work in progress

The brick continues

With more brick compositions coming through I'm beginning to think about how these can fit in to the next couple of exhibitions. They may simply be part of the work in progress that directly feeds the final work or they may be shown on mass as a collection.







These two pieces of Cheddar red brick from Ibstock in Bristol are off cuts from my final MA design Pause. Cutting these bricks was quite difficult each brick weighed 12kgs making it a hefty cube. The cutting wire tended to move a lot as I sliced through and the clay was so grainy and heavy with grog I ended up with these wonderful circular marks across the surface. The marks from the stacking shelves are still imprinted on the bottom in the form
of tiny dots. 

I collected some of these remnants from my time spent in the factory they seemed too interesting to throw into reclaim. The pieces shown in the photographs below were shaved off the side sections and the bottom edge of the seating space.

The images directly below were pieces I have carved some of these bricks had to be 
re-carved or reworked. 





These two pieces were cut by Ben. Whilst he helped me during the first couple of days setting up. 



 Here's a shot of Pause once finishes and installed.




Chalk 10days Winchester 2015 work in progress

This is a quick update about the work I'm currently making for 10days Winchester opening in October.

 Since my last post I've managed to move it along slightly with one of the three large canvas panels almost finished. 

 After a conversation with Sasha this morning I'm still undecided about how the smaller test pieces will be hung in the space. I started photographing them outside in natural sunlight this afternoon and there are some interesting elements beginning to unfold, which has now made me think about lighting and possibly positioning them away from the wall in order to be able to see these details more clearly.

Chalk in three stages some of the process work will be on display along with some photography taken in  Sombourne chalk quarry.


As for the larger panels these are going to be hanging from the red brick wall but I can experiment with spot lights once the work in installed. It's something to consider and will give the white expanse a little more depth as the marks made through making will have a stronger resonance. 

New material tests


Here are a few of my new material tests I have been developing over the past few weeks,  looking at the use of raw materials particularly materials that would normally be used in glazes. 
For example china clay, cornish stone, dolomite, quartz and so on.

 I've selected white or cream raw materials to maintain a fairly clean palette these are the beginnings of my exploration into how each one reacts when applied to canvas.

 The next stage will be the addition of oxides where I can introduce some darker shades and compare the two where I can begin to build up the surface texture. 










Physical traces of making: Part 3

Since my last additions based around 'Physical traces of making' I've been scaling the work up slightly and also looking at different ways to present it. 

Work in progress with porcelain 



The two or three pieces below have been photographed on mirror glass against white and black backgrounds to see how or whether it changes the appearance in any way. On closer inspection the porcelain against black seems to bring out more detail on the surface. 

 The use of monotones in reversal is definitely something to explore further.

 Mirror glass is a material I'm revisiting from the exhibition at Arthouse1 in 2014.
I'm fascinated by extending the work and revealing parts of the form that would normally be concealed by the plinth or surface it's sitting on. 



I'm particularly interested in these tiny points of contact with the mirror glass raising the rest of the surface up and away. Creating new visual spaces intangible spaces and small pockets of space. 


High fired Porcelain

Work in progress Lines, Levels, Layers

With only three weeks to go until my exhibition at Siobhan Davies opens. This seems to be the perfect opportunity to share some work in progress images.

 It's going to be difficult to get a clear idea of the work until it's installed but here's a small  taster of what's to come.









Gorm's photo shoot for press and marketing in Siobhan Davies Dance. 


Rendition 1: Of many for Layers the large wall installation.


 Experiments with clays and soils to fire, I'm going to try to different temperatures and see how they behave.