excited and inspired

Nothing excites me more than the discovery of new techniques especially those that use older techniques used in new ways and other tools and supplies that can be used in new ways.  For those who may have visited my blog you may have seen the results of my attempt at Indigo batik on ceramic.  See "very old" 2011 post here.  I probably have had more visits to this post than any other.  I did manage to construct a box using this technique .  This was rather difficult to produce.  I used a method similar to that used on fabric, ---silkscreened pattern in blue onto flat clay using several shades of cobalt underglaze through silkscreen.  Then dried surface but not whole clay slab with heat gun. Then applied layer of hot candle wax to whole surface.  When cool I fractured the wax using my fingers from underneath clay slab, then brushed a watery black underglaze on top of wax which caused it to seep through the cracks onto the silkscreened pattern.  Only then could I form the box.  It worked but I had to watch smearing as I constructed box as wax wanted to come off as I manipulated the clay.  OK that was then, I always have loved the look of batik,

and a watercolor look  on clay if possible.  I also am not hung up on a purist approach to my ceramics, preferring a whatever works and if easy, even better.  A while back I experimented with Inktense blocks made by Derwent bought mine here.  I posted  experiments on fabric and using the product on a foam cut as a stamp.

I blogged about using silkscreens on my clay.

Now I am ready to play with ceramic jewelry again, especially after seeing this piece
by Margit Böhmer

whose Facebook page is here  https://m.facebook.com/margit.boehmer?_rdr#!/

So I had some scrap clay some of which I had tried another experiment --wanted to see if I silkscreened on fabric with underglaze, would transfer onto clay

Then I just started cutting up into squares using smaller squares as other jewelry items.  Then continue used by stabbing out more scrap clay, impressing it with one of my texture sheets made from craft foam cut with my Cameo digitacutter.   with circle cut out for other necklace pieces.  one large square with inner square cut out, then small circle makes three pieces, two for necklace parts and the small circles for stud earrings.  Quickly bisqued whole bunch in my 8x8" test kiln.  Today I played with adding color using Inktense blocks.  Will play with more colors tomorrow.   Am excited at the nice matte finish and beautiful colors.  Would also work for larger decorative pieces (not for food, of course), but boxes and sculpted figures.