Fusion Mentorship April Meeting

It's been such a long time since since I started this April report that I am having a hard time remembering what went on and unfortunately I did not take many notes at the April meeting. I seem to have lost the 4 themes that I was working on - the bottom billion, the dancing girls, the forest, and the nuclear theme and have strayed back onto familiar territory again with people appliques - not really what I wanted but somehow I cannot control it.
I followed up on my face vase with another one but this time the face vase holding a vase - however the facial features really bother me - not what I wanted. Lips are really hard to do hard not to make them look fake.

Woman with Vase - just too much going on - fish area glazed with shino and blue underglaze but vase area was tommuku - I find just too many contrasts. Plus facial features are not appealing - she looks sullen. I was going to make some wilted roses for the small vase but lost interest with the project as not sure what I was trying to say with this.

I tried out two other face vases - but the end result was way overdone! The quick impromptu one was one that I liked best yet could not make myself keep it as it was not really me - sort of hard to understand - maybe not tight enough? I'd give anything to be loose!

Quick impromptu version

Final version - totally overdone - sort of mother earth but put just too much hair, leaves etc..

I started work on some large hand built platters. As I like to cut the edges to end up with irregular shapes handbuilding was the way to go as the rims then remain the same thickness throughout.

First woman platter - again the lips are totally unappealing. Plus some of the applique cracked.
I reglazed it in cone 6 electric, but it is going to the hammer.

I am quite happy with my large platters. I feel that I have mastered the rims quite well - adding an extruded rim.
I make the platter over a garbage can -see earlier post several years ago about garbage can platters.  After laying down the clay slab I roughly lay on the extruded rim and cover everything with plastic to equalize the moisture for a couple of days. As I use a caulking gun type of extruder I have to use really soft clay for the rims so it is really important that the clays equalize before attaching the rim.
Once the clays have equalized and hardened a bit I transfer the whole slab to a smaller circle support - a large shallow glass lamp shade. Only then do I cut the edges, score and slip to add the rim.  Sometimes I have a very clear idea of what I will make - other times I do it on the fly - hoping that it will come out OK.
I have been trying to get the shapes a bit more complex. To add the foot - once the plate is leatherhard I invert on a thick foam cushion. I throw a large ring and slip and score to add it - sometimes curving the foot to flow with the curves of the plate.

In places I need to roll out a slab and then cut it into a wedge to insert under the thrown foot to level it out.

Once I have finished all the rims, if it is a complex design I sometimes start the applique design with paper, 

With the next platter I made my woman holding a platter but of people instead of what I sometimes have done - fish. Not sure what the people on the platter represent, but I really love cutting out the people .

There is a sense of urgency now as our mentorship is nearing the end and we have to have several pots for the exhibit which will be in the Oct - I'm not panicking yet but I am starting to feel the stress as I really do not have anything that I am really pleased with.
Out next meeting was to have been in May or June but Keith is scheduled for heart surgery sometime soon and so we left the date it up in the air. Here 's wishing Keith a successful surgery and recovery.