No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This practice-led research investigates the feasibility of combining glass and ceramics in a hot state, as a means of artistic expression in studio practice. Glass and ceramics have many related material qualities and are processed in similar ways. Chemically they are alike however structurally they are very different, which creates compatibility problems when they are combined in a hot state. Through controlled processing, material properties can alter when each is partially converted into the other. It is recognised by artists in the field of studio ceramics that porcelain can partially convert into a glassy form when high fired to create a translucent material. Likewise it is recognised in the field of industrial engineering that glass can partially convert into a ceramic form when processed in a controlled way to create a glass-ceramic material; this material is not used by practitioners and would be difficult to develop in a studio environment. A total of 43 contemporary practitioners were found that worked in both glass & ceramics in their work. Of these only 16 practitioners combined glass and ceramics in a hot state, the majority combined them in a cold state to avoid compatibility issues. It became apparent that there is a distinct lack of published material on the combination of glass and ceramics in studio practice. It was the aim of this investigation to address this gap by identifying and testing potential hot state processing routes. This research addresses these issues through a multiple-method approach rooted in creative practice; directed by the following aims: • To develop the practical and creative parameters of the combination of glass and ceramics in a hot state. • To demonstrate and articulate the possible creative and practical benefits of the new processing routes as a model for practitioners in the field. • To articulate the significance of the research methods and results through the mapping of the field. Material testing was focused on artistic practice and experimentation which identified the creative parameters of combining glass and ceramics in a hot state, four potential process routes that combine glass and ceramics in a hot state were identified and tested. This testing was further extended and supported by the application of compatibility studies, which helped to match the expansion rates of glass and ceramics when they are combined. Bone china was identified as the closest fit to glass in terms of expansion rates; quartz was added to further improve the fit of the materials. Case studies of artists that work in glass and ceramics have been used to position the research within the field. New insights have emerged into the combined processing of glass and ceramics in a hot state. This approach offers a series of potential processing routes to be viewed as a model for others in the field. The final submission includes a thesis, a series of materials tests, and a body of related artworks that demonstrate the hot state combination of the materials.

This practice-based research investigates the potential applications of digital manufacturing technologies in the design and production of hand-made tableware at the Leach Pottery. The methodology for the research establishes an approach grounded in my previous experience as a maker that is informed by an open, experimental, emergent, and responsive framework based on Naturalistic Inquiry. A critical contextual review describes the cultural heritage of Leach which, for the purposes of the research, is developed through the Leach Pottery as a significant site, the historical production of the iconic Leach Standard Ware and the contemporary production of Leach Tableware. This is followed by an examination of Potter’s Tools in the Leach production environment, and a review of makers’ digital ceramic practice. The contextual review is followed by an explication of ‘standards’ presented through visual lineages of Standard Ware and Leach Tableware to define ‘standard’ at a design (macro) level, followed by an examination of how ‘standard’ operates at a making (micro level) level. This chapter presents new knowledge in relation to defining the visual field of Leach Pottery tableware production and its standards of design. A chapter focussed on practice presents the outcomes and analysis of my engagement with digital manufacturing technologies which resulted in the development of new tools to support Leach Tableware production and the interrogation of Leach forms, in different mediums, which led to the creation of Digital-Analogue Leach forms. The practice culminated in the design and development of new 21st century Standard Ware: a range of 9 forms, called Echo of Leach, that were developed by myself using digital and analogue methods: the designs were realised by myself, the Leach Studio, and a further four makers. The outcomes of the research were presented in a three month exhibition at the Leach Pottery in 2013. The conclusions of the research draw on the key points raised in the analysis of the practice and relate these to the approaches to making pottery that are highlighted in the cultural heritage of Leach in the contextual review. These are also discussed in relation to ways in which these findings could be taken forward into development of knowledge about Standard Ware, especially in a broader studio pottery context.

No description available.

The problem under investigation is the creation of ceramic forms using both stoneware and porcelain in the same piece of ware. Sub-problems are to experiment with the best techniques of joining different clay bodies and the creation of aesthetically pleasing pieces which combine the textural beauty and rich glazes of stoneware with the bright glazes and the white and sometimes translucent body of porcelain.

In view of the fact that clay has not been used so extensively or wisely in elementary art education as the generally recognized importance of the material seems to justify, the purpose of this study is to explore the possibilities of clay as a creative medium and to determine which of the many ceramic techniques are most suitable for use by pupils in the upper elementary grade.

My artwork represents the playful and imaginative phase of life I went through as a young child. My cluttered bedroom floor doubled as a castle courtyard for a princess and her ladies-in-waiting. The unused space in my parent’s garage operated as a gourmet restaurant open to serve the finest cuisine. The fancy skirts, jewelry, and shoes that filled my mother’s closet were the tools for creating my ultimate fantasyland, in which I was already a successful grown up. My work is meant to convey the make-believe mindset from my childhood. To this day, I am inspired by the fluttering excitement that ignites and builds up in my stomach and ends in tickling my brain. The adventure begins when I think of constructing pieces of a magical world - a place where your mind molds a simple item into a sacred, irreplaceable thing of beauty and importance. I hope the viewer is inspired to slip away to a playful spot in their imagination that enchantingly transforms everyday objects into something rare.