Creating handmade ceramic objects, both aesthetically pleasing and utilitarian while remaining universal enough to be accessed by anyone
Arts as elitist and inaccessible to the general public has always pushed me to make work that is both aesthetically and utilitarian. On that concern I discovered Japanese and Korean potters. What first stroked me was the aesthetic of the ceramic piece but above all, the daily use of that piece. They always aspire to join art and function. It was something quite different from what I was used to know from my potter friends.
I then began learning ceramics’ chemistry with the help of some well known ceramists, Tony Hansen, John Britt, and Simon Leach. I also learned how to work with the wheel from a long time friend, who’s also a Master potter in earth ware pottery, Mestre Tavares, based in São Pedro do Corval, near Reguengos de Monsaraz, my home town. In the last two years, I have been testing glazes and clay bodies and developing one technique based in carved pieces, without the potter wheel.
This technique provides spontaneity and immediacy, discovering the piece during the process of making it. Beginning with a solid mass of clay, I use a metal and/or wooden blade to shape the exterior surface. I hollow out the interior by hand with a carving tool, a process known as ‘kurinuki’. This technique, in which a piece is dug or carved out of solid clay instead of being shaped on a potter’s wheel, is a process that allows me to intently focus on the inner shape.
All my pieces and glazes are handmade by me and I try to incorporate raw materials from nature, like rocks, clay and ashes.
Establishing my own studio (in a shared space) and preparing to show my ceramic pieces in Ceramic Fairs, all over Europe. In this studio, I’ll have access to a reduction kiln (to get better texture and colours) and several other facilities related to ceramics.
The amount raised will cover costs of installation, materials and registation/costs for events.
This is my vision to take my pieces to the next quality level!
For more information, please visit CARVING Campaign page:
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/carving-the-future-in-ceramics/
