Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Sandra Black Workshop


Porcelain Vessel by Sandra Black
Light as a feather, delicate yet strong, translucent, and fine as lace describes the vessels Sandra Black has become well known for in Australia and many other countries. Sandra has spent a lifetime working in clay and has developed a unique style with her beautifully formed and carved vessels.


Porcelain Vessel by Sandra Black
Ventura County Potter's Guild hosted a two day Sandra Black workshop this past weekend, which I had the pleasure of attending. Sandra Black, from Fremantle, Australia, is known for her intricately pierced and carved porcelain vessels. Sandra said she enjoys working with porcelain clay, a fickle but seductive mistress. In recent years Sandra has begun using Southern Ice porcelain developed by Les Blakebrough in Australia.

Sandra Black
Sandra Black Pouring Plaster Mold
The first day of the workshop Sandra demonstrated how she makes plaster molds to slip cast one piece drop out vessels for carving. Sandra uses a combination of plaster and paper plaster to form the molds. Sandra learned paper plaster mold making from Grace Nickel, a ceramic artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Sandra attributes the invention of the paper plaster mold making to Trudy Ellen Golley, Head of Ceramics at Red Deer College in Alberta, Canada. Paper plaster strengthens and reduces the weight of the mold allowing larger slip cast forms to be built and emptied with ease.

Sandra Black Porcelain Vessel
Porcelain Vessel by Sandra Black
Sandra showed us her techniques of slip casting, carving, and piercing porcelain vessels the second day of the workshop. Sandra uses several different tools to carve her highly decorative vessels such as a surgical knife, dremel tool, dental drills and many more.

Sandra Black
Sandra Black Throwing Vase Form
Although I can't see myself spending hours piercing and carving vessels as Sandra does, I already have several ideas to utilize and adapt many of the techniques I learned at Sandra's informative workshop.

Sandra Black Porcelain Vessels with bracelet to show perspective
Porcelain Vessels by Sandra Black
(bracelet to show perspective)

8 comments:

  1. man, that would take just about forever to make, wouldn't it? gorgeous!

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  2. Way too detailed for me, I want more instant gratification.

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  3. Beautiful work! I learned how to make the plaster/paper molds at Red Deer College a few years ago. They are great and really light!

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  4. Hi Cheryl, I'll bet it's beautiful in your neck of the woods. I once camped on Vancouver Island for two weeks and loved it.

    I'm already thinking of several items I want to make in an etched mold idea I have. So many ideas and so little time.

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  5. can you share the process of paperplaster mold making? i'm dying to know how to do it....

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  6. Hi Sylvia, as I recall you just add shredded paper fiber to the potters plaster and then apply it to the form you want to mold, that is the first photograph of Sandra in the photo. I think you are supposed to sieve the material so the part next to the mold is very smooth and no lumps. Let me know what you come up with, I have never tried the method even though I took her workshop and it has been some time ago.

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  7. Wonderful work! can you tell us the process to make.I am very curious to read more.

    Red Deer Dentist

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  8. Hi,
    I also work with carved porcelain, but I have an eternal problem with the deformation of the pieces. I use Limoges porcelain.

    Could anybody tell me if Sandra said anything about how to avoid the deformation?... is it all due to the type of clay, or may it be something concerning to the oven?.

    Thanks for your support.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment