as a portrait of my great-grandmother, Georgia Helen Griffith.  She was was an independent, college-educated woman who traveled to Jamaica in 1890 as a Quaker missionary.  The materials in the locket include etched copper, sterling, sapphire, garnet, and found objects; elements are hand fabricated and lost wax cast.  Above the antique map on the back of the locket is the Quaker star. "

Dana Stenson: "Portrait of my Grandmother"

Wanaree Tanner: Tanner/Teiken  Again - this piece is a locket and a shrine. I can't find the words. So stunning. 

Wanaree Tanner: "Year of the Dragon"

Thanks for taking that tour with me. I am always striving to present a cohesive body of work from shrines to decorative tiles to jewelry. I see a series of shrine pendants in my future, echoing motifs in my tiles... And I have wanted to do shrine structures with removable/wearable pieces for years!

I look forward to what ever future inspiration brings!

Freeform Friday: Organic inspiration. Natural sculpture. Pods.

Hi. My name is Jenny and I am a pod person. 

No! Not THAT kind... this kind:

Mystery pods from my collection, including the essential acorn and something cypress. 

Eucalyptus, lotus, magnolia, Something from San Diego, milkweed. My personal collection... 

Its no secret that I find continual inspiration in Nature. Both the world around me, the turn of the seasons, the tiniest details. I have been in love with pods, leaves, fronds... as long as I can remember. ( And comparable water treasures: shells, seaweed etc.)

I discovered the work of Karl Blossfeldt in my college years. He was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher, and artist who worked in Berlin, Germany. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as, Urformen der Kunst. He was inspired, as was his father, by nature and the way in which plants grow. He believed that 'the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.' (Thanks Wiki) 

Image credit: Soul Catcher Studio

Medley of images from ASX

Very early piece of mine. Stoneware, maybe mid 90's. Influence seems obvious. 

Sculptural pods. A variety of finishes: smoke fired, glazed, reduction fired... All are handheld.

In the cyclical nature of things, I feel like making pods again. But I am in a different place now, and want to make small pods. Wearable pods, one of a kind carved pods, rustic stoneware pods... 

(This is where I am supposed to show you the pods I am sculpting. Oops. They are all still in my head. I tease you with all the pretty pictures, but I have been immersed in teaching clay camp and not in sculpting mode lately. Stay tuned!)

So I will grow these plans, nurture this idea - and hope to harvest the pods in time for Beadfest. (Too many plant metaphors?) Off to the studio with me... 

What is your favorite "old is new again" inspiration? What motif do you return to, time and time again? Talk to me! 

Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com

Blossfeldt books on Amazon: Many are reasonable priced and a treasure trove of beauty, awe, inspiration! 

Freeform Friday - Swellegant patinas!

 Do you ever buy a thing that you think is going to be perfect and then put it safely away in your studio? For a year? Uh yeah... It wasn't that I forgot I had this complete set of Swellegant paints and patinas - I wanted to have a chance to play and experiment and test them out. To devote to exploring the hundreds, no, thousands of combinations and inter reactions. Right. Like that's ever going to happen. This week there weren't any pressing deadlines, and I needed to PLAY a little. So here we go!

Swellegant paints are a system comprised of a metal paint, a patina, and colorful dye-oxides. I heard of it via Christi Friesen, who has shared amazing tutorials and resources about Swellegant on her website.  And she sells it there too. But I am NOT receiving any rewards or bribes for this shameless plug.

Here I am watching paint dry. Well, watching the magic of patina happen! These pieces are polymer and had been languishing in a tray awaiting some attention and TLC. 

There are five metals paints available: brass, copper, bronze, iron, and silver. ( They are working out the kinks with the silver formula, sometimes it explodes. Just a little. Mine was gelatinous and stinky after a year... The customer service at Christi's site is out-of-this-world though!) 

There are three patinas: darkening, Verdigris and Tiffany Green/rust. There are like a million dye oxide colors. ( OK thirteen, for real.) 

Here is the story so far: One coat of metal paint, let dry. Second coat applied, and patina applied while metal paint is still wet. I spritzed mine onto the pieces.
 From L to r: Brass, Bronze, Copper - all with Tiffany green patina.

Now the fun can begin: I went back in to some pieces with metal paint to highlight the high points, accentuate the relief of the sculptural pieces. 

Tiffany green patina on iron paint creates rust. 

The brass group: dye oxides added. I used blues and greens to vary the patina colors on three pieces. On the figure/cameo piece I used white, red, brown to accentuate the figure and the trees. 

The bronze group: Lots of blues! The deep cobalt agains the bronze was so fabulous to me.. . Trying white to lighten and add interest to the owl. 

The copper group: some blue/purples added to darken the deeper areas, some lighter green and yellows added for variety. It was truly playful. I didn't feel the pressure to finish pieces for a deadline and these PC pieces had been waiting to be painted for a good while - not too precious, not too much time invested in their creation that would make me hesitate to mess them up! 

The left moon and feather are copper/tiffany/dyes. 

The right owl and feather are iron/tiffany/dyes. I am digging the rusty crusty nature of that owl, and the colors with the rust! Yes. 

So thats where I am today! I have to wait a total of 72 hours before sealing the pieces. The Swellegant system comes with a water based sealer. I have only used one patina! The tip of the creative iceberg...  After sealing them - hmmm. Tab settings! Beaded bezels! Make more! 

I am overall thrilled with this product and my results. There are infinite possibilities. My only regret - I waited so long to dive in! If you are interested in more information check Christi's site. And heather at Humblebeads wrote a stellar post, sharing her patina combinations! I for sure am going to add this to my repertoire. OH! Swellegant finishes on my Mythic Nature pieces! Whoa! 

Stay tuned here and on my blog for more "Swell" pieces. And its NOT too early to start making things for Beadfest in August! What would you like to see? Cabs? pendants? charms? beads? I would love to hear what you think! 

Thanks for stopping by - off to the studio now... 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Freeform Friday - ready, glaze, fire!

Ready, glaze, fire! 

A photo essay of sorts this week... regarding my process of glazing pendants for a ^10 reduction* firing. I love ceramic clay, "real" clay as it is so elemental. Made of earth and water, it is tempered air and fire. There are many clays on the market, to be sure... but there is a magic, an alchemy in true ceramic clay and the transformations it goes through during the firing....

I work in two clays - stoneware and earthenware. The earthenware is a lower temperature clay, low fire glazes, brighter colors... another days topic, I promise. But make no mistake - still a fired ceramic clay -  fired to 1850 deg F, mind you!

At the ceramics studio where I work/teach we use stoneware; and we fire  "High fire" to ^10  - a toasty  2381 degrees F (1305 C)! The studio has a palette of glazes that we mix in house. They are made in 5 gallon buckets and are the correct consistency for dipping functional ware. I have the glazes I use most often in containers for brushing; I like them to be a bit thicker.  For my pendants - I glaze the top, and then wipe off the surface, leaving glaze in the designs. I showed the process below on a figurative sculpture:

1. Containers of glaze, and coffee! 2. Glaze brushed into designs. 3. Sponged off, leaving glaze in designs only. 4. Goddess figures ready for stain.

1. Pendants, bisques and ready. 2. Top surface glazed. 3. Edges and backs cleaned with a sponge. 4. Backs stained, holes cleaned of glaze.

 Since this is a communal kiln, loaded by the instructors - it needs to be streamlined, no fiddley stuff. There's no way to hang or stilt my pendants, so they are free of glaze on the back surface. In a group ceramics studio - the kiln is filled and fired as needed - when there is enough work ready to go. During a session in our studio, this is usually once a week. To be clear - firing the kiln TAKES a week! Not the firing itself...
Monday - load the kiln - 3 people, with breaks in the cold - app. 3 hrs. 
Tuesday - Fire the kiln. Varies due to ambient temps - app. 8-9 hours. 
Wednesday - the kiln cools. all day. 
Thursday - unload the kiln.
(Friday - no class) 

Pendants arranged on a piece of shelf for ease of kiln loading. 

Pendants visible midway up stack of shelves, on right side.

Can you still see the pendants? The kiln is almost half loaded here...
I believe the firing chamber is 5' tall at the center.

There is an air of excitement and mystery for every kiln unloading. The reduction process* creates a unique atmosphere in the kiln and results can vary every time.  Glaze application varies - thicker, thinner. So it is always exciting to see this:

After the door is removed, unblock the opening... 

Looks good! 

That carved tree? Its on the side of my shrine... and the pendants are at the bottom right corner of this picture. 

Success! Kiln harvest of the week.

I have probably written on this topic before - but I confess... its very exciting to have things in the kiln! I haven't had anything in the high fire glaze kiln since... November last year? These are new designs for pendants and components, stamps I carved from linoleum during the Polar Vortex days of January. And Berks Bead Bazaar is right around the corner.... So thank you for sharing in this week's journey! 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

* Reduction - Reduction (adjective) refers to a kiln atmosphere which does not have enough oxygen in it to completely consume the fuel as it burns. Due to this deficiency, the flame pulls oxygen molecules out of the clay bodies and glazes, changing their character. Reduction can be also be used to describe clay bodies and glazes that are especially developed for reducing atmospheres. Reduction (noun) refers to the state of being oxygen-starved. It can also be used to replace the full term, "reduction atmosphere".

For more information: 

( These are simple overviews, not in depth treatises... ) 

The firing process - bisque and glaze

Oxidation and reduction 

Wishes for the New Year

Today, I'm celebrating Boxing day with my family, we have everyone over for a big buffet for a nice relaxing day with some films for the kids and a few drinks for the grown ups. I hope your seasonal celebrations are in full swing, and you're enjoying the holidays!

As we reach the end of the year, here at AJE we're reflecting on our favourite techniques from the last 12 months.

This year, I've found a great new obsession... Sculpting with porcelain. It all started off with my hare beads, I discovered I loved modelling small forms in clay.

After finding I could shape clay in the way I wanted, this turned to making cabochons for beading and small art beads.

I love sea creatures, and my absolute favourite are Weedy Sea Dragons. For a more realistic finish, I've used china paints to colour him. These are fired on to the mature porcelain for permanent colour.

I'm hugely inspired by nature, and love anything cute. This bead was inspired by a picture you've probably seen shared on facebook of a sweet baby hedgehog.

And this bee on a flower was inspired by the bees in my garden going about their work all summer long.

I asked on my facebook page which animals people would like to see and one of the requests was an elephant.

And the very talented Leigh of JewllrLeigh turned it into this...

And Lesley from here at AJE suggested a pangolin

I've also discovered I love sculpting faces and hope to explore more of this type of design in the New Year.

Next year, I'm hoping to continue with the small sculptures, but I also want to go bigger using some of the skills I've learned to create some larger pieces using ceramics and mixed media. I also plan to create more jewellery as that has taken a bit of a back seat this year. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like! But I have a stash of silver, lots of copper and enough beads to sink a small boat, so I will be putting them to good use to create some new designs. I feel like this year has been a year of learning, I've flitted from one thing to another, finding out what I can and can't do and hopefully they will all come together next year in some great new work!

What are your plans for next year? I hope you'll share your creative hopes and dreams... will you be learning new techniques or expanding on the ones you have? We'd love to hear what you'll be doing!

Enjoy the rest of the Holidays!

Caroline

http://www.blueberribeads.co.uk

Freeform Friday: Plastered

... plaster molds, of course. What did you think I meant?

This week I have been in the ceramics studio, aka the glaze cave, all day every day. I am in the middle of a big push to restock my tile and pendant designs for my first big Spring show. And I have new designs as well - I try to reveal new designs twice a year. I am working on some of the meaning behind my images in my Folklore Friday posts - this batch has quite a few animals/totems/guides.  I thought a little insight into the process of my ceramics pendants might be interesting...

New designs for Spring 2013. (Tree of life, owl, fox, penguin, hare, raven, cat)

My "Mythic Nature" designs are my original series of icons and symbols inspired by myth and nature. Each design is hand carved from my sketch. I really sculpt as much as I carve... smoosh some clay on, shape it, carve it, smoosh more on... You can see the raven head pendant in the rough there in the top right. Each one takes hours to do... 

Soft clay pressed into the molds. 

When the originals are complete, I cast them in plaster. This mold was cast in a mold box, and holds 4 designs. This is a one shot deal. If something goes wrong in the pouring, or plaster the original is lost. The plaster sets in app. 30 minutes, but takes a few days to fully dry. 

When I am pressing pendants - the plaster of the mold actually assists the process. It absorbs moisture, and as the clay dries a bit - released easily from the mold. Here they are all scraped free of excess clay and ready to come out. If I am in production mode, I can make anywhere from 6-12 before the mold needs to dry a bit. 

Why is the penguin not being used? Sadly - The original was very tall, and the mold very deep... it doesnt release well. I have to start over with that one... Or try RTV next time. 

RTV is a 2 part silicone mold making material that many of us use... ( remember those textures I made?) It creates a flexible mold and as such allows for undercuts, more three dimensional items. You can see the depth of the fox head mold on the left. This is my first time using RTV with a pendant design. It takes longer as the RTV isn't absorbent - the clay has to set up in the mold.  Patience? If I must... 

 Pressing the pendants is the quick and easy part of the process. Here on the left - rough, fresh from the molds. On the right: stage 2! Nichrome wire for loops - embedded in the clay for your beading uses. Dust mask and scrubby - I sand the edges and holes to make everything perfectly smooth. Dry clay is the enemy; safety is exceedingly important!

 There! Loops, sanded, details touched up with a carving tool. ( Pencil for scale. No secret use of a pencil in my process. ) Now they dry for as long as it takes - day or 2... Then into the kiln for the bisque fire...



As evidences by the bowl below - I have quite a bit still to do. So back to the glaze cave... Mr Fox is waiting for his close up!

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com