Theme exploring - Frozen

Artist: Richard Slee

Richard Slee (b. Cumbria, UK, 1946) studied at Carlisle College of Art & Design (1964-65) and studies ceramics at the Central School of Art & Design (1965-1970). He graduated with an MA at the Royal College of Art (1988). In 2000 Richard Slee completed a major commission for Sculpture at Goodwood, and in the following year was awarded The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize for his contribution to contemporary ceramics. Slee lives and works in London

Selected group and solo shows include Studio Voltaire (UK), Object Gallery (Australia), Hales Gallery (London), National Museum (Sweden), Victoria & Albert Museum (UK), World Ceramic Centre (Korea) and The West Norway Museum of Decorative Art (Norway).  His work was included in the well-received show, Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990 (2011-12), Victoria & Albert (London). Slee's work is represented in numerous collections world-wide, including British Council (UK), Corcoran Museum of Art (New York), Washington Museum of Art and Design (US) and Victoria & Albert Museum (London).

The colour of his work fascinates me. It is really recognisable that his work has well-finished shape, with lush and high-gloss glaze, cutesy characters, and a feeling of innocence, but weirdness. The forms and colours of his work are animated that reminds me Disney, childhood, and candy floss. 

I want to create a colourful fantastic landscape for the aquarium. However, I could not decide should I make the landscape realistic or more abstract. And for my recent pieces, there is a similarity between the form and colour we used that I could learn something from his work.

I really like the uneven texture on his work. To take the image above as an example, the texture on the tree gives the work more detail, and allow the glaze to have some changes.  And since the texture is under the glaze, so it remain as a whole with the rest of the work.

Compared to his work, my piece was not applied a layer of transparent glaze after painted with underglaze. Partly because I like matt finish. But after firing, the finish of the underglaze looked like it was not fired. Besides, matt surface will be covered by algae easier, which looks horrible on candy floss like colour, than the work with glaze on, but harder to be cleaned. I am planning to use glaze next time.

Further reading: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/03/artist-week-richard-slee

Form testing - Clouds and Rain Drops 2

This piece, like the previous porcelain one, is a piece that inspired by Leon Bakst's costume design.

During the time, I found difficulty in moving further on this theme. I have been suggested perhaps it would be better to find inspiration in raw materials, rather than people's work. I was not sure if this is true, but I did get stuck.

In the every beginning, I was deeply attracted by Leon Bakst's work. But the more I saw,  the more I realised that I only like a small part of them. So that could be very limited inspiration. Not to mention, there is no reference that might support my work. Because the motivation I did this work was simply the admiration to his work. It was hardly a theme, which was about detailed visual effect, more like a branch of the whole concept of my work.

 It is not saying that it is impossible to go down this way. It might be a nice starting point, like Vincent's work. But I just felt something went wrong.

So when I made this piece, I was in the middle of wondering what should I do next. I decided to make something based on what I had, and see whether there was a possibility. At the same time, do not let my hand get rusty.

For the clay, I used terracotta. It is a material that much easier than porcelain. It is stronger and has good plasticity. This piece was slab-build, because I found I had less patience and control in coiling. The little thrones on the body was a sudden idea, which was made by a metal tube for making hole. I found these thrones are lovely. Until now I could not decide whether I should glaze the work, since the thrones might disappeared. 

I did follow my sketch to make this piece. It turned out quite differently though. In the end, I like the back of it rather than the side designed to be in the front.

It should be nice to put this piece in a square tank that slightly bigger than it. Not long or big tank, in that case, it would be like a pure decor rather than a small land. Or put the piece in a square tank that only has half height of it would be nice, then there would be half in the water and half above, like a island.