The reflection on making process of final show work

June 29, 2019

When I was making for the final show work, I have some reflections on my future career and my thinking about craft. The deep emotion on objects is from the long experience and growth.

The material

When I was making ceramics, I was immersed into the dialogue with material. I enjoy making alone and pay all of my attention on the material. After my graduation, I will continue the dialogue, I can feel the sense of belonging from it.

I have a strong feeling about the waste clay after shaping. I spent a lot of time on making. The other part of the clay have already turned to the ceramics below the light and audiences' eyes on the show. My complex emotion like tired, depressed, stressed, delighted combined together inside the waste clay. Sometimes, I think I am doing useless work like this waste clay.

The tool

Every tools I have many memories on them.

This is a sponge I used to polish my vessels after shaping or molding. It changed to a shape suitable for human's hand, after countless touch with clay.

The making process

1. throwing process

Sometimes, I think I was like a woman worker in the small workshop. I was surprised before when I knew the high quality porcelains for decorative places are from a small workshop.

2. the molding process

3. the polishing process

4. The first firing (biscuit)

5. glazing after biscuit

6. Glaze firing

The problem of spreading glaze after second firing (glaze firing)

The firing part is like hand your work to fate, the ceramics always give us surprise. The earthware firing always have cracks maybe because of the transparent glaze. The stoneware firing always have distortion. It is a long way to learn ceramics.