The Art of Ceramics

On Tuesday the 15th of November, I had the wonderful privilege of attending a ceramics workshop with a leading

ceramicist; Kieran White. I decided to sit in on this lecture as I am currently starting into my own ceramic

project, which i will keep you up to date on.
This intriguing demonstration on working with earthstone clay really opened my eyes in the area of ceramics. Kieran

firstly exhibited ceramic work by previous students of L.S.A.D which gave the workshop group a broad understanding

of the diversity of objects that can by created. These pieces made me appreciate the absolute skill and creativity that goes into creating such unique work. The time and effort put into these pieces show a great sense of devotion and I really respect this as working with clay can be quite tedious.
I absolutely adored the ceramic plate created by a previous student which deals with the subject of "The Celtic Tiger". The piece is so simplistic yet fascinating in design with great attention to detail. I found the concept to

be utterly appropriate as I myself think contemporary issues are quite attractive concepts when creating art. I am

very much a symbolist and seeing pieces with great meaning really excites me.
Kieran discussed the different techniques used in creating ceramic works, he also explained different techniques in glazing the pieces. One of these techniques that i found quite inspiring is the act of sawdust firing. The beautifully lined and textured pieces that result from this technique of firing are outstanding in design. 

Kieran showed the workshop group how to get thin strips of clay by using the press. He also showed us how simple tools can create simple yet effective designs. Overall this talk on ceramic practice really gave me a deep understanding to the time and energy that goes into making these beautifully designed works. This demonstration has also attained me a deeper interest in the area of pottery and design.

I am currently working on my own piece of pottery. My idea for the piece is to create a voicebox like vessel which will contain secrets on the inner section. To the left you can see the start of my experimentation with earthstone clay as i began with creating the base of the vessel. I hope to fire and glaze this piece in the coming week or two.

 -Theresa