Two days of teaching

I have had two really busy days running courses in my workshop here in North Yorkshire. I love the challenges some of my students set me by asking questions that really make me stop and think. Yesterday I had a student who was also studying for a degree in visual arts and had been doing a lot of work with ceramics. Anyone who knows me well will know I don't really have any affinity to clay (mud kind of stuff) as I don't like getting dirty! Julie had brought along a selection of bisque fired earthenware textured beads and wanted to know whether she could add art clay silver and torch fire them, the main problem being that she didn't have her own kiln just access to a very large version at the university where she is studying. I admit that my initial reaction was a very large NO thinking I didn't want flying shards of hot ceramic bits in my studio - especially while someone else was in there. Anyway, after a bit of thought (and lunch) I suggested we try by adding art clay silver overlay paste, drying the bead on my scientific hotplate set at about 60 degrees C and then turning it up to 200 degrees C to pre-heat the bead. I then set up a few fire bricks on my hearth to surround the bead from three sides and got Julie to slowly introduced the flame of the propane torch. I used long handled tweezers to turn the bead occassionally while she was firing and at the end quickly removed it putting the hot bead between layers of kiln blanket to slow down the cooling process. Success...... a bit of burnishing and one happy student with a silvered ceramic bead!

Flora and photo polymer plates

I have been experimenting with some of the photographs I have taken at Whitby Museum recently and trying to make them into photo polymer plates for using to texture art clay silver. This is all preparatory work for the jewellery I will be making as part of my Inspired by Heritage residency at the museum. I have used a variety of different types and thicknesses of plates but eventually decided that I like the thin plates with a steel backing. These seem to produce the delicate and still crisp image I am looking for. It has taken me quite a few days work though and lots of pieces that are not quite what I was looking for. Here are some of my photos converted to black and white together with some of the finished plates. There are quite a few steps to the process including printing high density images on ohp film so that they can be used as negatives when exposing the sensitive plates.

Preparatory design work

I have spent most of the day trying to adapt some of the photographs I had taken of the herbaria in Whitby museum into black and white images to make photopolymer plates from. I am quite pleased with the results but somehow working at the computer doesn't feel like I am being creative, even though it is all part of the design process. The pictures I took are of very delicate pressed flowers and are such beautiful graphic images.

Back to normal

Well, it was the final day of North Yorkshire Open Studios '09 yesterday and when the last visitors had gone I made a brief attempt to return my studio to a normal working layout, removing a few of the display cases and the large acrylic screen from in front of the kilns and demonstration area and moving the tables back into the centre of the room. I have had a fantastic time meeting people; talking about techniques used to make different pieces of work and, on occassion catching up with old friends. I feel a bit deflated now it is over so think I will probably have a day off before I go back and tackle the next project.

I am going into Whitby Museum on Wednesday and already looking forward to my first peek at the herbarium!

Another day of Open Studios

Well this is the fourth day of North Yorkshire Open Studios '09 and I have woken up to a blanket of fog. It was foggy yesterday from around lunchtime and will be a severe test for visitors finding their way out here (and will probably put a number of them off altogether). I can't even see the road in front of my house and studio let alone the lovely view of the valley. Anyway, I am all set up and ready to go. I have some ideas for a new piece of work that I need to get started on and there is a batch of beads to take out of the kiln..... so plenty to keep me busy, but still need visitors and of course, customers!

The picture is a necklace I finished off yesterday.

Sunday and Open Studios

The morning here was very quiet, but I am definately off the beaten track and visitors do have to make quite an effort to find me. I spent part of the morning making a few beads in art clay silver and set the kiln going just as things started to liven up. My good friend Margaret came over to help this afternoon and had a great time making little butterflies out of copper shim and enamelling them to demonstrate one enamelling technique to visitors - I will try and photograph one of the butterflies tomorrow and add a picture. We had quite a few visitors throughout the afternoon and it is fantastic being able to explain to people how different pieces are designed and constructed, just giving them a bit on an insight into what is my normal working day really. Their comments on my workshop and its surrounding landscape also serve to remind me just how lucky I am to be here, working for myself at something I love passionately and in such a beautiful location. I think I need to stop and look at the view more often! It is also a fantastic opportunity to sell my work - even if this occasionally takes me by surprise.

North Yorkshire Open Studios '09

Today has been the first day of North Yorkshire Open Studios '09. This is such a fantastic event to be involved in. Quite apart from the beautiful brochure design and produced by Art Connections it gives me a sense of being connected to other artists out there rather than just working away here in isolation. Of course, being a part of the open studio trail means I can't actually get out and visit any of the other artists, but I do somehow feel part of a larger community.

It means I get to actually meet people; interesting people; people who are interested in looking and interested in the process of making. I also get to catch up with people who have visited before and find out how they are; what they are up to and let them see some new little idea I am working on...... or my current obsession? It is also a fantastic way of getting a bit of feedback. As a maker working in this kind of rural isolation it is really easy to feel you might just be working your way into some kind of strange sidetrack so having visitors look at ideas under development can be very useful.

Anyway, thanks to all of those people who made it over here today and hope to see you again, soon!