Work at the Heavy Metal Exhibition

Our Work at the Heavy Metal Exhibition



can't have it all

Happy New Year from Ceramic Matters

we did not take time off

had to and are still working on assignments
(more on the work in the next post)

in November we did a post about

a prototype and mould for a

trophy vase for a wedding



~ black glazed trophy - ceramic matters ~

~ black glazed and white glazed trophies
- ceramic matters ~






The black glaze “shivered” –
the clay shrinks more than the glaze during the firing, this causes for the glaze to “peal” off the clay -
mainly on the rim and angles/edges.

Very little one can do; other than to

re-make the pieces.




~ shivering on the edges ~

  















~ shivering on the edges ~



~ shivering on the edges ~

 





~ at the wedding - photo from client ~



~ at the wedding - photo from client ~





trophy prototype

received a request to show how to make a

Plaster of Paris prototype

if you do not have a Plaster lathe. . .

this post is a little more technical;
hope the very basic photos and explanation below will answer the question 
should you be interested leave a comment or e-mail us a question
will post answers once a month

~ Ceramic Matters Drawing to Scale ~

photos of a trophy we were asked to make for a wedding 

interesting concept to have trophies on the wedding tables.
some believe they deserve a trophy to stay married!

the following photos show a prototype made on the wheel
it takes a fair amount of concentration and
fast work to avoid for the plaster to get too hard
before it is all centered.
apologies, I forgot to take photos sometimes

(I blame the process, but it is probably a little bit of forgetful age as well . . .)

~ base cast on the wheel ~

Use firm plastic to make a ring
- the type lamp shades are made of, works well -
cast the base on the wheel.
Once the plaster is the consistency of cottage cheese
remove the plastic and turn to the required size
(use this piece as the "pourer" for the mould)

~ Cast Plaster on the base before turning ~

The base is painted with a release agent and 
the next section of the shape is cast
- same manner as the base -


~ Completed Top Section ~



~ Trophy Base ~

The base of the trophy was done in two phases,
because the plaster sets too fast for the complete shape to be turned in one.
Above photo, the bottom is complete and the plastic is coiled around the upper section.
Plaster is cast into the plastic;
the section below shows the plaster before it is turned


~ Cast section ~

Remember to always make "keys" and apply a release agent
if you make a piece in more than one section (as above)
the "seal" that your release agent creates,
stops the set Plaster of Paris
from absorbing the water from the newly cast section
if not, it causes for the newly cast plaster to become much harder - almost impossible to work with


~ Turned Section ~

~ Complete Prototype - top section will serve as the pouring section of the mould ~

The production moulds were made today.
Once cast, I'll post photos of the complete trophy with the handles.

foot print

few historic greek paintings survived the 2500 year old

 civilization; a lot of what we know about

anchient greek art and culture is

from the portrayal on pottery.

considering this, we might/should want to stop for a minute and imagine
“what would little ufo men think if they land on earth in 1,000 years from now?”
mankind might be extinct – 2012 is around the corner, if you believe the prophets of doom!
will the ceramics they find tell of a civilized society or will they look at it
with total dismay and wonder what an ignorant bunch we were?

 

ceramic matters - champaign bubble trophy

a trophy is a reward for an achievement;

those who win it cherish the legacy it represents

 

ceramic matters - red trophy





ceramic matters - trophy





how original or ground-breaking! 

is it about an old thought in an innovative and

different presentation? 

chinese ceramics



traditions

the use of form and shape

ceramics during the ages.

the oldest known ceramics from

japan – 10,000 b.c.

 turkey - 9,000 b.c.



pre columbian ceramics



   
 

  

greek wine god dionysus holds a kantharos of wine it was never supposed to be empty

amphora given as a prize at the panathenain games. 566 b.c.





XVIII - materialization of matter

I grew up on a farm with my grandparents. The women cooked and sewed and the men worked the land. Living on the farm was great, but for two experiences:

1. Now and again there was a problem when my grandfather’s sheep fell prey to a jackal or two. This meant the neighbors all came together late one afternoon and while the women cooked and busied themselves at the house, the men would hunt for the culprits. I had to go with . . .

2. My Grandfather had a herd of Blesbuck (a purplish antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead). Once a year, during winter, family from the city and special friends, would all come to the farm. A big day when they would slay a cow, pig, sheep and a Blesbuck.

photo - blue forest safaris

The animal trophies were displayed on the big old veranda wall.

photo - how stuff works

I am proud of my family history, but could not follow in the footsteps with the practice of slaughtering and eating meat.

However the sculptural shapes and colors of these trophies and bones – some much older than me – has always fascinated us both.

It is evident in most of our work that nature always plays a prominent role in our inspiration.

We designed and made a range of ceramic trophies as substitutes for the real thing.  

The Kudu Horn - Seam lines are left to emphasize the sculptural qualities

These include a Kudu Horn – the first Kudu Horn we made was designed and ultimately cast in stainless steel and chrome, as a Trophy for Vodacom sponsored - African Challenge Soccer.

Ceramic Wildebeest Trophy

Ceramic Springbok Trophy

Ceramic Nature Study - Snails and Succulents

The silhouette and outline of the form becomes an important design element

The illusion to make an object in clay to look like something else.