Hi there
Thanks for popping in. Been thinking about attention to detail. Paying attention to detail when you craft. When you stop thinking about what you are producing, what it will be like when it’s finished, and instead you get absorbed in the detail, in the minutiae – that’s when you are IN the process, IN the art. And that’s the bit I love the best.
Sometimes I will spend hours doing something so seemingly insignificant in the bigger picture (if you’ll pardon the pun), and yet I thoroughly enjoy it. I seldom feel I have wasted my time, because when I am doing artwork, I don’t feel I’m EVER wasting my time. When I’m watching rubbish on the box, that’s a waste of precious time. When I’m worrying about stuff I can’t do diddly about – that’s a waste of time. But when I’m up to my elbows in ink, paint or Clay – then I am invested in a creative process which is mostly enlightening and enriching.
Remember those plates I was teaching myself to throw on the wheel? I also taught myself how to make a groove, a recess, an indentation. I’m sure there’s a special clay-speak term for it.
I wanted to learn how to do a slip inlay. So not a superficial line of colour, but an actual inlaid strip of slip. I googled it….
Halfway through the process, I was very, VERY focussed, because it looked like a right old mess. Mmmm, I wondered if should have left it with a nice plain groove. But the thing is, if you stick, then you never learn anything new, do you…
You had to kinda squirt the coloured slip into the recess, let it dry a little then press it into the groove. Then add more, smooth it in with your fingers and let it dry. I went with a turquoise colour. Had it everywhere! I completely forgot to take photos; always an indicator that I’m totally absorbed!
Once it was all leather hard, you had to scrape the clay and slip back with a metal kidney, to reveal the inlay. Did it work?
Oh yes!!! Well chuffed.
Now they’re ready to be bisque fired. I thought about decorating the tops too (hahaha! the bit you can see!) but decided to stick !! Drying out now. Too late…
Also, SWYAA! Or DTP! Or LIM!! Any ideas what these acronyms mean?
And on that happy note, I shall stop for the day.
Stay safe,
Love and hugs
Barb xxx