Ceramics: Using pattern in clay.

I wanted to try making some relief patterns in clay, from my photographs and observational sketching. I made small pieces, with the intention of using them to test out different glazes, and see how they work on the textured surfaces, but also to test how the patterns look on a very small scale, with a view of possibly using ceramic pieces in jewellery.

I made two pieces using a weaving technique with strips of clay, based on both the pattern of woven fabric, and also based on a pattern I found inside an envelope. I then made a piece with the pattern of a cabbage leaf, with parts that were pressed in to create depressions, and also adding strips of clay to create veins. My last two flat pieces were based on patterns from floors, one a paving slab, and the other a mosaic floor. 

I then created a cube, using six squares of clay, with a different pattern on each square. I then assembled the pieces so the pattern was on the inside of the box and lid, hidden.

Pottery shards.

After looking at things people leave behind, I started to look further back, to people that lived hundreds of years ago, and started looking at archaeology and pottery pieces found in rivers and streams. I found artists who use pottery shards in their work including Tania Covo, who sets pottery pieces she finds in the thames in silver to make jewellery. I also looked at Cleo Mussi, who uses reclaimed pottery to make mosaics.

I collected some pottery shards from a river bank in Bradfield, and have been using these to base most of my project work on. The patterns and shapes have inspired my sketchbook work as well as my practical work, and I have also been using them for observational drawing and collage.