I had a very enjoyable visit to Only Clay in Sheffield. It was a relatively short distance, and I loved the industrial setting. It has struck me that, as my MA has progressed, I have been looking for and discovering different things at each ceramic fair.
The first fair I attended as an MA student was the BCB in October 2019, and I was amazed and inspired by the work on display. At the time I had little knowledge of the breadth and quality of british studio ceramics, and was overawed with the possibilities. I did not know it, but it would be some time until my next ceramic fair. I visited the library and began to read widely on uk ceramics. Fortunately I had a large pile of books at home when the first lockdown happened.
The next fair was at Potfest in the park in July 2021. By this time I had chosen slab-building and was keen to take a close look at artists who used this making method. I was also looking at colour, and finding an appropriate colour palette. I was familiar with the work of many of the artists taking part, but was still excited to find work I was not familiar with. I plucked up the courage to talk to a few makers.
I visited another three fairs later in 2021 in quick succession, York, GNCCF, and BCB 2021. I was again focused on learning about making, using porcelain and adding colour. But I was also thinking more about what I wanted my own work to look like. I had made some decisions, and eliminated a lot of options, and was trying to work out how to make work that was different and more personal.
Ceramic Wales was very different, as my fellow students and I shared a student stand at this event. This gave me a completely different perspective. I was able to talk to exhibitors in a relaxed atmosphere, after the working day, as well as during it. I received some great advice from numerous people on setting up a display space, and becoming part of the ceramic community after graduation.
By CAL 2022, I was fine tuning my approach, particularly with regard to colour. I had spent a lot of time learning about slips and glazes, how to change and adjust them, and was improving my application skills. I had developed a palette of blacks, whites, greys and browns, with some blues and greens, but did not really know how to combine them. Anna Silverton and Paul Wearing were particularly helpful, and gave me great tips on layering colour. This advice came at a good time, as Rob also suggested that I use my painting skills. I had 'painted' a piece using slips during level 2 and Micaela did not like it at all, and this had put me off painting. Rob's comments encouraged me to 'paint' again, so I treated slips, glazes and oxides as paint, layered them as Silverton and Wearing had done, and managed to get surfaces I liked, and that suited my project. I had everything I needed for my show now, and just needed to 'make, make make'.
During my visit to Only Clay this week, I again enjoyed seeing work by unfamiliar artists. I liked Jane Plahe, who layers dry glazes. I used a couple of dry glazes on my MA Pieces, and have used them before at Winsford. In my recent MA show I chose a wide range of different types of glaze. The clear matte glaze has been a little inconsistent, I think this is related to application method, but need to test it further to work out why. Maybe a dry glaze, without a clear matte, would be an option. Again I would need to test this.
I also enjoyed talking to artists that I had met or purchased from before, including some who were at Ceramic Wales where I exhibited with my fellow students this year. I took a close look at how work was displayed, especially by my tutors Micaela and Rob, who are great examples of how to set up a stand. They have a clear and consistent brand, their displays are inviting and professional. I realise that I have a huge amount of work to do in this regard, and a lot of practical challenges to address. I also need to make a much wider range of work to meet different budgets. This will require simplifying some of my processes, and making more quickly.
I have had a very short period to reflect on finishing my MA, and realise that I have only just started my ceramics journey.
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