I have always been in awe of ceramic artists and their ceramic art. I’m in love with clay and it’s characteristics. The tension between earth and air. That it’s so powerful but once baked it can break. Anyway, enough of all those philosophical considerations: I just love ceramics! So naturally I wanted to try it out.
CERAMIC ART JOURNEY
I started my ceramic art journey at Gert de Mulder. I learned the different ways of working with clay: rolling, pressing, boxing, sculpting. And I learned different ways of decorating my work: engobe, transfers, glazing.
CERAMIC ART TO GO WITH MY PAINTINGS
During my first ceramic classes I wanted to make ceramic art that could complement my paintings. So I decided to make some large shells with pearls and seaweed inside them. To go with my coral oil paintings.
I also chose to make a large plate and decorate it with Majorelle shapes. To go with my Majorelle canvasses.
CERAMIC SHELLS
I wanted the shells to represent the opening and closure of a mussel. So I made three. One is completely closed. One is opening up. And one is completely open. The glaze on the outside is glossy. On the inside it has a matte finish. To show the influence on the sea on the shells.
The pearls and seaweed pieces are optional. I haven’t been able to decorate them yet.
I’m going to add these three ceramic shell sculptures to my art shop very soon. For now you can check out my ceramic art here.
THROWING CLAY
This year I have been experimenting with throwing clay. I’ve been attending classes at De Pottenbakster in Tilburg (highly recommended!) and at Babel in Den Bosch. I am hoping to extend my skills with throwing clay next year. Because of COVID-19 many classes were canceled this year.
Next time I will show you my first results of throwing clay. For now I’m very curious about what you think of the shells. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.