Mud Wrestling
on that first slab jug. I find this is the best way to emphasise texture and give that
rustic look that I adore.
I can paint the beads all over, the inside of the holes and the undersides of the pendants without worrying about them melting to props or the kiln furniture. I do a
once firing up to stoneware temperatures and that's it, I can paint them then seal
with varnish. To achieve a similar effect from glazing I would have to do up to three
firings, the process is a lot simpler when using Gilders Paste.
My interest in ceramics has always been broad, it is a versatile material and I have
found many ceramic artist's (especially in the US) who do not use glaze, but instead choose to use a paint of one kind or another. I have experimented with using
glazes as well as other things to decorate my work. If I was making functional pots I
would need to use glaze, as I am making beads I have these other options.
There is a considerable difference between working with Gilders Paste and glaze.
When painting Gilders Paste I can see the colours as I apply them. This is not the
case with most glazes, their colours and surface finish become visible after firing.
This makes an eagerness to open the kiln to see what comes out, but also a risk.
I have no dislike of glaze in fact I love it as well as Gilders Paste, it is just different.
You make both jewelry and components, which do you prefer?
I have no clear favourite, what I want to make depends on my mood at the time of
making it. Every stage in my bead making process is so different, I enjoy every one.
When I make jewellery it feels like I am making little shrines for my beads.
Favourite tool to work with?
I would have to say that painters colour shapers are my favourite tools as they are extremely handy for getting to F