WIP and Trashball Art
A wonderful reader asked me if I could make a custom raised cake platter a couple of weeks ago and I thought, why not give it a shot. It’s basically a plate on top of a pedestal, right? Well, it’s turned into a good challenge for me. The photos above are my first attempt at making one and like many things, it didn’t turn out the way I envisioned; but I have learned something from the process.
It’s way too small for a 8-9″ cake. The problem? I only used 3.5 lbs of clay to throw the plate. If I use 6 pounds, almost double, I think that will do the trick. So, today, I’m going to give it another whirl times deux.
This forlorn raised pot has been sitting in my studio all wrapped up in plastic (so that it would remain wet enough to still work), waiting for me to decide what the hell to do to it. Yesterday, I had a couple of hours to kill and I thought to myself – carve it up girl. And, that’s just what I did. I brought it inside to show my partners in life and they liked it. My husband even said, “this would make a great centerpiece!” So, I may have an addition to my line of pottery. Thank you HMBT! Keep in mind that the shellac will burn off during the bisque fire and will leave just the raised design.
Meanwhile, I decided to try making some ceramic paintings. I rolled out 1/4″ slabs of porcelain clay and I’m letting the set up just a little more before I “paint” them with slips, stains and glazes. These are about 12″ square or so.
In other news, I read this article in the Denver Post last weekend about, artist, Christopher Goodwin – the brains behind Trashball Art. I find the concept so interesting. He searches for interesting tidbits of cast off garbage and repackages his finds in little plastic capsules and sells them for .25 cents apiece in gumball machines. He’s based out of Washington D.C. and views his installations as archeology.
I heard this the other day and loved it: There’s no right or wrong way, there’s only your way.
That’s all for right now,
