I made a thing!

As I settle into Quarantine Life I think I’m beginning to find my rhythm and momentum in the studio

I completed the plaster mold for my simple vase and found that it was taking a really long time to dry (PGH has been pretty chilly and wet this past week) so I decided to de-mold and stick the dang thing in the oven at around 200 ° for a few hours.

I left the slip in for about 21 minutes

I think I accidentally de-molded a little aggressively and got a dent in the work- maybe I should have left the slip in longer for a thicker vase? Maybe I should have left the vase in the plaster a little longer so it was less fragile?

I blew inside the vase and was able to to get most of the dent out but not all the way- I does make me think about how much of ceramics is often about the hand of the artist- perhaps moving forward I can create this effect more intentionally. I’m pleased with the 3D print details that the vase was able to pick up.

It’s not perfect but it feels really good to have made something start to finish in my Quarantine Studio.

I’m feeling energized by the process and have some ideas for some process-based material experiments. I would like to make molds of segmented 3-D prints. I would also like to see if I can 3D print molds for the plaster. As I said in a previous post, initially I wasn’t sure how I could apply this making process to my work , as it tends to be geometrically complex and “undercutty”. Preparing the model in my last post to be ceramic printed I recognized the opportunity to apply a similar preparation process for a model to be chopped up and slip cast.

Here is the first (pretty shitty) print

This is the part I was intending to print. Sidney says that the reason the print didn’t turn out great is because the printer needs to be further calibrated.

My last update is that the face vase is 90% done- I just have to make the 8th and final plaster piece for the bottom. I tried to do it this morning but the plaster was too wet and the oil clay wouldn’t stick.