Description
Michaela loves this poem, written by Chris – the freedom of a bird in flight and in particular the beauty of the gannets, that we see from our home and along the Clyde..
In trying to capture the swift movement of gannets through the air as they sweep across the water, the words flow behind the bird, like air disturbed by their flight. The gannet was drawn in first using a fine stick, and the words then added, letter by letter, to create the flow, using individual letter stamps and letting the words flow as they will across the clay.
Once created, the picture was placed between two pieces of plasterboard, to dry evenly. Clay becomes very fragile at this point, so filling the kiln is a slow and careful process! The work is then fired up to 1000 degrees before being cooled ready for taking each piece out for glazing.
Black underglaze was added to this piece then wiped back to reveal the lines and words. Colour is then added to highlight the bird and the swooping winds. Aren’t gannets so beautiful? The bold clear white makes them very easy to spot against the dark river here, with the flash of yellow being seen if you are lucky enough to get a bit closer.
Once fired again, this time to 1240 degrees, and leaving the kiln for a day to cool down, we then open the kiln nervously – thankfully all was well and the artwork had stayed flat, and Chris could make the frame, ready for you!
Framed, this ceramic artwork measures 36 x 30cm.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.