In Search of Fine Surfaces

Weald was done as an exercise in bone dry carving of porcelain after viewing a brief demonstration by a local potter. As you can see, a very fine, smooth, surface is achieved. This is done by scraping the dry clay surface with a sharp curved carving knife and then smoothing, almost melting the edges, with a wet paint brush.

I am very happy with the quality of the carving, however the time needed to finish it vastly exceeded the patience I am willing to extend on a more regular basis.

I worked on this piece from January 2006, and finally removed it finished from the glaze kiln in January of 2007.

From this point I am going to experiment with various hybrid techniques to speed up the rough carving process, and reserve this technique for the last finishing stages of a work.

Inspirations in Light

Hello, and welcome back to Serenity Tree.

The next example of carved work was inspired by an abandoned piece of bisque (or biscuit) ware at San Jose City College back in Spring of 2002.

The inspirational work was a vase with a similar interlocking wedge design carved into the shoulder. This two piece table lamp was the first of its kind I had attempted. I have since gone on to try some single piece designs, and even some hurricane lamp styles, but my favorite is this basic spherical shape.

Welcome to Serenity Tree

Welcome to Serenity Tree Designs. My little spot on the web to highlight personal pottery developments.

Of late I have been exploring many carving methods to best express the feeling for each work of serenity I create. To start off this exploration here is a look at one of my first carving attempts back in 1995.