Ceramic work has taken every second this month. When you teach you become immersed in your subject and that has certainly been the case for the last couple of months. Writing projects, trying out sample demonstrations, actual teaching time, grading and required online courses for onboarding. All roads lead to learning and so I am enamoroured with the whole process: even though it is certainly not what I had planned to work on for the cooler more comfortable weather in studio.
There is a lot of overlap in the process of building with crete chae clay and building with pottery clay and as I am developing projects for the ceramics classes I am thinking about how can I make these vast quanities of time act as functional additions to the crete chae process. Though glaze happens in the kiln and crete chae clay does not get fired; I think some of the surface techniques with slips may work with a variation in materials for the crete chae surfaces. I have wanted to add more technique options, layers to the coloring on the crete chae and being a curious woman I am always looking at new techniques or variations on old techniques. Some of you have done acrylic pouring Im sure and the results can be beautiful. It interests me as a means to create backround layers adding depth and layering possibilities.
In ceramics there are many ways to address surface. I am having the students make large coil pots right now and I want them to get away from thinking everything has to be drawn, stamped or painted perfectly realistically to be a good image.
Enter Mocha Diffussion, a process that works somewhat like an acrylic pour by virtue of a chemical reaction between an acid and an alkaline.
My thought is there will be a way to add this to surfaces on the crete chae and I will share them as they develop. Spring break is coming and I will have a week to play mad scientist in my own studio to develop a process suitable for the cement based applications.
Change- Some people hate it, fear it and run from it . News flash it is unavoidable, persistant and the only thing besides maybe death and taxes that is inevitable.
Embrace it as it also travels with a companion partner - growth.
