Ceramic Painting #5, approx 28x30x15cm , earthenware clay fired at 1080

"This ceramic painting embodies the Australian outback. It gives new form to the iconic gumtree."

I did it on a whim, not really thinking about anything, but i can see the resemblance and  i dont disagree...

more vom

ceramic painting #4, approx 30x30x10, earthenware

HAVE you ever , ever felt like this, when strange things happen, like your going round thr twist....

ha haha  making these is so fun and free :)

This piece below, #1, was the first pretty selection of clay remnants I found that started me on this method. It was so SIMPLE! I was having difficulty making compositions that didnt betray the history of rearranging. Clay seems to record everything. Every little hesitation, change of mind or overdoing. Serendipity was the soloution. As it was the first, I thought about it the longest, which meant I had alot of options by the time it came to glazing day. I was so nervous about overdoing it with too much strong coloured glaze that I applied it generally quite thinly. The excellent thing about firing at a low temperature meant that the clay isn't too vitrified to inhale glaze; and exposed areas absorb glazes just as easily as after bisqued. I can keep painting, if necessary.

Ceramic Painting #1, approx; 30x18x10cm. Earthenware clay glazed at 1080

I think I will revisit this work when I am feeling fresh and finish it. One of the ideas I revisit often; paint the centre column with a bright glassy red, to combat the dryness of the grey on the left and make the acid yellow dimple at the top beam its colour. The window on the left is nice I think, dry and grainy with its Iron and chrome. The centre column is the weakness of the piece. The shape is strong and needs a colour that is equally important. That's probably why I feel red is good. Shiny surface also seem to reveal form well, and the curvature of the column is important to the balance of the two weighted hips of the piece. For similar harmony reasons I think it should be shiny, it just seems right. But the problem of red and shiny glaze is that people read into it like blood or pain or in this case dangerously like a warped inverted vagina. And that kind of idea is distracting and irrelevant. Maybe one day I will make representational pieces with concept behind them, but not just yet. I want to learn and understand how to finish pieces at the moment, and the only I can do that is if I keep making and pondering their quality.

I am struggling with different hanging methods as you may be able to tell from the varieties appearing. This piece, #6,  requires a chain to hang from or bolts into a wall. I am considering sewing this piece into a large cushion, but I am not certain. As it is now, I like the colours and composition, but something lacks. The edge is unfinished perhaps? the focus is the explostion of colour form the bottom left lump of glaze, and to make sure i dont lose colur, perhaps a grey or white lounge cushion would suffice? I think I will wait until the world serves me the perfect one...

Ceramic painting #6 (unframed) approximate dimensions; 35x30x3cm. Terracotta earthenware; glazes fired 1080.

 

Ceramic painting #4. approx 36x30x9cm. Stoneware clay fired to 1080.

This piece hangs on the wall and is made from combined thrown and discarded pieces of clay. The randomness when finding compositions like these lets me use colour to enhance the harmony in the forms.

Ceramic Painting #3, 29x 25x 13cm. Ceramic earthenware clay fired to 1080.

Ceramic Painting #3, 29x 25x 13cm. Ceramic earthenware clay fired to 1080. 

#3 is one of my latest favourites.

Welcome to the Unicorn Spew Emporium,

The place where all good unicorn-voms come to rest.

 They are actually my semi-automated paintings. I make Ceramic Paintings from clay and glaze and I call them unicorn spew because they are a little bit colourful and magical. They paint themselves in the kiln with gravity and heat, so they aren't really abstract expressionist anythings. I also work with salt and acrylics and they too are magically grown in certain humidites. I find bright colours fun and exciting, especially when they do their own thing!