I seem to have been writing about clay rather a lot recently, it just happens sometimes that classes come in waves, and over the summer we did several clay workshops. Back in July wonderful mum and I went to a workshop at Katherine Fortnum ceramics to make windchimes. You can see this post to see the unfinished item.
I made a flat style of windchime to hang against a wall. I wouldn't dare leave something like this outside as it would be likely to get smashed by some of the less desirable people that live in the area. (I know that sounds really snobby, but we have been burgled and someone set fire to our garden gate, right next to our rabbits, one night, also you should see the amount of rubbish in the streets and young or drunk people hanging around)
This is the hanging bar. I had to carve out the back so that the clay was all roughly the same thickness otherwise there'd be problems with it drying and in the kiln. I painted the whole thing in the same blue/minty green shade.
I varied the patterns on the hearts so that the outside ones were the same, but the middle one was different. All the hearts get smaller as they get towards the bottom.
The middle string has one extra heart on it, just for a bit of interest. It's all strung together with Fireline, a jewellery making material that's similar to fishing line.
The hearts are only painted and engraved on the front, so the backs are a boring brown colour, but that's up against the wall and doesn't really matter.
I hung it on the first floor landing. It's all alone on that wall, but maybe one day I'll fill it with quilts and embroideries and other made pieces. The rate I'm going I'll fill the whole house! I don't think Mr CA has noticed it yet...
Hmmm.... maybe I should have measured that Fireline so they were hanging symmetrically!
Last month I told you about a workshop we did at Katherine Fortnum Ceramics. We went to another workshop a few weeks ago and so were able to collect the birds we'd made.
He is intact, if not quite as attractive as he could have been. I only put one layer of underglaze on him so he's a slightly pinkish/brownish off-white!
Katherine did say that the inside would need a light sand as it was so hard to get it smooth during the making process, I was surprised how bumpy and knobbly it turned out.
He's on the kitchen window sill (indoors) at the moment until I decide where he can live and what he can hold.
At the last workshop we were making windchimes, or a hanging mobile of some sort. I don't have many photos but I have a few.
I cut out a series of hearts getting progressively smaller. I then textured some of them in different ways.
I used one of these fancy rulers to imprint some of the hearts. The small round thing is a stamp, I used that on other hearts.
Next it was glazed, three coats, and I scratched some designs into the glaze to reveal the clay underneath.
They're going to be fired, then we'll collect them. I think we've got another workshop later this month, I'm taking the Mother-in-law as well as mum so that should be good fun.
