professional pics

'Selection/Collection'; slipcast ceramic; 2010


'Untitled'; slipcast ceramic; 2010


'Untitled'; slipcast ceramic; 2010



all images a'la Cindy Laine from USQ Photography

major catch-up!

I have recently realised that I have greatly neglected the world of blogging! Since last time, I've lumbered though writing my Honours thesis, and completed all the accompanying practical work, so as of the 11th of November, I have been totally 100% University free!

At assessment we presented two bodies of work -> the thesis prac. work (the main body of work), and 'Module B', the tangent work to the thesis prac.

'Selection/Collection' (knives and forks); slipcast ceramic; 2010


'Selection/Collection' (spoons) part II; slipcast ceramic; 2010


'Selection/Collection' (spoons) part I; slipcast ceramic; 2010


The GraduArt 2010 exhibition is amazing, and was again shown at both the USQ Arts Gallery and the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. Simultainously, Daniel Qualischefski and I also had some bits and pieces in Artisan's Christmas retail showcase, Cherish 2010, in Brisbane.

I also have my own little space at in.cube8r gallery in the valley in Brisbane. Its such a great place and concept, you should all check it out - still time for that last minute Christmas shopping! Im glad to say that its a little emptier than in the photo :) almost restocking time!


I also recently had a short write up done on me by USQ, focusing on the spoons works, and the fantastic fact that as part of Artisan's Cherish 2010 showcase, they were so impressed with my work, that they wanted to utilise it to gift to the directors of Artisan! This was then placed in The Chronicle, and a slightly abbreviated version appeared in Toowoomba's Mail - and all one day after the other!

Good thing that after all this excitement of showing/selling work, and publications, Im off to a little place near Bundaberg for a week!

Cass xo

sem 1 assessment

new earrings!

These came out of the decal firing yesterday and they are just perfect!










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These ones were made using copper wire:

earrings!

Here are the final ones, finished off with sterling silver posts and butterfly backs! more to come in the next week or two.

display

here is a sneek peek of my playing around quickly with my presentation ideas. This work started out with the aim being to create three sets of differnt knives and forks (and maybe a spoon) and display them on three shelves in a manner representitive of the way cuttlery is left on the plate at the end of a meal (my family/in general). I had a few spare minutes this afternoon so i put my thoughts into practice. its all just play at the moment.








further works will be created with the leftover/broken pieces...not sure what they will be yet.

p.s sorry about the awful lighting in these pics!

X

knife, fork and decal

Well here is the batch number 2 of my cutlery. These pieces are currently being fired to 1200 degrees as we speak - their third and hopefully final firing. Its interesting to watch the trends that occur with the casting of these, and trying to use that knowledge to fix issues. Sometimes it is helpful, and sometimes its no good at all. There are still some problems im trying to resolve - i wonder if ill ever get there!

On a better note, ive finally been able to fire my decals onto my earrings, and here are the little lovelies :) i must admit im quite proud. Now i just need to order some sterling silver backs, get glueing and get selling!

Week 9

It is now week 9 of semster one, and our work-in-progress assessment is only a day away...im feeling a bit lackluster that after all this time ive only got the following to show for it all.


(the three on the left have been through their second firing, and are in their third, the knives on the right have only had their first firing, but are sanded and ready to go!)


Im usually the one with the freakishly huge amount of work made at this stage...but unfortunatley the combination of lots of reading and writing as well as hiccups with my work has hindered my making. I know that i dont always NEED a lot of pieces, i just like to have them, you know, just in case.

At least with a break of a few weeks untill the next official assessment is due, ill be able to find some more studio time and pump out some work :)

Well the 'holidays' are now over, and its time to get back to work.

I have four new moulds to test shortly - when they are dry enough, two more knives and two more forks (thanks mum!), and many of the other issues have been sorted out now which is good.



I've fired the few pieces i have remaining from the first lot of moulds, only one fork, one teaspoon, and several knives - so much to show for seven weeks of work :(, there were many breakages... This was their second firing, up to 1120 degrees (im doing seveal firings and sanding the pieces between firings - no glazing) and all went well. I supported the pieces with alumina just in case, although it was a must for the knife, as the blades slumped even at 900 degrees.

In the same firing i also had my new batch of earrings glazing away. They look pretty fab, but im in need of getting more posts for them...may think about decals :)

troubleshoot me, please!

After having a break and finally getting back into the swing of study etc, Ive started working on my next body of work - slipcast cutlery. As my thesis topic is Object Attachment in the Domestic Sphere, my prac work will be a reflection of my personal experiences regarding this domestic attachment. As slipcasting the actual pieces of cutlery from home would be a total no-no, ive sourced some other pieces with which to play with and see if i can make my process work sucessfully - before moving onto more applicable pieces (if necessary).


The mould making went surprisingly well considering my strong dislike of working with plaster - bit of a contradiction i know. I then tested the moulds with some re-constituted slip from the end of last semester - a bit runny but i thought that would be needed to fill the small areas of the moulds. The slip had a great tendancy to stick to the plaster and would not release easily at all! i think was a combination of damp plaster and a weird problem with the slip. Whatever it was its been solved by a change over to proper slip. This is what the first tests looked like :(




things are going much better now, but still several hurdles to get past before i can start thinking about the next stage! put a bisque on yesterday, and hopefully everything will be looking as good as possible :)

Cass

goodbye 2009, hello 2010!

Well 2009 is well and truly gone now, as we all head strongly into the new year, good ol' 2010!

here are some pics the lovely Cindy Laine took at my Final Assessment last year (Thanks!!). The one at the botton with the three vessels, is my collection of handbuilt spoons that i made as a little side project last year when i needed a bit of a break from the millions of cups and saucers that i was producing! i love the way the handles look - a pity you cant show that plus the scoops of the spoons...ill have to get more pics! i think this line of work is a strong candidate for the work ill be making this year as part of my Honours degree (providing if i ever hear of my acceptance!). the use of cuttlery as part of the domestic experience is something that also quite interests me as well as the use of crockery and other such items. :)





Lets hope that 2010 sees some great new work from the students in all levels at USQ!