Monday 4 November 2013

Oxford Ceramics Fair - October 2013

  
 
 
Oxford Ceramics Fair. 
 
 
Always a pleasure going to this fair, and we never miss it. You can see previous years of the fair here and here.
70 ceramicists were featured this year, and here are some of the highlights. 
 
 
 
Ruth King. 
 
I found the form of these vessels really pleasing, and the effects achieved by the glaze were equally so.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Taja 
 
Delicate, fragile hand built porcelain with Seiji blue glazes
 

 

 
 
 
 






 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Emily Myers 
 
Vessels made on the wheel in red stoneware and porcelain.
 
 

 
 
 
 





Neil and Sally MacDonell

Figurative ceramic sculptures



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 Rachel Wood 
 
Thrown and hand built vessels, landscape inspired, decorated with layers of colour with slip and glaze.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
  



 
 
 
Nicola Richards 

Hand built pots, smoke fired:  the patterns are achieved by drawing through resist slip, etching patterns onto the burnished surfaces.
 
  

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Anna Lambert 
 
Hand built vessels, painted with slip and underglaze.
 
 
 


Bowl




 
the inside which is very shallow
 
 
 

 
 so a look at the back is required.
 
 
 
Akiko Hirai
 
Gas fired ceramics
 


 
The Moon Jar 
 
 


I love this Moon Jar. I saw another made by the same ceramicist a few years ago, and it was as stunning as this one




 
looking closer  
 
 
 




Jack Doherty

Thrown vessels and soda-fired. I had never come across this technique before, so this is how he does it.

A smooth thin layer of liquid porcelain (slip) is applied which has copper carbonate added as a single colouring material. Only one firing is required. Soda firing involves mixing sodium bicarbonate with water, which is then sprayed into the kiln during firing at high temperature. The resulting vapour is drawn through the kiln chamber where it reacts with the silica and alumina present in the clay, creating this rich patina of surface texture and colour.









 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
*   *   *
 
 
Finally, a little treat on the way to the car park of the school. We got to the playing field, and came across the two cricket pavilions:
 
 
 
 
An Art Deco jewel 
 
 


and on the other side, another jewel, a modernist one this time.

Not a local comprehensive, obviously!



4 comments:

  1. Fascinating. We have a piece each of Ruth King's and Emily Myers' work, but from previous styles. I must admit that I'm not so keen on Ruth King's present style. My favourites from your photographs are the top Rachel Wood, the middle Nicola Richards, and the top Anna Lambert. Thank you for showing all these goodies - and the pavilions too!

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  2. Thanks Olga. The Anne Lambert is all one vessel: the first photograph is of the bowl, , the second of the inside which was quite shallow, so this helpful man lifted it for me so that I could see the bottom, which is the third photograph - it was quite intriguing.

    I love owning ceramics and I see that you are the same. I know Nicola Richards, she is a neighbour, and I own a few of her pieces. I also attended a two day course she run at Compton Verney on the heady days when I could make pots - I loved the smoke firing process and made some pieces that I was quite pleased with.

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  3. The soda firing is my favourite...am intrigued as to how you would open the kiln at a high temperature and spray stuff in...mind bogglingly dangerous!

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    Replies
    1. I know... I thought raku was dangerous, but this seems to be so much more so. He did have an assistant, so maybe two people are required for this process.

      These were my favourites too.

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