Clay – Page 23 – Bridget Macklin

This week I was shown the very impressive timetable which one of my fellow students had produced in order to make sure that she had everything ready for the various shows with which we are involved. It sent a cold shudder down my spine! On the one hand I can completely see the sense in knowing what needs doing when. On the other, in my case I still need to feel free to come up with one last great idea. If I was to set myself a timetable I suspect it would have the most disastrous consequences. The truth is that I am not really very pleased with much of the work that I have made for the final show and I am still waiting for a lightning bolt to strike. It would have no chance if I had an intricate plan which I felt I had to follow. On the other hand, I suppose it is helpful to have some idea from the point of view of getting everything dry, fired and finished or else you are at serious risk of ending up with what my very first ceramics tutor, Simon Taylor, at Weston College Somerset called ‘hot pots on plinths’.

In point of fact I suspect that Simon might well be the same kind of maker as me – inspiration striking at the final moment giving him just enough time to get the best pieces through the making process before the critical deadline whereas the lovely student concerned with setting off this train of thought makes complicated moulds which have taken weeks to construct. She has had to plan her route to the finish with infinite care to be sure that her moulds were ready to use at the crunch moment. One look at my worktable is enough to make it quite clear that inspiration is still some way off!

On the other hand, my ‘To Do’ list is immense and includes among other things preparation for Wimbledon Artists Studios open weekend which is now only 5 days away, drying and firing the last of my more solid work, getting all my marketing blurb in order for both New Designers which is in 6 weeks and preparing something to put on a plinth or two at our final show which is takes place at Candid Arts Gallery in Islington in seven weeks.

More on that anon but suffice to say at this time that the space is vast and I had better get making or I run the risk of being really rather embarrassed! – I feel a timetable coming on!!

On the up side, my wonderful daughter and most important critic arrived at Wimbledon Artists Studios yesterday armed with sustenance to prevent emaciation setting in during the biannual transformation of my studio into a gallery for next weekend. She sat looking at my work and gently but firmly reminded me that perhaps in all the pressure I might have lost sight of what it is that feels like beauty to me. She is so right – what ever happened to fragile, floating vulnerable forms with flowing lines? Right, six weeks to make amends then!

Have I lost sight of what beauty means to me?

Kyra Cane’s work has a beautiful subtlety to colour and tone.

Turner%20Drift%20Net[1] — Drift Net, Annie Turner: A wonderful example of a unique style in ceramics.

Well, it was actually an exhibition: Ceramic Art London at the Royal College of Arts in Kensington. It is one of the great annual showcases of ceramic art in London every year with eighty makers selected from across the world and it is always a fantastic place to see what is new and listen to some useful hints and tips in the various lectures taking place. So, what is new? I was particularly intrigued by the work of Jong Jin Park who is a relative newcomer on the scene. He makes use of paper and clay slips, just as I do, but he works in a very different way and his work is certainly different. I was amazed to hear that he does not create the final shapes until he cuts into the piece after having fired it to 1300C. I cannot wait to try that! In fact, seeing Jong Jin’s work and then spending quite a while chatting to Robert Cooper about his work, other peoples work and then, rather less significantly as far as the exhibition goes, my own work might well have set me on the course for my final semester. Thank Heavens I hear you cry, no more heart searching then! Robert was selling well at the exhibition, which was great to see – I certainly think he deserves to! It was also wonderful to see that another of my tutors, Annie Turner, had been presented with the Emanuel Cooper Prize. That was a fantastic choice. Annie’s work is certainly different; fragile, coiled pieces which are about being rooted. It resonates with me on so many levels and it is great to see her skill being given recognition. I was also drawn to Kyra Canes wonderfully evocative work. Once again I was touched by the generosity of the artists who I talked to. I do not know of any other world in which the experts would be so willing to share their own special tips with a newcomer. It never ceases to amaze me and to fill me with joy that my chosen medium is peopled with such kind and open people. The discovery program lectures which I attended were a fine example of this with Derek Wilson telling us all kinds of experiences and pitfalls which, for a mere beginner, seemed invaluable.

All in all this was a great day and if I came away with one important message it was the need for a group of pieces to work together. All those exhibiting had taken a considerable amount of care to present a coherent exhibition which worked in terms of colour, groupings and the level of variety. So now I need to take that on board, throw away the rubbish and start making an exhibition rather than a bunch of experiments. No more excuses, Macklin!

Tag Archives: Clay

Hot Pots on Plinths.

I Went to a Marvellous Party . . .