Surface materials can be arbitrary, a means to an end, or they can be intimately connected to a work of art, its content, its origin, its narrative. A new body of work can be built by defining metaphoric meanings for a set of specific materials and then applying them to difference works to add or alter context and make visual connections between pieces. Surface materials can be meaningful, symbolic, decorative, façade, camouflage, add dimension or texture -- A multitude of surface possibilities beyond the kiln! Through the lens of my studio practice, we’ll seek to expand these traditional conceptions of the ceramic surface.
In this workshop, we will explore methods for cold finishing with adhesives and mixed materials. We’ll investigate fast and slow application methods, talk about designing work to accommodate non-ceramic additions, and consider archival quality and potential in material research. Participants should bring test tiles and fired work to experiment with, as well as an assortment of mixed materials for surface application. Throughout the workshop, we’ll also reflect on material hierarchy, inherent meaning, histories, and contemporary contexts.
Participants will first be introduced to my work and studio practice through an artist talk. We will then convene for demonstrations and dialogue, followed by hands-on experimentation in cold finishing. No prior experience with cold finishing is necessary.
Participants should bring:
- Test tiles, fired work, or broken fired pieces – Anything to experiment with studio treatments. Must be at least bisque fired.
- Mixed media materials to apply to ceramic surfaces. Nothing is too weird!
- A notebook to take notes & write down future ideas!
- Highly suggest wearing “studio clothes” or clothes you don’t mind getting adhesives or paint on.
- An apron if desired. (Not covered in clay! Dust is not our friend for cold finishing)
- Safety glasses if desired. (We might need to crush some materials)
Still Life will provide:
- Clear silicone caulking & caulking guns
- Mod Podge matte glue
- Super glue gel
- Bamboo skewers & plastic spoons
- Brushes
- Disposable gloves
- Acrylic paints
- Cardboard to use as mixing palettes
- Some old bisque ware to use for test tiles
- Sponges to clean pieces before surface application (Studio sponges are fine)
Kirstin will provide:
- Demo materials: bisque pieces, pre-prepared test tiles, assortment of old test tiles for examples, mixed media materials, some additional adhesives for demo purposes
- Some mixed media materials for participant use: AMOCA has some random craft materials; I’m also going to dig through my personal studio bins to find unused / old / obsolete materials.
