Tag Archives: ceramics

This is It!

This week I have done my last day of teaching ever.  Yes, I know that some of my friends think that I won’t last.  That I won’t be able to resist the call of the children for more than a few months.  But this time I really think I can.  There is too much to do now: boats to sail, gardens to create, journeys to travel, houses to love, homes to nurture.  I am so full of plans and so many of them include playing with clay.

So over the weekend we are sorting out and throwing away vast quantities of our old life, shrugging off the chattels which we have lugged from pillar to post over so many years.  Some will go into store to be lovingly unwrapped once the house in Cornwall is decorated and ready to give them a permanent home – I can’t throw out a single photograph and I am having difficulty with some of the children’s toys.  Well, memories are important!

And then I become a proper artist.  Included in my complete change of lifestyle comes a boat on the River Thames which will become our London home from now on.  My days will begin with an exercise regime – well it is about time – and then there will be the trip to the studio, which will no longer necessitate using a car.

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That’s me in the front there!
I already have one piece of work in Cornwall at Tregony Gallery but there will be more to come very soon.  Then there is our Pop up Gallery which has been such a success that we are now in negotiations with the local council to make it permanent.

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Sold but plenty of others available
I have a number of commissions to work on in the next few weeks and I am keen to find myself some kind of artist in residence position before too much longer because I love the idea of doing some site specific work for a while.

 

So that’s it.  Nothing to do now except box up the last few possessions and trundle off up the river to Thames Ditton which is about to become my wonderful floating home.

Less is generally More

This week I had a meeting with a client about a commission that I am doing for her.  We were discussing the decoration for the interior of the piece.  She had previously provided me with several architectural plans and I had spent a while trying to work out which to use.  Now she had some better plans and she also had a map of the area which is the subject of the piece.  This meant that we were both in danger of becoming a bit overwhelmed by choice.  We tried out all sorts of combinations; she was so attached to the story behind the commission that was hard for her to decide what was the most important part.

The Battersea Vessel low res
Tell the whole story –
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Or keep it simple?

 

In the past I have done very simple and, with equal success, included lots and lots of information all overlapping.  So which is best?  And how am I going to glean from a client which one they would prefer?

The problem is that until the images have been transferred onto the piece it is impossible to see how they work with the piece.  It is only when the transparency reveals the drawing and its relation to the markings on the vessel that you know if you have got it right.

A brainwave struck me as I was grappling with this.  I need to be able to see the impact of the drawn lines before I order the decals.  Why I didn’t think about it before I do not know but I am off to find an online stockist of transparent  film which will work with my antiquated printer right now!