I took lots and lots of pictures of my ceramic pieces in the past days and weeks, testing my patience by trying out different backgrounds, indirect light and direct light and a bit of photoshoppery. I'm never really satisfied with the results, but I can tell that I mostly prefer photos taken in bright direct sunlight, although all the professional tips and tricks I found on this subject in the world wide web advise the opposite to avoid hard shadows and reflections and such.
I find my pieces look much more vivid and lively though when they get a bit of sun and in many cases I don't mind shadows. Especially the items adorned with glass just crave for light. You can watch them come alive and sparkly in the sunshine.
For a start here are two small test pieces I made for the wedding plate, that didn't really come to use because time pressure demanded a decision before I could see how they turned out. I'm very happy with the combination of green and clear glaze I used for the wedding plate and how it turned out there and I'm quite glad I didn't see how pale it turned out in the test plate. The other version, a combination of oxides and clear glaze, looks way too dark for a wedding in my opinion.
Hiding these pictures as long as the plate was in the making made me almost forget to reveal my secret surprise. Better late than never. I made a custom wedding plate for a Czech-American wedding and I was extremely excited and eager to make this (although I'm not a big fan of weddings or marriage and don't know the couple myself, that was going to marry).
The wedding plate for Emily & Lukáš with a carefully carved and etched briar rose
Added together I worked about 10 hours on this piece (kiln times not included) and I was a nervous wreck all the weeks it took me to make it. It was hard to finish it in time and once I even dropped the plate and almost broke it.
The bottom side with the dedication and the names of the givers of the gift
I wanted to make it very special and very romantic (but not in the cheesy glittery hearts kind of way) because this is a special day and love should last throughout the whole marriage. I'm very glad I already had my plate done before I did a Google search for "Wedding Plate" that brought up quite a tasteless collection that would have killed all my inspiration. Why do people try to be funny on a wedding plate in such an unfunny way? I rather stick to romance. May it last and may the marriage be a happy one!
Again I'm out of my crafting routine and not feeling very well. My hands haven't been fit enough to work with clay and the class is not taking place at the moment.
But I've seen the very impressive Annie Leibovitz exhibition in Berlin two weeks ago, showing her famous professional works as well as private snapshots of her family and very personal pictures. I feel a bit ambivalent about the latter because they obviously were not taken for the public eye, yet I did not feel like an intruder when I looked at them and I liked them.
To me the strongest photographs in this exhibition are those of her lover Susan Sontag as well as the war photographs. A picture of the destroyed National Library of Sarajevo would be bitter and a symbol for brutishness in itself, but it is much more expressive with an outstanding intellectual like Susan Sontag sitting amidst the rubble. The glamorous celebrity pictures even appeared a bit vulgar in comparison.
I was moved by the pictures Annie Leibovitz had taken of Susan Sontag during her illness and until her death (and I recommend you to read "Illness as Metaphor", a strong text that she wrote during her first battle with cancer as well as "AIDS and Its Metaphors"). I don't know if these pictures are shown with Susan Sontag's consent, but they are full of respect for her. The greenish picture showing her dead and dressed for her funeral to me shows the state of shock Annie Leibovitz was in at that time and thus is much more a picture of herself than of Susan Sontag.
At the exhibition the BBC documentary "Imagine - Life through a Lens" about Annie Leibovitz was shown and I watched parts of it there. You can watch the trailer above and the film split into one, two, three, four, five, six parts is available on Youtube.
The vase on the left was dipped into glaze and then dashed all over with other glazes and I also applied a thick coat on the rim. I'm curious what the firing will make of this. The vase on the right is just covered with green glaze.
The pot in the middle is glazed green on the inside and stained with oxides on the outside. Its surface design is immensely popular among my clay mates. I received some very flattering remarks about it. Now I hope all the more that it'll turn out alright.
I'm currently taking a pottery class and also like to make stuff with polymer clay, felt and other materials. As long as I can remember I like crafting and playing around with colour. But pain is my constant companion. It battles with my urge for creativity. This blog is about this struggle. I'm also an avid balcony gardener and spam this place with occasional pictures of fruits and plants. View my profile
I'm currently reading
Daniela Dahn "Wehe dem Sieger! Ohne Osten kein Westen"
I find my pieces look much more vivid and lively though when they get a bit of sun and in many cases I don't mind shadows. Especially the items adorned with glass just crave for light. You can watch them come alive and sparkly in the sunshine.
For a start here are two small test pieces I made for the wedding plate, that didn't really come to use because time pressure demanded a decision before I could see how they turned out. I'm very happy with the combination of green and clear glaze I used for the wedding plate and how it turned out there and I'm quite glad I didn't see how pale it turned out in the test plate. The other version, a combination of oxides and clear glaze, looks way too dark for a wedding in my opinion.
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