Ariadne
Details
Sculptural vessel
Coil built
underglaze
18.5in x 6w x 6d
This piece took approximately 90 hours, not counting firing time.
Sculptural vessel
Coil built
underglaze
18.5in x 6w x 6d
This piece took approximately 90 hours, not counting firing time.
Prompt and sketches
The prompt for this piece was to create a vessel which conveyed a narrative. For this piece I wanted to reference ancient Greek pottery and myths, which I have always loved. You can see in my sketches the original form of this piece was much more art nouveau inspired. As I continued to ideate, the form became much more Greek, resembling an amphora.
The prompt for this piece was to create a vessel which conveyed a narrative. For this piece I wanted to reference ancient Greek pottery and myths, which I have always loved. You can see in my sketches the original form of this piece was much more art nouveau inspired. As I continued to ideate, the form became much more Greek, resembling an amphora.
Process
I began by determining the dimensions of the vessels rim, then building the bowl of the amphora upside down. Once this portion was complete I built a chuck - a cylinder which the cone shape of the amphora could sit in while I built the rim and neck of the vessel. After I completed construction I scored the outside of the vessel taking away any rough patches and then went back to smooth and burnish the surface. After finishing the body of the piece, I again flipped it over in the chuck and attached the feet. To create the feet I sculpted each side of the foot separately, then cast it to create a press mold. I pressed 4 halves from each mold and attached them together, then attached each whole foot to the vessel and let it dry. After the piece had been bisqued, I lay down white slip to create a ground for the illustration. The illustration for this piece took substantial time. After painting the illustration on the bowl of the vessel, I glazed the feet and neck of the vessel in a metallic black 04 glaze.
I began by determining the dimensions of the vessels rim, then building the bowl of the amphora upside down. Once this portion was complete I built a chuck - a cylinder which the cone shape of the amphora could sit in while I built the rim and neck of the vessel. After I completed construction I scored the outside of the vessel taking away any rough patches and then went back to smooth and burnish the surface. After finishing the body of the piece, I again flipped it over in the chuck and attached the feet. To create the feet I sculpted each side of the foot separately, then cast it to create a press mold. I pressed 4 halves from each mold and attached them together, then attached each whole foot to the vessel and let it dry. After the piece had been bisqued, I lay down white slip to create a ground for the illustration. The illustration for this piece took substantial time. After painting the illustration on the bowl of the vessel, I glazed the feet and neck of the vessel in a metallic black 04 glaze.
Challenges
In this piece I spent time working out how to support and construct a piece that not only had a severely curved neck, but also couldn’t support its weight on its feet until after firing. The use of a chuck was inspired by wheel throwing, in which chucks are used to trim the foot of pieces with no steady support or a long neck.
In this piece I spent time working out how to support and construct a piece that not only had a severely curved neck, but also couldn’t support its weight on its feet until after firing. The use of a chuck was inspired by wheel throwing, in which chucks are used to trim the foot of pieces with no steady support or a long neck.
