Man-made and natural sources of creative inspiration:
The task:
Research, gather and present visual reference material
Develop a series of ideas that explore the relationship between the vessel and the stand
Produce two finished pieces, both involving a vessel and a stand
1 - Natural world stand and man-made vessel:
When developing ideas for the project, I recalled how exciting I found the introduction to plasterwork session as I had no previous experience of working with plaster. One of the casts I found particularly interesting was a textured tile made from a piece of corrugated cardboard. I considered creating a 'cardboard box' as the vessel for the first project, considering the relationship between cardboard and the wood from which it is made, a tree seemed to be an obvious choice for a stand.
Starting with the tree...
Proved more difficult than I expected. After 2 uninspiring maquettes, I decided to get back to basics and look again at real trees in the natural world. I found inspiration in the baobab tree which is simpler and more satisfying in form. Using grogged terracotta clay for strength and texture, I made a slab-built trunk then rolled coils for the branches which I attached to the top of the tree. After biscuit firing, I applied copper oxide to the tree, most of which I managed to wash off, but the result however was pleasing.
The box:
Using the plaster cast, I created a series of tiles using workshop stoneware clay and joined them to make the box. After biscuit firing, I applied red iron oxide to the outside of the box and a 'mystery' shiny brown glaze to the inside. The box sits in the top branches of the tree and will be used to serve mini pork pies at the Christmas buffet.
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