Sunday, October 30, 2011

What am I ? (Challenge #2)

I am a process which uses the following techniques, tools and talents. I take varying amounts of time to create the desired form and in winter it takes a lot longer for me to be ready. Conversely, in summer you can have two of the same shape twice daily... must be the ambient temperature in the studio! People find this method attractive to make shapes that are not thrown in the round on the wheel, although protrusions to a  shape make it much trickier to finish and wax for glazing/firing. Sometimes I can be made up of a number of parts which must all be removed. 

This is not a torture device although requires lots of effort!

There are basically four main ingredients which are used in the material that forms the basis for any object. I have to be fired twice in the kilns at Bison to obtain the same finish as the wheel-thrown pieces. This process is a relatively recent development in the pottery world but has revolutionised the way  objects can be made. There is a large amount of skill involved in making and finishing the shapes we produce in the studio. Occasionally we add handles, sometimes a sprig-moulded Bison logo, or even cut out a spout and hand-shape it. 

We use rubber strips to hold us together and we are made of plaster.
On the odd occasion (namely last Saturday!) we use our nephew Josh to help make racks for said equipment. This is done unflinchingly as he is concentrating on how many racks will equal the cost of his new skis for the coming snow season. I will wait to see what technique you think this is. I'll close this off in  24 hours time. Your time starts now..........

Josh Tunks slaving away for his uncle Brian at Bison.


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