I was very busy   for last few weeks and had some ups and downs during that time but it looks like I am on the right track now :D I still can't decide how many and what combinations I want to show in the exhibition but I hope I will figure it out soon. I have 13 final tiles, it's easier to spot the differences between them when they are mixed. Here is the first set of 6. As I mentioned before I want to link the old and new parts of the college building in my work. To do that I have collected textures from around the campus and then placed them inside the tile.  I am also experimenting with printing some of the textures as line drawings on clay.

Finally I have all my models and moulds finished :D After Easter I am planing to move on to casting and surface decoration, so I can say 'so far so good' :D Here is update on my 9 variations from the base models: The differences will be more visible on the casted tiles but I am happy with the results so far.

I am working on new moulds and started some casts and hope to finish the whole range over next few days. So here is a sneak peak of what I am doing. The idea is the same as in previous semester, this time I am working with 3 types of starting tiles. They are bigger - about 16 cm and all have the same base, the difference is in the angles of the tiles 70º, 60º and 50º which makes the illusion that they are getting smaller. The next step is to make them a bit more interesting :D My project is based on modern architecture but the my main piece will be placed in the main college building that has both old and new parts. I want to incorporate that in the piece and am looking for ways of adding textures. This example was a byproduct - I needed to fill up the mould before working on the back of the tile and just pressed clay into it. I like the effect and will explore it more over next weeks. Samples of the casts. Overall I am planing to make 12 variations of the ti...

For over a month I was trying to figure out what is wrong with the project and what I want to achieve. It was all very confusing and I kept coming back to the starting point... I have hit the bottom at my progress review where I couldn't make any sense out of my work and would not listen to the tutors that I already have everything I am looking for in my tiles from December.... I am a very stubborn person and it is useful when I need to get over the technical problems in my projects but sometimes it works against me. I have continued to work with my 'new' idea and one day I just noticed that it really does not work!! When I wrote down what I want from this project I have finally realized that it is all in the tiles already... So after many wasted weeks I am back in the studio working away on my new models and moulds- will keep the shapes from the first semester but they will be bigger now. I have the update on the tiles - finally got some time to take...

I am still stuck and have to work on my concept... I hope I will have it sorted by Monday, so I can begin my work :) Here are some more tests of how can I explore the reflective aspect of the project:

In the end of January I have attended a Naked Raku workshop in Thomastown organised by  Ceramics Ireland . I already was familiar with both Raku and Naked Raku but wanted to extend my knowledge in this field. Naked Raku is a firing technique in which the pot is masked with the slip and then glazed and fired @ 1000 C then the kiln is opened and pots are transferred to the reduction chamber filled with sawdust, and covered to accommodate the reduction process. The difference between the Raku and Naked Raku is that in the second process the glaze is pealed off after firing and the pot unglazed- Naked. It all seems quite confusing and a bit complicated but in fact it is very simple, fast and effective way of decorating ceramics. The only disadvantage is that the pot is porous and can be use only as decoration as it is not food safe. With time the smoke marks can get lighter which can be slowed down by applying oil or floor polish paste on pots. ...

I took part in a critical thinking workshop today which was design to develop a better understanding of the working and reasons behind my practice. I was familiar with some of the things I have to be conscious  about when making and designing and I was trying to employ them in my work this year. Today I had to ask myself lots of questions and also I got a chance to hear what my pierce think about my work and how it is understood. It was a valuable lesson and I am glad that I have taken some notes :) More or less the critical thinking is constant practice of asking yourself why are you doing what you are doing and looking at all aspects of the project: materials, making processes, sociological connections, history, how the work can be read from different perspectives and what is important to you as a maker, who is the audience etc. The key is to keep open mind and welcome challenges instead of proceeding with the easiest solution. I went to my studio ...