This is the first ever blog on my website...ARRRGH!!! Terrifying...
Here goes...
I have been seriously struggling with my final major project outcome. For well over a year, I have been totally focused on dipping clothes, socks, shoes, hats, gloves etc into casting slip, letting them dry and then firing them. (I have been single handedly supporting York's charity shops by raiding their knitwear in order to have items to dip.) The process is really interesting to do because the fabric burns away and you are left with an incredible sculpture that looks like it should be hanging up in Mother Shiptons Cave in Knaresborough (which is the look I was aiming for) BUT...I then did some research a few days ago and found out that there are LOADS of artists who do this and produce incredible artwork. Depression and hair pulling (and stamping of feet), and don't forget the obligatory swearing kicked in and I thought the end of the world was nigh...
So, the thinking cap was replaced (hard when you are an artist..it tends to get ripped off alot and then thrown down in frustration and then forgotten about until I need it again but can't find it...sigh...) and because I adore taking photo's, I decided that I was going to incorporate my photos onto the fired pieces of ceramic clothing. The photos are going to be something to do with the article of clothing itself and will tell the story. When you really think about the clothes that you can buy from charity shops, your imagination can run wild. Who donated them? Why? What have they seen? Have they been donated before or is this the first time? Have they been worn? By who? What sort of life did they have? Happy? Sad? Lived to a ripe old age? Died too soon? What type of person would buy the item? Desperate person with no money to buy clothes? Wealthy person looking for treasure? Person from abroad who doesn't realise what a charity shop is? Or someone who went into the shop, wanted to leave but felt embarrassed to leave empty handed so bought it out of guilt!!!
As any good artist should do (!) I yet again researched to find out how many artists did this process and if so was it similar to what I wanted to do. If all was in my favour, then I needed to also research the process of image transfer. I found out that many, many artists used image transfer, but none (that I could find) that did what I want to do..YIPPEEE!
I have to say, there are quite literally hundreds of ways to transfer images onto wood, glass, ceramics etc and none of them are particularly perfect for what I want to do....again, depression threatens, BUT I had another brainwave...(head will explode soon, if I don't stop this!!!) PROJECTION...I am going to project images of the life of the article of clothing onto that article of clothing. I had a look and no one seems to be doing this. (Another Irish jig in the corner of the room thinking no one could actually see me, but in reality, a number of horrified children were looking on..) So I am going to do a mixture of projections and of normal photos. And I have decided on the process I am going to use for the photos...but that will have to be revealed in another posting because it is quite literally hanging from a thread (and a bid on eBay) as to whether I can achieve it. So wish me luck, keep everything crossed and carry on reading...x
