Here is our
Advent wreath I made with my son. This year we used my porcelain stars ornaments
to decorate it. Even though we are not that religious we like to introduce our
son to the tradition of lightning a candle for the four Sundays before
Christmas.
Sunday 29 November 2015
Tuesday 17 November 2015
It Is Not Too Early To Think About Christmas
I guess that some of you
may feel a bit irritated to read about Christmas in the middle of November.
Most of the stores are already decorated and ready for the shopping frenzy. You
can by Christmas cookies everywhere. Santa is coming, snow is falling and bells
are jingling. Well, at least until you come out of the store and find yourself
surrounded by the perfect sunny and vibrant November day. And if you were
wearing only a T-shirt while going out for a walk, as I did the other day, you
may be convinced that the world is going really crazy with this festivity
pressure.
I have to admit that I am
in the middle of Christmas production frenzy since August. Considering that I
am still not a full time potter, I may be a bit late already. Making ceramics
is a slow process. There is a lot of waiting involved. When you make something
you have to wait patiently until the ceramics dries (and you should let it dry
slowly to prevent cracking).
Only then can you bisque
fire it. Then you wait for two days until your kiln cools down so that you can
open it. After glazing you fire it again. And wait for two more days to open
the kiln again. This is only a rough description of the process. In between you
have to catch the right consistency of the vessel to be able to decorate it.
I started to make these
elegant and minimalistic porcelain pendants in August. Just to mention that
these went through my hands about eight times. First I have to roll the
porcelain slab really thin and take care not to capture any air bubble. Using different
cookie cutters I can cut out the desired shape – one by one. The hole for the
cord has to be done while the porcelain is still very soft. Now, you let your
stars and angels dry a bit so that you can soften the edges with a sponge and
take care that the hole is nicely smoothed.
At this point I can let
them dry completely but I have to take care that they do not deform as the
edges dry faster. To avoid it I put some weight on them while drying. After the
bisque firing, the ornaments get sanded until the surface is smooth. I have to
rinse them after the sanding and letting them dry again. Afterwards I can fire
them really high to get that translucency that is so typical for porcelain. I take them out of the
kiln, one by one and check for any cracks or damages. Now I can pull the cord
through the hole so that it can joyfully swing on the Christmas tree.
Now you may understand why it's necessary to start your Christmas production early. These ornaments are not glazed because I like the mate surface a lot. Also I wanted to keep them more affordable by skipping the glazing process.
Now you may understand why it's necessary to start your Christmas production early. These ornaments are not glazed because I like the mate surface a lot. Also I wanted to keep them more affordable by skipping the glazing process.
If you like them, you can
purchase them directly from my studio. Also you can send me an email
(danciceramics@gmail.com) if you are not from the area – I gladly ship
worldwide. The price for one piece is 5 CHF (5 Swiss Francs) + Shipping (2 CHF
for Switzerland; 2.5 CHF for Europe and 3 CHF for other countries).
So, finally I
can say that it is not too early to think about Christmas even if it is
November and if you like these Christmas tree ornaments – get them while
they’re hot from the kiln.
Sunday 25 October 2015
Marbled Ceramics
Autumn in the mountains is
my favourite time of year. Underneath the mountain tops covered with snow the
forests are still showing off the entire warm colour palette. The air is crisp
and the sun is shining. It is the time of year when you start eating comfort
food again, like cheese fondue or pumpkin soup. If you go to the forest you may
come back with foraged chestnuts, walnuts, rosehips or mushrooms.
My new marbled plates with
their earthy colours are just made for this season. Take a look.
Labels:
agateware,
autumn,
ceramic designer,
marbled,
marbling,
neirage,
nerikomi,
swiss mountains
Saturday 12 September 2015
How I Spent My Holidays
My father
has a small wood atelier where he makes guitars, and wooden toys for his grandchildren, with my brother. I like this small creative space. Actually,
this is where I have spent my two week vacation this summer. Last year I showed
you my modest start as a wood carver. This year I just couldn’t get away from
carving. At first, I just wanted to make two baby spoons for my twin nieces who
just started to eat solid food. I thought I would need at least two weeks for
this project. Well, I did them in one night. Then I decided to do another spoon
for my son, then a butter knife and a spoon for my niece, some scoops for me, a
few more spoons… In the end, I had to use all the wood leftovers for some tiny
salt spoons.
I think
this is a beginning of a new addiction. Luckily I don’t have any carving tools
at home - otherwise I would have to close my ceramic studio.
Friday 4 September 2015
Ceramic Fish #24
Here are the faceted fish pendants from our Ceramic Fish Challenge. Blue coloured porcelain, 4 cm in
length.
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